UC Berkeley professor Kwabena Bediako under investigation for sexual harassment allegations Since the allegations were publicized, nearly every graduate and undergraduate student in the Bediako Lab has left the lab.

I'm struck by the bravery of this student and the fantastic way the union handled this allegation. What a model for all of us to follow in terms of how to show up for our members.

I need to return for samples! Will let you know!

Networked patterns of pollen surrounding clumps of green algae covering the surface of slow-flowing water.

Got to walk along Stroubles Creek & the Duck Pond on campus to take water quality samples with students yesterday, and we're already experiencing "it smells like summer 🤢" season! Collision (& fun patterns!) of pollen & algae at the Main Branch inlet.

The Devastating Role of Light Pollution in the 'Insect Apocalypse' A new study shows excess outdoor light is impacting how insects hunt, mate and make them more vulnerable to predators

For International Dark Skies Week -and every week, every night- know that light pollution is a significant contributor to biodiversity declines and animal populations, especially insects.

Especially the insects.

WANTED: Lead Collections Manager. Smithsonian NMNH Botany is looking for a Supervisory Museum Specialist to manage the United States National Herbarium and a top-notch collections team. For more information, visit USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov/job/864499200). Applications due in two weeks (1 May 2026).

Last month in The Onion:

Habitat context mediates macroinvertebrate responses to Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) shell deposits | Freshwater Science Abstract The Zebra Mussel Dreissena polymorpha (Pallas, 1771) has invaded surface waters throughout North America, and it alters benthic habitats by depositing dense layers of shells. Although these shell deposits can increase habitat complexity in some systems, they may also lead to habitat homogenization, particularly in streams with coarse substrates. We sought to understand how these shell deposits may affect macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Rouge and Huron watersheds (Michigan, USA; August 2017). We examined whether shell deposit density is related to macroinvertebrate community diversity and relative abundance and if those relationships might differ between rural and urban streams, noting changes in taxa sensitive to habitat structure, such as Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera (mayflies and caddisflies). In one rural stream, the % abundance of specific mayfly and caddisfly families decreased with increasing shell density, suggesting a localized negative response to shell-induced substrate changes. However, this pattern was not consistently observed across other rural streams, indicating that site-specific factors may mediate these effects. Regardless, shell deposits in urban streams, where baseline habitat complexity is often low, may offer structural refuge and benefit specific invertebrate taxa. Our findings highlight the context-dependent nature of Zebra Mussel relationships with stream invertebrate community metrics and suggest that the ecological consequences of shell deposits may vary with stream habitat characteristics.

The impacts of environmental stressors are often complex. Newly published research demonstrates how dead invasive mussel shells can differentially affect urban & rural stream communities. This work highlights the importance of context in understanding ecological responses to biological invasions.

Effects of salinization on aquatic food webs Salinization is a global environmental threat to inland and coastal aquatic ecosystems. It is defined as an increased concentration of ions in water (…

New chapter 📢 How does #salinization affect aquatic #foodwebs? With @cunilleramontcusi.bsky.social, @mphebert.bsky.social, @zadereev.bsky.social, BKefford and MCañedo-Argüelles, we summarize effects across trophic levels and how they can propagate through the food web

Read here: shorturl.at/0YfLL

Photos rolling in for #PeatColours
250+ submissions across all sites in 2026 — great to see!

Explore the interactive map (updated regularly):
peatcolours.github.io/tracking.html

📍 Kauhaneva-Pohjankangas 🇫🇮
📍 Forsinard Flows
📍 Cope Hut, Alpine NP 🇦🇺
📍 Torronsuo 🇫🇮

New project launching soon in 🇨🇦 👀

The lack of knowledge is deeply embarrassing. You can see it in the faces of the people behind her.
The research facility in Houghton is paid for and costs taxpayers $1 per year in rent to Michigan Tech University.

It's the 7th month of the US bombing random ships in Latin American waters they claim are drug smugglers (reminder that two survivors who were rescued were repatriated, not charged), and the death toll is 150+, and it barely gets discussed.

US President Donald Trump says the US Navy would immediately start blockading the Strait of ⁠Hormuz and would also interdict every vessel in international waters that had ⁠paid a toll to Iran. https://aje.news/x545rk

We have entered the “you can’t kill me if I commit suicide” phase of American Decline

Trump Was Watching a U.F.C. Fight in Miami While Iran Talks Collapsed

Really well-observed, cutting account of Trump watching a UFC bout while talks collapse in Iran: www.nytimes.com/2026/04/11/u...

Marathon? I’m sure every hour in JD’s presence must feel like an eternity - but come on, he just got there.

From early Nirvana to Phish, a Chicago fan’s secret recordings of 10,000 shows are now online. blockclubchi.co/4t6zW7R

i firmly believe that kennedy wants preventable diseases to rip through american communities since, in his warped mind, those who survive without vaccines will have proven themselves “healthy.”

Breathing both ways: simultaneous aerobic–anaerobic respiration in microbes Microorganisms have historically been classified as obligate aerobes or anaerobes, facultative anaerobes, or microaerophiles, reflecting differences i…

Excited to share our paper in @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
We explore how microbes can simultaneously use oxygen and alternative electron acceptors, reshaping how we think about respiration. We also discuss the evolutionary context and how it can be studied.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

‘It's incredibly bad’: No end in sight to Colorado River water crisis - WyoFile Emergency drawdown of Flaming Gorge is imminent, officials say. The water situation is crashing so rapidly that authorities can't confidently track the extent of it.

An emergency drawdown of Flaming Gorge is imminent, officials say. The water situation is crashing so rapidly that authorities can't track, with confidence, the extent of it. wyofile.com/its-incredib...

What happens *after* enemy release? In a new paper, we present 7 years of infection & immune trait dynamics in 16 lake populations of stickleback.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
This is definitely the longest-scale study I've done in my career, I'm very excited to see it out.
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Giant otters, river sentinels, now listed as threatened migratory species With evidence that the giant river otter is in an increasingly perilous state, delegates to the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) listed it as an animal…

Giant otters are now listed under the UN Convention on Migratory Species. With populations down by 50% over 25 years due to pollution and habitat loss, this move encourages the protection of these "river sentinels" across their strongholds in the Amazon.

@gufalei.bsky.social reports for #Mongabay.

A graphic of the Artemis II reentry timeline. The process takes 13 minutes for the capsule to travel from 400,000 feet above Earth down to the ocean. Also marked are a communications blackout spanning from about 30 seconds to 6 minutes into the process and the parachute deploy from 10 to 12.5 minutes.

After a ten-day mission around the moon, the Artemis II astronauts will have traveled nearly 700,000 miles. Today is the final hurdle: reentry. Here's where we stand right now: www.scientificamerican.com/article/nasa...

Calling all geologists! 🥾⛏️ The Utah Geological Survey is hiring a Geologic Mapper. If you love fieldwork, creating detailed maps, and want to work in a geological wonderland, this is for you!
Apply here: utdgohcm.csod.com/ux/ats/caree...
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We’re hiring an Environmental Data Services Manager!

This position can be remote or based in our Toronto office. Find out more and apply 👇
datastream.org/en-ca/articl...

Climate Science Serving America Fellowship Our mission is to help the world reach “Drawdown" as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.

Dear Friends,

Please send this to your networks. Project Drawdown is offering full-time, paid (with benefits) fellowships to scientists and engineers working on climate solutions in the public interest.

Deadline is April 17.

drawdown.org/careers/clim...

BREAKING WSJ:

Trump has repeatedly promised his top administration officials pardons before he leaves office, according to people who have heard his comments.

"I'll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval," Trump said in a recent meeting.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Journalists and academics/teachers leading the way on this, we can't let AI obsolesce legitimate information sources

Congratulations to the 2026 SFS Career Award Winners!
- Hynes Award for New Investigators: Audrey Goeckner
- Environmental Stewardship Award: John Jackson
- Award of Excellence: Jennifer Tank

Learn more about their contributions to freshwater science: www.freshwater-science.org/news-item/22...

I'm a data scientist @ourworldindata.org and I need help from a botanist or someone local to Kyoto, Japan! 🌸

We present one of the world’s longest climate records: 1,200 years of peak cherry blossom dates in Kyoto.

The researcher who maintained it, Prof. Yasuyuki Aono, sadly passed away last year.

With worsening water quality in groundwater, rivers and lakes, now is not the time to integrate MfE into a larger ministry. #NZPol

Map of watershed basins in the Western United States. Basins are color-coded to show SNOTEL estimates of snow-water equivalency compared to the median from 1991-2020 as of April 8 2026. Nearly all the colors are red (<50%; Covering AZ, NM, CO, NZ, Northern CA, WA, and most of WY)), with some orange (50-69%) and yellow (70-89%). in the Northern regions (Montana, Idaho, and parts of Washington)

It's going to be a wild summer.