Inspired by Cami M’s MIT blog post on blogger pets (https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/blogger-pets/), here we asked to share the biological organisms Biomakers are taking care of. Be sourdough starters, aquatic plants, axolotls, the goodest of cats, or younger siblings, we care for so much life! The challenge–see if you can match each species description to the picture 🙂
| Melody Wu | Kale Mint Kale Kale Kale Escape Artist | Did not know it’s genus and species before this… I feel a bit lost. I feel like it’s sister more than it being my pet haha. I started growing the kale early on, but I wasn’t so great at it so I definitely got a lot of help from my green thumb grandmother. It’s amazing how much they’ve grown. I’m wondering how they are responding to being near the freeway for one. Funny memory? The time my grandmother called it spinach instead of kale? Or perhaps when I lived in French House and we had an entire kale-themed menu — those were probably it’s long lost cousins… sorry kale. For mint… well my mom found it at Trader Joe’s so that’s why we are growing it. But it was gratefully added into wonderful drinks and more. 🙂 It broke through the parafilm in an attempt to escape once. I’ve also performed surgery on it. I may cast one of its families to try to preserve its original form in memory of its growth. | Brassica oleracea (Cultivar group: Acephala), 2nd guy is: Mentha spicata (at least I’m pretty sure that’s garden mint) Physarum polycephalum | |
| Rachel Shen | Dinner 😛 | These guys grew from the spawn of Hive@Home’s oyster mushroom kit! I had a successful first fruiting from the kit, but I was unsatisfied with the fact that the kit only had two flushes, especially after the kit provided such a tasty dinner. I pasteurized a few liters of coco fiber (leftovers from a failed paludarium project last summer) and mixed it with the spawn from the exhausted kit. The spawn started growing rapidly and I had five bags ready to fruit within a month! | Pleurotus ostreatus | |
| Alexandra Wolff | Brownie (bc she’s brown) | Brownie is 12 years old but my earliest memory of her is seeing her sleeping as a tiny puppy inside of a Croc shoe. Would attach pics if I had them, but alas they are no where to be found. | Canis lupus familiaris | |
| Jenny Gao | Jay | He’s used to be a part-time stray cat. I say part time because because his hobby was to con hapless humans into thinking he’s “the neighbor’s cat” and getting free food. He was very skinny and quiet when he first got him, but he is now quite a chonky and loud boy. He is also very photogenic and a handsome boi. | Felis catus | |
| Amanda Mei | Kimmy | I made it with my mom at home about a week before coming to campus | Lactobacillus kimchii | |
| Jimmy | Ficus elastica | |||
Sangita Vasikaran | Kala unnamed | Her name means black in Hindi! My parents are growing more and more attached to her as empty nesters. They were also afraid of black cats prior to fostering her 🙂 Lion’s mane mushroom or cauliflower? check out this timelapse I shot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDWckbDIkr4&ab_channel=SangitaVasikaran | Felis catus Hericium erinaceus |