Zintis

Delighted to finally see Sylvan Esso in the puzzle after a long time wishing they’d appear instead of another gas station clue!

There have been a few clunky puzzles recently that turned up the difficulty at the expense of the solving experience, but for me, this was a gem - I found it elegant, well balanced, and satisfying despite taking nearly an hour. Kudos to the constructor and editors

One NIT to pick: stem cells aren’t really the “building blocks” of anything. They divide and give rise to other, more common cell types that make up the bulk of tissues and organs. The stem cells themselves are a rare population among their more “differentiated” descendants. That pedantry aside, a lovely debut!

Seems from the comments that this one skewed a bit younger than a lot of recent puzzles, but I hope the constructor doesn’t take the more persnickety comments to heart. This was fresh, funny, and surprising - a nearly perfect Tuesday.

Agree with Deb - the theme slowly clicking into place for this one made it a pleasure to solve. Great puzzle

A fun and smooth solve - more Erik Agard puzzles, please!

Some of the theme entries here were quite cute. I would’ve enjoyed the puzzle if the weaker ones had been dropped in favor of some livelier, less obscure fill. The ELIAS/WELBY cross is pretty egregious, among other issues already noted in the comments

Gretchen, stop trying to make “boo birds” happen. It’s not going to happen!

Always know solving is going to be a bit of a chore when I see Sam’s byline, and sure enough, took me about 10 minutes more than my average Saturday 25. Other people seem to have enjoyed the challenge, and I don’t begrudge them, but the constructor notes suggest the defensive posture of someone who knows this puzzle was a little lazy.