Derek Lowe
@dereklowe.bsky.social
Medicinal chemist / chemical biologist, author of “In the Pipeline” at http://science.org/blogs/pipeline. [email protected] and on Signal at Dblowe.18
All opinions are mine; I don’t speak for my employer in any way.
All opinions are mine; I don’t speak for my employer in any way.
If you’re in North America and have a view to the north or northwest, there’s heavy auroral activity going right now!
November 12, 2025 at 2:06 AM
If you’re in North America and have a view to the north or northwest, there’s heavy auroral activity going right now!
The administration’s take on this protest has been offensive and idiotic. This isn’t millions of radical “Hamas-supporting America-haters”. I want my country back:
October 18, 2025 at 12:30 PM
The administration’s take on this protest has been offensive and idiotic. This isn’t millions of radical “Hamas-supporting America-haters”. I want my country back:
Here’s one of those copper MOF crystals mounted on an x-ray diffraction loop sample holder:
October 8, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Here’s one of those copper MOF crystals mounted on an x-ray diffraction loop sample holder:
I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun in the lab than when I was making MOFs myself (and trying to use them for small-molecule X-ray structure determination). So let me celebrate by posting a few of the MOF crystals I prepared:
October 8, 2025 at 11:54 AM
I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun in the lab than when I was making MOFs myself (and trying to use them for small-molecule X-ray structure determination). So let me celebrate by posting a few of the MOF crystals I prepared:
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains
September 8, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice In Chains
The spotted lanternfly situation on the Connecticut coast. No sign of them in my MA town, but it’s surely just a matter of time.
September 5, 2025 at 3:37 PM
The spotted lanternfly situation on the Connecticut coast. No sign of them in my MA town, but it’s surely just a matter of time.
“Hardy hibiscus”, which are horticultural hybrids of several H. species. These live in a big pot, and every year I wonder if they’re even alive because they don’t even send up stems (with maple-like leaves) until like June.
I take them into the garage for the winter- “hardy” is a relative term.
I take them into the garage for the winter- “hardy” is a relative term.
August 31, 2025 at 5:25 PM
“Hardy hibiscus”, which are horticultural hybrids of several H. species. These live in a big pot, and every year I wonder if they’re even alive because they don’t even send up stems (with maple-like leaves) until like June.
I take them into the garage for the winter- “hardy” is a relative term.
I take them into the garage for the winter- “hardy” is a relative term.
Four o’clock flowers (Mirabilis jalapa), an old-fashioned flowering annual. I hadn’t realized that it forms a tuber, but this one is in its third year after being lifted in the fall and stored in a paper bag each winter. It’s bigger every year! The hummingbirds are big fans.
August 31, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Four o’clock flowers (Mirabilis jalapa), an old-fashioned flowering annual. I hadn’t realized that it forms a tuber, but this one is in its third year after being lifted in the fall and stored in a paper bag each winter. It’s bigger every year! The hummingbirds are big fans.
More cosmos “Gazebo” flowers this morning.
August 31, 2025 at 4:50 PM
More cosmos “Gazebo” flowers this morning.
A couple of rarities from an old passport of mine. Border crossings for East Germany on a drive to West Berlin, and a visa for the People’s Republic of Hungary, obtained in Vienna before a trip down the Danube to Budapest. Both in Spring 1989.
August 29, 2025 at 8:30 PM
A couple of rarities from an old passport of mine. Border crossings for East Germany on a drive to West Berlin, and a visa for the People’s Republic of Hungary, obtained in Vienna before a trip down the Danube to Budapest. Both in Spring 1989.
Tuberous begonia “Samba”
August 28, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Tuberous begonia “Samba”
Dahlia “Cornel” before opening and in full bloom.
August 28, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Dahlia “Cornel” before opening and in full bloom.
Picotee tuberous begonia. The male flowers are the two larger ones. These spend the winter as bare tubers in a bag of wood shavings in the garage.
August 22, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Picotee tuberous begonia. The male flowers are the two larger ones. These spend the winter as bare tubers in a bag of wood shavings in the garage.
And now they’re blooming in this year’s generation - have a look! Overall they’re reverting to the wild-type, it seems.
August 21, 2025 at 1:33 PM
And now they’re blooming in this year’s generation - have a look! Overall they’re reverting to the wild-type, it seems.
As morning glories will, they reseeded, so I’ve had them every year, growing among the tomatoes without any need for me to replant. But the flowers themselves were getting more pale. Here’s 2021:
August 21, 2025 at 1:33 PM
As morning glories will, they reseeded, so I’ve had them every year, growing among the tomatoes without any need for me to replant. But the flowers themselves were getting more pale. Here’s 2021:
Eight years ago I planted “Carnivale de Venezia” morning glories in a pot in the greenhouse. Here they are from the seed packet (2017 shot)
August 21, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Eight years ago I planted “Carnivale de Venezia” morning glories in a pot in the greenhouse. Here they are from the seed packet (2017 shot)
Before the light shroud goes on:
August 20, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Before the light shroud goes on:
Dahlia “Cornel” opening. It has taken effort to keep the groundhogs from eating every one of the dahlias back to the dirt, because they are clearly unspeakably delicious.
August 20, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Dahlia “Cornel” opening. It has taken effort to keep the groundhogs from eating every one of the dahlias back to the dirt, because they are clearly unspeakably delicious.
18” Dobsonian (Obsession 18UC model). Not exactly a “planetary scope” (I’m more of a deep-sky-object guy), but it’ll do.
August 18, 2025 at 6:12 PM
18” Dobsonian (Obsession 18UC model). Not exactly a “planetary scope” (I’m more of a deep-sky-object guy), but it’ll do.
I worried that this might be offensive for a German audience, but I wanted to get my point across. From my interview in today's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:
August 17, 2025 at 4:28 PM
I worried that this might be offensive for a German audience, but I wanted to get my point across. From my interview in today's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:
Out with the telescope this evening. Here’s a quick eyepiece-and-iPhone look at Messier 11, the Wild Duck cluster.
August 16, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Out with the telescope this evening. Here’s a quick eyepiece-and-iPhone look at Messier 11, the Wild Duck cluster.
I simply cannot believe that I am expected to go to work on International Lizard Day.
August 14, 2025 at 2:28 PM
I simply cannot believe that I am expected to go to work on International Lizard Day.
Surinam verbena (Verbena bonarienensis). Despite the tropical name and origin, it reseeds happily in Massachusetts.
August 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Surinam verbena (Verbena bonarienensis). Despite the tropical name and origin, it reseeds happily in Massachusetts.
Tuberous begonia “Samba”. These guys overwinter in paper bags in the garage.
August 12, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Tuberous begonia “Samba”. These guys overwinter in paper bags in the garage.