Lab Notes
All lab notes
Rack 1 Moves Into the Snake Room
October 29, 2026
Rack 1 moved into its own room on battery backup, with cleaner camera views, and six more founders arrived from Soflo Sand Boas, bringing the study to seventeen.
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Seven More Founders and Our Intake System
October 27, 2026
Seven more founders arrived, so we now have eleven, from three breeders. Our plan grew to 20 unrelated lines plus 3 controls, and our new intake system weighed and photographed each new arrival.
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Rack Build Continued
October 26, 2026
Added 8 of 10 rack camera's
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Test substrate added.
October 18, 2026
The two test tubs now have real substrate: a 70/30 sand and coconut soil mix, 3 inches deep, chosen for how well the camera can see a snake on it.
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October 2026: Our First Observation Camera Goes Live
October 15, 2026
The test rack is assembled and the first 12 MP camera is streaming two test tubs. An engineering milestone, not a scientific result.
Read the note →Introduction Video Added
September 28, 2026
Our introduction video, explaining how we got here, is finished.
Read the note →Testing the Substrate
September 28, 2026
Breathitt mixes the first test batch: 70% sand, 30% coconut soil.
Read the note →Introduction Video Production Planned
September 21, 2026
Filming night for our introduction video, with a seven-year-old co-star.
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AI Visual Monitoring System Planning
September 18, 2026
The test camera is bought, and the plan is now two enclosures per camera.
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Web Development Has Begun
September 18, 2026
Work starts on the research platform: animal records, cameras, voice-entered notes and AI-assisted observation.
Read the note →Social Media Accounts Active
September 16, 2026
Our social accounts are switched on for video and project updates.
Read the note →Supplies for Rack Construction Arriving
September 15, 2026
The first shipments for the observation rack arrive.
Read the note →Building the Observation Rack: The Animals Come First
September 14, 2026
Bigger habitats, three inches of substrate, and one rule above all: welfare first.
Read the note →Alpha Website Is Live at SurfaceSandBoaProject.org
September 14, 2026
The home for updates, live cams, animal records and data goes live in alpha.
Read the note →Busy Weekend for the Lab Assistant
September 14, 2026
While Breathitt asks the big questions, her lab assistant (Dad) builds the website and the tech behind it.
Read the note →Project Email Is Set Up
September 14, 2026
The project now has its own email address.
Read the note →Before There Are Snakes, There Is a Lot of Building
Lab Note #1
Why we show the setup, the mistakes and the boring parts, not just the results.
Read the note →This Is Where the Project Gets Messy
- Rack construction
- Camera tests
- Software development
- Substrate testing
- 3D-printed equipment
- Animal acquisition
- Quarantine
- Protocol changes
- Equipment failures
- Ideas that worked
- Ideas that did not
- Unexpected behavior
- Milestones
- Future-generation updates