"Giving away that opportunity—to think, reflect, and grow as a scientist—to GenAI is, to me, unconscionable. It is relinquishing our most human gift" -- what a perfect way to put this. If you read anything today, read this!

Storm-induced mass mortality results in both immediate and long-term consequences for a migratory songbird Nature Ecology & Evolution - Combining 27 years of citizen science data with whole-genome sequencing, the authors show that mass mortality of purple martins caused by a severe winter...

Spring is arriving, but there's still snow in the forecast! How do late #winter storms affect our migratory #birds? Out now in @natecoevo.nature.com, we ask that Q with 25+yrs of #CitizenScience data and ~400 museum specimens collected after the 2021 Great TX Freeze: rdcu.be/e7aUy
#EcoEvo #evolution

I buried a note in my syllabus that students will receive extra credit if they send me a photo of their pet or favorite species of animal sometime during the first week of class. My inbox this week has been filled with dogs, cats, otters, and other adorable animals. 10/10 way to start the semester!

So proud of my student Sophia Hermosillo-Ramirez for her thoughtful review of Co-Intelligence! AI has been on my mind lately as I've planned for spring semester courses, and this is some excellent food for thought. Check it out!

On this final day of #SICB2026, we want to thank everyone who has taken part in our PUI Action Group events! It's been a blast connecting with all of you. If you want to learn more about the PUI Action Group, check out our website: sicb.org/committees/p...

🧵 1/n Paper out in Proceedings B! @royalsocietypublishing.org

How far can frugivorous birds disperse seeds during migration?

📸 Song thrush (Turdus philomelos) equipped with one of the satellite GPS tags used to track its migratory movements (credit: Sascha Rösner)

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

What an awesome and timely lesson! I can't wait to try it out in a future class.

PUI Mentoring Villages at SICB 2026 The Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI) Group is hosting different in person events at the 2026 meeting in Portland, Oregon including a PUI ...

We're so excited for SICB 2026 in Portland! We have an awesome line-up of events planned. Learn more and sign up here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

So excited with this seminar! 🐜🐜
#RamalhoLab

Gut microbiome–diet interactions in wild birds Birds show global declines, and understanding the relationship between avian diet and fitness can both answer basic questions in physiological ecology and inform conservation efforts. Diet-induced ch...

Excited to read this review paper by @juehlz.bsky.social and Jenn Houtz! nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Thanks, Sara!! We really enjoyed writing this one. 😊

Come to join us! 🎉🫶 The Department of Biology invites applicants for a tenure-track, Assistant Professor of Biology position!
Learn more about the Department of Biology here: www.wcupa.edu/sciences-mat..., and apply online at www.schooljobs.com/careers/wcup...

Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program In the face of recent abrupt shifts in federal funding for education research, including large-scale terminations of National Science Foundation (NSF) research grant awards, we have developed a rap...

FYI: The Spencer Foundation, Kapor Foundation, The William T. Grant Foundation, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have collaborated to offer $25K rapid response grants.

"This rapid response bridge funding opportunity is for scholars and teams whose grants have recently been cancelled by NSF."

Repeated behavioural evolution is associated with convergence of gene expression in cavity-nesting songbirds - Nature Ecology & Evolution The authors performed phylogenetically controlled behavioural assays and analysed brain transcriptomes across five avian families, identifying convergent patterns of gene expression associated with aggression and nesting behaviour in obligate cavity-nesting birds.

Taking a moment to celebrate our new paper out today in Nature Ecology Evolution, led by the amazing @jacanamama.bsky.social Sara Lipshutz. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

I’m so sorry, Lisa. It’s all so horrible.

I'm heartbroken and so, so angry to say that my NSF grant that asks how we can make conferences better serve people doing environmental science in different sectors was terminated of Friday. Keep different back for science and let's hope for injunctions against these illegal actions.

My NSF PRFB on the genetics of female polymorphism in hummingbirds was terminated yesterday.

I don't have much to say, I'm just sad. We've discovered so much, and could have gone so much further.

If anyone else is in the same boat, esp postdocs, please reach out, it would be good to connect.

Jay, I am so, so sorry to hear this. What terrible news.

Science Magazine - Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century The loss of vertebrate and plant species has been well documented (1-3), but recent attention has shifted to losses of the most diverse taxonomic group on

#Butterfly declines across the USA
www.sciencemagazinedigital.org/sciencemagaz...

A Lady Professor with brown hair and glasses, wearing a scarf in red, green, yellow, & black, a gift from an incredible lactation consultant, sitting in in front of cactus.

I escaped poverty because I am a scientist.

And I am a scientist because of the National Science Foundation.

A 🧵:

On Feb. 14th I try always to give honor to one of the greatest contributors to American democracy in our nation’s history, Frederick Douglass. Born into slavery, Douglass never knew his actual birthdate, and adopted Feb. 14th as the day. His penetrating insights about our country inspire me daily.

Sen. Ted Cruz's list of 'woke' science includes self-driving cars and solar eclipses Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says the National Science Foundation has given money to thousands of "woke DEI" studies. Researchers say that's misrepresenting science and disparaging important research.

"There's nothing political about wanting students to learn. That's not social justice. That is simply giving all students an opportunity to get a good grade and be able to succeed in their future career."

www.npr.org/2025/02/13/n...

These are congressionally approved funds with congressionally mandated broader impacts.

I am one of these NSF postdocs. NSF has frozen everyone’s access to their salaries and research stipends (that were already awarded) with no information about when they might be expected to be unfrozen. It still appears like we are expected to continue doing our work though.

National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills An NSF online payment system remained down after the federal funding freeze was lifted, leaving early-career scientists scrambling to pay bills

National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...
Story by @ericboodman.bsky.social

This has been a rough week and there is a lot on the line. As I wait to hear what will become of my funding (any news #NSF?), I have found clarity and confidence in what I do. Some things won't go back into the bottle, no matter how hard they try.

Also, let's celebrate the good things. New paper 🚨

Still frozen out. We’re getting word that people getting Universities to reach out to NSF over this & broader freeze may put pressure on them & help resolve this. If folks could start contacting their uni admin with complaints to forward to NSF (hopefully you know who to contact) it’d help a lot

Somewhere in the U.S., there’s a scientist staring at their NSF/NIH grant application wondering why they bother. This post is for you. Science and society both need you. Hang in there and know there is a whole community supporting you.

To update people on the NSF PRFB situation: despite the court challenge and rescinding the original memo, the NSF has continued to comply with the executive order. They have not communicated with us at all and our paychecks are still canceled indefinitely. I know people who cannot pay their rent.

NSF PRFB fellows: talk to your POs and transfer the remaining year’s balance of salary and research funds by 5pm today!! Dm me if you want to join the prfb slack where fellows are sharing info with each other #nsf #nsfprfb