💥 Check out this new #AJB essay! 💥 Urban #lichens as an emerging model for urban #evolution By Ann Evankow, Jeremy Howland, James Lendemer & Jason Munshi-South doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #plantscience #fungi

Yesterday I was fired by Columbia University after eight months as executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. This was the first time in a 25-year career that I've ever been subjected to discipline in a job — much less terminated from one.

De-extinction is Mars colonization for biology nerds. Sorry but it is.

Promoting urban biodiversity for the benefit of people and nature Kowarik+ doi.org/10.1038/s443... "urban biodiversity is people’s primary contact with nature" "Biodiversity-sensitive and socially inclusive urban governance and urban planning are key to developing biodiverse, green cities"

Promoting urban biodiversity for the benefit of people and nature - Nature Reviews Biodiversity

Urban biodiversity underpins ecosystem services in cities, but faces multiple pressures from human activities, declining engagement of urban residents with nature, and inadequate governance systems. T...

doi.org

Because Republicans are so evil, it's easy to lose sight of how bad Democrats are on public higher education. They tend to have a deeply condescending, classist view of public education as job training. Intellectual curiosity is to be reserved for those who get into private institutions.

I think some in the Senate have convinced themselves that the backlash to folding will be limited to “the left” and therefore ignorable. Those people are deeply and profoundly misreading the moment and the stakes. Virtually every swing district House Dem walked the plank to vote NO for a reason.

Anybody else annoyed at how universities act like their endowments are fake money? Even if only 15-20% of the funds are unrestricted, that is a lot of $$ for wealthy universities. They need to stop acting like they are Berkshire-Hathaway and protect their people and academic mission.

Columbia U. has an endowment of $14 billion. They should be fighting with all they have rather than capitulating to a dictatorial regime. The federal government is trying to set up an exception to the First Amendment to benefit a single foreign country, Israel. It won't stop there.

Popehat@kenwhite.bsky.social · last yr.

Columbia: it's not his fault, I just make him really angry sometimes, but he loves me

Spring peepers but only a few-not the entire chorus yet and no wood frogs

Favorite part of Star Wars was when Luke Skywalker took off his jacket and defeated Palpatine with his T-Shirt that said “Resist”

It often starts with criminalizing the speech of dissidents, journalists, and academics. Recently, professors in Turkey have been jailed for not being sufficiently pro-dictatorship. We're on a speedrun to a general crisis (economic, social, etc)

Jacquelyn Gill@jacquelyngill.bsky.social · last yr.

This is an attempt to criminalize free speech and suppress dissent. If we don’t take a strong stand against this, it’s the end of our democracy, and not just higher education. Universities are the trial balloon, but it doesn’t end here. Next, it will be employers, cities and towns, and individuals.

WIRED@wired.com · last yr.

The de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences wants to bring back the mammoth, and it’s starting with a woolly mouse. Read more here: buff.ly/xKPLn1c

Sensible Op-Ed about safety issues involved in pathogen research. The public needs to have faith that scientific institutions are not putting them at unnecessary risk: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/o...

Opinion | Recent Virus Research Should Raise Alarm

Research with pandemic potential needs the utmost precautions.

nytimes.com

Is this true? Do it anyway. Academic freedom exists for this reason. As long as you aren't claiming to be a spokesperson for the university then it is fine.

Jeremy Berg@jeremymberg.bsky.social · last yr.

I know many universities are asking folks not to speak to reporters on the record. If you have need for someone who will be effing glad to speak on the record, DM me! 🙏

If you have ever dealt with a narcissistic sociopath then you understand Trump's and Vance's hysterical reactions to moderate pushback from Velensky. I still wonder a bit if Vance is acting to keep his benefactor happy but now kind of doubt it.

My state legislators are Republicans because we're in a gerrymandered district that lumps us with ultra-wealthy towns on either side. Last night they had a town hall and a bunch of Democrats came to yell at them about everything. The Repubs acted like they didn't know what is happening at fed level!

Red-winged blackbird males are back today! Over the last 7 years this about the latest they have arrived. Chipmunks are already active and have had a robin already. Usually robins show up in larger numbers later. Wood frogs and spring peepers calling should not be far behind.

Come work with us! The New York Botanical Garden is hiring a Curator at the Assist. or Associate level. Profile: a productive and FUN Mycologist or Cryptogamic Botanist. Happy to talk to candidates about how wonderful one of the best botanical research centers is, easy. www.nybg.org/about/work-w...

Employment | New York Botanical Garden

Find out what employment opportunities are available at The New York Botanical Garden.

nybg.org

Open to idea of taxing huge university endowments. Non-profit universities should not be hedge funds, health care systems, and real estate portfolios that run an education side hustle. But make it productive! Taxes go down as you serve more students, cut administrative bloat, and rein in tuition

We finally have some well-powered whole-genome heritability estimates, including a quasi-behavioral trait (BMI). For height, ~89% of the heritability estimated to reside in common variants. For BMI and WHR, ~100% estimated in common variants. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Baby boomers on local Nextdoor are arguing they shouldn't have to pay property taxes after age 65. The main argument is that more than half of the city budget is for the school system. They didn't like it when I pointed out younger people are already paying for their medicare and social security

Interesting comment in here about converting to a "direct admit" strategy for those Profs with the funds to bring in graduate students. I think we will be seeing a lot more of this, albeit not necessarily publicly announced or revealed.

Carolyn Ibberson@cbibberson.bsky.social · last yr.

I created a brief spreadsheet of reductions I've heard of so far. Any additions you know of (especially if you have the links/receipts) would be great: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Nothing better today than a message from our colleague Sergey Gaschack on FB about the recovery of several of his camera traps that were left in #Chornobyl for years, inaccessible due to war. Incredible #ChornobylWildlife footage amid the sound of war. Have a look: www.facebook.com/gaschak/vide...

It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office. Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc. Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.

🚨PA colleagues: "Senator Fetterman wants to hear from you about how the federal funding freeze is affecting Pennsylvania." "If your project has been impacted, please fill out our constituent impact form:" forms.office.com/g/mFv2JAPxpC Get out your Other Support and share that info!

I created a brief spreadsheet of reductions I've heard of so far. Any additions you know of (especially if you have the links/receipts) would be great: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)

docs.google.com

The University of Pittsburgh confirmed Friday that there would be no new Ph.D. offers of admission while Pitt works to understand how reduced federal aid could impact the institution.

The University of Pittsburgh pauses its Ph.D. admissions process amid research funding uncertainty

A spokesperson for the University told WESA Friday that the school has "temporarily paused additional Ph.D. offers of admission," while Pitt works to understand how proposed federal funding cuts could...

wesa.fm

And here it is, my Joker moment. I am insane now.

The Democrats on the House Science Committee have set up a website to collect stories from fired federal employees, anonymously if desired. Please amplify. (This helps the lawyers establish standing for bringing legal cases against the administration!) democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings