#and I'm not an evolutionary biologist (maybe someday)

[thedragonsfate]

since I'm thinking abt it, I feel like it's always a good time for the reminder that your kidneys main function is to filter your blood to balance your body's fluids and remove waste to be released out of your body in your urine

if your kidneys are functioning properly then they are already doing any "cleansing of toxins" your system may need automatically all of the time, just like they're doing in the bodies of countless other species

The human body is very successful at surviving and has evolved to do so!! it's a very cool thing the way your body works to support your everyday life in ways that can pretty much eliminate the need to manually enact basic survival functions like the beating of your heart or the filtering of waste harmful to your body!

I guess I just wanna say like. unless you truly have kidney disease or other organ failures/disfunctions - in which case definitely do seek medical intervention - you can trust your body to take care of that for you

don't let anybody shame you into thinking you should be out here doing cleanses and paying significant money to try to hack into what your body is already doing for you naturally,

and try not to let human intelligence and ego undermine the success of a body plan that has been successful for vertebrates for at LEAST tens of millions of years

[aphroditelovesu]

I'm currently working on a Master's degree in evolutionary biology here in Canada, and will be applying to PhD programs soon. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a doctor or vet, mostly because of the status and my aptitude for math and science. However, after I attended a summer camp for teens interested in medicine, I lost interest. It involves people, and I'm not really a people person. Long story short, I finished an honours degree in biology, then was accepted into a graduate program.

I like it because I can research a topic that I like (or at least not find boring), and I have a lot more say in my schedule. Most grad students have teaching obligations as part of our funding, but it's not too bad apart from grading. Of course, getting in hinges on finding a supervisor and getting funding.

Just something for you to consider !

-- O-

Biology is one of my favorite subjects at school and on the course we are studying microbiology and biochemistry, two really nice subjects with good teachers. My brother-in-law is a biologist and I've thought about studying something related to that, but I confess that it's not really my thing, although I like it.

Mathematics has never been my thing and I don't like that subject, although I keep good grades, I'm still terrified of it, even though my math teacher is too nice. Chemistry and physics are subjects that I like and I get along well, but I'm still not a fan of exact sciences.

Now the area of ​​human sciences and biology are definitely my thing. In particular history, biology, languages ​​and literature. I fell in love with history when I was in 6/7 grade and since those years I knew I wanted to become a historian.

But medicine, especially veterinary medicine because I love animals (my cats are my life ❤️), has always fascinated me and that's why I decided to take a pharmacy course, to see if I'm going to like the health area more and I'm enjoying it, although I not a fan of pharmaceutical calculations 🤦🏻‍♀️ or the fact that my immunology professor ordered us to do a report on the Black Death (fortunately I like this part of the story), I'm enjoying it and I'm going to the end.

Maybe someday I'll decide to major in medicine, but for now, I'll settle for history and pharmacy! ❤️

~ Lady L

[oldbluethings]

Hey blue! so, i'm head over heels absolutely in love with the couple of fics that feature at-ye and stephen. think you could tell us more about at-ye? i love that funky lil alien so mUCH

Hey, thanks for asking about At-ye, my favorite OC ❤️ 

I have so many thoughts about my OCs—it's a little scary. And I'm a total hypocrite, too, because I'm not that into character/OC stories. 

I knew I wanted to write a story about Stephen in space, but I didn't want him to be alone. I find it really hard to have my characters constantly in their own heads and having them interact with someone else is just more fun to write. I originally had Wong with him, but the tone wasn't right or something. I can't actually remember why I changed it. But At-ye replaced Wong in the story.

(I actually drew a picture of At-ye a while ago, so I could keep track of descriptions and stuff, but I'll have to find it. Maybe I'll post it, if I do.)

I knew I wanted At-ye to be alien in some ways, but still very relatable. Someone Stephen might become close friends with quickly. They're both new to the world of sorcery. I feel At-ye is cynical in the same way Stephen is—they both have a very practical approach to magic, and aren't awed by it—but maybe a bit more hopeful. Maybe more focused on helping one person at a time, rather than saving the world. At-ye is, like, a hippy grandparent who’s a free spirit but is also over your shit and has no problem letting you know. 

I made At-ye an alien psychologist too because I felt Stephen might eventually need some help in that area. He's not always aware of his mental health and At-ye could be there to ground him. Plus, you know—helping people.

I hope I haven't offended anyone by writing about a character who’s literally asexual and has no gender. But I'm a biologist and I like to think about biology sometimes. Sexual reproduction is a weird quirk that evolved in some branches of life to solve an evolutionary problem, and there's no reason to expect it would happen the same way in other places. I like that it's a difference between Stephen and At-ye that seems big at first, but really isn't.

Anyway, I've had a lot of fun with At-ye. And I actually have part of another story written featuring the two of them. They go to At-ye’s homeworld and solve a small problem. It keeps getting put off in favor of other stuff, but I'll finish it someday. 

Okay, so I had a lot to say about At-ye (my iPad hates that name, btw). Thanks for asking 🤗