Patrick Penndorf
I am a scientist, communicator, and strategist dedicated to making complex knowledge accessible, actionable, and impactful.
- Bioplastics for the lab are finally here! But there’s a big problem — few people actually know what bioplastics are. Here’s what you need to know 🧵👇
- “Bioplastics” can mean many things: Two key distinctions: 🔹 Biodegradable vs. non-biodegradable 🔹 Made from biological vs. fossil sources Yes — some “bioplastics” are still fossil-based, and some aren’t biodegradable. Surprisingly, non-biodegradable biobased ones may be greener right now.
- Why? Because “biodegradable” can mean compostable or needs special facilities. Made from biological sources: the thumbnail, the bio-based Eppendorf tube = 90% food oil waste + 10% fossil materials (for quality). Want to know what’s actually feasible for your lab? forms.gle/kJdaRCxePkLg...
- If you work in science, you need to adopt sustainable practices now - otherwise, you may soon lose funding. 2 of the world’s largest funders already require labs to report: 🔹 Cutting plastic waste 🔹 Reducing energy use 🔹 Traveling less If not, applications won’t be considered.
- This isn’t hypothetical. In the UK & Germany, it’s already a reality. Last autumn, 7 major funders pledged support for sustainability. Wellcome Trust & CRUK even require accredited certification: a 3–6 month process. But done wrong, it can endanger your workflow and samples!
- To help, there will be a 20-min presentation + email resource: 👉 forms.gle/7zdXSKfmGyHH... Done properly, sustainability can save labs €2000+ and cut >50% of reagent/antibody use. Don’t get caught off guard—funders expect this. #GreenLab #Funding #EnvironmentalSustainability
- “Sustainable practices burned down their lab!” That’s the story I once heard. Someone stored lab waste instead of disposing of it. A fire broke out, and the stored waste fueled it. What's the take away?⬇️ #STEM #GreenLab
- That wasn't Proper sustainable practices! Green action doesn’t disrupt experiments or workflows. What I have seen from them: 🔹 70% less plastic waste with smarter plating 🔹 Sterile cabinets <1 min after restart 🔹 S2 protocols optimized to save time + plastic
- I’ve optimized dozens of lab workflows to be greener 🌱 Skeptical? I’ll show you how in a free 20-min online talk at the biggest sustainability summit. 🎥 Register & get the recording here: forms.gle/zJSPZ5Gb4Ahb...
- Quick tip to spot greenwashing: - Some push “infinite recycling loops” that don’t exist - Others fudge carbon accounting - Or pretend an analysis = certification 👉 Just ask the company for details. If claims are exaggerated, you’ll likely hear… nothing. ❌ Silence = red flag
- Therefore, you don’t need to read 100s of pages. One short email often tells you everything. Want more strategies to catch greenwashing in science? 🎥 Register for our short online session + get a practical handout: forms.gle/bs1DgSTiPbnK... #GreenLab #STEM #PhDLife
- Something we should tell every graduate: Uni won’t teach you to follow your❤️but it will shape your career. After graduation, the structure disappears. You need to forge your own path. What I heard scientists advise: Listen to your heart it will lead you properly Other tips?
- There’s a new publishing model you should know about. 🔹 Subscribe to Open (S2O) If enough libraries keep subscribing, the journal flips to 100% open access for that year. If not, it falls back to subscriptions + APCs. Read more in the thread #ScientificPublishing
- The first journal to try S2O? 👉 Annual Reviews, back in 2017. Now, other big names like the Royal Society (UK) are adopting it too. For scientists, if S2O works: Free access to articles 📖 Free publishing (no APCs) ✍️ But uncertainty if it’ll stay that way each year 🤷
- Still, S2O could: Limit excessive publisher profits 💰 Finally let us read science without paywalls 🚀
- Still, S2O could: Limit excessive publisher profits 💰 Finally let us read science without paywalls 🚀
- Research labs generate tons of plastic waste every year. But what if making science greener didn’t require extra effort from scientists? 🧪 Here’s how one of the world’s leading institutes tackled it—Leibniz-HKI 👇 @leibniz-hki.de @iubmb.bsky.social @iubmbtrainee.bsky.social
- The Leibniz-HKI (renowned for microbiology & natural products) asked me to to consult and explore: 🔹 How to cut lab plastic waste 🔹 How instruments (HPLC, MS, PCR) can run more sustainably 🔹 How to get 400+ scientists onboard—without disrupting their work
- The result? ✅ 45+ concrete opportunities for greener practices What made this work? Enthusiasm + positivity. Here is my full list of sustainable actions: re-advance.com/a-list-of-su...
- Writing about sustainability changed my life. The biggest lesson? Good things take time. A thread for anyone who's building something from scratch 👇
- A year ago, I started a weekly newsletter on sustainable science. At first: – Few readers – Zero feedback – Hours spent on each post
- It took almost a year... we hit 900+ subscribers. No ads. Just consistency. We are told these days success is instant Reminder: Not everything works right away. Experiments don’t. Ideas don’t. But if you stick with it, they will.
- P.S. The thumbnail? One of the memes I add at the end— So people leave with a smile :)
- If you care about sustainability, these numbers you need to know - let's make it super quick: These numbers are hard to come by but: Centrifuge: 4.2 kWh Incubator: 0.04–0.9 PCR Cycler: 0.2–2 Thermomixer: 0.11 E-pipette: 0.01–0.05 #GreenLab #STEM #Sustainability
- And the heavy hitters: 🌫️ Fume Hood: 20–35 kWh ⚛️ MS: 15–20 💧 HPLC: 5–15 🔥 GC-MS: 20–50 🥶 Freezer: 5–20 (old ones: >35!)
- Of course, these vary depending on model + usage. But even as rough averages, they’re eye-opening. Big thanks to @MyGreenLab and @Eppendorf for pushing transparency on this! #ACTLabel #LabEnergy
- I’ve worked nearly 5 years as a sustainability consultant. One thing I’ve noticed? Almost no one talks about how much energy lab equipment consumes. > A single institute can use enough electricity to power a small village. Let’s raise awareness. Let’s do better.
- It finally happened. AI can now write systematic reviews better than humans. And it only takes 2 days... A group of researchers (Cao et al.) built a workflow using freely available AI tools to: 🔹 Screen papers 🔹 Extract data 🔹 Run meta-analyses All without any hefty coding.
- A Cochrane review usually takes 2–3 researchers up to 365 days. The AI did it in under 48 hours — with similar conclusions. 🔹 GPT-4.1 screens titles & abstracts 🔹 Gemini turns PDFs into structured Markdown 🔹 o3-mini-high extracts outcome data → Meta-analysis is then run
- The wild part? In cases where the AI and authors disagreed, human judges sided more often with the AI. We may be witnessing the next evolution of science. Soon, we won’t know if a review was written by humans or AI. Are we ready for that? #AI #ScientificPublishing #STEM
- Making a research institute more sustainable in just 2 weeks? The Leibniz-HKI and I took on the challenge... 🧵👇 The goal wasn’t just clean energy, but also less plastic in experiments, reducing chemical waste, and improving health & safety. #STEM #Greenlab @leibniz-hki.de
- A few weeks ago, a former professor reached out from a research institute with 350+ scientists. Asking for help making their research more sustainable. 🌱
- The plan: Get to know the institute, people, and culture Work one-on-one with scientists on their workflows Share solutions and drive culture change = All in two weeks
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View full threadThis project concludes in August. I’ve spent 10 out of 14 days so far. Results to come! Sustainability is possible, even with limited time and small investments. 🌍 Wish me luck! 🍀
- 🎬 Do science communication like making a great movie. Start mid-action. No foreplay. Here’s how I got millions of views (and 600+ newsletter readers in 3 weeks) by doing what most scientists don’t:
- Most scientists start their SciComm like they start a paper: "Today I'm going to talk about..." Big mistake. Nobody has time to be well informed—until they know it's relevant.
- If you want to hook people, don’t introduce. Grab them. Surprise them. Make them feel something they can’t scroll past.
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View full threadAnd yes—even in papers, you start with the abstract. Why? Because readers want to know if it's worth reading—before they commit. Your audience is no different. #SciComm #PhDLife #STEM #Storytelling #ScienceCommunication
- This post might change how you do your PCRs Potentially saving you 46% time, 50% money, and 38% plastic waste In short: DOI: 10.1016/j.biochi.2024.01.013 In more detail in the thread below:
- Pedlar et al. shortened cycle times significantly: • 5s denaturation (vs. 30s) • 25s annealing (vs. 60s) • 25s extension (vs. 60s) 🔬 Result: – 46% faster (1h 57min → 59min) – 50% less energy – Fewer cycles (28 vs. 32) with similar results & less variation
- 💡 Sustainability tip: Raise your holding temp from 4 °C → 12–16 °C Eppendorf found this saves 30–45% energy depending on the thermocycler.
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View full threadPCR doesn't have to be slow, expensive, or wasteful. Small changes = big impact. #PCR #LabTips #PhDLife #GreenLab #ScienceTwitter
