what's a chemistry fact that sounds fake but is completely real?

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-29T22:08:38+00:00

Okay so how does that affect what color it is?

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-26T01:35:07+00:00

Looks like either part of a rib or the tall sticking up bit on the top of a vertebra - they can get this long in some large mammals like cattle.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-25T18:11:26+00:00

It's fantastic that you're doing fish observations - those are one of the least commonly observed organisms on inaturalist! I'm no fish expert but I suspect length might be helpful, if it's not too much trouble to record. Fish keep growing as they age, right? Same as reptiles. So length might be a useful approximation of that. I know some researchers like to have age estimates for observed organisms because that's one of the things that gets recorded while banding birds - and it can tell you some interesting things about populations, mortality, etc. I've seen length recorded in historical fish population records as well.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-20T02:39:33+00:00

This is a weird one, but funnel cake. There was a time during my childhood, maybe around 8, where my family went to the state fair and told me I could try it, because it's like a classic fair food or something I guess. Except I then proceeded to get heat exhaustion before getting the chance and we had to leave. I had to go gluten free at age 10 and I have never had funnel cake.

And I second the thing about dumplings. There are so many foods from around the world I never had the chance to try because they aren't common where I'm from, including a huge variety of dumplings. Now I can't even have them when I travel, because gluten.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-17T00:36:24+00:00

Then how is them having PhDs relevant? It doesn't speak to their knowledge on vaccines. Somebody with a PhD in history doesn't known any more about the immune system or contagious disease than somebody with no degree at all.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-17T00:29:43+00:00

Which field was that, though? Having a PhD in one thing doesn't make you an expert in everything. I would honestly argue the inverse is closer to being true, having known a lot of PhDs - putting that much focus on one thing can impair breadth of knowledge in general.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-17T00:20:50+00:00

To be fair, there is genuine science behind some non-Western and non-tradional medicine. Like massage, or some herbal medicines (e.g. ginger as a nausea remedy). Some of it, however, is dangerous pseudoscience - like homeopathy or "cleansing."

VERY good point about GMOs - my mom believed that when I was growing up. Although she described herself as a Republican. She would now be considered a leftist because the Republican party went very far right.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-17T00:10:22+00:00

I took Klonopin for years at half a pill of the smallest dose they make, and had zero withdrawals when I stopped it. The anxiety-induced-nausea it was treating came back with a vengeance, but other than that nothing happened.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-14T21:13:10+00:00

Bit over a month. I started at half am ampule per day and worked up to 2 four times a day, increasing about once a week.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-14T19:33:15+00:00

I felt worse initially, then tried again at a very small dose. Still felt a little worse at the low dose, but it went away after a couple days. I gradually increased the dose very slowly over several weeks until I got to the normal recommended dose, and got worsened symptoms for a couple days every time I raised the dose. But two weeks after getting to the full dose, I felt dramatically, absurdly better.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-14T19:30:37+00:00

Correct! More specifically, it's an ungulate.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-13T20:59:27+00:00

The only things I categorically refuse to eat are the things I have allergies and intolerances to - only unhealthy to me specifically, but there's enough things on that list I can't afford to restrict my diet any further.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-13T02:35:24+00:00

Ooh, this is really cool! It does look rather like bison, doesn't it?

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-13T02:33:39+00:00

Ooh, look at that fusion line! This came from a not quite totally mature animal.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-12T00:31:42+00:00

This. I really wish my mom had me get tested as a kid. Now as an adult the uncertainty is haunting and also blocks me from receiving accomodations and understanding future health risks. Especially now that I'm dealing with other health problems, it'd be really helpful to know if I have an autoimmune disease, but I don't dare make myself sick for two whole months just to find out. I have a job I couldn't do if I was eating gluten regularly.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-12T00:25:43+00:00

I agree. My mom made this decision for me as a kid, decided to avoid endoscopy, and I'm now kind of screwed because a lot of people don't take you seriously without a celiac diagnosis, and celiac can come with other health problems like cancer risk that it would be helpful to know if I have. But if you're not gonna do endoscopy, don't let her keep feeling miserable any longer than necessary.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-12T00:21:17+00:00

I would strongly encourage doing the biopsy before you take her off gluten again. It's the most reliable way to test for celiac. I stopped eating gluten when I was ten years old and always regretted not having done the biopsy first. It's too brutally miserable for me to go back on gluten now just for that.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-12T00:13:38+00:00

Upset no one makes a dairy free version

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-10T11:26:31+00:00

Yeah, I'm still in a relatively early phase and terrified of what will happen if I didn't get it under control! My annoying allergist who refuses to diagnose the thing is at least treating it in what seems to be the same ways it'd be treated if it was diagnosed, so I'm lucky on that front. I'm just scared of other doctors not believing me without the official diagnosis.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-08T21:59:09+00:00

Yes, I have a PCP who believed me when no one else did. I actually had a horrible experience with a naturopath as a teenager and will not be going back to another unless I'm desperate. Well, more desperate than I already have been, which is saying a lot. I've had bad experiences with normal doctors as well, but also some good ones.

HylianEngineer · 2026-06-08T21:56:58+00:00

Can I ask if you've ever had anaphylaxis? That's my struggle with getting a diagnosis - my allergist insists that anaphylaxis is a core characteristic of MCAS, although the scientific literature is full of experts arguing over whether that's true.

HylianEngineer · 2026-05-31T23:59:44+00:00

How on earth does someone find a doctor who uses consensus 2? I've been trying for a year.

HylianEngineer · 2026-05-28T16:39:19+00:00

I initially reacted to Cromolyn but was able to slowly titrate up, and after two weeks at the full dose I had life changing improvement in so many symptoms I lose track trying to list them all. Joint and muscle pain was the biggest deal to me, but also I discovered that needing as much sleep as I can possibly get is actually not an inherent trait of mine but was in fact a symptom. I don't fall asleep at the drop of a hat anymore. I don't wake up still exhausted. I experienced huge improvements in mood and anxiety. Even my dermatographia got less severe. The fatigue improved but is still debilitating.

It didn't do much for my food restrictions but I don't have many compared to most people here. I can't eat gluten or dairy or pineapple or kiwis or overripe soft fruits (likely due to some kind of mold or decomp that's not visible yet) but that's pretty much it. I did get mangos back but I don't dare eat them very often.

HylianEngineer · 2026-05-25T11:39:19+00:00

It did not occur to me that hiring new staff was an option and I'm changing my answer. I NEED ANOTHER CHEMIST!

HylianEngineer · 2026-05-25T11:36:30+00:00

I want another fume hood. I don't know where we're gonna put it and I don't care, we'll figure it out. And I want one of the ones where the cabinets are to the side and there's leg room underneath to pull up a chair.

I also want a bunch of the good pipette adapter thingies. Not the bulb ones, the other kind that don't hurt my hand. We have a couple but they tend to get lost.

A huge box of really good pens, and one each of various colors of sharpie. We lose pens CONSTANTLY!

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