it’s #ToothyTuesday! some of my fav teeth are colugo lower incisors. these teeth are pectinate or “fan-like,” exhibiting many long, thin projections used for grooming! while colugos are sometimes called flying lemurs, they’re not actual lemurs: lemurs = primates, and colugos = dermopterans!

ya know what? let’s bring this back #ToothyTuesday 🦷✨

The policy, which was implemented in late 2025 & requires extensive syllabi review, has resulted in prohibitions on everything from the Oscar-winning film “Moonlight” to Plato’s writings on gender. Faculty impacted by this policy work throughout the TAMU System, which includes 12 universities. 2

BOOM. The AAUP is suing Texas A&M University System over their censorship policy that prohibits faculty from discussing topics & viewpoints related to race, sexual orientation, & gender. www.aclutx.org/app/uploads/... 1

A new Trump administration ruling will cut off federal loans for college programs whose graduates consistently earn low income. What to know https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-07-22/low-paying-degrees-federal-student-loan-cutoff-trump?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky_ 

If your degree doesn’t pay enough, you can’t borrow. Federal loans cut for low-wage programs

Students in low-paying college degree and certificate programs will no longer be eligible for federal student loans under a new rule.

latimes.com

The AABA is currently accepting proposals for Invited Symposia for the 96th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia (March 31-April 3, 2027). Information on preparing and submitting a symposium proposal is available at the link below. The submission deadline is Monday, August 17, 2026, at 11:59 PM PDT.

96th Annual Meeting Invited Symposia - AABA

The deadline for Invited Symposium proposals is August 17, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) The Symposium Proposal portal is now open! Please […]

bioanth.org

If you want an example of why having political appointees deeply involved in grantmaking... www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (Gift Article)

Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.

nytimes.com

#fossilfriday A rare example of a well-preserved gill raker of a basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), ~6myo, from the Purisima Formation of Santa Cruz, CA - typically broken up into tiny bits. Used for filter feeding, basking shark rakers are uniquely formed from enameloid dermal denticles. 🦈🦖🧪

how did I miss this incredibly relevant-to-my-interests @xkcd.com comic! yay, TEETH! 🦷✨

Randall Munroe@xkcd.com · 5mo ago

Dental Formulas xkcd.com/3213/

Local plumbers two steps ahead of every university administrator in america 👏

Metin Seven (Moon Child's dad 🌝)@seven.eurosky.social · 3w ago

I read through this, and it's remarkably autocratic, almost Soviet-style vision for science in the United States.

OSTP Director Releases Landmark Report and Recommendations for Renewing American Scientific Discovery

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Michael Kratsios

whitehouse.gov

Delete and repost to clarify degree of uncertainty: Today there is substantial uncertainty racing through academic channels about how this atrocious rule will be interpreted and enforced. Apparently some current visa holders have received notice, so it may pertain to existing visas as well.

Trump Administration Issues Final Rule to End Foreign Student Visa Abuse | Homeland Security

DHS announced the publication of a final rule that officially eliminates the “duration of status” loophole that allowed foreign students, exchange visitors, and media representatives to remain in the ...

dhs.gov

It may be surprising to some that there are thousands of undescribed species just sitting in museums awaiting description. One of the main reasons this problem exists is that taxonomy is undervalued and underfunded, a trend that coincides with the devaluing of studies on natural history.

Could Excel be conscious? We surveyed more than Jan 1 1900 people to find out.

Literally an article in this same paper the other day by an actual consciousness expert - as opposed to a philosopher and co-founder of Effective Altruism - and what do you think he said

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 3w ago

Could AI be conscious?

God forbid people be intellectually curious or go into fields that help marginalized communities but that aren’t lucrative.

NPR@npr.org · 3w ago

If an undergraduate program's graduates don't earn more than workers who never went to college, that program could be cut off from federal student loans. But is a degree just about making more money?

Performance trade-offs define a fundamental dental dichotomy in mammals | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Performance trade-offs define a fundamental dental dichotomy in mammals

Teeth define mammalian evolution, and one of many adaptive dental breakthroughs in crown mammals is the tribosphenic molar: a tooth with a dual shearing-crushing function, often considered a key adapt...

science.org

Our newest paper on mammalian dental evolution, out today as the cover article in @science.org, lead by @narimanechatar.bsky.social with a team of fantastic early career scientists!!! 🎉🥳 “Performance trade-offs define a fundamental dental dichotomy in mammals” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

That's about 2/3 the annual National Science Foundation budget.

Gillian Branstetter@gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 3w ago

RFK Jr. asked the National Institute of Health to dedicate $5 billion (!) to finding a link between vaccines and autism. "That would have dedicated more than a tenth of the NIH’s annual budget to investigating a hypothesis already refuted by scientists worldwide."

My privilege to share some lovely stories from the science community about what Sam Neill's timeless performance as Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park meant to them—and why it will continue to inspire kids to chase their own discoveries for years to come.

Sam Neill Inspired a Generation of Scientists

The actor, who died at age 78 on Monday, embodied a passionate approach to research and positive masculinity in his role as paleontologist Alan Grant in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park.

wired.com

What kind of a society do we live in where the grading policies of Duke, Harvard, and Yale are the focus of the *New York Times* but the crumbling buildings of CUNY - literally the public university of the city of the paper - merits barely any attention from the NYT? ny1.com/nyc/all-boro...

From mold to malfunctions, CUNY conditions come under scrutiny

Several dozen staff members rallied outside Brooklyn Borough Hall on Wednesday.

ny1.com

We can all do something and that to me is the bottom line. Do something.

This paper argues that there are exactly two biological sexes: Male, Female, Both, and Neither.

Tim Janicke@timjanicke.bsky.social · 4w ago

In a new #Viewpoint we argue that the binary definition of #BiologicalSex based on gamete size is a scientifically robust framework that is entirely compatible with the diversity of sexual phenotypes and human gender identities. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Last day to comment!

Sarah Gollust@sarahgollust.bsky.social · 4w ago

Did you write your comment yet on the OMB rules on federally funded science yet? No? Don’t worry, you can do it this weekend. Here are some resources that can help you get started.

23 month research associate job now available with our team to work on Middle Jurassic mammals from Scotland. Requires strong experience with segmentation of CT data but does not require a PhD. Deadline for applications is 26th July. edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Research Associate (Leverhulme) - School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences - 105138 - Grade 6

This is a Research Associate position to assist in palaeobiological research conducted as part of the project “New Insights Into Early Mammal Evolution From Exceptional Scottish Fossils” funded by the...

edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com

Frankly, I'm gutted by this announcement. This is laying down a red carpet for Western chauvinists and white supremacists. I will be desperately searching for a new academic job next year, but I would never be able to bring myself to apply for one of these. www.unimelb.edu.au/newsroom/new...

University of Melbourne launches transformative Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation Scholarship in the Humanities

Faculty of Arts students at the University of Melbourne will benefit from one of the most generous undergraduate scholarships in Australia through the establishment of the Ramsay Centre for Western Ci...

unimelb.edu.au

No, Sam Neill. Great actor across many roles, but the life he brought to the scientist who taught, learned, and cared for others in Jurassic Park will always be treasured by this kid who recorded that trailer on VHS and wore it out until June 11, 1993. RIP🦖 www.bbc.com/news/live/cr...

Sam Neill, Jurassic Park and Peaky Blinders actor, dies aged 78

The New Zealand actor, who was born in Northern Ireland, died in Sydney. He had recovered from cancer and "the loss was sudden and unexpected", his family says.

bbc.com

I’d guess a full 1/4 of active paleontologists today wanted to be Alan Grant when they grew up. I don’t know if another actor has had such a tangible impact on science. I hope Sam Neill knew that at least a little. Rest easy.

Crystal Palace Dinos@cpdinosaurs.bsky.social · 3w ago

Absolutely crushing news. His accomplishments were many, but the original Jurassic Park and its characters transformed palaeontology, and was so fundamental and formative to so many people on here - we feel and share your pain xxx

Whoa, over a quarter million people (so far!) have left a comment on the egrgious openly fascist takeover attempt of the OMB. You can too! @standupforscience.net has instructions and everything you need. It's not hard, and it's critically important to science. fight2win.standupforscience.net

Stand up for Science

Stand up for Science

fight2win.standupforscience.net

elizabethginexi.bsky.social@elizabethginexi.bsky.social · 4w ago

The comment count as of Sunday July 11, 2026 1:05pm ET.

After submitting your comment: CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES “Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science.”

Sam Wang@samwang.bsky.social · 4w ago

To stop the Project 2025 takeover of science, public comments are half a plan. But they won't get us all the way there. Here's the second half of the plan - and what you can do: samwang.substack.com/p/building-h...