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E. Han Tan

@ekhtn.bsky.social
595 followers 349 following 79 posts

I like plants 🌾 🌱 / 🏳️‍🌈 {he/him} 🌈 / 🥔 Potato + 🧪 🧬 🖥️ 🐡 / Associate Professor, University of Maine

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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
My lab is currently searching for a motivated technician/research assistant to join our NSF/DBT-funded plant minichromosome project team at UMaine. Please help spread the word! 🌱🌾🧪🧬 fa-ewca-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
fa-ewca-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com
Research Assistant
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the stat...
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
There's just a few more days left to apply for a technician/research assistant position working on diploid potato breeding with my group and with the Eastern USDA ARS potato breeding program -- application will close on April 22nd 🧪 🌱 🥔 #potato2.0 tinyurl.com/sknkxzey
fa-ewca-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com
Research Assistant
The University of Maine is a community of more than 11,900 undergraduate and graduate students, and 2,500 employees located on the Orono campus, the regional campus in Machias, and throughout the stat...
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Lucky to have a good view of Fujisan earlier when the plane was landing in Narita Airport.
Mount Fuji or Fujisan seen from plane above clouds.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Science can be slow, but we continue make careful, incremental progress towards 🌱 🌰 restoration on many fronts -- this collaborative paper on speed breeding American chestnut is finally out this week: doi.org/10.1002/pld3...
doi.org
Speed Breeding Transgenic American Chestnut Trees Toward Restoration
The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was a dominant, foundational forest canopy tree in eastern North America until an imported chestnut blight (caused by Cryphonectria parasitica) rendered it fu...
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
One of the things I miss most about being in the Bay Area are the prodigious amount of persimmons that are available this time of year, so it’s always so special to receive a box of these from friends to brighten up cold snowy days in the northeast 🌱 🧡 #Ebenaceae
Fuyu persimmons in a wooden bowl.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been in this building for almost nine years (nine!!) and have only just realized that the stained glass feature by our ‘tree of life’ chandelier in the foyer has the scientific name of potato inscribed on it 🥔 🥔 🥔 — How did I miss this?!
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Happy Friday! ❤️🥔
Heart-shaped red potato.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
Some of the early generation diploid potatoes from today, 2nd or 3rd year in the field and putting out some interesting colored flesh 🌈
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Purple Tomato tart, Purple Tomato nachos, Purple Tomato everything!
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Sun moon, ying yang #cats composed for you today by Mia and Harry.
Two cats laying on carpet facing each other.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/07/2025
Has anyone encountered this tomato phenotype? It seems to be quite consistent and essentially self-pruning! The shoot apical meristem terminates into a floral meristem instead of continuing to grow vines. This was a volunteer seedling from vegetable bed that I randomly transplanted into a pot.
Tomato plant with two flower spikes.Tomato plant with two flower spikes.Tomato plant with two flower spikes.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Any stone tool researchers out there? Beach find, this piece has a sharp edge and is perfectly grooved for holding with right hand as seen here. Material is unlike any rock found in the area.
Nine photos of hand holding a piece of stone by a beach.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Also the #cats of #giliair is the same as cats the world over—finding the best spot for attention, showered with fresh 🌺 and still be annoyed with the hoomans.
Cat lounging on concrete entryway with wooden doors, framed with flowering red bougainvillea, looking annoyed at the photographer.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Sunrise and sunset at Gili Air, one of the islands off the coast of Lombok. Fun fact: we crossed Wallace’s line yesterday from Bali to get here, and this island has no motorized vehicles! To get around other than being on foot, you have a choice of bicycles, electric scooters or horse-drawn carts.
Sunrise over a beach on Gili Air. With mountain range of Lombok including Mt Rinjani in the background.Sunset on a beach in Gili Air, with a view of Gili Meno as well.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Sunset scene from St Andrews, earlier this week at a potato breeding and genetics meeting at the University of St Andrews. 🥔 🧬 🌱
Sunset in St Andrews, seaside town in Scotland.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
We all need more cats in our timeline, no?
Cat sitting on a “throne”.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 01/06/2025
Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) of the Great Smoky Mountain NP ~two weeks ago.
Blooms of mountain laurel on a trail.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Back in the greenhouse today 🌱 🌱 and here are some good looking (and fragrant) inbred diploid potato flowers 🌸 🌸
Purple potato flowers in a greenhouse.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
This cat was superrr helpful at the checkout counter in ‘cat city’ in Borneo. So… is this worthy of @bodegacats.bsky.social ?
Cat sleeping on checkout counter.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
We’ve grown a lot of potato from botanical seed, but this is our first truly albino seedling. I know… I know… there are yeastie beasties on the plate but these were destined for soil, so it’s not an issue.
A green potato seedling next to an albino potato seedling.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
First frog sighting in ME of 2025 from 4 days ago, a cute spring peeper from our Maine Big Night survey. mainebignight.org
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Today’s weird potato flower is one that looks like fasiflora (fa) mutants in tomato, but as usual, nothing is known about this mutation in tuber bearing Solanum. Pub with the fa mutant in tomato: www.researchgate.net/profile/Beat...
Leafy potato flower.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Here are some potato flowers from our crossing block this year! Getting ready to go.
Potato flower cluster. White potato flowers. Pink potato flowers.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
One sits, one loafs. Two cats in two seemingly appropriately sized boxes for your consideration this evening.
Two cats sitting and loafing in two boxes.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Just so happened that I just made a batch of crispy roasted potatoes today for lunch. Potato variety used is a purple skin yellow flesh USDA ARS release called Peter Wilcox. So delish! 🥔 🌿
A tray of crispy roasted potatoes.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
Sitting in a box, wishing everyone an insightful year of the snake which is supposed to bring renewal, wisdom and intelligence to us all 🙌🏽 🐍 🏮
Grey cat sitting in box. Staring intently.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Two sleepy cats, snow and a fire is what we needed today.
Sleepy cat curled up. Sleepy cat on grey blanket.
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Reposted by E. Han Tan
Danielle Levesque @daniellelevesque.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
The Levesque Lab is looking for a summer REU student to work with us in Sarawak, Malaysia. I’ll post the ad on Tuesday but the in meantime feel free to share this treeshrew as a place holder :) umaine.edu/levesquelab/...
A small treeshrew (grey squirrel like animal) sitting on a cloth handling bag after being weighed and measured for a scientific study.
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
2025 mood thus far; peering out from the safety of a properly-sized box surrounded by lots of safety paper 😹
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Smol, silvery Begonia piring on limestone cliffs is such fun one to find, also endemic to #Borneo like the others
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
Another Begonia sp from the same area as the previous one, pretty pink male 🌸🌸
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Such a pretty flava var of Begonia calcarea, most likely—so easy to miss on hikes because you’re being constantly tracked and attacked by land leeches (true story…)
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 07/12/2024
Here’s another Begonia sp. from #Borneo 🌱
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Who doesn’t love a tropical Begonia? This has been a plant family I’ve come to enjoy more and more… this is Begonia paoana
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Half flowers from the beach naupaka (Scaevola taccada)
Beach naupaka
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Leptosporangiate fern alert, this is a tape #fern (most likely Haplopteris elongata) from #Borneo is regionally widespread, but can be found all the way to Hawaii
Tape fern on tree trunk with other epiphytes
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
A common understory plant in the rainforest, but still favorite as we imagine their extinct tree-sized relatives covering the earth during the Carboniferous... this is Selaginella delicatula #Borneo #lycophyte
Selaginella spikemoss
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Plant of the day today, Eulophia nuda, a terrestial #orchid growing around limestone karsts in #Borneo #botany
Eulophia nuda growing by limestone karst
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 01/12/2024
I'll try to post a plant a day from #Borneo starting today--let's see how that goes. First up, Rafflesia tuan-mudae: stinky, warty, endopararite that makes an XXXL true flower which I've been lucky to see in bloom a half dozen times over the years 🙏🏽
Blooming rafflesia flower in rainforest undergrowth
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Today’s curried potato product for your consideration: 🇲🇾 curry puff aka karipap pusing, named after the swirly, puff pastry-like casing surrounding the filling
Curry puff, karipap pusing
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Why isn’t there an “AiDecider” account on bsky yet? Like “ArtDecider” but actually useful and we can @ to detect AI writing, images etc?
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Nothing to see here, just two piles of harmless paper 👀
Two piles of paper with something grey and fluffy inside
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Sometimes box can haz Just the right size and sun beam We sitz on bskyz
Grey cat in box
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 17/11/2024
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
The first two days of below freezing nights had me dreaming about these bowls of vegan ramen and gyoza from our trip to Japan this summer 😭
Two bowls of vegan ramen and gyoza
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 10/11/2024
Any potato enthusiasts here on bsky? This lovely spud was from our 2023 trial of diploid lines we made 🤩 #potato #plantsci 🥔🧪🧬
Gloved hand holding a heart-shaped potato
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 18/10/2024
Hi all new people on bsky 👋🏽 Harry and Mia are here to welcome you the best that they can 😸
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 16/10/2024
Can’t beat fall colors on campus in New England #Maine
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 16/10/2024
The moon is quite bright tonight you get to see the fall colors with C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) — quite a treat
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E. Han Tan @ekhtn.bsky.social · 15/10/2024
Plant of the day #potd 🌱 is New England asters which are wonderful in late fall as all other flowering plants senesce
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