Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him)

Patrick Star with an arm torn off. The arm has its own face. Caption reads “Patrick makes a new friend…the hard way.”

I’ve been doing #inktober2025 (despite my lack of drawing skillz), and I just want to point out that in today’s sketch (prompt: starfish), I made sure Patrick’s torn appendage included a section of his central disk. You know, for biological accuracy.

Alas, no. But perhaps my son, studying astrophysics in college, will have interesting things to say about plasmoids at some point. But plasmids are cool, too!

Really? Amazing. I love it when my passions collide like this. Your daughter is just immensely talented!

Cover of the book The Secret History of Bigfoot, by John O’Connor.

I’ve been casually enjoying John O’Connor’s “The Secret History of Bigfoot”, but today I read the sentence “Dudes, let it be said that the joys of human fellowship can seriously harsh my mellow.” And now I feel very seen.

Four pint glasses featuring the women scientists Henrietta Swan Leavitt, Marie Curie, Alice Ball, and Mary Anning.

With an administration that apparently hates both science and women, my drinking glasses feel pretty friggin’ punk rock right now.

Makes total sense! I was really pleased that my committee member read it so closely, because after years of work and months of writing, you’re lucky if half a dozen people read your thesis. And some of those reads will be a perusal at best.

"Back in my day..." one of my committee members read my thesis so closely that he corrected have a dozen typos, some of them in the Materials and Methods section.

"I'm sorry I keep hitting the "Fasten seat belts" button, okay? These things have a mind of their own and tentacle #7 is a real wise guy."

These plasmids from @promegacorporation.bsky.social are exceptional new offerings from Addgene for a few reasons:
- Since there is no MTA, they are available to industry customers (joining an ever-growing catalog subset: www.addgene.org/industry/)
- They are available in a DNA format!

Generations: Two Lies and a Truth about Parent-Teacher Groups More than a decade ago, I had a coworker with an older child warn me to never attend a meeting of the Parent Teacher Organization/Association (I’m just going to call them PTAs from here on out). “They...

This morning I participated in a meeting of school district PTO/PTA presidents and co-presidents with our superintendent. It may surprise no one that of 12 participants, I was the only dad in the room.

Fellow dads, let's not leave all this work up to the moms.

belmontvoice.org/generations-...

Cool science alert! A plasmid encoding a photodegradable hydrogel-forming protein called PhoCoil. Find it here:
https://twp.ai/4iqKMK
@coledeforest.bsky.social

The best was when my mom said her maiden name, Gobillot (pronounced Gob-ill-oh), in this language: Gobobobillobot

The hand-written name “Oberobic Poberkobins”

My late mom would sometimes speak to my sister and me in a made-up language of her youth called “Ob”, which consisted of putting “ob” in front of every syllable in a word.

This is how my sister addressed her birthday card to me this year. I’m 49, and my Ob name still makes me smile.

Thank you! I am currently sitting outside my favorite bookstore, drinking a fru-fru, sickenly sweet coffee drink, reading a charming book. As good as it gets, really.

Eric Perkins' collection | Bandcamp Alternative • 1365 collection items • 47 followers

Hmmm...I usually link to my @bandcamp.com page (bandcamp.com/drperky), but I should consider a YouTube playlist.

It's just such a relief that cities like Dallas and Miami, with their Republican mayors, do not have any crime to speak of and therefore don't need this government intervention.😒

She's getting off easy if it's just spit.

Folks here know that I take parkour class, climb, and go see a lot of bands that most people my age have never heard of, all of which contributes to my young-at-heart rep. My dad is 80 and is also frequently mistaken for someone 15 years younger, so I guess immaturity runs in the family😆

a man with long hair is sitting in front of a microphone and saying `` you don 't look a day over fabulous '' Alt: a man with long hair is sitting in front of a microphone and saying `` you don 't look a day over fabulous ''

My direct report (~30yo) expressed disbelief when I told her I was turning 49 next week. She said she assumed I was in my "early 40s". She doesn't strike me as a kiss-up, so I am going take this win today.

Ramsden receives Battle Award for groundbreaking genome stability research - UNC Lineberger Dale Ramsden, PhD, was presented with the Battle Award for his research on how cells repair DNA double-strand breaks, a critical process for maintaining genome stability and preventing cancer-causing ...

Yes, I've been out of grad school a long time, but I owe a lot to my PhD supervisor, Dale Ramsden. Big congrats to Dale on this well-deserved award (and I was pleasantly surprised my own ATM/V(D)J recombination research was mentioned in this article!). unclineberger.org/news/ramsden...

He’s two hours away and doesn’t have a car, so he’d have to buy a LOT of new underwear 😆

I knew I’d probably get some texts when my son did his first load of laundry in college. I did not expect it would be an hour of texts and an existential crisis 😬

Shout out to the woman who was just driving in front of me who a) stopped in the middle of the road for no reason, ensuring nobody could drive in either direction, b) proceeded to drive at 8mph in a 25 for several blocks, and c) finally started going the speed limit to blow through a stop sign.

I am coming to terms with the fact that my middle child is one of those people who will answer the exact question I ask and offer absolutely nothing more. Case in point:

Me (via text): Do you know anyone else in your driver's ed class?

Her: Yes

🤔 I will learn to ask more specific questions.

Cracker Barrel gift card (featuring the old Cracker Barrel logo.

Spotted a new collector’s item at the grocery store😏

A carton bean knitting, a timer, and a “Stop Focusing” button.

I’ve been trying out @hankgreen.bsky.social’s Focus Friend app this week, and so far I really like the following:
- My little bean guy has a butt crack.
- Having to press a button to “Stop Focusing” disincentivizes not focusing.
- My phone screen time legit went down this week. Progress!

Disclaimer

I'm feeling this recent xkcd, largely because I use em dashes a lot in my writing. Like, a LOT a lot. I don't write with AI, but I do write with em dashes, and I don't plan to modify my writing style to look more human. xkcd.com/3126/

If you or members of your lab are in the market for a (free!) crash course on how to make your science more reproducible, I encourage you to sign up for this @repro4everyone.bsky.social event in October. This group has years of experience and their workshops are comprehensive. Check it out!

A list of booths and small attractions, with the following circled: DIRT PILE/ Kids Dig & Slide/ Have FUN in the dirt!

One of the features at the fundraising event we attended today was simply “Dirt Pile”. Very New Hampshire.

And hey, I can tell you as a NH native, I had a lot of FUN playing in dirt piles as a kid.

OUR INSANITY ISN'T THAT WE SEE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T REALLY THERE. IT'S THAT WE IGNORE THE ONES WHO ARE.

How many situations can I apply this Andrea Gibson quote to this year…I would have lost count by March.