Beatrice the Biologist

Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense THE BOOK!

2013-05-16T06:28:00.000-07:00

I published a book of my comics on Amazon! It's called Amoeba Hugs and Other Nonsense.

This is sort of a test of the whole "publishing on Amazon" thing. Depending on how this goes, this might be how I publish the Beatrice biology text I mentioned a while back. And there might be some straight-to-book comics in the future as well.

This book has my favorite comics as well as a few words about why I drew them or how I got the idea.

So if you are looking for an adorable little coffee table book of my randomness, go and get one! If you would be so kind as to review it on Amazon, that would be great too.

Fly Tastes

2013-05-15T11:44:00.000-07:00

Your Connection to Your Ancestors

2013-05-09T09:48:00.000-07:00

Natural Medicine

2013-04-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

2013-04-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Because every day should be Earth Day.

Oil and Water

2013-04-17T09:19:00.003-07:00

Water Bear Doesn't Care

2013-04-09T08:58:00.000-07:00

Joshua Trees

2013-04-03T07:15:00.002-07:00

I visited Joshua Tree National Park recently, and was feeling very inspired by all the Joshuas. They're so strange and beautiful. Here are some pictures I took while I was there.

Bonus: I watched Tremors last weekend (for about the 1,000th time in my life), and noticed there were Joshua Trees all around! I never noticed that before! Look!

Joshua Trees are cool. The end.

DNA Base Pairs

2013-03-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Beatrice Goes Snorkeling

2013-03-20T10:38:00.001-07:00

Ups and Downs of Producing Online Content

2013-03-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I started this blog almost 4 years ago, but it was only just recently (just the last couple months, actually) that I've become well-circulated enough to start getting ripped off.

When I first discovered a copied image of mine, I honestly thought it was funny. I said to myself, "Ha! I've made it! I'm officially cool enough to copy." But that was also because I assumed it was some 13-year-old dufus who made this image, not as it turned out, an MD who has a 100,000-person following on Facebook.

Dr. Rana and I duked it out through Facebook messages and discussed copyright law and his interesting interpretation of it: he seriously believed that since he "drew" this image himself, it had absolutely nothing to do with my comic. Fascinating...

Now, I don't really mind when people share my drawings without linking me. I mean, it would be great if they did, but lots of people just don't think about that. I get that. But when people take my stuff and slap their name on--that bothers me.

I messaged Chemists Memes about this one,

and they quickly took it down and apologized.

Now, people have obviously told me that if I were to put a copyright notice on my drawings, this would be less likely to happen. A couple notes on this:

1. Some of my widely circulated comics like Amoeba Hugs don't have such a signature on the actual image because, quite simply, I never thought anyone would share it. Do I suffer from low self esteem? Yes. Do I have horrible foresight? Yes. Do I put signatures on all my work now? Yes.

2. For the true online image-stealer, a copyright doesn't dissuade them, as they are easily removed--especially mine, with the white background on most of them. To avoid this, I'd have to put a really awful water mark on my comics, and I hate that.

I mean, is this what I have to do so people know something is mine? I don't want to. It's ugly.

3. The main reason I don't really sweat putting intense watermarks and copyright notices on all my comics is this: I don't make any money from this. That's right. I am doing this for fun. I only make money from my Beatrice alter ego indirectly--freelance writing, Amoeboid sales, etc.

If I were trying to make money here on Beatrice with ads, then shared images on Facebook, even if properly attributed, wouldn't make a difference. Two weeks ago my mental health comic was viewed on Facebook 2.2 million times, but I got very little traffic on my actual website. I did, however, get new readers. That makes me happy.

I wrote on Scientific American this week about why I'm jealous of youtubers. When a video is shared on social media and other websites, the creator gets credit for each and every view and can make money from embedded ads no matter where the video is viewed. There is no such platform for comics, so if I want to get paid for my Beatrice-ings, I need to do what other webcomics do: sell merch, ask for donations, and write books.

While I do have a Beatrice store, I get only the tiniest fraction of the money spent there--usually $1 per item. If I were really trying to make money, I'd buy inventory and sell it on my own, but um... that takes investment money... and time. And, yeah.

I have a donate button on the website that 2 people have pressed. While I appreciate their generosity immensely, I have no plans to begin seriously soliciting donations from my readers. That gives me the jibblies. See above regarding low self esteem.

Lastly, books. I am actually working on the first Beatrice the Biologist comic collection right now. I will do a post soon with an actual launch date and more details.

So rest assured, I'm working on ways to protect and promote my work. If you see anyone sharing my comics without mentioning me, just comment with a link to me. And if you see someone stealing and/or taking credit for my comics, then let me know so I can unleash the beast.

Evolution of the Placebo Effect

2013-03-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Symbiartic: Your Brain on Cookies

2013-03-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm regularly contributing to Symbiartic over at Scientific American Blogs, I need to remember to post the links to my posts here so you don't miss them. Here is last week's entry, Your Brain on Cookies, where you'll see stuff like this:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/02/26/your-brain-on-cookies/

When We Are Hurting

2013-03-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

Flower Sex is Complicated

2013-02-27T10:29:00.001-08:00

Beatrice Elsewhere on the Interwebs

2013-02-20T16:05:00.000-08:00

This week is a little different because I have 2 posts up that are somewhere other than this website.

The first one is a comic I did for a beer blog called Bierkast. (Full disclosure: it's my husband's beer blog.) http://bierkast.com/2013/02/20/the-truth-about-beer/

The second one relates to an exciting new development I have to report: I am now a Scientific American Blogger! I did my first post on the science art blog Symbiartic this week. Check it out:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/symbiartic/2013/02/19/beatrice-on-board/

I'll be doing posts on Symbiartic at least twice a month, and I will always put links here on Beatrice so you won't miss them.

Over and out.

The Evolutionary Council

2013-02-19T09:10:00.000-08:00

Heart Awards

2013-02-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

Since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I decided to show different kinds of hearts in the animal kingdom. It turned into a competition in my mind, and I decided that the winner is the octopus. But feel free to disagree.

Skepticism

2013-02-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

The Tale of the Endosymbiote

2013-01-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

Tree Restaurant

2013-01-22T08:44:00.004-08:00

200th Post

2013-01-16T10:54:00.003-08:00

This is my 200th post! To celebrate, I drew 200 amoebas. I drew 200 amoebas. Something is very wrong with me.

Mondays in Nature

2013-01-07T09:20:00.001-08:00

Adventures of Eczema

2013-01-02T11:51:00.001-08:00

My new year's resolution isn't so much a resolution as it is a commitment to solving a mystery. Last year I started getting eczema on my wrist, and in the last few months, it has started taking over my arms and legs. I have resolved to go on an elimination diet to see if there is a dietary trigger for this angry skin of mine.

Suspect #1: Nightshades

I thought nightshade was just something Sally the rag doll used to poison her big-brained creator in The Nightmare Before Christmas, but it turns out they are also a real group of plants that for some people can cause inflammation. For the month of January, I will not partake of these: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.

I love all of these guys, so this will be quite a challenge for me. And I'd like to think that the potatoes I won't be eating will be just as depressed about this.

It can be really frustrating to wade through information about nutrition research. Bad science and conflicting information abound. And even if you stick to reputable sources, it can seem like this:

So wish me luck on my nightshade-free January. I figure I win either way. If my eczema improves, I'll have found its trigger, and if it doesn't improve, I can eat French fries and spicy stir fry again without worry.

Peacock Out on the Town

2012-12-20T07:42:00.000-08:00