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Scott (Seamus) Kildall

@kildall.bsky.social
1.1K followers 615 following 136 posts

Artist ⚡ Sensors and Soundscapes 🔊 Plants 🪴 Mycelium 🍄 Water Quality 💧 Microbes 🦠 Amateur Scientist Also: Map Geek 🗺️ Cocktail-maker 🍸 DJ 🎧 Cyclist 🚲 kildall.com linktr.ee/kildall github.com/scottkildall

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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
What happens when biology becomes programmable? At my new co-working space, I stumbled across something called the RoboRoach, which is a kit that allows you to control a cockroach using Bluetooth. Yes, really. Read the full story:
biosymphonic.substack.com
Hijacking a Cockroach
The other day, I was at my new co-working space, Frontier Tower, and I saw the RoboRoach control kit by Backyard Brains on the table in my new home in the bio lab.
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Tree Sensor…looks like a Hand. Building on the tech of the Tree Sensor, I built a sensor that looks like a hand, and detects human touch. Maybe we could make a human-tree hybrid interaction. #Trees #Sensors
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Getting mucky with Bacteria! On the shores of Lake Abert (SE Oregon), I collect bacteria samples for later data sonfication projects. #bacteria #datasonification #LakeAbert #Oregon
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
The First Breathers: Rise of the Cyanobacteria Long before plants where around, the Earth was a dim, reddish world. Imagine metallic seas, toxic (to humans) air, and microbial mats glowing purple in the haze. Read the full piece: biosymphonic.substack.com/p/the-first-...
lnkd.in
Rise of the Cyanobacteria
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
What are these Critters in the Microscope?
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
More strange critters in a drop of water, taken from Summer Lake, OR. What are they?
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
I made a very crude Tree Synth using p5.js. It's experimental, and hey, I included GitHub links to the code, too! #data #science #sensors #trees #synth
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Checking out tree data from several different trees: Alder, Cedar, Maple and more. It's slow! What should I make from them? #data #science #sensors #alder #cedar #maple #trees
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Can’t find the SAP I made a "Tree Sensor" which detects sap flow on trees. But data is inconclusive. What's next? I don't know #data #science #sensors #sap #trees
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
I made a "Tree Sensor" which detects sap flow on trees. How does it work? Let me show you what I did to my poor trees. #data #science #sensors #sap #trees
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
A snippet of the "Bacterial Beats" performance with live music generated from Purple Bacteria. It was a full house this evening, and this video shows some of the sounds the microbes made. #data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Music from Microbes! I prepare the "Bacterial Beats" installation, where I make music from live electrical data from Purple Bacteria. Whoa, what mad scientist stuff is happening here? #data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Another book for the Xenoform Labs library! Building it up, one book at a time. #drkarenbakker #karenbakker
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 15/11/2025
A new read! Thanks Denise, my friend and coworker from ages, ago from the Exploratorium. Now I can learn about the bacteria that I’ve been cultivating. #exploratorium
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
This cherry tree looks pretty, but not a good cherry for humans, or for maybe, squirrels, either. #LutherBurbankFarm #CherryTree #EvergreenCherryHybrids #Prunushybrid
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
I joined Frontier Tower, a co-working space in SF. The bio-punk-lab, headed up by Elliot Roth will be my landing pad. Excited to have a spot to work that aligns well with my art-science interests! #FrontierTower
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
The plight of the American Chestnut Tree is a sad tale in botanical history, and the hidden consequence of an invasive fungus. This was an attempt to make a blight-resistant species. #AmericanChestnutTree #LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #HybridChestnut #Castaneahybrid
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
Electrical Data from Microbes! After putting sensors in the microbial samples of Purple Bacteria that I collected, I got some compelling results. Actual electricity from them. Whoa! #data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 09/11/2025
Can you get data from microbes? I collected microbial samples from the Salton Sea near Bombay Beach, California. After incubating in the sun for about 4 weeks, Purple Bacteria emerged. I got curious and placed sensors in them. Will they produce data? #data #science #sensors #microbes #bacteria
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 08/11/2025
So many beautiful trees here. Would love to do a tree data sonification project here some day, or maybe just plants. This place is special. Western Hills Garden, want to collaborate? #WesternHillsGarden #SnakeBarkMaple #Acerdavidii
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
25 apples in one tree at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm in Sebastopol. Picking one would be like an apple roulette while. #LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #Sebastopol #MultigraftedApple #Malusdomestica
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
A special variety of apple at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm in Sebastopol. Not all apples are “successful” as far as humans go. #LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #WintersteinApple #Malusdomestica
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Can I read bioelectric fields from earthworms? Here are my results. #worms #sensors #data
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
I set up soil bins in Nevada City with compost, native soil, and biochar (yep, even had to “activate” it). Then I dropped in sensors to see if they could pick up earthworm activity. Can the sensors detect the bio-electric fields of earthworms? #worms #sensors #biology
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
A human-successful variety of avocado at Luther Burbank Experiment Farm. This one is adapted to a cooler environment. #LutherBurbankExperimentFarm #AvocadoSeedling #Perseaamericana
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
Could cells be communicating with photons? The latest BioSymphonic article, I dive into the strange science of biophotons: weak-light emissions produced by all living cells. All cells emit light. #microscopes #cells #photons biosymphonic.substack.com/p/cells-make...
biosymphonic.substack.com
Cells Make Light?!?
Also, microscopes are fun
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
bat-a-thon! They are curious creatures indeed, with all the pathogens they can carry without being harmed themselves
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Beautiful pond with active algae life. Love these active ecosystems, so underrated. Seen at Western Hills Garden. And no invasive bullfrogs, right Maria Finn? #WesternHillsGarden #MariaFinn
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Purple bacteria once ruled Earth. This was before oxygen filled the atmosphere. Some scientists even imagine a “Purple Earth,” when the planet itself may have glowed magenta from horizon to horizon. Full article here:
biosymphonic.substack.com
The First Light Eaters
And maybe a purple world
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Really enjoyed the walk through Western Hills Garden this weekend, with the post-rain and the changing of the seasons, yes, even in California. #WesternHillsGarden
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
This weekend’s trip to Luther Burbank Experiment Farm in Sebastopol. Luther Burbank did all sorts of wild experiments with grafting trees and making hybrids. This thornless blackberry tree intrigued me.
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Florian Schneider from Kraftwerk, well, his estate that is, is selling off his collection of old synths, furniture and other goodies. It won't be cheap, but it is free to look. www.juliensauctions.com/en/auctions/... #kraftwerk #synths
juliensauctions.com
The Florian Schneider Collection
The Florian Schneider Collection All property to be shipped or picked up from Gardena, CA, excluding lot 441, which will ship from Germany. Auc...
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Just a few days ago I was at PLAYA Summer Lake and we had a microscope party with the artists-in-residents there. We are all such nerds!
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Bird Songs Are Not What You Think I recently watched the "The Listers" documentary all about extreme bird-watching (!), I was struck by how the competitive bird watchers cared about numbers rather than biology. We hear melody. Birds hear information.
biosymphonic.substack.com
Bird Songs Are Not What You Think
The Listers Movie and Bird Time
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 11/10/2025
Bats eat birds! Scientists found this out by putting sensor-backpacks on the backs of bats and tracking them. www.thetimes.com/uk/science/a... #science #sensors
thetimes.com
The mini backpacks that prove bats hunt birds like fighter jets
Scientists analysed Europe’s biggest bats to find how they target their prey, capturing distress calls and even the sound of chewing
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
This week's BioSymphonic writing is about bird songs, and perception — and the most excellent documentary called "Listers" which I saw on YouTube a couple weeks ago. Bird Songs are not what you think biosymphonic.substack.com/p/bird-songs...
biosymphonic.substack.com
Bird Songs Are Not What You Think
The Listers Movie and Bird Time
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
This week's writing on the BioSymphonic is all about dragonflies, which (at least the ancestors of) are believed to be the first flying creatures. biosymphonic.substack.com/p/dragonflie... #biology #dragonflies
biosymphonic.substack.com
Dragonflies: First In Flight
And still badass in every way
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
I'd like to be a maggot for a day. How maggots sense the world. It's entirely alien. substack.com/home/post/p-... #sensing #biology #writings
substack.com
Marvelous Maggot Senila
Not as disgusting as you'd think
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Short (7 minute) version of "Musical Maggots", data-sonifcation from live maggots, capturing their bio-electric fields. From Dinacon 2025 in Bali @dinacon.bsky.social soundcloud.com/scottkildall... #dataSonification #maggots #electricity
soundcloud.com
Musical Maggots (7 min version)
A journey to Les Organic Farm in Bali where I put bioelectric sensors in a bin of composting maggots. I made an ambient soundscape from the data from their wriggling bodies. Uses a variety of ambient
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
The hyper-sensing of crickets in their defense mechanisms from spiders. biosymphonic.substack.com/p/spidey-sen... More inspiration from @edyong209.bsky.social in my ongoing biology studies for my own electronics sensor + soundscape works. #BioSymphonic #spiders #crickets #nature
biosymphonic.substack.com
Spidey-sensing Crickets
Hyper-evolved defense mechanisms
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 16/09/2025
I just launched a YouTube channel: BioSymphonic, which experiments with custom electronic sensors and data-generated soundscapes. The first episode is "Musical Maggots" — where composting maggots generate an ambient soundscape www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWNx... #electronics #sensors
youtube.com
Musical Maggots
YouTube video by BioSymphonic
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
Nature is a Gallery without walls, a nice little article by Char Rogg, about taking your work outside of the gallery environs. My thoughts are that nature isn't about control, but about collaboration. And, galleries are the opposite. substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Nature Is A Gallery Without Walls
A love letter to art that dissolves the boundary between human and earth.
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
How do you manage plant care for 50+ plants? Plant Care Cards It's not quite ready for GitHub & sharing, but these are plant care cards whose layouts I generated with Python (yes, some AI helped with the code). A cohesive look with small laminated cards for each plant. #plantDaddy #codeNerding
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
The Corn Plant and the Wasp: chemical signals by these plants actually summon wasps to its defense. This weeks' article that stemmed from the writings by ‪‪@zoeschlanger in her recent and amazing book "The Light Eaters" biosymphonic.substack.com/p/the-corn-p... #biology #signaling #plants
biosymphonic.substack.com
The Corn Plant and the Wasp
A strange symbiotic relationship
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Seaweed is very much alive. What started as a casual experiment off the deck of my friend's houseboat grew into a scientific inquiry. I'm still exploring... Full article here substack.com/home/post/p-... #BioSymphonic #ArtAndScience #Soundscape #Seaweed #EnvironmentalArt #SoundInstallation
substack.com
Everything is Alive
Seaweed, Mycelium, and Fern Soundscapes
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
So happy to be at Dinacon 4 in Bali. The organizers are so welcoming, and have partnered up with local orgs to provide a friendly onboarding environment. Cute handwritten local map! dinalab.bsky.social
handwritten map
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Local nodes for more accurate air quality reporting: this is a writeup on the AQ Mesh Network that I prototyped at Mars College this winter. scottkildall.substack.com/p/prototypin...
scottkildall.substack.com
Prototyping an AQ Mesh Network
Experiments in Desert Living
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Remember to post the cost of tariffs, friends. Ordering new several new sensor boards from JLPCB, which is the vendor in China that I have been using for years. Very reliable. And now double the cost.
tariff cost
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Lots of new projects and discoveries in the last couple weeks: Alvin Lucier's Brain Music, the "new" color of Olo, and possible life on K2-18b open.substack.com/pub/scottkil...
open.substack.com
Brain Music, New Color and K2-18b
Getting past the clickbait
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Scott (Seamus) Kildall @kildall.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
This could be life on other planets — I've been talking about the possibility of astronomers detecting such biosignatures in my artist talks, after hearing a talk about this at @setiinstitute.bsky.social in 2016. More data + analysis needed, but still www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
eurekalert.org
Strongest hints yet of biological activity outside the solar system
Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious.
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