A graphic with text that reads "ASPB Advocacy and Science Policy Update. Call to action: Support the NSF BIO Plant Biology Act. Strengthening U.S. Leadership in Plant Science."
The NSF BIO Plant Biology Act (H.R.7949) would strengthen investments in plant and microbial research—helping drive innovation and protect U.S. agriculture. Learn why it matters and how to take action 👉 buff.ly/xRu6Eqz #PlantScience #SciencePolicy
On the topic of lexical bugbears, every time I read “impact” in a paper and it doesn’t refer to a forceful strike, I mentally change it to affect/effect as appropriate to protect my sanity.
My friend and colleague, Harry Keyishian died recently: his refusal to sign a McCarthy-esque loyalty oath led to a major legal victory for academic freedom.
Clearly not!
Baltrus would know how to balance a centrifuge. :D
#NotOverIt
Could the rest of us petition for road signs at the border that say, “If this is your first time in NJ, tune to XXX FM for important information” and it explains the gas thing and the left turn thing?
I respect your mysterious ways, but I almost never got out of Newark the first time.
Alas, I cannot make it to Philly on a school night, but if you want a fun evening benefiting a good cause, check this out!
A large female tortoise sitting in grass seemingly unbothered, with a tiny male about one-tenth her size standing almost vertically against her rear, neck straining as he tries valiantly to mate her.
Unsure of yourself? Lacking confidence? Hate the advice to channel your inner mediocre white man?
Just think of this tortoise doing his level best to mate with his 10X larger tortoise girlfriend!
If this guy can give it his all, so can you!
(Photo from Garden State Tortoise on Instagram)
These fuckin chuds
Naming your biology LLM after Rosalind Franklin is… hell is not hot enough
Thankfully it was backed up recently, was already six years old, and I can use my work laptop as a spare for now. Could definitely be worse, but nothing ever breaks at a convenient time, y’know?
A dark, cracked laptop screen covered in random lines. The computer was knocked out of my hand when I collided with a student who didn’t see me, and it hit the floor at just the wrong angle, apparently.
*sigh*
Is the semester over yet?
A photo of me touching a layer of rock that marks the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary.
Back in 2022 I was inspired by the book "The Last Days of the Dinosaurs" by @restingdinoface.bsky.social to trek from my mossy cave in the PNW to touch the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in Colorado.
A moment, marked geologically in time, when the non-avian dinosaurs were murdered by space.
Doing field work in the southern Louisiana bayous, the alligators never worried me.
The churned-up dirt of a hog wallow, on the other hand...
Four student authors!
Three species!
Two undergrads presenting their first poster!
One PI excited to return to Tucson!
All Botany abstracts in with *checks watch* 2.75 hours to spare!
Look at all that executive function! :D
A WARRIOR FEARS NOTHING, NOT EVEN ASKING FOR HELP.
In fairness, she's gotten many of the major plot points just via cultural osmosis.
But still.
My flabbers are thoroughly gasted.
@rogue151.bsky.social and I are going tomorrow evening to see Suzy (Eddie) Izzard's one-woman production of Hamlet.
My wife just asked me what the plot is for Hamlet.
My wife...the English major. Has never read or seen Hamlet.
All the Gen-Xers who held their breath on launch, and all the Millennials who held their breath on re-entry.
***BREATHE***
Well done, Artemis crew! Welcome back Earthside.
The United States National Herbarium is seeking a Lead Collections Manager! For complete requirements and application procedures, please visit USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov/job/864499200). Applications and all supporting documentation must be received online by 1 May 2026.
One of my “if I ever get well-off” purchase goals is an authentic skee-ball machine. I love that game!
KETCHUP IS THE SUPERIOR CONDIMENT.
2022 Tweet from Caroline Keroack: "I have a whole PhD I whisper to myself, as I write C1V1 = C2V2 on a paper towel for the 8000th time."
This tweet is all of us.
So if someone doesn’t collect at least some portion of their caloric intake from their own environment, is that grounds for expulsion from Alaska?
Take it out now. All it’s doing is serving as a reservoir for Agrobacterium. Make sure you sterilize any tools you used for the removal. When you decide to replace it, there are resistant rose varieties out there, or consider planting something outside the Rose family.
Georgia Voter: It's giving war crime. You can't do that. We don't just annihilate people because we can and, you know, make a grab for the money and the oil. And that's what we've done in Venezuela. And that's what we're doing in Iran.
Thune should immediately call the Senate back into session. Trump’s unhinged threats to commit massive war crimes against Iranian civilian targets show an increasing mental and moral instability we can’t ignore.
I hope all your folks are safe and I hope they stay that way.
Seconded
“He had all the numbers thankfully; I’m not that smart.” - Suni Williams, in an interview with NPR this morning.
I feel like if there’s any point in one’s career where you can stop being performatively humble, “actual fucking astronaut with nearly two years in space” is a good metric.
Some reports say over 500 schools, 55 libraries, & 25 universities hit.
You can debate the numbers, but hitting Sharif University & Beheshti is like hitting MIT & Stanford. I keep wondering: How would the scientific community respond differently if it was those universities? What’s the difference?
