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Matthew Fainor

@matthewfainor.bsky.social

Tissue engineer by day | writer, knitter, scifi reader, and tea enthusiast by night

275 Followers  |  464 Following  |  42 Posts  |  Joined: 03.12.2023  |  2.1899

Latest posts by matthewfainor.bsky.social on Bluesky

Using a material originally developed as a bioluminescent algae-powered biosensor, biodesigner Chris Bellamy, scientist Nicho Schramma, and fashion icon Iris van Herpen created a living textile that reacts to touch.

10.10.2025 12:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A Living Gown Iris van Herpenโ€™s new bioluminescent dress made of algae debuts in Paris

Really interesting science-art collaboration story that speaks to something I think a lot of biodesigners are looking for: deeper connections with other organisms as a way to connect more deeply with other people.

nautil.us/a-living-gow...

10.10.2025 12:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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'Make America Healthy Again' Report Cites Nonexistent Studies The original report misinterprets some studies and cites others that donโ€™t exist, according to the listed authors.

undark.org/2025/05/29/m...

31.05.2025 17:11 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

LITERALLY

Really devastating cuts being proposed

wwww.septa.org/wp-content/u...

10.04.2025 23:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Philly was recently named the โ€œBest City for Street Art.โ€ And if youโ€™re interested in learning more about this dynamic world, Iโ€™d love to invite you to check out my podcast with WHYY called, Art Outside!

10.04.2025 21:48 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 317    ๐Ÿ” 46    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 13    ๐Ÿ“Œ 3
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1/6 New sticker from local scientist and artist, @sarahmackattack.bsky.social, spotted in Philly. I texted Sarah to learn more: โ€œShrimp and Krill are these tiny little animals that you donโ€™t think of as being particularly powerful in the oceans, but in the huge schools theyโ€™re incredibly important.โ€

02.04.2025 23:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 489    ๐Ÿ” 40    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I wish all Americans would watch this, in particular Trump/Musk supporters who might consider this without their pre-existing biases that blind them.

This is framed so well.

This is how I would be convincing people that they are going to end up funding this huge scam where they are the losers.

28.03.2025 01:33 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 41    ๐Ÿ” 18    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
27.03.2025 23:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3383    ๐Ÿ” 1674    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 10    ๐Ÿ“Œ 15

Every new announcement about some update to an AI image generator makes me seethe. People with the audacity to say OpenAI is โ€œmaking art accessibleโ€ so gravely misunderstand what art and the purpose of art is in our society.

Not to mention the energy, the water, or the theft.

27.03.2025 23:55 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The state of my fridge has reached a new lowest point at the end of this grocery cycle. Itโ€™s just a jar of olives, eggs, and about 6 things of pickles/pickle juice. And some really old kimchi ๐Ÿ˜‚

24.03.2025 00:10 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Calico cat head wearing headphones on a womanโ€™s body who is talking with her hands on the radio. Sheโ€™s got green pants and a yellow sweater over a blue shirt, very cool, and the sign above the cat says sheโ€™s on air. Sheโ€™s talking into a metal wxpn microphone.

Calico cat head wearing headphones on a womanโ€™s body who is talking with her hands on the radio. Sheโ€™s got green pants and a yellow sweater over a blue shirt, very cool, and the sign above the cat says sheโ€™s on air. Sheโ€™s talking into a metal wxpn microphone.

I usually stay around my own neighborhood, so when I venture down to south Philly I get the treat of seeing a different set of street art.

This one is by Sean Lugo, whose signature is animal heads on peopleโ€™s bodies. His stuff is SO good. Love this cat.

09.03.2025 14:32 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 361    ๐Ÿ” 28    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

โ€œThat trail of tiny footprints, indiscernible to the naked eye, is remarkably effective at protecting the tree from pathogens and pests. That makes ants a legion of unlikely warriorsโ€”one humans should consider enlisting in the fight to grow food in a warming world.โ€

08.03.2025 21:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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A secret weapon in agriculture's climate fight: Ants Ants โ€” yes, ants โ€” could protect apples, nuts, cocoa, and other beloved crops from disease and climate change.

BUGS ARE SO COOL!!
โ€œThe ant scurries along on six nimble legs. It catches up to its peers, a line of antennaed bugs roaming the winding surface of a tree, perpetually hunting for food. While doing so, each unknowingly leaves antibiotic microorganisms secreted from its feetโ€
grist.org/food-and-agr...

08.03.2025 21:58 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

๐Ÿ˜

05.03.2025 00:45 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I love the South Street Art Mart!

04.03.2025 16:04 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I've received several inquiries as to why I don't paint many butterflies. This is why.

There are massive multitudes of more interesting and ecologically vital arthropods out there who are underrepresented in our societal advocacy. I want to help remedy that through art.

#bugsky ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ•ท๏ธ๐Ÿก๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿชฒ๐ŸŒฑ

04.03.2025 15:12 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 72    ๐Ÿ” 10    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Bison, not prison: Activists buy a prison site to rewild the land A coal mine was the first to wreck the land. Now activists want to keep another extractive industry from taking root there: prisons.

This is one of my favorite kinds of stories in that it surprised me!

These activists are challenging the notion that โ€œmine sites are considered ideal locations for prisons or a dumping ground for waste, rather than places of ecological value.โ€

grist.org/justice/biso...

03.03.2025 23:52 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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DOGE cuts four local U.S. Fish & Wildlife workers, three of them from the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, another from S. Jersey All three sacked employees from the Heinz refuge were under the one-year mark in employment. One of them โ€”a bio-technology worker โ€”was just two weeks shy of a full year of service.

Sad news for my Philly friends.

share.inquirer.com/z6Xct9

24.02.2025 13:53 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 1    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Thanks, Ryan! Just trying to find words that cut through some of confusion and chaos for myself. Glad to hear theyโ€™re resonating ๐Ÿ™‚

23.02.2025 22:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I am on the bus, minding my business when the man in front of me begins frantically using 3 phones at once. THREE! What unspeakable force drove him to such madness??? And what could he possibly need to be doing like that???

21.02.2025 00:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

A healthy scientific ecosystem answers questions of all kinds for people of all identities in order to unravel the complexities of our biology. Unfortunately, attempts to suppress, censor, or erase rigorous, well-designed research only serve to suppress, censor, and erase the needs of real people.

20.02.2025 14:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

As we continue to advocate for a well-funded, well-rounded, rigorous US research and regulatory ecosystem, I thought about how messy biology is and this sentiment came to mind:

20.02.2025 14:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

As I was rounding up some of this news, it all felt a bit silly, like there were bigger, more existential, more important issues to focus on. But sharing good work is part of supporting science in general! And these talented scientists deserve their flowers ๐Ÿ’

20.02.2025 14:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The Tissue #7: Recommendations from one scientist to another FDA approves first MSC therapy, woven PCL hip implant moves toward phase I clinical trial, iPSC treatment for Parkinson's disease

Science news, get your science news here! I know a lot is happening right now, but people are still doing excellent research in the field of #RegenerativeMedicine, work that supports people of all kinds. Some of our fieldโ€™s recent highlights โฌ‡๏ธ ๐Ÿง  ๐Ÿฆด๐Ÿซ€

fleshyfutures.substack.com/p/the-tissue...

20.02.2025 14:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 2    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Stonewall page on the National Park Service website:

"By the time of Stonewall... we had 50 to 60 gay groups in the country. A year later... 1500."
Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.

Stonewall page on the National Park Service website: "By the time of Stonewall... we had 50 to 60 gay groups in the country. A year later... 1500." Before the 1960s, almost everything about living openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) person was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for LGB civil rights and provided momentum for a movement.

UPDATE: The National Park Service have now removed โ€œqueerโ€ and the โ€œQ+โ€ from the web page for stonewall, along with any mentions of transgender people.

13.02.2025 21:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1060    ๐Ÿ” 406    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 41    ๐Ÿ“Œ 194
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I presented our labโ€™s work trying to identify which patients with low back pain may be suitable candidates for cell therapy treatments and which may be non-responders. You can see more about the project: www.ors.org/wp-content/u...

09.02.2025 22:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
From left to right: Sarah Gullbrand with short curly hair in black blazer and pink sparkly boots with her arm around Matthew Fainor in light pink sweater. Janai Augustin in black sweater and grey plaid pants with his arms around Matthew and Brianna Orozco in grey plaid pants and black blazer, her arm around Emily Sharp dressed in a white turtle and flowinf blue pants. Standing in front of their two academic posters.

From left to right: Sarah Gullbrand with short curly hair in black blazer and pink sparkly boots with her arm around Matthew Fainor in light pink sweater. Janai Augustin in black sweater and grey plaid pants with his arms around Matthew and Brianna Orozco in grey plaid pants and black blazer, her arm around Emily Sharp dressed in a white turtle and flowinf blue pants. Standing in front of their two academic posters.

Really excited to share the scientific research we do in the Gullbrand Lab at #ORS2025. At a time when the scientific priorities, structure, and funding in the US are being reassessed, itโ€™s very grounding to be surrounded by talented scientists working to solve real problems for real people.

09.02.2025 22:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 19    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The Mauck Lab is well represented at #ORS2025. We work on such a wide variety of problems, that hopefully thereโ€™s a little bit of something for everyone!

Presenters on Bluesky:
@emsharp.bsky.social
@meghankup.bsky.social

08.02.2025 14:38 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

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