iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

🎃Behold FrankenPumpkin!🎃 I filled a flat bottom flask with chlorophyll extracted from algae.🦠UV light produced the red fluorescence. Jordan Tanen drew the pumpkin face.🖊️ #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #RealTimeChem #ChemArt

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

✨🪨A fluorescent & phosphorescent rock!🪨✨ Fluorescence is seen with UV illumination, while phosphorescence is visible in the dark. Fluorescence is fast (ps-ns), while phosphorescence is slow (ms-min). #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #RealTimeChem #Chemistry

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🌪️🌀The beauty of stirring a solution! 🌀🌪️ I added rhodamine B to fluorescein in water. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #RealTimeChem #Chemistry

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

💧◀️💧Diffusion in reverse!💧◀️💧 I added fluorescein & rhodamine B to a water bath under UV illumination. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #RealTimeChem #Chemistry

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

🔬🦠Bacterial chemotaxis!🦠🔬 Students imaged bacteria expressing the small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (smURFP) to follow attraction to sugars & repulsion to glycine.🍬 #FluorescenceFriday #Microbiology #Chemotaxis #FluorescentProtein #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

✨🌟The 3D-printed structure of Discosoma red fluorescent protein (DsRed)!🌟✨ The red chromophore is fluorescent due to rigidification by the white beta-barrel. We made the model using 1ZGO.pdb. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #FluorescentProtein

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Reposted by Erik A. Rodriguez

Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Today, I would like to honor the memory of Roger Y. Tsien, who died on August 24, 2016. His legacy lives with all who use his technologies, including calcium sensors, fluorescent proteins, the acetoxymethyl (AM) ester, & many more! #FluorescenceFriday www.nature.com/articles/nme...

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

🌊The beautiful fluorescence of the sea!🌊 The fluorescence of coral & sea anemones at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. #FluorescenceFriday #FluorescentProtein #Coral #Sea #Ocean

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

🔬☀️smURFP is extremely photostable!☀️🔬 A comparison of mEGFP & smURFP photostability when fused to lifeact to image F-actin for 7 min on the Nikon SoRa. doi.org/10.1038/s414... doi.org/10.1038/nmet... #FluorescenceFriday #Microscopy #SuperResolution

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

🌪️🌀Fluorescence visualization of stirring!🌀🌪️ I added fluorescein to the water with a stir bar. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #RealTimeChem #SciComm #Chemistry

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

😜Happy World Emoji Day!😜 My favorite emoji painted with E. coli expressing Venus (white eye), mCherry (tongue), & mNeptune (outlines). 😜🖌️🎨🧬🦠🧫 #SciArt #Bacteria #FluorescentProtein #Microbiology #AgarArt #SciComm #EmojiArt #WorldEmojiDay #FluorescenceFriday

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

🦠🧬🔬Bacterial aggregate in Potomac River water!🦠🧬🔬 DNA staining imaged the fluorescence of ~1,600 bacteria! The diameter is 1,000 um. Aggregates allow bacteria to survive chemical, physical, & biological stress. #FluorescenceFriday #Microscope #Microbiology #Bacteria

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

🎇🧨🎆Waterworks for the 4th of July!🎆🧨🎇 Fluorescein in water & rhodamine B in isopropanol were dropped into water to visualize miscibility & diffusion. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #Chemistry #4thofjuly #4thofJuly2026

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

😮Have you seen the creation of multinucleated cells?😮 I have & now you have! 🚦The sensor is the far-red (smURFP) & near-infrared (IFP2.0) fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (FUCCI).🚦 #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

🍸I like my martini sublimed, not stirred.🍸 Fluorescein, sulforhodamine B, & dry ice. 🎂🥂🎉Cheers, it's my Birthday!!! 🎉🥂🎂 #FluorescenceFriday #RealTimeChem #SciArt #ChemArt #Chemistry #ChemTwitter

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

🐚🌊Always have a shell in your pocket & sand in your shoes!🌊🐚 #FluorescenceFriday

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

🌈Behold my electromagnetic spectrum!🌈 I made the spectrum by pouring 46 bottles of nail polish & fluorescent acrylic paint.💅🎨🖌️ #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

🟢💚Gigantic green fluorescent protein aggregates!💚🟢 I dried GFP slowly to remove the liquid. GFP aggregated and remained fluorescent after a year! The worm-like structures are 50-1,000X larger than a human cell! #FluorescenceFriday #FluorescentProtein #FluorescentProteins #GFP

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

🎨🖌️🧫🧬🦠Smurfette painted with E. coli expressing EGFP (yellow) or small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (cyan).🦠🧬🧫🖌️🎨 The name smURFP is inspired by the purified protein. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #AgarArt #SciComm #FluorescentProtein #FluorescentProteins #smURFP

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

🌟🐛A fluorescent millipede!🐛🌟 The glowing millipede was found crawling in our building! #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #Bugs #Insects

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

💖❤️The birth of a cell!❤️💖 🔬Happy Mother's Day!🔬 The movie shows the small Ultra-Red Fluorescent Protein (smURFP) & the Infrared Fluorescent Protein 2.0 (IFP2.0) far-red & near-infrared FUCCI. www.nature.com/articles/nme...

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

🌷🌼🌸🌻April showers bring May flowers!🌻🌸🌼🌷 Sarah Cachula painted the flowers using fluorescent paint.🖌️🎨 #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

🌷🌼🌸🌻April showers bring May flowers! 🌻🌸🌼🌷 I painted the flowers with E. coli expressing EGFP & mTangerine.🖌️🎨 #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #Bacteria #Microbiology #AgarArt #SciComm 🧬🦠🧫

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

🦋Monarch butterflies are fluorescent!🦋 Images by Chris Clemens. #FluorescenceFriday #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

💎The fluorescence of petroleum inclusions in quartz crystals!💎 💎Petroleum fluoresces yellow-green under UV light. Many inclusions contain gas bubbles.💎 #FluorescenceFriday #SciComm #Rocks #Crystals

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

✏️📐🧰Bubble levels are fluorescent!🧰📐 #FluorescenceFriday

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

🟢The crystal structure of the green fluorescent protein, GFP! 🟢 The chromophore is yellow. The protein rigidizes the chromophore, releasing energy as fluorescence. 🎥I made the movie with UCSF Chimera & 1EMA.pdb. #FluorescenceFriday #FluorescentProtein #GFP #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

🦂The haunting scorpion fluorescence! 🦂 The scorpions are embedded in resin. Fluorescence is produced with ultraviolet light, but most wavelengths produce fluorescence. We use them to test animal and wide-field fluorescence imagers. #FluorescenceFriday #SciComm #SciArt #BioArt

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

🔹🔷Fluorite Fluorescence!🔷🔹 George Stokes coined "fluorescence" in 1852 after fluorite, which glows blue under UV light. Fluorite is CaF2. Fluorescence is usually caused by yttrium, europium, or samarium impurities. #FluorescenceFriday #RealTimeChem #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

🔹🔷Crystal blue persuasion!🔷🔹 The brilliant blue fluorescent crystals formed after DNA purification from bacteria & human cells.🧬🦠 #FluorescenceFriday #RealTimeChem #ChemArt #Chemistry #ChemTwitter #SciArt #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

❤️‍🔥The joy of bending light with glass vials! ❤️‍🔥 A UV LED light excited sulforhodamine B. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #RealTimeChem

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

🌹Chemists prefer a fluorescent bouquet!🌹 🧪I excited rhodamine B in different solvents with UV light.🧪 💖Happy Valentine's Day!💖 #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #ChemArt #Chemistry #ChemTwitter #ValentinesDay

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Reposted by Erik A. Rodriguez

Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Today, I would like to honor the memory of Roger Y. Tsien, born on February 1, 1952. His legacy lives with all who use his technologies, including calcium sensors, fluorescent proteins, the acetoxymethyl (AM) ester, & many more! #FluorescenceFriday www.nature.com/articles/nme...

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

✨💃Disco Ball!💃✨ A UV laser excites fluorescein, producing green fluorescence. Glitter scatters the light to demonstrate dynamic light scattering (DLS) for measuring particle size. #FluorescenceFriday #RealTimeChem #SciArt #SciComm #ChemArt

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

🎇🧨🎆Waterworks for the New Year!🎆🧨 I dropped fluorescein in water and rhodamine B in isopropanol into water to visualize miscibility and diffusion. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #SciComm #RealTimeChem #Chemistry #ChemTwitter

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

🎊🥂🎉Happy New Year!🎉🥂🎊 🍸I like my martini sublimed, not stirred. Fluorescein with dry ice.🍸 #SciArt #ChemArt #FluorescenceFriday

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

💫🧬🧫Fluorescent proteins make the holidays!🧫🧬💫 The Roger Y. Tsien lab (UCSD) made the wreaths with fluorescent proteins!🖌️🎨 #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #AgarArt #MicrobialArt #BioArt #FluorescentProtein #FluorescentProteins

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

🎄A Fluorescent, Periodic Table Chemistree!🎄 The tree was dyed with strontium aluminate (SrAl₂O₄), decorated with 118 element ornaments, & topped with a periodic table. Happy Holidays! #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #OChemistree #ChemisTree

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

🌟🎄A Fluorescent Chemistree for the Holidays!🎄🌟 🥼The tree is perfect for a day in the lab & a night on the town!💃 #Chemistree #FluorescenceFriday #RealTimeChem #SciArt #ChemArt #SciComm

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

In these times filled with anxiety, let this glow-in-the-dark fidget spinner soothe you. ߷😌 A UV laser pointer produced phosphorescence. #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #Phosphorescence

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

🌞🍂❄️🌸 Behold, the four seasons!🌞🍂❄️🌸 🖌️🎨🪨I painted black rocks with fluorescent paint. UV light produced fluorescence.🖌️🎨🪨 #FluorescenceFriday #RockArt #SciArt

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Erik A. Rodriguez @erin-rod.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

🐴Look at that horse!🐴 I painted the horse's face with E. coli expressing the fluorescent protein mCherry. 🧬🦠🧫🎠 #FluorescenceFriday #SciArt #Bacteria #Microbiology #AgarArt #SciComm

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