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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him)

@allostericsite.bsky.social
1.7K followers 3.1K following 4.7K posts

Dad, Mol. Biologist, reader, music listener, etc...Skeeting about STEM, SciComm, science nonprofits, & also parenting, food, fitness, travel, being a grumpy GenXer. Aspiring to be an ally to anyone who needs allies, here and IRL.

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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I bike to work 3-4 days a week and have a close call nearly *every day*. Last week, the closest call was a car that drifted into the bike lane directly in front of me while the driver obliviously texted on her phone. Sure hope that text was important enough to almost kill me.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A few chapters into @heatherchristle.bsky.social’s “In The Rhododendrons” and it’s already speaking my language: “In groups of people…my mind can sometimes feel like a garden wilting in relentless sun. I need solitude, or movement, or ideally both to restore my thoughts to their unshriveled state.”
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Now that I’m 50 it’s so hard to resist a Werther’s sale!
Multiple shelves of Werther’s Original candies on sale at the grocery store.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
My 13yo asked me what that “three letter thing” I mentioned at dinner that I had to do for work was and I replied “Which thing? Because right now I have to think about KPIs for the CRM and QMS sections of our AOP.” And a little bit of my soul died as the words left my mouth…🫠
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I turned 50 this past weekend! And thanks to my column gig in my local paper, I got to write about this milestone birthday: belmontvoice.org/generations-...
belmontvoice.org
Generations: Accepting Life’s Milestone Birthdays
Belmont columnist Eric Perkins reflects on turning 50 and embracing milestone birthdays - balancing Gen X nostalgia with new habits and gratitude.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
An AI cautionary tale told through some Claude screen shots and a few Slack messages, with some political editorializing on my part.
Me asking Claude how to spell "seventeen" and Claude getting it wrong.Claude explaining why it couldn't spell "seventeen", with the closing line: "The fix, basically, is forcing myself to do the boring mechanical thing (spell it out, tag each letter) rather than trusting an intuitive-feeling answer."My saying that based on the previous answer, AIs are Republicans.
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Reposted by Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him)
Addgene @addgene.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Excited to announce the launch of Transfection-Ready DNA — giving academic and industry researchers access to 27,000+ plasmids from Addgene's trusted repository as high-purity, NGS sequence-verified DNA. Read the press release: twp.ai/4hvlXn #Plasmids #Transfection
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Lesson learned yesterday as a PTO president. When recruiting volunteers through the PTO Facebook account for Belmont Middle School in Belmont, MA, you might accidentally recruit a parent at Belmont Middle School in Belmont, NC. 🤦 That was a very confusing phone call.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I hope my donation is part of a bajillion dollars donated to the Imagination Library in her memory today.
Logo for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library followed by the following text:

Eric,

Thank you so much for your monetary gift to support my Imagination Library. This program is so special to me and I am thrilled that it is special to you, too. My Daddy was the inspiration for the Imagination Library and he told me many times that out of all of the dreams I had fulfilled, this program was the one thing that made him the most proud of me!
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
If you are starting an email or PSA with "Just a friendly reminder...", consider calling it what it actually is, a P.A.R. (Passive Aggressive Reminder).
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Was at a board meeting for the small local library I work with and mentioned that my other volunteer obligations are a little overwhelming right now. "Well you could step back from here if you needed to" said the president. Me: "No! This is my refuge!" belmontvoice.org/generations-...
belmontvoice.org
Generations: Calm and Purpose Among the Benton Stacks
Volunteer at the historic E.C. Benton Library in Belmont, MA, and discover books, events, and community near Cushing Square.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The most important skill I will teach Claude today.
Screen shot of a Claude "saved skill" that says: "Got it--Oxford comma from here on. I saved it as a standing skill, so it'll automatically apply whenever I create or edit any document, deck, spreadsheet, or other written content for you going forward, not just for the rest of this conversation.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Enjoying seeing some familiar faces while representing @addgene.bsky.social at the 2026 United States Culture Collection Network! #USCCN
Me standing next to a banner that reads: UNITED STATES
CULTURE
COLLECTION
NETWORK
A Central
RESOURCE
For Microbial Culture Collections and their
Users
ion Network O
addgene
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Whether Argentina wins or not, at least Messi got a LEGO kit out of it.
A LEGO kit for assembling a large Lionel Messi
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
The most entertaining urinal I’ve ever used. GOOOOAAAAL!!!!
A urinal with a green mat, a small white soccer goal, and a little plastic soccer ball you can pee in to score a goal.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
This year’s sand sculpture in Sankt Peter-Ording. Real crab on top for scale.
A sand sculpture of a crab
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I was initially annoyed when I realized I couldn’t watch World Cup games from our vacation apartment in Germany, but now that I know what happened with the US red card, I have no desire watch any FIFA event again. What an atrocious precedent (and president).
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Oh my god, Tah is going to be reliving that kick for the rest of his life😩
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Yesterday, a group of fellow middle-aged friends (aka The Dad Bod Squad) and I finished a Spartan Super 10K. I ended up running well over 10K due to a few penalty loops for obstacles I couldn't quite finish. This is how my mid-life crisis is manifesting, and I'm okay with that😅
Me carrying a very heavy chainMe swinging on ringsMy traversing a wall on small blocksMe jumping over a wall of flaming logs
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
You may have to zoom in a bit to see it, but on my morning walk to work I discovered a scenario that perfectly embodies a pessimist’s view on life.
Photo of a street with two signs on each sidewalk. The sign on the left sidewalk reads “Sidewalk closed, use other side” with an arrow pointing across the street. The sign on the sidewalk across the street simply reads “Sidewalk closed”.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
NPR headline: Trump claims vandals damaged DC Reflecting Pool, and says it will be drained again/we’re all trying to find the guy who did this meme
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Today my poem-a-day poem was Robert Frost’s “Build Soil”, first published in 1939. It features this line: “Bounds should be set To ingenuity for being so cruel In bringing change unheralded on the unready.” Whoo boy, if you only knew, Robert.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Whoa…you can get a yellow card for flopping now? Or sorry, “simulating”?
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I asked a ~12yo kid in my parkour class how doing parkour in Crocs was working out for him. He answered “Crocs are life, and life is parkour.” I…didn’t know what to do with that.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Who can guess what science concept I was trying to convey to my daughter with this hastily drawn sketch?
A hand drawing of a circle with some lines in the perimeter with a column of rectangles curving towards it, with some circles at the top of the column.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Trying to make plans with a friend for a weekend fishing trip when I realized my weekends were booked from now (early May) until late July. What am I doing to myself...
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
All of my work notebooks for the last several years have been science-themed (from Cognitive Surplus), but only this one has caused a kerfuffle with a few arachnophobic colleagues 😬.
Cover a notebook that says “The Biology of Spiders”, featuring several photorealistic images of different spider species.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Read the intro to @chanda.blacksky.app’s new book while waiting for her to speak at Harvard last night, and these two paragraphs alone should convince you that this is a book you need to read.
Cover of Chanda Prescod-Weinstein’s book The Edge of Space-TimeExcerpt from intro:

When it's at its best, physics is a kind of poetry, a story about the cosmos that is made from metaphors-and a producer of metaphors in its own right. I believe that seeing the universe through the perspective offered by physics strengthens our ability to understand what work metaphors are doing on us and how we might wield them. It is in this sense that physics works on us like poetry: a way of understanding the world that provides insights not available to us elsewhere.
This helps us see why we should bother with it. We should bother with physics because it is, in part, how we as a species learn to use our minds. We should learn and teach poetry, physics, algebra, and other abstract ideas because they train us to think in symbolic and figurative terms. The same goes for calculus and quantum mechan-ics. And if we cannot learn to think in and through the abstract and the symbolic, then we are pliable. We are sitting ducks for the fascists and authoritarians who will use us for their ends, and their ends are ultimately catastrophe for the rest of us. That's always been true, and it always will be.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
In my most recent Belmont Voice column, I write about the importance of keeping some blank squares on your calendar. Though I will confess, I've completely failed to do that this week 😬. belmontvoice.org/generations-...
belmontvoice.org
Generations: The Benefits of Keeping Empty Squares
I have a precarious relationship with my calendar. I keep a digital calendar, of course, but our family also has an old-school paper calendar hanging on the wall (this year it features photos from the...
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Reposted by Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him)
Addgene @addgene.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Addgene is a nonprofit plasmid repository. Plus so much more. We’re thrilled to debut a refreshed brand that reflects the expanded tools in our library, and our unchanged mission to empower scientists. Check out the new twp.ai/9OUZXL! Read our press release: twp.ai/4hpKLH
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
My 13yo is currently at a Model UN summit at the actual UN in NYC with other 6th-8th graders and these are the subtopics for discussion in one session 😲. If she understands what all (or any?) of these things mean, she is way more politically savvy than I am.
Piece of paper taped to a board with the following hand written on it:

SUBTOPICS:
Technological Unemployment and Labor Disruption.
3 Bridging the Digital Divide for SME Inclusivity.
3 Blockchain and FinTech for Trade Financing.
4 Cybersecurity, Data Sovercignty, and Geopolitical Tensions.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
This week, I celebrate 18 years at @addgene.bsky.social. My tenure is an adult! It's rare for someone in biotech to stay at the same place for so long, but my role at Addgene has changed many times over the years and Addgene itself continues to grow and evolve. Grateful for this org and its mission!
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Dogma Schmogma! My son is a Physics major because they say that Biology is too messy and doesn't follow rules. And my response to that is "Yes, exactly! That's why Biology is amaaaaaazing!"
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
I’m sure I’m not the first to say something about this here, but did anyone else on science Bluesky snort laugh at the egregiously unbalanced centrifuge in Project Hail Mary?
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Clearly they're not driving in Boston.
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Reposted by Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him)
Luke O'Neil @lukeoneil47.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
My 13yo's April Fool's joke this morning was surprising us by getting up when she was actually supposed to without us harassing her every 5 minutes for 45 minutes, as we usually do. Hilarious! Please play this joke on us EVERY DAY. Now we just need the 16yo to prank us by doing her homework.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Hot tip on Trans Day of Visibility: trans people make some of the best music! Check out, in no particular order of awesomeness: Laura Jane Grace Anjimale jasmine.4.t Grumpster Ezra Furman Noahfinnce Rainbow Kitten Surprise …and many more, but these are some of my favorites!
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
At no point in my texting history have I typed something that should train my predictive text to replace the word “Yup” with “Tupac” 🤔
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
This piece by David William Silva sums up a lot of my thoughts about AI much better than I ever could have. substack.com/home/post/p-... This section in particular articulates my biggest fear when people tell me they used AI for "creative thinking". It's not brainstorming. It's pattern recognition.
The Brainstorming Test
I have used AI many times as a brainstorming mechanism, a sounding board for early-stage ideas.

And here is what I’ve found: every time I had an idea that was genuinely outside the box, AI discouraged me from pursuing it. When I persisted, it didn’t just push back, it practically begged me to stop. To not continue. To not insist.

Think about what that means. The tool that everyone tells you is “creative” and “revolutionary” is architecturally incapable of doing anything other than averaging what already exists. It is a statistical summary of the past masquerading as a window into the future.

When it tells you your unconventional idea is bad, it’s not evaluating your idea. It’s telling you that your idea doesn’t resemble the data it was trained on.

That’s not intelligence. That’s pattern-matching with a confidence problem.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
I think I *might* have a few science communication followers on here, so you should know that Addgene is hiring for an experienced Senior Science Communications Manager. Spread the word! addgene.applytojob.com/apply/6q7Pr6...
addgene.applytojob.com
Senior Science Communications Manager - Addgene - Career Page
Come find out why Addgene has been recognized as a Top Place to Work by the Boston Globe (8 times), BuiltIn, and NABR!
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
I think about think about Wonko the Sane a lot... “It seemed to me,” said Wonko the Sane, “that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a package of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane.”
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
My fresh new IT hell... Me: This app on my computer says it needs to be updated, but I need an admin to do it. IT: Okay, I've given you admin privileges to update, but first you have to uninstall the app and reinstall. Me: Now it's telling me I need admin privileges to uninstall the app. 😒
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I left my lunch bag in the lunch room and a co-worker brought it to me, saying “I figured you were the only person here who wouldn’t be too embarrassed to bring this to work.” Hell yeah—I’m hungry like the wolf.
A pink and blue hued lunch bag featuring two howling wolves on a star field
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Dear Boston suburbanites: It’s a “Stop” sign, not a “Lightly tap your brakes for a fraction of a second just for show” sign.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
It might be my imagination, but I feel like my phone's predictive text has gotten way, WAY worse since the last iOS update. It is taking me substantially longer to text because the suggestions are so wacky.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
My 16yo and I went on tours of two New England public universities over the past two days. One school mentioned all the support systems for neurodiversity, students of color, and queer students. The other school mentioned NONE of these things. Guess which one my daughter is still considering?
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
My sister dropped a bunch of stickers in my Xmas stocking and I confess I had not looked at all of them very closely until now. Anyway, my sister is the best😂
A sparkly sticker with roses that says “Thou may ingest a satchel of richards”
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
I can’t stop thinking about this paragraph from Kaveh Akbar’s “Martyr!”, and saddened by the fact that the government can’t even get the “don’t be shitty” part right.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE DIFFICULTIES OF SCULPTURE, MICHELAN-gelo said, "It is easy. You just chip away all the stone that isn't David." It's simple to cut things out of a life. You break up with a shitty partner, quit eating bread, delete the Twitter app. You cut it out, and the shape of what's actually killing you clarifies a little. The whole Abrahamic world invests itself in this promise: Don't lie, don't cheat, don't fuck or steal or kill, and you'll be a good person.
Eight of the ten commandments are about what thou shalt not.
But you can live a whole life not doing any of that stuff and still avoid doing any good. That's the whole crisis. The rot at the root of everything. The belief that goodness is built on a constructed absence, not-doing. That belief corrupts everything, has everyone with any power sitting on their hands. A rich man goes a whole day without killing a single homeless person and so goes to sleep content in his goodness. In another world, he's buying crates of socks and Clif bars and tents, distributing them in city centers. But for him, abstinence reigns.
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Eric J. Perkins, PhD (he/him) @allostericsite.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
My latest GenX column in the local paper (I provided multiple titles for this column--this was not one of them😅). Who else will confess to a love-hate relationship with their wearable tech? belmontvoice.org/generations-...
belmontvoice.org
Generations: The Nattering Nabobs Of Modern Technology
It was more than a decade ago when I asked a colleague about the story behind her funny-looking watch. “It’s a Fitbit. It keeps track of my steps and exercise.” I’m sure I made a face. Watches were fo...
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