Olivia Ruppert

Trump swings budget ax at USGS biology research Plan to eliminate $307 million ecosystem program could face obstacles in Congress

All wildlife research at USGS will be eliminated. All research and science centers. All coop units. BBS, BBL…. gone.

www.science.org/content/arti...

No, the dire wolf has not been brought back from extinction Colossal Biosciences claims three pups born recently are dire wolves, but they are actually grey wolves with genetic edits intended to make them resemble the lost species

Shout out to the home of my monthly column, @newscientist.com, which nailed their headline about the genetically modified GREY wolves

www.newscientist.com/article/2475...

Splicing random eDNA from a singing group into a wolf to make canis musicalis, or the choir wolf

Mentoring my first undergraduate student this semester on an amphibian monitoring project for a school district in rural Ohio. Some crazy field days and finds including this leucistic small-mouthed salamander (photo 3)!

I know @cactusquoll.bsky.social has been doing this, we are looking for folks outside of natural resources and environment fields as well bsky.app/profile/cact...

Who is collecting #stories from #federalworkers who have been fired? We are including them in a mapping project. The live map will also allow story submissions pfrom anyone who has lost their job/funding from these cuts. Please DM if you have info or a story to share (anon)
#DOI #OPM

My first first-author publication is out now in Environmental DNA!

The first portion of my MS project focused on comparing sampling methodology for eDNA metabarcoding for reptiles and amphibians in wetlands. 🧬 🐸

I made one! I’ve realized when going to conferences that graduate students and early career professionals in the wildlife world are constantly communicating and will be working together later down the road. LMK if you want to be added, I def missed folks! go.bsky.app/FFFHs9U

First real post on this app is a summary of TWS 2024 in Baltimore.
Presented preliminary results on habitat suitability modeling of the gray fox in Ohio, eDNA workshops at the National Aquarium, fun with Out in the Field, and time with OSU folks!

Reality check by Kardos et al: while purely genomic analyses of genetic load promise to improve our understanding of the composition of the genetic load, they are currently of little use for evaluating population viability.

We need it combined with good demographic and ecological data 👇