I used to think, I had to travel far and wide to appreciate extraordinary scenery. Over the years, I found that’s a bad idea, because the real wonder exists surrounding me, everywhere in my life. I just need to train my eyes and sharpen my sensibility to discover, to capture the natural wonder, like an artist.

While others were appreciating the eclipse, I took a photo of the sun. That was the peak time of eclipse in my place, the spikes protruding from the sun formed a cross. At that moment, I felt I was so blessed. Amen!

Look, that’s a rainbow! I once sat in a dining room in Bar Harbour, the pianist came over to me and said, “I’ll be playing ‘Over the rainbow’ for you.” I was so flattered, and I had a wonderful evening that day. After I came back from the journey, whenever I saw rainbow images, I would think of that beautiful evening in that dining room.

Not only the sun, the moon can also brighten the sky! I like the moonlight’s gentle glow, romantic, idyllic, poetic, and tranquil. Ancient Chinese wrote a lot beautiful poems about moon. They always associated moon with family and lovers. The other day, I was gazing at the full moon in the sky, I felt like I was a poet.

A few days ago, I published a blog about my view on anti-aging and cannabis research. https://mengmeng-lu.com/worthless-research/

In the mean time, I am fully aware of those opinions different from mine.

Germany just passed legislation to allow small amount of drug possession. Similar permission has already been legalized in some other EU countries, Thailand, Canada, and some states in the US.

“Existence is reasonable”? To some extent, it is.

Let me jot down some beneficial aspects of anti-aging and cannabis research.

First, such areas of research draw financial investment from private funding sources. Poor researchers rely on grants to survive and thrive. However, funding agencies can only supply a partition of the proposed projects. If some billionaires would like to invest scientific research, even though their aim is to live forever, the financial investment is still supportive to scientific personnel.

Second, beneficial results might come out from such research. Human desires drive scientific innovation. Studies on cannabis can lead to discovery of the physiological components, which can be used for medical treatment. It has huge pharmaceutical business chance!

I always say University of Notre Dame has a wonderful gardening team.

They set up flower arrangement in time, and the head gardener must have some certain knowledge of art, literature related to flower, trees, and woods.

Like today, I walked by the lake and spot this sight, which is exactly what William Wordsworth described in his poem.

How did William Wordsworth’s Daffodil look like? —- “A host of golden daffodils dance in the breeze beside the lake, beneath the tree…”

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud 

By William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Not all scientific studies are meaningful and worthwhile tax-payers’ dollars, like atomic bombs.

As a life science scholar, there are two areas of biological studies that I don’t want to be involved in.

One is anti-aging study. I don’t oppose disease treatment, I just think the idea of “being young forever” is greedy and ridiculous. We all have expiry day. That’s a fantastic concept to make human beings value their life and time. We live in the moment, for the past is gone and future is yet to come. When our time is up, “ash to ash dust to dust”, it is a natural phenomenon called metabolism for all the organisms in the earth. Humans are no exception.

The other is research on cannabis. I respect free wills and I do realize that recreational drugs can relieve mental health issues to some extent as well as being vital to patients under palliative care. However, the current cannabis studies are more like a grey zone which lack strict laws and regulations due to the various political policies in different regions. Private funding for cannabis focuses more on addiction than the medicinal aspect. I don’t feel at ease to perform such study for now.

Science and technology are double-edged swords.

Today is March 27, 2024, the World Theatre Day.

Theatre is a place to make dreams, comedy or tragedy. Ancient greeks think every citizen should witness a tragedy so they can consider their moral life more seriously. This idea still stands true today!

In the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, the upper-bound of stage is decorated by an arc painting which displays a mortal’s life from birth to death. What a inspirational and touching design! Every audience might connect their real life in one way or another to the drama. What’s the meaning of life? How to spend your life without wasting time and energy?

I always think the procedures of producing a play must be as difficult as to begin a startup, as the producer of the play must organize a lot of personnels, including directors, playwrights, and actors, but it is fun to watch their final output.

I prefer dance dramas specially to other genres. Actions speak louder than words.

Last year, I indulged myself a trip to Bar Harbour by Atlantic coast. That was early May, the weather was still chilly with intermittent storms. Walking by the seaside was not quite joyful until I found this charming dining room.

This room is situated in the seafront. Their window seats are the perfect spot to watch sunset. A pianist came in every afternoon to perform.

Sunset by the sea plus beautiful piano music, what else can I expect?

That moment was a forever summer time to me.

“Bioeconomy, biotechnology, multi-million dollar business”, these are three phrases frequently talked during my stay at PAG earlier this year.

Since the internet revolution in 1990s, people are in dire need of a new technology revolution, which is supposed to change our life and work style.

When everyone focuses on AI and ChatGPT, gene editing technology suddenly takes on headline news. GMO crops are not something new, this time, we are confronted with gene engineering medicine!

1. On December 8, 2023, FDA approved gene therapy for treatment of sickle cell disease.
2. On Feb. 15, 2024, two RNA-editing therapies have gained approval for clinical trials.

As Nature news just reported, “a new wave of gene editors heads for clinical trials”. Without extensive public attention, gene editing medicine have entered in our lives.

As I am writing this blog, Nature news is reporting, “engineered immune cells enters US trials for first time”.

This is the first time in history, human bodies are “edited”. For good or for bad, era of gene-engineering medicine has come!

Today is October 14, 2023. From last year to this year, we’ve seen too many tragedies.

Humanity is still leaping between civilization and barbarism.

On this Sunday morning, I walked to campus for work. After flurries of snow, the woods and roads are covered in white. What a fairytale and tranquil scene! No painting can depict such sight!

“Go out, and look at the world in a different way!”

It is been five years since my last trip to San Diego for PAG meeting. What turbulent five years we had!  Yet, the PAG meeting is always wonderful. I never felt disappointing in PAG. Turnout this year was not as many as in the past, but things have been changing towards a revival direction. Well, at least, I hope we could have a temporary peace.

For the leisure part, I wish I could have arrived two days earlier so that I could have arranged my personal actives better. Oh my, San Diego has the best SPA, hair salon, eatery, shopping centre in the US! Not mention the beach!

For the work part, I’ve learnt a great deal. I enjoyed every minute at the meeting. The only pity is that so many interesting talks and sections occur concurrently, also, I did not get chance to read all posters!  Reading the journal publications can’t compare with listening to the lecture by the author or talking to the authors by their posters directly.  Next time, I should have spent more time planning, selecting the sections/ talks from the programs in advance. And of course, I should have planned more time in first two days for posters! Many posters were taken down on the third day. Why are people so hurried back home?  I haven’t got chance to read your posters!

For food, thankfully I made a good plan in advance, a better one than my schedules at the meeting! I enjoyed hot spot, Italian cuisine, Mexican cuisine. I learned a lesson that never fully trust the reviews. People’s taste are different. It is worth trying on your own.