Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 4d

We've just set up a Bluesky for @nu-mechanobiology.bsky.social - give it a follow if you're in the #mechanobiology space!

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 6d

RE: https://fedi.lukejohns.online/@luke/115316769880712424

Oh my goodness it actually worked! #quoots for everybody!

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 6d

Anyway, I'll have a go at migrating to a fresh install on my old work laptop, as I'm running out of storage anyway!

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 6d

Anyway, I'll have a go at migrating to a fresh install on my old work laptop, as I'm running out of storage anyway!

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 6d

But the root cause I think is a compilation error I got earlier. I tried adding more swap space but that doesn't appear to be the issue for me […]

Original post on fedi.lukejohns.online

fedi.lukejohns.online

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 6d

So I tried to update to mastodon 4.5 last weekend but the rPi isn't very happy with it! Right now the web isn't working but the API is fine so I can still post this from fedilab. Like this […]

Original post on fedi.lukejohns.online

fedi.lukejohns.online

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 19d

Some new bots to promote!

There's a lot of good memeposting on Lemmy that should be easier to see on here, and these accounts will boost a good chunk of it:

@lemmy_memes_booster
@history_memes_booster
@tech_memes_booster
@fandom_memes_booster

Give them a follow! #fedi

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 19d

Some new bots to promote!

There's a lot of good memeposting on Lemmy that should be easier to see on here, and these accounts will boost a good chunk of it:

@lemmy_memes_booster
@history_memes_booster
@tech_memes_booster
@fandom_memes_booster

Give them a follow! #fedi

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 24d

I only realised yesterday that my lemmy-post-boosting-bots stopped working... in JUNE!

Ah well, they're back up and running now on here: https://bots.lukejohns.online/

(It was because of changes in v4.4.0 ending support for username/password API logins - fair enough)

#fedi #lemmy

Luke's bots

This is a place for Luke Johnson to keep his bots.

bots.lukejohns.online

Reposted by Luke Johnson

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 26d

More recent Luke news: I made some music and you can listen to it!

https://lukejohns.online/blog/bits_peaces/

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

GRIDS Vancouver @grids.reillywood.com · 27d

TIL that the Canadian Auto Dealers Association has been lobbying to allow cars certified in Japan, Korea, and Europe (like we do for US-certifications). Rare auto dealer W www.theglobeandmail.com/drive/cultur...

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 10

It's the 9th of #ssSnaketember and it's a day for looking at #InvasiveAlienSpecies

Burmese Pythons are native to India & southeast Asia. In these areas the #snakes have a #conservation status of 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List.

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#Herpetology #SciComm #snake

A Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) coiled across the left and middle of the image. The snake is dark brown, with tan streaks and a pale underbelly. The head of the snake is lifted up, with a black forked tongue slightly protruding from its face.

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · 26d

More recent Luke news: I made some music and you can listen to it!

https://lukejohns.online/blog/bits_peaces/

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 8

“Hearing” is #ssSnaketember the 8th’s theme!

Whilst #snakes do not have external "sticky out" ears, they can still hear. It is a myth that snakes are deaf, however they do have some quirks in relation to their methods of hearing.

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#Herpetology #SciComm #Snake

In the style of a coloured pencil sketch: a green coiled snake bobs back and forward whilst leaning against a blue grand piano, with an open lid.

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 8

The 7th #ssSnaketember is a day for Growling!
Even though many humans have never encountered a "real" #snake, thanks to film and TV, you will have probably heard a snake hiss.

But did you know that some #snakes can growl too?

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#Herpetology #SciComm

A king cobra snake (Ophiophagus hannah) coiled up. The snake has a light brown colour with its scales outlines in dark brown. Its head peeks over the top of a large coil. The snake rests on some fake moss on a tree trunk.

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 8

#ssSnaketember the 6th is the day for Flying!

This #snake believes it can fly, believes it can touch the sky. Thinks about it every night & day, just to spread its wings and … oh wait ..,

This isn't flying, this is falling with style.

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#Herpetology #SciComm

A coiled snake resting in a tree, with a black topside and a yellow underbelly. Scales are dotted red at regular intervals.

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · Sep 8

Finally got around to updating my website after the move to Boston. To celebrate, here's a blog post about driving a silly little car across Canada:

https://lukejohns.online/blog/a_big_move/

There and Back Again... and There Again

First off, I’d like to offer a humble apology to all of my avid readers (who?) for my prolonged absence. In my defence, a Big Life Event™ got in the way. I’ll start this update by describing the BLE and then get sidetracked by a completely unecessary story of sentimentality, daring and hubris. Enjoy! Big Life Event So what’s new? In a breathtaking display of comic timing and self-preservation, I and my fiancée both moved to the USA to start postdoctoral academic jobs… in June 2025. More specifically, I’m now a postdoctoral research fellow at the new(ish) Institute for Mechanobiology at Northeastern University in Boston, where I can keep messing around with hips for a couple of joints. Maybe I could even peek at other joints too!

lukejohns.online

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 5

The 5th of #ssSnaketember is for Egg Eaters!

Can I offer you a nice egg in this trying time? Probably the best chat up line to use on a Dasypeltis #snake.

This group of snakes are also known as the Egg Eating Snakes.

But how does a snake eat something so round?

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#Herpetology #SciComm

A tan and dark brown striped snake (Dasypeltis scabra), coiled over itself. Brown speckled eye with a slit black pupil. To the right of the snake is a shed snake skin. It is cream and has a strong honeycomb pattern.

Two small cream eggs, speckled with patches of dark brown. Eggs of the Common Quail

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 4

The 4th of #ssSnaketember is here and we're taking some Deep Dives!

How low can you go? Could you dive into The Twilight Zone?

No, I'm not talking about swimming to a 5th dimension, but into the depths of the ocean.
Piece of cake if you're a Hydrophis sea #snake

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#Herpetology #SciComm

A black and white banded sea snake. Snake rests on cream coloured snake and against a brown ocean rock to its right.

Scene from "The Twilight Zone" TV series. Black and white image. [Right, foreground] Man with suit, tie and large glasses stands with his fingers interlaced. [Background] A desolate sky gives way to the ruin of a brick building, surrounded by the rubble of society. Shot from "Time Enough at Last" episode.

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 3

#ssSnaketember the 3rd is about #Conservation!

So how are #snakes doing? For a start, they need a new PR team!
A dislike of snakes by humans can hinder research & preservation projects. Add that to the secretive nature of many snakes & conservation becomes a difficult topic.

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#Herpetology

View of brown leaf litter and twigs. Central is a red and white scaled snake (Cubophis caymanus) with brown circular eye.

Spiked green tree containing a partly hidden green snake

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 2

2nd of #ssSnaketember! Time for Batesian Mimicry!

"It's red & black, stay back!" - is what these snakes want you to think.

A Batesian mimic is another term for "a critter in disguise". These snakes have patterns that make them look like a more dangerous type of #snake

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#Herpetology #SciComm

A red and black banded snake (Atractus thirhedrurus) in an “S” shape. On a light coloured background

A black, red and white banded snake (Xenodon pulcher). Snake has a flattened nose (similar to a pig-snout). Snake is coiled around a person's hands.

The head and first coil of a red, black and white banded snake (Cemophora coccinea). Snake has a round, black eye. Snake rests on white sand.

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Roxanne Armfield @dinoroxy.bsky.social · Sep 1

Happy 1st of #ssSnaketember! Today’s theme is Asymmetry!
Take a face. The left and right side will often be mirror images. Not the case for the face of the Keeled Slug #Snake.
These snakes have up to 50% more teeth on the right side of their jaw than their left
But WHY?

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#Herpetology #SciComm

A tan coloured snake with a copper coloured eye, on a black background

A grey coiled snake with a rounded head (right) amongst green foliage

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · Aug 21

Considering each one is a massive 3D matrix filled with mainly zeros but with large contiguous regions of 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s it's not too surprising.

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · Aug 21

I just downloaded a database of >500 MRI segmentations and... surely this 90MB file isn't big enough?

_Unzips to 12.5 GB_

Oh boy, these things COMPRESS

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Reposted by Luke Johnson

Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · Aug 4

Here's something from the archives for #photomonday #fotomontag

Rainbow triptych taken from Ruabhal, Benbecula in September 2018. Got soaked on the way up but it was worth it!

#rainbow #scotland #westernisles

Three landscape film photographs arranged like a panorama. All three show different parts of the flat, loch filled landscape of eastern Benbecula under a showery sky. The left and right photos show the ends of a spectacular double rainbow, and the middle has the shadow of a cairn caused by the low sun behind the camera.

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Luke Johnson @lukejohns.online · Aug 4

Here's something from the archives for #photomonday #fotomontag

Rainbow triptych taken from Ruabhal, Benbecula in September 2018. Got soaked on the way up but it was worth it!

#rainbow #scotland #westernisles

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