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Dr. Darren Abbey

@thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

mastodon 4.6.6

PhD Genetics, UMN. #ComputationalBiology #Genomics, #PlantBreeding, #math, #carpentry, other interests. #Biology blog w/mixed topics. #scicomm #BlueBeanProject [they/them]

947 Followers

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14 Posts

Joined November 18, 2022

Blog (biology & etc):

https://the-biologist-is-in.blogspot.com

Instagram (biology):

https://instagram.com/thebiologistisn

Instagram (art):

https://instagram.com/darrenabbeydesigns

GitHub (bioinformatics):

https://github.com/darrenabbey/

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Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Aug 01, 2026

This is one of my early versions of a figure depicting the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in plants. Newer versions don't have the thick arrows and have removed the uncertain brown pigments from the yellow branch of the pathway.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Jul 03, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

This is a variety called "Painted Lady". https://www.marysheirloomseeds.com/products/painted-lady-runner-bean It has the red pigment turned off both in the seed coat and in the lower petals. I suspect the genetics here would let me produce a bright magenta and blue flower.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Jul 03, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

To make a blue-flowered version, I need some genetics I don't yet have. Ideally, it'd be some promoter mutation that turned off red pigment just in the flowers, so the pathway was still available for the stress response. To also have blue seeds may not be possible.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Jul 03, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

The red pigment is important in the stress response of plants, so simply turning off the gene isn't going to work. I have a variety that has the red & blue pigments turned off in the seed-coat, but red is still active in the flowers. This is likely due to a promoter mutation. I'm crossing that cream-seeded variety to my blue common bean this year, which should yield hybrids with bright magenta flowers and blue seeds. It'll take a few years to stabilize those hybrids into a new variety.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Jul 03, 2026

My project to make a blue seeded version of Phaseolus coccineus has developed into a project to make a blue-flowered version, too. The typical runner bean has both red and blue pigments in the seed coat, but only red is expressed in the flowers. When I cross such a runner bean to my blue-seeded common bean (P. vulgaris), The blue pigment gene from the common bean is expressed in the flowers. This produces a hot-pink or bright magenta flower.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · May 04, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

There's some interesting biology behind this. By the males shedding their antlers before winter, the males then have to seek different food sources in winter than the females have access to. This temporary ecological separation allows more animals to survive the limited food availability harsh winters. Or something like that.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · May 04, 2026

So, because I saw someone try to shut down a discussion of the sex of Santa's reindeer by saying only male reindeer haul loads...

Only female reindeer keep their antlers through winter. All of Santa's reindeer were female.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 26, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

Or in greater detail here: https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 26, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

You can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 26, 2026

There's a five episode show on Netflix called, "Radiation Emergency" about the Cesium-137 contamination incident in 1987 Goiânia, Brazil.

I've previously read of the case, but watching the story unfold on screen has a level of terror I wasn't expecting.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 15, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

Tomatillos: The next generation of my purple storage tomatillos will be grown. The goal for these is to be able to store them at room temperature in home conditions from one harvest until the next so that you can have the fresh fruit year-round (if you plant enough).

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 15, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

Tomatoes: I'll be setting up a cross between the GMO purple tomato and an elongated type with a SUN overexpression mutation as a first step towards a black heart tomato.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 15, 2026

Replying to @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social

Tomatoes: I'm growing out an F2 population derived from a cross between my white cherry tomato and my pink/yellow-striped beefsteak tomato. The F1 was medium-sized and orange.

Dr. Darren Abbey @thebiologistisn@redwombat.social · Mar 15, 2026

Since spring is coming soon, here's a quick summary of all my garden projects.

Blue carrots: I'm growing a patch of the two varieties that crossed to make the carrot pictured here. Next year, they'll cross, and then in the 2nd year, I'll have more of these roots.

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