Our new commentary on @blackrim.bsky.social et al's fascinating work in @newphyt.bsky.social, using simulation and analysis of empirical data to scale microevolutionary process to macroevolutionary patterns. Punchline: death rate and max age are driving. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Sad to be finishing up as a postdoc in @blackrim.bsky.social 's lab. I've had such a great time there! Also excited to be about to start as an Assistant Professor/Lecturer at University College Dublin.
When I built nQuack, I wanted to be able to capture both allopolyploids and autoployploids - which differ in expected proportions of heterozygotes. Specifically, we expected autopolyploids to look like cats or dogs (2/n)
New paper just posted with @rschley.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... (1/n)
The frequency and importance of polyploidy in tropical rainforest tree radiations
The presence of two or more copies of the genome in an organism, termed ‘polyploidy’, is a crucial force in plant evolution, generating genetic, phenotypic and ecological diversity. The Amazonian tr...
doi.org
fun paper with a lot of great folks @tomacarruthers.bsky.social @willweaver.bsky.social @phylieu.bsky.social @jamesbpease.bsky.social @gbradburd.bsky.social and more nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Longevity in plants impacts phylogenetic and population dynamics
Phylogenies of long-lived plants often exhibit short molecular branch lengths and high levels of gene-tree conflict. However, the biological mechanisms underlying these patterns remain unclear. We e.....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Congrats to (newly graduated) Dr. Ellen Weinheimer for her new publication in @theplantjournal.bsky.social on drought responses in the iconic umbrella acacia of the African savannas using a "differential gene reaction" analysis developed for this project onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/....
Differential gene reactions reveal drought response strategies in African acacias
We studied the genetic basis of drought response in two well-known and widespread species of African acacia by analyzing gene expression reactions across a water deprivation experiment using a newly ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Longevity in plants impacts phylogenetic and population dynamics https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.20.660758v1
In the grand tradition of Gould, I love when papers use analogies (and art!) to frame their questions. This first line (on the age of angiosperms) from @blackrim.bsky.social and @phylieu.bsky.social is a banger. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧪
I may be tired and a little hoarse, but as I said again and again on the Senate floor, this is a moment where we cannot afford to be silent, when we must speak up.
Okay, here is this week’s comic. NEWS OF THE TIMES: LOCAL CRACKPOT TAKES TRUMP SERIOUSLY - Brought to you by the Inner Hive, including longtime member Burkbark and new member Darren Bedwell ( bit.ly/theInnerHive ) - READ IT RIGHT HERE👇
NYU hacked and data leaked - politically motivated nyunews.com/news/2025/03... also here signalinthestorm.org/news.html
Over 3 million applicants’ data leaked on NYU’s website - Washington Square News
A hacker took over NYU’s website for at least two hours Saturday morning to expose over 3 million applicants’ names, test scores, majors and zip codes, as well as information related to family members...
nyunews.com
🚨 Now on Bluesky! 🚨 We’re Signal in the Storm, a project dedicated to tracking federal policy changes and news re: academia - follow us here and at signalinthestorm.org/index.html
Signal in the Storm
signalinthestorm.org
Executive order on Dept of Ed www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202... summarized here at the top signalinthestorm.org/eos.html TLDR: shifting from fed to states
On Education, President Trump Knows We Can Do Better
Since 1979, the U.S. Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion with virtually nothing to show for it. Despite per-pupil spending having increased
whitehouse.gov
The Trump administration is exerting unprecedented pressure on American universities, demanding compliance with specific policies or facing substantial federal funding cuts. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/u... signalinthestorm.org/news.html
Trump’s Battles With Colleges Could Change American Culture for a Generation
Many in higher education worry Trump’s efforts to bend academia to his will could end American leadership in research and science. Universities are not finding many allies to defend them.
nytimes.com
Federal immigration detained an Indian national and postdoc at Georgetown University. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u... signalinthestorm.org/news.html
D.H.S. Detains a Georgetown University Academic
Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen teaching on a student visa, was deemed “deportable,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said.
nytimes.com
President Trump is set to sign an executive order directing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u... signalinthestorm.org/news.html
Trump to Sign Order Aimed at Dismantling Education Department
The order, which President Trump may sign on Thursday, will lay the groundwork for eventually shuttering the agency, reassigning some of its primary duties.
nytimes.com
a link to rescinded HHS grants (data from HHS) taggs.hhs.gov/Content/Data... and a link to community-contributed rescinded NSF and NIH grants docs.google.com/spreadsheets... seen on signalinthestorm.org
taggs.hhs.gov
Here's a super helpful site called Signal in the Storm that is automated to keep track of federal policy changes (EO's and Ed dept) and news re: academia. Also includes suggestions on what to do, and a faq's page about indirects, etc. Pls RT! signalinthestorm.org/index.html
Signal in the Storm
signalinthestorm.org
Prairie Practice and Pedagogy gallery opening: UArk Fine Arts in collaboration with @uarkherbarium.bsky.social 🤝. Kids these days with their punk rock plant zines 🥲
🚨This week, many Columbia scientists lost grants that funded over half their annual income. Others will no longer be able to do research that helps treat thousands of sick patients across the US. "It hurts," they told me. My story for @nature.com 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘My career is over’: Columbia University scientists hit hard by Trump team’s cuts
The US government has begun slashing US$400 million in research grants at Columbia University over pro-Palestinian campus protests.
nature.com
If the government can do this to universities, we don't live in a free society. Five alarm fire.
Jameel Jaffer@jameeljaffer.bsky.social · last yr.I’m told this is a real letter. It basically says, “We’ll destroy Columbia unless you destroy it first.”
