TSA Pre and Clear+ now seem like two competing pay-to-play schemes with little improvement on safety.. I say this after two entire entry points at BWI were closed to us holdouts.. grrrr
Jay Evans
@jaydevans.bsky.social
Bee lover and civil servant scientist. Bee research at https://tinyurl.com/bdh73yj5 and less formally www.beesfoundintranslation.org. Www.beenome100.org Views are my own.
My rowing buddy Paul is an ally of his 80’s National teammate David Hearn. I am sickened by heartless attacks on dads with ladder trucks, people expressing their true selves, hungry kids, those facing disease… but when they come after goofy, curious, privileged, middle-aged white guys…well…
Amazing new comparisons across the bony ones!
Vertebrate Genomes Project@vertebrategenomes.bsky.social · 4w ago🚨 MANUSCRIPT ALERT 🚨 The VGP Phase I manuscript pre-print is now live on bioRxiv! 🧬 doi.org/10.64898/202... Over 8 years, the VGP generated reference genomes for more than 800 vertebrate species, spanning ~95% of vertebrate orders and delivering some of the highest-quality genomes ever produced.
As is the annual tradition, we hope many of you will take the opportunity to use the Climate Stripes this week to start important conversations about the risks from, and solutions to, climate change. Officially, #ShowYourStripes for 2026 is on Sat 20th June. www.ShowYourStripes.info
Chatting with Steven Rosenberg, whose faith and NIH support led to immunotherapy treatments that are keeping a couple dear colleagues healthy, still working at 84 y.o.! #scienceworks.
Work travel phone home..... "I feel tired, I said" "you always look tired, she said.." I'm admired, I said" "you always look tired, she said..." -Elbow, 'Fugitive Motel'
Why is our Costco produce section now half water,plus the water in the remaining produce?
Wow, as a student of infectious disease there is nothing worse than verticality, be safe, trust science.
Colette Delawalla, PhD@cdelawalla.bsky.social · 6mo agoLines that go straight up in charts that track disease = VERY BAD.
Super cool work by @simone-alma.bsky.social and colleagues on new twists in bacterial defenses 🔥🔥🙂🙂
Simone Alma Evans@simone-alma.bsky.social · 9mo agoI am so excited to share our project with you! We find prokaryotic proteases activate toxic enzymes and pores as a modular strategy in phage defense. We studied four fascinating protease-toxin pairs that are abundant across bacterial genomes: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Great ‘applied genomics’ study to identify causes behind pollinator declines! @ebpgenome.bsky.social , #beenome100. @ergabiodiv.bsky.social @renamschweizer.bsky.social , @mgbranstetter.bsky.social
Michael Branstetter@mgbranstetter.bsky.social · 10mo agoNew paper drop! 🚨 Led by my awesome postdoc @renamschweizer.bsky.social — we used genomics + museum DNA to explore the decline of Bombus franklini, a bee not seen in the wild since 2006 🐝 Now out in @PNASNews! www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A triage review of costs and causes of recent honey bee losses, usual suspects of parasites, pesticides, hunger, but surprisingly widespread 😔. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Insights from U.S. beekeeper triage surveys following unusually high honey bee colony losses 2024–2025
In January of 2025, U.S. commercial beekeepers reported unusually high honey bee colony losses as they prepared colonies for almond pollination. Two i…
sciencedirect.com
A week ago we were told via YouTube that USDA-BARC and our Bee Lab will be closed. BARC has had a productive 90 years but is aging and I trust there is a longterm vision behind this decision. The largest loss will be the people, who are 100% devoted to bees, beekeepers, science, and this country.
Fun to host the American Veterinary Medicine Association for a Honey bee workshop in the historic USDA Log Lodge , poignant as a couple days later we received notice our USDA Center will now vacate…🤷🏻🐝.
Great work on bee senses from Penn State 🐝
Margarita Lopez-Uribe@mmlopezu.bsky.social · last yr.🧬 Shift between specialized & generalized diets in #bees is associated with evolutionary changes in their sensory genes. Generalists lose odorant receptors (ORs) and gain gustatory receptors (GRs), while specialists diversify existing genes 🌸🐝 #genomics #pollinators academic.oup.com/g3journal/ad...
And honey bees and beekeepers are having a rough year too, no doubt there are multiple causes but the battle against disease is a big one. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Viruses and vectors tied to honey bee colony losses
Commercial beekeepers in the US reported severe colony losses early in 2025, as colonies were being staged for their critical role in the almond pollination season in California. Average reported loss...
biorxiv.org
Wow, continued insect decline even in the prettiest places. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Half the tree of life’: ecologists’ horror as nature reserves are emptied of insects
A new point in history has been reached, entomologists say, as climate-led species’ collapse moves up the food chain even in supposedly protected regions free of pesticides
theguardian.com
B > rc
Rob Waterhouse@rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 2y agoEusociality evolves more readily in haplodiploid #insects because of an inflated #genetic relatedness between sisters - the transition rate from solitary to eusocial life was 15-100 times higher in haplodiploid than diploid lineages www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Amazing how far the holistic study of bee health has come in a decade or so, sub-lethal but sub-optimal.
British Beekeepers Association@bbka.org.uk · 2y agoA new study shows the impacts of pesticides are far from uniform, affecting the brain, legs, and kidney-like tissues that undermines essential functions. www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2...
This group is doing a lot to develop and use genome data to improve biodiversity and involve local peoples
Earth BioGenome Project 🌍@ebpgenome.bsky.social · 2y agoSequencing genomes unlocks the potential to analyze genetic diversity within that ecosystem, allowing scientists to identify vulnerable species and design targeted #conservation strategies. Sign up for our newsletter on earthbiogenome.org to learn more in our upcoming issue.
A poignant visit to Chile’s Human Rights museum, highlighting the 15-year murderous blight on democracy by Pinochet and his many allies, even refusing the results of the 1988 plebiscite until the people said ‘nope’, we won.
Heading home from Thailand where a serviceable and super cute native bee Apis cerana is meeting A mellifera, chaos has ensued in places.
Immunity for those of us riding the thorax of Drosophila
Mark A. Hanson@hansonmark.bsky.social · 2y agoICYMI: we wrote a book. It's a free PDF, but you can also get a physical copy just in time for the holidays. Probably. I dunno. We don't actually get money from it. This was a labour of love by Hannah & Bruno. Also I helped. Stocking stuffer idea: USB loaded with The #Drosophila Immunity Handbook 🪰
