VMHarris

Color photo of a white lily blossom, overlaid with a black skull and cross bones and text that reads “no lilies for kitties”.

I just saw an Easter ad so it's time to start reminding people: LILIES ARE DEADLY FOR CATS. The leaves, the petals, the stem, even drinking a bit of vase water or licking a few grains of pollen from their fur can cause fatal kidney failure. ⚠️ www.fda.gov/animal-veter....

And…. I’m done here too

First fireflies of the year tonight 🥰

Photograph of my cat Platina, a tortoiseshell tabby, with her face planted in a bowl of canned tuna.

Photograph of my cat Pesca, a cream-colored longhair, with her face planted in a bowl of canned tuna.

Photograph of my cat Ariel, a Bengal, with her face planted in a bowl of canned tuna.

Happy Gotcha Day to my two wonderful ladies!

16 years and going strong 🥰
Enjoy your special canned tuna, Pesca and Platina!
(Even little Ariel got to enjoy the festivities 😊)

Screenshot from linked article that says "What Is the Function of Cat Fur? Cat fur serves many purposes. Yes, it helps keep cats warm, but it also protects the skin from injuries, is used in communication (think of an angry cat with her hackles raised), provides sensory input and helps keep cats dry. When temperatures get very hot, cat fur actually helps keep cats cool—the layer of air trapped within the coat can act as a buffer against extreme environmental heat."

Someone just scolded me that I should shave Francie in the summer and I want to address that briefly for educational purposes. First of all, our vets do not recommend summer shaving and as far as I know no other vets do, either. 🌟THREAD🌟 www.petmd.com/cat/shaving-...

Huzzah! I love the “dying duck” sound

Thank you!

Thank you!

Screenshot of my BlueSky profile. The words “PhD Candidate” are highlighted. For context, it previously said “student” and is an indication that I passed my oral and written exams. There is also the party hat celebration emoji pasted on it.

Someone just leveled up 😁🎉

This is really important. Do NOT use the AI summaries at the top of google searches. Ignore them. This is especially important if you don't have any prior knowledge about the topic, but also a good general rule.

Search sources, scrutinize them carefully and double-check with other sources.

Google Earth Engine is also a part of this contract, meaning maps and statistics at places like Drought.gov will ALSO stop working.

US Weather Agency Websites to Vanish Under Planned Contract Cuts The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency is poised to eliminate most websites tied to its research division under plans for the cancellation of a cloud web services contract, a move that could s...

Almost all NOAA Research websites that rely on cloud services - including Amazon, Google and WordPress - are poised to disappear at midnight ET Saturday after a contract was targeted for "early termination." Labs may also feel the effects.

Story for @bloomberg.com (free link):

Photograph of a cat very asleep

Done contributing

The media forgets (or hope people forget) too fast. This was how the NPR covered our research not long ago.

Today is International #LongCovid Awareness Day, by the way.
Let's not forget to fight for the millions worldwide who never recovered after a #COVID infection.

a statue of a hippopotamus with its mouth open and teeth showing . Alt: A hippo being tossed a watermelon, which it crushes in its massive jaws.

I have been doing entirely too much earnest posting about deep things recently, I need to do a proper thread about hippo testicles or something just to keep myself sane.

Oh by the way hippos have migratory testicles.

@agu.org is offering resources to scientists un-jobbed in the past few weeks. Free membership, abstract fees, and career guidance and connections. It’s a start.

go.agu.org/index.php/em...

“My weather app does it better!”

-Weather Watches/Warnings? NWS
-Forecast data? NWS
-Observations? NWS
-Satellite? NOAA/NESDIS
-Futurecast modeling data? You guessed it, NWS (via EMC).
-Climatology data? The weather data compiled over a long period by techs.
-Outlooks? NWS

Food for thought. 💭

Science at Risk: Protect NOAA Scientists & experts: Add your name to this open letter calling on Congress and the Trump administration to ensure that NOAA and its sub-agencies remain fully funded and staffed, and that the independ...

Here is a sign-on letter for individual scientists and other experts to speak out and protect NOAA. I signed it and I encourage you to sign it as well.

secure.ucsusa.org/a/2025-prote... 🌎🧪🦑🐠

Your weather app gets its info because of NOAA.

Your mail arrives at your home because of USPS.

Your plane navigates the skies because of the FAA.

Your food is safer -- and we get alerts when it isn't -- because of USDA.

You hear about earthquakes *worldwide* because of USGS.

About our agency NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Our reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as we work to keep the public informed of the changing environment aro...

“Why do I need NOAA? I’ve got a weather app.”

Is equivalent to asking

“Why do I need farms? I can go to the supermarket.”

www.noaa.gov/about-our-ag...

Something to bear in mind when teaching:

Wind-blown avian feces may be route of transmission for bird flu, Minnesota's infectious disease expert warns Flu expert says bird flu virus may be spread by infected feces blowing in the wind.

Not great news, especially if you are near poultry farms

Wind-blown avian feces may be route of transmission for bird flu, Minnesota's infectious disease expert warns

www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/ne...

Meme of Boromir from The Lord of the Rings looking at the one ring. Instead of the ring is a “]” bracket. It says “It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing”.

Getting back to R coding for the first EW/LW paper. Current mood:

Predictive text models do not ever "answer your question"

They predict what an answer to your question would probably look like.

Which is very, very, very different

Hi! Please add me too 🙋🏻‍♀️

Infographic from the CDC:
How H5 Bird Flu Could Spread on a Dairy Farm

H5N1 Bird Flu Transmission:
✅ Airborne
✅ Fomites (touching surfaces)
✅ Foodborne via raw milk

h/t @amethystarlight.bsky.social
#Medsky #IDsky 🛟😷🧪

I can’t stress this strongly enough - wear a mask. Get the best respirator you can afford that fits your face and wear it consistently & properly.

Covid is a pre-existing condition for many insurers. You do NOT want Long Covid.

If you’re fortunate enough to still have your health - protect it.