Rachel Lance

I asked ChatGPT to write a limerick about my scientific work!
(it's not great)

There once was a sub called Hunley, so small,
That launched its black‑powder torpedo against a war’s wall.
Though no bullet or breach
Marred the hull—yet the screech
Of the blast wave inside proved fatal for all.

Riddle me this one: with people immersed in water to their necks, but their heads out and dry, their O2 susceptibility is consistent with in-water norms.

The water conductivity is an interesting theory, I've not thought about that before! I'm not sure how that would work as a mechanism, though.

You're right, that would be hard to get past an IRB. ;)

Maybe!! But there's not a lot of data

Oh thank you, that's so kind. Ben and Noel are the beeeeeeest

Thank you, I appreciate that.

I've been kept awake nights wondering about the dry versus wet oxygen conundrum. And the way O2 seizures don't show up on EEGs! Wild.

The underwater image that forms the cover art for The Great Dive podcast, with the caption "The 'Car Talk' of Scuba Diving." A caption has been added reading "Now with more Rachel!" for this particular episode.

Everything you think you know about O2 and diving may be wrong... and it's definitely stolen!

Today's episode of The Great Dive Podcast wraps up their series on how the body uses (and gets abused by) O2 when diving.

It also corrects a decades-old theft

Listen: www.thegreatdivepodcast.com/podcasts

Never fear, Steve! I connected with them on your recommendation (thanks) and today you'll find a surprise twist ending in your downloads!

Oooof.

One of the main perks about the civil service is supposed to be stability. That was advertised to me heavily when they wanted to recruit me. Take that promise away, and it becomes more challenging to willingly engage with so much bureaucracy day-to-day.

I worked 9 years as a federal civil servant, through a couple shutdowns.

They suck. Imagine an unplanned 20% pay cut, with no known end date. I was forced to work through furlough hours anyway, unpaid.

There is a chance this is part of the plan to make civil servants quit.

#Shutdown #CivilService

Oh wow, thank you!

They would be good for aiding wound healing after such a major surgery, but not because of stem cells.

I had no idea #Bieber had two personal chambers. I shudder to think about the safety violations in chambers so unregulated!

A small black dog in the same pose as the black squirrel in the original post. The dog has her paw hooked around a person's arm just like the squirrel has its paw hooked around a tree branch. Both are looking up with giant, sad brown eyes, and both are adorable and deserving of hugs.

Lies, that is clearly a photo of my dog.

Bombs are just warm hugs from the sky

Family of boy killed in hyperbaric oxygen chamber fire files suit alleging son paid ‘ultimate price’ for ‘corporate greed’ Thomas Cooper, 5, died on Jan. 31 while receiving treatment at an alternative medicine facility in a Detroit suburb.

Trying to decide if I should write about how hyperbaric chamber fires start?

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

RFK Jr. defends $500M cut for mRNA vaccines with pseudoscience gobbledygook He clearly has no idea what antigenic shift means.

Reminder: mRNA vaccines have been in safe use in humans since 2013, starting with trials to develop cheaper rabies vaccines.

Most have not come to market because they weren't effective enough YET, not because of safety concerns.

by @bethmariem.bsky.social
arstechnica.com/health/2025/...

Yeah... I have complicated feelings over the number of scientists and engineers who tried to speak up. I'm glad they tried, it's good to know they saw the problems. I don't know what else they could have done, which makes me wish there was a clearer path to express such concerns.

Ooooh I didn't get it! Thanks 😀

One minor quibble: "there's A problem" Sadly, too many to count... but yes, that was also alarming to me too!

I submitted the proposal last week and hope to be able to make an announcement soon!

For non-fiction, you sell the book as a proposal then write after you get the deal. However, the proposals are intense, so they constitute hefty progress.

I have reviewed the Titan report from @uscg-official.bsky.social and I HAVE SOME THOUGHTS about the boat design, outside of the obvious hull issues that I and others have discussed to death.

I've pitched my analysis of the breathing gas supply as an article, stay tuned.

#Titan #TitanReport

Thanks, I've been offline for a little bit because I've been going through some tough stuff, so I really appreciate hearing that. It made my day.

I've just submitted a third book proposal so hopefully I'll be able to announce the next one soon!

OK I appreciate the heads up. Sorry for the delayed reply, I'll look into it.

I'm not sure why anyone is going for the old "they all just sat there and did nothing" theory anymore.

Modern is a relative scale, but historical case files are way more fun, so that's neat!

Xenon Inhalation for Expeditions to High Altitude: A Position Statement from the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme, UIAA) Medical ... Hilty, Matthias P, Urs Hefti, Pierre Bouzat, Hannes Gatterer, Lenka Horakova, Linda E Keyes, Justin Lawley, Benjamin D Levine, George Rodway, Daniel Trevena, Eduardo Vinhaes, and Benoit Champigneulle....

Oh hello, me catching up on social media! Thanks for flagging.

I can't imagine how replacing N2 with Xe would reduce risk of mountain sickness, since the issue is O2 response. It could make a neat piece.

It seems in my absence there's been a response:
www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Heck yes for dive science history leading to modern clues!

A trove of forgotten Nazi documents is found in Argentina's Supreme Court basement Inside boxes found in the basement were documents "intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina," the court said. Supreme Court president Horacio Rosatti has ordered a re...

No matter what, documentarians make the truth known in the long run.

Look out for the silent library types.

www.npr.org/2025/05/12/n...

Sandy Rendel, everyone, offspring of Jim & Joan Rendel from CHAMBER DIVERS!

Geneticist Jim Rendel volunteered his body in a WWII experiment to stop the Nazis. It ruptured his lung, which collapsed on occasion for the rest of his life.

It was an honor getting to talk to family members like Sandy!

Hi Sandy!!! I've been meaning to send out an email saying hi. Amazing how time flies, isn't it?

It's overwhelming, but I'm trying to focus on the things I can control. I've been learning to sustain houseplants, which is a new experience for me.

It might make you get out your vampire stakes in preparedness

Thanks for all the book shout-outs!

I kinda agree. People ask me a lot if I'd get in some of the early subs. I say yes of course... with scuba gear.