Nate Jacobs

Because a specification may be fixed in time, but if the regular updates to seasonal influenza vaccines evoke one fictional character, it's the Red Queen ("Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place").

Namely, how claim construction, written description, and enablement might intersect with controversy in defining species or other taxa, reclassifications and emergence of new organisms over a 20-year term, and the depth of conservation of relevant biology.

With the examples of bacteria and influenza viruses, the article explores the challenges that evolution (of formal names, knowledge of biodiversity, and organisms themselves) can pose for organism-centered patents, and options for addressing them through taxonomy and phylogenetics.

Alas, the actual paper focuses more on viruses and bacteria than Pop-Tarts or filled pasta, but I'm still excited to see it published! www.doi.org/10.1093/jlb/...

Jinx the black leopard at Florida Big Cat rescue absolutely tearing into a pumpkin. You can read more about Jinx (and his rescue story) here: https://bigcatrescue.org/jinx/

The news in the world is awful, but it's almost Halloween, so let's talk about pumpkin enrichment for big cats.

This is Jinx the black leopard (Big Cat Rescue, Florida) enjoying shredding a pumpkin.

Hand-drawn figure of a simple printing press.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION I am a born again Christian. The Bible says that there will be a certain event known as the rapture, when born again Christians will be taken to heaven as Christ returns to take them away. There will then be a time of peril upon the earth known commonly as the tribulation period. During this time, the AntiChrist will rule, and claim to be the Christ. You will not be able to buy or sell without the number of the beast which is 666. The gospel will be greatly hindered. Anyone giving out the gospel will be beheaded, and those who trust Christ as their Savior will not be able to buy tracts or have them printed in any way. There will no way to give out the gospel anonymously, and yet many, in times of peril, will be seeking the Lord.

A homebuilt printing press for publishing after the rapture without drawing the attention of the Antichrist.
Patent Application Publication US 2012/0279405

Near real-time data on the human neutralizing antibody landscape to influenza virus to inform vaccine-strain selection in September 2025 The hemagglutinin of human influenza virus evolves rapidly to erode neutralizing antibody immunity. Twice per year, new vaccine strains are selected with the goal of providing maximum protection again...

In new study led by @ckikawa.bsky.social, we provide near real-time data on human neutralizing antibody landscape to influenza by measuring ~26,000 titers to >100 recent viral strains

Data can inform vaccine selection & evolutionary/epidemiological modeling
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Watching ER and wondering if my firm will ever expand to Chicago.

While riding the B or Q trains between Dekalb Ave station and the Manhattan Bridge, you may catch a glimpse of "Masstransiscope," a public art installation by Bill Brand. It was added to the #NYCsubway system in 1980.

Q Train Expansion Into Harlem Gets a Green Light, Thanks in Part to Congestion Pricing “Send our friends in Washington a message — it is working,” Gov. Hochul said of the vehicle tolls.

“Send our friends in Washington a message — it is working,” Gov. Hochul said of the vehicle tolls.

A defined microbial community reproduces attributes of fine flavour chocolate fermentation - Nature Microbiology An in-depth microbiological and metagenomic analysis of Colombian farm and fermentation facilities resulted in the design of a defined microbial community that can reproduce the flavour of fine chocol...

This is the science I want funded (alongside curing cancer etc)

A defined microbial community reproduces attributes of fine flavour chocolate fermentation

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Experimental evolution in an era of molecular manipulation Nature Reviews Genetics, Published online: 21 July 2025; doi:10.1038/s41576-025-00867-6In this Review, Ascensao and Desai discuss how methodological advances in genotype and phenotype manipulation are transforming experimental evolution approaches and providing new insights into the underlying genetics and forces that shape phenotypic evolution.

ICYMI: New online! Experimental evolution in an era of molecular manipulation

the singular message of this ad is "zohran loves new york city" and it is incredibly effective

The meme format of “Patrick Star from the episode Band Geeks” asking, “Is Civil Procedure with Richard Freer fun or a distraction?”

But also, finally getting around to Black Mirror S7 and reading Code Name: Pale Horse.

A chef making a torte, the thin dense cake, not a tort, the cause of action.

Tortefeasor, you say?

Evolution of the Italian pasta ripiena: the first steps toward a scientific classification - Discover Food In this study, phylogenetic and biogeographic methods are used to investigate the evolutionary relationships between various types of Italian pasta ripiena (filled pasta) and related representatives f...

As an introdcution to the phylogeny of filled pasta paper: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A slide captioned “Ravioli? Or Tortellini?” And showing Pop-Tart mascots.

My “Taxonomy and Phylogenetics for Patent Attorneys” presentation is coming along nicely.

Wore my pinkest shirt and greenest pants today to channel this Nicole Kidman energy on my way out of my last ever law school final tonight.

My Pumpkins? Smashing.

10/10. No Notes

reason.com/volokh/2025/...

Nate sits at what appears to be a poker table with five copies of himself, owing to the mirrors bordering a 1/6 wedge of the table. Chicago Museum of Illusions.

Playing a zero-sum game of poker in the presence of multiple mirrors may not have been the wisest decision.

I come from a small town and a blue collar family. I’m a first generation college graduate. There’s dignity in all labor. There’s nothing inspiring about dreams of people placing small screws in phones for non-living wages. We should build big things in America. And it requires many hands to do it.

Reading Doctors by Nature: How Ants, Apes, and Other Animals Heal Themselves; watching Severance; and listening to Delain before a concert tomorrow.

Rugrats Nap GIF ALT: Rugrats Nap GIF

I have a lovely colleague whose title is the "Thomas Pickles Professor of Law," and all I can think of when I see their email signature is

Survey Says....You're Helping Out Maddy! Family Feud Survey Become a member of the audience for a Family Feud style game that I am playing with my undergrad class! This is an introduction activity where I will ask them to guess the most popular answers to the ...

if you need a break from doom, please take 5 seconds to help my labmate make a family feud style game for her very cool microbes and society class she's developing and teaching this quarter: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Our Customers Demand Terrible AI Systems We’ve been banging our heads against the wall, trying to think of the new “it” thing our customers want. At one point, somebody suggested improving...

"The value added is a feeling that you’re on the cutting edge of technology even though you’re using a product that is now actively worse."

Had 40 minutes to kill between classes after one ended early. Were it not Dry January, I probably would’ve found a nearby bar and had a beer, but instead wandered over to HomeGoods, and wound up bringing a guest to Medicare Law.

Amazing. At least one of these quotes is going into my paper on taxonomy in patent law.