John Burns

@burnsajohn

I like to think about how cells work, especially among #protists. Driven by curiosity and a love to share detailed research and odd observations. Senior Research Scientist, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences. He/him.

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John Burns@burnsajohn· 13d

I'm giving a public talk next Wednesday, August 5, on approaches to studying mid-water animals in situ. It will be light on technical details, and more conceptual and a journey to the deep than a regular science talk. Please join if you are interested! #marinelife www.bigelow.org/news/cafe-sc...

A chandelier siphonophore suspended in the deep Atlantic ocean.

John Burns@burnsajohn· 15d

Beautiful work from Brazil describing testate amoeba shells found on a moss sample from a tree on a tall mountain in the Amazon Rainforest: "High-altitude Amazonian eukaryotic shells (Arcellinida, Amoebozoa)" www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #protistsonsky

From the paper's figure 1: Scanning electron microscopy images of Arcellinida shells

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jun 13

And the full breadth of our creative imaginings and careful reproductions in clay.

A table holding clay beasties representing our microbial dreams

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jun 13

My last pic of the organizers closing out the inaugural session of the #MicroSEA course, dedicated to hands on single cell methods with micro-eukaryotes. It was an honor and a pleasure to share. Bravo @johandecelle.bsky.social @mjamy.bsky.social @protistwtmostest.bsky.social and other organizers!

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jun 13

Me and my friend Cymbomonas, the mixotrophic green alga with 4 flagella. #MicroSEA course clay modeling activity 2026. #protistsonsky

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jun 7

It is always a pleasure to visit this stony village #MicroSEA #Roscoff

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jun 5

I found you in this vast ocean, my love, and I am not letting go. #protistsonsky With @prakashlab.bsky.social

A pair of Coelodendridae cells. They are unicellular phaeodarians. We observed many such pairs with the ROV. Is it the result of some kind of division? If not how do non-motile cells find one another in the ocean. From the ROV SuBastian 4k camera, Designing the future 3, Schmidt Ocean Institute.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 22

Two beautiful siphonophores from the deep ocean taken by the ROV SuBastian 4k science camera in the southern Atlantic. @schmidtocean.bsky.social 🦑

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 20

Follow that line down 1000 meters and you will find the ROV SuBastian loaded with tech for midwater exploration. @kakanikatija.bsky.social @schmidtocean.bsky.social

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 18

WOW!

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 17

It takes a village to do incredible ocean discovery. Live now! @schmidtocean.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/wbQXgnH...

The ROV control room aboard the R/V Falkor (too) in action

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 17

The room where it happens: ROV control room aboard the R/V Falkor (too) during a long transit. @schmidtocean.bsky.social

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 17

While we're preparing for our eventual ROV dives, @prakashlab.bsky.social and I found the expedition's #firstprotist, an acantharian, by filtering the ship's on board seawater stream 🤩. @schmidtocean.bsky.social #protistsonsky

Manu Prakash looking at an acantharian on his custom confocal microscope

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 16

Last week we had the excitement of space exploration with #Artemis II. This week right here on Earth we are embarking on a discovery mission with new tools in our own frontier, the open ocean, aboard the Falkor (too). I am filled with wonder on our #OceanPlanet @schmidtocean.bsky.social

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 8

I've been busy preparing for a research cruise that is finally about to happen... too busy to monitor my favorite salamander breeding pools. But before I left for the airport yesterday I ran into the woods and found these spotted salamander spermatophores. Eggs will be there at the next night rain!

Vernal pool, April 7, 2026. Boothbay, Maine

Three spotted salamander spermatophores among the leaf debris in the pool.

Close up of spermatophores. They are jelly at the bottom to adhere to substrate with a velcro-like sperm packet at the top (cream colored region) that female salamanders pick up.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Apr 8

Got stuck in Miami for a day en route to Brazil. Visited the Rubell museum and it was fully inspiring. Some highlights, all worth seeing in person. And many more--i can only share 4 at a time, so I'll stop with 4. Check them out: www.rubellmuseum.org/miami

Minami Kobayashi: Two cups of hot tea at Mt. Gozaisho

Yayoi Kusama: infinity room (it may have a real title... it is one of several that she has made)

Yoshitomo Nara: too young to die. This one is bigger than it looks. Like a giant 5ft diameter plate/bowl

John Burns@burnsajohn· Mar 26

Birth of a crustacean. [Presumably some kind of copepod?]

John Burns@burnsajohn· Mar 25

I just got this wonderful surprise in the mail. I gave some feedback to the Author a few years ago and they sent me this beautiful copy with 16 symbioses represented with poems in 2 voices and fun, brief descriptions. Really beautiful 😍 #symbiosky www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803205...

The cover of the illustrated children's book "Nature's Remarkable Partners. Wild poems for two voices".

Personal note acknowledging my contribution.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Mar 11

My incubator died ☹️. With the help of a neighboring lab I saved my important cultures. This spare culture of the glaucophyte Cyanophora paradoxa didn't make it. In dying, the blue pigment complex phycocyanin diffused out of the cells creating a striking color in the flask 🤩

Blue phycocyanin swirled a little in a flask

John Burns@burnsajohn· Mar 2

Shadow dog making friends on the trail.

Photo of a dog and a small snowman on the Maine coast.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Mar 1

Vernal pools in Maine update, March 1: still winter.

Vernal pool covered in snow, March 1 2026, Maine coast.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 26

Protist lovers: Please apply for a week of rhapsody! Learn by doing: MicroSEA (Microbial Sea Eukaryotes) course is a one-week, field-based summer school to train early-career researchers in the diversity, ecology, and single-cell biology of marine protists. opbc.sciencesconf.org #protistsonsky

MicroSEA (Microbial Sea Eukaryotes) course is a one-week, field-based summer school to train early-career researchers in the diversity, ecology, and single-cell biology of marine protists. MicroSEA course integrates lectures, field sampling, and lab-based practicals in advanced techniques, such as flow cytometry, microscopy, culturing, and molecular analysis.

The main objectives of MicroSEA course are:

Fostering a deep understanding of marine protist diversity, ecology and biology;
Providing hands-on training in advanced single-cell methods that are not commonly available in university programs;
Building participants' confidence in designing and conducting research projects from field to data analysis;
Promoting international collaborations and peer networking among students and speakers/trainers.
The course will take place at the Station Biologique de Roscoff - SBR (France) - 7th to 12th of June, 2026 (arrival on the 6th, departure on the 13th).

20 participants will be selected, including 10 from EuroMarine member institutes.

https://opbc.sciencesconf.org/

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 20

Do the dance, do the algal dance.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 17

And we've figured out how to see the distribution of algae in embryo tissues using FISH and light sheet microscopy, which is amazing.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 17

Even in naturally laid eggs we can control algal growth just using light.

Egg raised with light on left, egg raised in darkness on right.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 16

Some nice folds on the Maine coast for all the geology fans out there. This formation is most accessible at low tide, so I dont see it all the time. Shadow dog for scale.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 12

With many thanks to @zlatogursky.bsky.social and @dumack.bsky.social, it looks like this one is solved. My initial hunch was wrong. This is likely an amoebozoan in the genus 𝘊𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮. I really appreciate their curiosity and expertise 🤩😍. Found these relevant drawings (tinyurl.com/2me5ywvs):

Drawings of the amoeba Cochliopodium vestitum

John Burns@burnsajohn· Feb 6

Time lapse of an odd little monster. Presumably some kind of cercozoan from brackish water. #protistsonsky

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jan 27

"Winter window"

Shadows of icicles outside my bedroom window.

John Burns@burnsajohn· Jan 19

Is this a CT scan through an animal brain? Or optical sections of a very interesting alga? With big thanks to @dudinlab.bsky.social for helpful tips and encouragement. Now to use these methods to answer some long-standing biological questions! #protistsonsky #Cymbomonas