Washburn CHAOS Lab

Washburn CHAOS Lab Welcome to the Washburn CHAOS Lab — Center for geoHealth and Applied Omics Studies based at the Kentucky Geological Survey. Join the chaos.

We are feral scientists who sequence to metal, decoding the interaction of earth processes with health.

Happy Valentine's Day!
02/15/2026

Happy Valentine's Day!

02/14/2026

For the nontraditional, the mildly unhinged, and the apocalypse-date-night crowd. Chaos Lab approved a movie picks for Valentine's Day.

02/13/2026

Okay, pyrite. Fool’s gold. What band is this channeling?  For My Valentine
Because it forms under pressure, grows sharp metallic edges instead of soft curves, gets misunderstood at first glance, and literally throws sparks when you hit it.
That’s not soft romance. That’s reactive, armor-on, stand-in-front-of-the-damage energy.
Happy Friday the 13th and Happy Valentine’s Day. Science is metal.

02/12/2026

Did you know there’s actually a gene called the cheap date gene named for exactly the reason you think?

It’s a special Valentine’s Day themed episode of Taxonomy Gone Wild, and yes, this one is real. Meet ADH1B, the gene that can make one drink hit like three.

Romance? Maybe.
Biochemistry? Definitely.

02/11/2026

Valentine’s Day felt like the correct time to remind everyone that the greatest cinematic romance ever put on screen involves pulse rifles, motion trackers, and absolute trust under fire. Ripley and Hicks are competence recognizing competence and choosing each other in a nightmare. No ego. No theatrics. Just loyalty, attraction, and “I’m with you” when it counts.

02/10/2026

Can making out change your immune system?

Not in the way the internet wants it to, but in the way immunology actually works. When stress drops and mucosal immune signaling shifts toward tolerance, the immune system is less likely to overreact to things that aren’t actually dangerous.

For folks asking for receipts:
Kimata K. 2006. Kissing selectively decreases allergen-specific IgE production in atopic patients.. Journal of Psychosomatic Research.

Kort et. al. 2014. Shaping the oral microbiota through kissing.

02/09/2026

Feral Science is this:
community first, then caves, mud, and a level of enthusiasm that cannot be explained to normal people.

The fun is obvious.
The point is doing science with people, where it actually matters, and making something better on the way out.

Thanks to and for letting us work with you to understand caves a little better!

02/08/2026

We were underground doing fieldwork, and this is what showed up. Feral Science 101!

Some of the things you see when you spend time working in

It’s not pristine, it’s not finished recovering, and it’s definitely not quiet—but life is there.

Thanks to for taking us into the cave!

02/06/2026

If you think punk rock only exists in basements and dive bars, think again. It also exists in caves.

02/05/2026

What band does this mineral sound like?

Malachite forms in toxic, high-stress environments and refuses to back down.

That’s energy. Science is metal. 🤘

02/05/2026

Let’s talk about how the Mark of Cain in Supernatural could actually work biologically.

Epigenetics. Immune signaling. Survival phenotypes.

The Mark doesn’t change Dean’s DNA, it changes what his body is allowed to do.

Address

310 Columbia Avenue
Lexington, KY
40506

Website

https://youtube.com/@washburnchaoslab

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