Biology Gift Idea
November 14, 2013 8:21 AM   Subscribe

Iam thinking of gift idea for the scientifically minded specifically Biology, even better Microbiology. It's for a SO who just enrolled in Phd program in a reputable university. She already has the microbe/parasite pillows. Any suggestions?!
posted by radsqd to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (16 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
Really good permanent marker pens. Very fine tip and medium tip, smudge and water proof. Staedtler do good ones. Today I unpacked my favourite pen which has been with me in four labs across three countries so far and I'm itching for a petri dish to label already.
posted by shelleycat at 8:37 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


After seeing this comment yesterday, I got this amazing idea to get some of those collage photo frames like people have of all the people in their family and fill them with those line drawing diagrams of all sorts of organisms along our evolutionary tree. Like, instead of here are a bunch of pictures of my grandkids, here are a bunch of pictures of my ancestors. If I can find a line drawing of Darwin I'll probably throw him in there, too.

This would take some doing, but I think it would be hilarious. You are welcome to steal my idea.
posted by phunniemee at 8:37 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


A test tube vase?
posted by marshmallow peep at 8:43 AM on November 14, 2013


Best answer: Nervous System jewelry. It's run by a husband and wife team who have backgrounds in biology, architecture, and math. All of the jewelry are derived from biological shapes.
posted by photovox at 8:46 AM on November 14, 2013 [6 favorites]


Bathsheba Sculpture has lots of neat science-themed art and jewelry.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:54 AM on November 14, 2013


Presents I have received : DNA earrings (thinkgeek, amazon). T-shirt with her named spelled out in amino acids (no idea where it came from). Test tube drink mixing set (amazon). Laboratory Beaker Mug. T-shirts of all kinds (thinkgeek, cafepress...)
The bestest present I got was a 3-D laser etched molecular structure of my protein. It came from a group called Crystal Protein.
posted by florencetnoa at 8:58 AM on November 14, 2013


A copy of The Eighth Day of Creation - it's a long, fascinating, gossipy account of the beginnings of molecular biology. It will give her a sense of the history of the field she is stepping into.
posted by yarrow at 9:08 AM on November 14, 2013


Etsy search for microbe.

Some cool items:
Antique bacteria prints
Vintage Workbook
Wine Glass Markers
Petri Dish Ornament
Cross-stitch pattern (yes, you'd have to learn and DIY)...or the monthly microbe crossstitch set

Tangentially related, if she likes food: Mushroom Garden or maybe help her make blue cheese.
posted by melissasaurus at 9:09 AM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


Seconding ThinkGeek. There's always some good stuff on there...
posted by Falwless at 9:49 AM on November 14, 2013


Micropropagation kit. Grow plants from single cells, how awesome is that?
posted by themel at 12:00 PM on November 14, 2013


Best answer: NBDesigns on Etsy sells earrings and necklaces with stylized E. coli charms (they have the wrong number and arrangement of flagella), earrings and necklaces with DNA ladders, necklaces with a plasmid on them, and earrings made to look like plates streaked with Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

E. coli is Gram-negative, though, so I'm not entirely sure why the seller is so adamant that the baby dishes are streaked with E. coli (those results would not make sense).

MEOWHEADS on Etsy sells a bunch of different mitosis earrings, and molecularmuse on Etsy sells base pair earrings and start codon necklaces.

There's also TaylorCustom. They sell pewter keychains (made in Massachusetts!) made to look like cells, viruses, or antibodies/antigens (depending on what exactly your SO does).
posted by topoisomerase at 1:37 PM on November 14, 2013


Get some real microbe images and have them made into posters. Not sure about copyright issues but images like these: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/01/125-microbes/oeggerli-photography. If not posters, perhaps a screensaver or computer background.
posted by PickeringPete at 2:59 PM on November 14, 2013


Nearly anything from Giant Microbes. I'm partial to the virii, but I'm geeky like that.
posted by kathrynm at 3:06 PM on November 14, 2013


An Ecosphere
posted by hydropsyche at 3:21 PM on November 14, 2013 [1 favorite]


A huge framed high resolution picture of her favorite microbe.
posted by oceanjesse at 9:51 PM on November 14, 2013


If she wears glasses, then a pair of nice prescription safety goggles.
posted by rollick at 2:02 PM on November 16, 2013


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