The nuclear winter continues
01.03.2026 15:23
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The nuclear winter continues
NSF leaders have just acknowledged what many scientists have long suspected: Presidential directives to boost AI and quantum have upended its traditional way of doing business. www.science.org/content/arti...
If you are a student whose NSF GRFP application was returned without review for vague 'eligibility' reasons:
1) Let your department chair & Graduate School know. Encourage them to contact NSF & congress
2) Write to your congressional reps.
3) Write to grfp@nsf.gov to request re-consideration;
Dear colleagues, we are searching for candidates to fill a Full W3 Professorship for Plant #Ecology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. For details, see www.nature.com/naturecareer... 🌐 🌎 #AcademicJobs
environment.leeds.ac.uk/faculty/news...
Our new paper uses the Power of Plots to reveal how tropical forests are changing: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bronze plaque saying "A Letter to the Future. Ok is the first Icelandic glacier to lose its status as a glacier. In the next 200 years all our glaciers are expected to follow the same path. This monument is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it. August 2019. 415ppm CO2"
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
📣 Ecologists and evolutionary biologists! Have you ever wanted to be a journal editor? BES journals are having an open call for editors. Details: www.britishecologicalsociety.org/content/appl... Happy to answer any Qs! Open to all nationalities. Applications from postdocs welcome :)
"Uncle Bob, the only reason you got your ozempic is because a scientist was curious about Gila monster venom." 🧪🩺🌱🐀🐙💅
... And more found here.
We are coming up on the closing date for an Assistant Professor of Mycology/Plant-fungal Interactions in the Department of Plant Biology, University of Illinois - apply before November 1st!
See the link below for more details:
www.higheredjobs.com/faculty/deta...
Steve Long
The New Phytologist Foundation offers its condolences to family, friends, and colleagues of Prof. Steve Long.
Steve was a regular contributor to New Phytologist. His contribution to plant biology and publishing was enormous and he will be sadly missed.
portal.lancaster.ac.uk/intranet/new...
The situation is dire for coral reefs worldwide. We need to stop Carbon emissions NOW! 🧪🪸🌎🌐🌊 www.nytimes.com/2025/09/17/c...
We mourn the passing of our Editor-in-Chief Steve Long.
His vision to establish one of the first journals dedicated to Global Change over 30 years ago was truly ahead of its time. Through GCB, researchers have demonstrated that biology and ecosystems are not simply victims of global change..
Ever sampled frozen soil before? 🧊
SPUN's Michael Van Nuland and Jinsu Elhance, with local collaborator @mmuscarella.bsky.social explored the coastal tundra plain before traveling to higher elevations in the Arctic foothill tundra finding new flowers, fungi & wildlife with the changing terrain.
My department is hiring a Plant-Fungal Assist Prof!! As the newest #NewPI here, don't get me started on how wonderful my colleagues, how smooth my onboarding has been, how supportive the school and the department are, how nice my brand new lab is, and how convenient living in Champaign Urbana is!
There was a mass flowering last year on BCI - seeds take a year to develop and disperse. This year there is one tree flowering - a 'late bloomer'. I am curious to see if it will set seed. There are a lot of South American Tachigali species. Only a small number of species appear to be monocarpic.
Thunderstorms are a major — and growing — threat to tropical trees, reports a new analysis in Ecology Letters led by Cary’s @evangora.bsky.social. Insights are critical to guiding decisions about forest restoration and conservation www.caryinstitute.org/news-insight...
"We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much. "We want everyone to know that we are both safe and with loved ones. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy as we grieve. "Our family would like to thank law enforcement for their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents. We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents' home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad. "Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them. "If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following: • Plant a tree. • Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. • Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do. • Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. • Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone. • Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something. • Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace. "Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else."
Please read and share this statement from Sophie and Colin Hortman, children of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
(via WCCO reporter Caroline Cummings on X)
Graduate Students Push Back Against Science Funding Cuts www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/s...
We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to join an exciting project investigating the effects of bat seed dispersal on plant microbiomes and pathogen dynamics in tropical ecosystems. With @morceglo.bsky.social. More info: jobs.apsnet.org/job/postdoct...
This would be the largest public lands sell-off in modern U.S. history and it's happening with no hearings, no debate, and no public input.
See what public lands would be available for sale:
www.wilderness.org/articles/med...
Infrared imaging shows heat levels in sun-exposed leaves of Alstonia scholaris from the Australian Wet Tropics. As climate change increases temperatures and the severity of heat waves, both natural ecosystems and agricultural plants are increasingly affected by heat. Examining heat responses at cellular, genetic, physiological, and ecosystem scales, this special issue explores how plants sense and respond to high temperatures.
As the world warms, plants in natural ecosystems and agricultural settings find ways to respond to the heat.
In a new special issue of Science, researchers examine how heat affects plants at multiple scales, from the molecular level to the biosphere. scim.ag/44cSw3Z
Our paper shows that most ectomycorrhizal fungal species (83% of OTUs) are "dark taxa": species we detect in DNA, but can't match to known species names. We map global "darkspots" - the parts of the world most in need of more research. @spun.earth @ethz.ch www.cell.com/current-biol...
Senior Researchers 60,400 --> 16,900 Other Professionals 14,400 --> 4,100 Postdoctoral Associates 5,500 --> 1,000 Graduate Students 41,500 --> 12,400 Undergraduate Students 37,300 --> 8,000 PreK-12 Teachers 42,900 --> 8,200 PreK-12 Students 128,100 --> 39,400 Total Number of People 330,100 --> 90,000
🚨🚨 Friday night news drop from National Science Foundation!! 🧪
NSF just released its detailed budget request for next year: nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/00-NSF...
We knew it was going to be bad...and it lives up. Guts direct NSF support for a **quarter million people**
🧵 on some highlights...
JFC
see link for public comment in the article on the proposed policy open until 23 May…“the purpose of Schedule F is to permanently instill the degree of political control over science fueling the sense of fear that pervades those agencies now” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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."
The 15% IDC for new NSF grants might be moot. With a 50% budget cut, and existing funding obligations, there may not be any money for new grants anyway.
Free to read - great. If you want to support the Global South then what about free to publish? Tying publication discounts to a country's publishing power index is incredibly naive to the financial barriers our colleagues face. A 55% discount to an Ecuadorean author still = $1350 FEcol pub charge.
In my latest interview for @botany.one, @adricorrales.bsky.social reminds us that plants are not alone; they thrive in association with many other organisms such as fungi and bacteria. #SciComm #PlantScience #Botany 🧪🍄 botany.one/2025/04/adri...
Very common among field biologists working in Panama. I expect there are lots of ticks that can induce this allergy but that it takes multiple exposures to generate sensitivity. I had hundreds of tick bites before I became allergic.
