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Susan Tsang

@batgirlsusan.bsky.social
833 followers 592 following 130 posts

Nerd of all things flying fox in SE Asia 🦇 | Wildlife trafficking consultant | Museum geek

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Susan Tsang @batgirlsusan.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Thank fuck gothamist.com/news/nyc-may...
gothamist.com
Zohran Mamdani is elected NYC mayor, defeating Andrew Cuomo in historic win
New York City voters elected Mamdani as the first South Asian and the first Muslim mayor in the city’s history.
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Systematics and Biodiversity @nhmsystbiodiv.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
To explore how geological and climatic shifts shape species diversity in the Neotropics, Dias 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. applied molecular techniques to study the dynamics of the nectar-feeding bat 𝙂𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙜𝙖 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙖 🦇 Read more: buff.ly/h1QzmSb #Batappreciationmonth #Bats #TaxonomyTuesday @batgirlsusan.bsky.social
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 01/10/2025
Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91
theguardian.com
Jane Goodall, world-renowned primatologist, dies aged 91
Jane Goodall Institute says ‘tireless advocate’ for natural world died in California during US speaking tour The world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91, her institute has said. The Jane Goodall Institute announced that she had passed away of natural causes while in California as part of a US speaking tour. Continue reading...
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Susan Tsang @batgirlsusan.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Our bat immunoglobulin comparative analysis paper is now live! Full-text read-only link here, but I can also send the paper to anyone who wants it: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/author...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
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Ben Casselman @bencasselman.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
For months, people have been asking me whether I still trusted gov’t data. My answer was always the same: The stats agencies faced longstanding challenges, some of which Trump was making worse. But there was no sign of political meddling. I can’t say that anymore. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/b...
nytimes.com
Trump, Claiming Weak Jobs Numbers Were ‘Rigged,’ Fires Labor Official
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
What’s embarrassing about the DOE report is that it’s the same climate denier (we used to call them skeptics) talking points from when I was in grad school three decades ago. Can’t these deniers come up with something fresh?
theguardian.com
Scientists slam Trump administration climate report as a ‘farce’ full of misinformation
Experts say the report being used to justify the mass rollback of climate regulations has many claims based on long-debunked research
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Susan Tsang @batgirlsusan.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Completely mad that the Smithsonian is going to stop supporting the Biodiversity Heritage Library on 1 January 2026. Every old ass taxonomic description, dating back to the 17th or 18th century even, I have read and still read is through here. Someone please give it a new home.
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Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
In an unconscionable decision, the Smithsonian Institute has decided to no longer support the Biodiversity Heritage Library from 1 Jan 2026. Please someone step up and take it over.
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Dom Ervolina @dominicervolina.com · 27/06/2025
This is the problem many of us have with SCOTUS' ruling It doesn't allow Trump to do all of this, but his regime is going to act like it does SCOTUS is fully aware of this and did it anyway
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Susan Tsang @batgirlsusan.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
i feel relieved about the results but also please please please continue this momentum into the fall and remember that cuomo and adams are the fucking worst apnews.com/article/andr...
apnews.com
Zohran Mamdani declares victory in NYC's Democratic mayoral primary as Cuomo concedes
Zohran Mamdani has declared victory in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary after Andrew Cuomo conceded the race in a stunning upset.
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Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 16/06/2025
Leave it to OG resistors @altnps.bsky.social to be out in front calling YAY for this huge freaking WIN. Trump is reeling. The NIH is roaring back. Join the fight www.standupforscience.net/summer-fight... - because HERE WE COME! #StandUpForScience #SummerFightForScience #SaveNIH #HereWeCome
standupforscience.net
Summer Fight For Science 2025 — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
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Yuh-Line Niou @yuhline.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
What I learned today is that the @nytopinion.nytimes.com doesn’t believe in young people of color in leadership. Time and time again people tout “seniority” and “experience”. 75 years ago, there were no women of color elected in NY. Where is “seniority” or “experience” to come from for us?
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Surprised Eel Historian, PhD @greenleejw.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
This is something that most people will miss, because they're not in the profession and haven't ever really thought about historical knowledge is produced. But it's an incredibly important point.
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G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 15/06/2025
Based on crowd-sourced records of No Kings Day event turnout, and extrapolating for the cities where we don't have data yet, it looks like roughly 4-6 million people protested Trump across the U.S. yesterday. That's nearly 2% of the U.S. pop! Mobilized anti-Trump resistance is exceeding 2017 levels
gelliottmorris.com
"No Kings Day" protests turn out millions
Our unofficial estimate is that around 4 million people attended a protest event yesterday. Anti-Trump resistance is outpacing 2017.
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Alberto Cairo @albertocairo.com · 15/06/2025
This is journalism malpractice 101, and it should be taught in J-schools as such. What in bloody hell does "widely accepted mean"? It's not "widely accepted". It's true. The other alternative is false. Full stop.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 06/06/2025
"Sources said the administration is specifically considering a full termination of federal grant funding for the University of California and California State University systems." Pure vandalism. This could never happen in a country with functioning checks and balances.
cnn.com
Trump preparing large-scale cancellation of federal funding for California, sources say | CNN Politics
The Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large swath of federal funding to California, an effort which could begin as soon as Friday, according to multiple sources.
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Karla Ortiz @kortizart.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Folks, the House advanced the disastrous reconciliation bill, with the destructive 10-year State Ban against regulations for AI intact! We now MUST mobilize our calls to the Senate! Call today! If you need a script the post below offers a fantastic alternative! We only have one chance! Lets go!
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
I never want to hear again, in my lifetime, that the GOP is concerned about meeting the challenge of rising China in global economic & geopolitical competition.
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Nature @nature.com · 24/04/2025
Scientists must push back against the threat of rising white nationalism and the dangerous and pseudoscientific ideas of eugenics go.nature.com/4jGqiUc
go.nature.com
Eugenics is on the rise again: human geneticists must take a stand
Scientists must push back against the threat of rising white nationalism and the dangerous and pseudoscientific ideas of eugenics.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Last week, President Trump removed key protections from a marine protected area that's home to coral reefs, whales, sea turtles, and countless fish. My op-ed for @us.theconversation.com explains why that's bad and we should not do that. theconversation.com/trump-is-str... 🧪🦑🌎🐟
theconversation.com
Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas – why that’s a problem for fishing’s future, and for whales, corals and other ocean life
America’s marine protected areas help fish populations thrive. Trump’s plan to open them to industrial fishing may ultimately harm the fishing industry itself.
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Universities like mine are limiting hiring, travel, and other spending using federal funds because of the fear of things like this. It's basically impossible to do science, whether NSF takes back funding or not.
nytimes.com
National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds of Active Research Awards (Gift Article)
The agency targeted grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as research on misinformation.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 18/04/2025
It's Fustilarian Friday, so here's the latest statement from NSF's director, trying to dodge the news cycle. www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...
nsf.gov
Updates on NSF Priorities
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Claire G. Griffin @polargriffin.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
This is a WILD list of data to disappear. I was braced for climate stuff, but not, like, shoreline maps and coastal bathymetry
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Jenna C. Hill @chillocean.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
NOAA just announced a long list of datasets that are going away🧪⚒️🌊: www.nesdis.noaa.gov/about/docume... Download what you need asap and send comments to: ncei.info@noaa.gov
nesdis.noaa.gov
Notice of Changes
Notices of changes are formal public announcements of planned services changes to applications and other products.
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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 17/04/2025
Always inspired by fellow trainees like @fleabrained.bsky.social creating opportunities for the next generation. Feeling powerless lately in the context of national news but focusing on the power that I DO have to continue opening doors for undergrads www.thetransmitter.org/community/as...
thetransmitter.org
As federal funders desert mentorship programs for marginalized students, trainee-led initiatives fill the gap
Grassroots organizations, led by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, are stepping up to provide neuroscience career training and guidance for students from marginalized backgrounds—and…
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Matt Shipman (he/him) @shiplives.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Most folks don't understand how many things were made possible by federal research funding (e.g., Google). Here are 50 of them, and it barely scratches the surface. (The list is from 2020 and, ironically, includes Tesla.)🧪 stacker.com/stories/busi...
stacker.com
50 inventions you might not know were funded by the US government
Stacker compiled information on 50 inventions funded by the United States government using government and scientific reports, and news articles.
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Mike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
This really is their goal: a country where every right is contingent, not absolute, and therefore everyone has to toe the line or risk being thrown in a hole in a foreign country.
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Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
This is an *independent nonprofit group* whose affairs Musk is trying to meddle in with DOGE. His rationale seems to be that any nonprofit that receives any federal funding is fair game to go after.
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George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸 @gtconway.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
No biggie. This man is temporarily in charge of, and Trump wants to put him permanently in charge of, one of the two United States Attorney’s offices that handle the most national-security matters. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
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Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 16/04/2025
“It’s amazing that others in this room underwrote electing a man who, in the last week, single-handedly destroyed all of American science. It’s amazing how much good science you can destroy with $320 million and RFK Jr, very fast.” — Seth Rogen’s censored remarks presenting the Breakthrough Prize
Seth Rogen presenting the Breakthrough Prize for physics (Getty)
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
New from 404 Media: ICE just paid Palantir tens of millions for "complete target analysis of known populations." Shows Palantir is actively working on, and updating, the technical infrastructure underpinning the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts www.404media.co/ice-just-pai...
404media.co
ICE Just Paid Palantir Tens of Millions for ‘Complete Target Analysis of Known Populations’
The records show that Palantir is actively working on the technical infrastructure underpinning the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts which could soon impact U.S. citizens.
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California Dreamin’… 😎 @jerasikehorn.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Let’s be perfectly clear… When the President defies the Supreme Court, it is ‘the role of Congress’ to remove him from office… Full stop. Any Questions?!
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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 16/04/2025
I’m about to board my flight to El Salvador, where I hope to meet with senior government officials to discuss the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. I also hope to see Kilmar and check on his condition — and remind him that we won’t stop fighting until he’s home.
youtube.com
Headed to El Salvador to meet with government officials and discuss return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
YouTube video by Senator Chris Van Hollen
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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Eight women mistakenly deported to El Salvador were brought back the US. They can bring back Abrego Garcia.
abcnews.go.com
Venezuelans deported last week included 8 women who were returned to US, court filings say
The alleged Venezuelan gang members who were deported to El Salvador last week included eight female detainees who were later returned to the U.S., according to filings.
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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
The NSF's flagship fellowship program typically gives offers to 2,000+ young scientists. This year, in the face of looming budget cuts, that number was halved: only 1,000 received an offer. Our story on what that means for the science talent pipeline: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
NSF slashes prestigious PhD fellowship awards by half
US National Science Foundation announces lowest number of Graduate Research Fellowship Programme recipients in 15 years.
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damniel spookradski @self.agency · 08/04/2025
in case you're wondering, "what's the harm in claiming an extinct species has been brought back from the dead" when it most certainly has not, our interior secretary is already using it to justify taking animals off the endangered species list
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to “conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.”

The Department of the Interior is excited about the potential of “de-extinction” technology and how it may serve broader purposes beyond the recovery of lost species, including strengthening biodiversity protection efforts and helping endangered or at-risk species.

The Endangered Species List has become like the Hotel California: once a species enters, they never leave. In fact, 97 percent of species that are added to the endangered list remain there. This is because the status quo is focused on regulation more than innovation.

It’s time to fundamentally change how we think about species conservation. Going forward, we must celebrate removals from the endangered list - not additions. The only thing we’d like to see go extinct is the need for an endangered species list to exist. We need to continue improving recovery efforts to make that a reality, and the marvel of “de-extinction” technology can help forge a future where populations are never at risk.

Since the dawn of our nation, it has been innovation – not regulation – that has spawned American greatness. The revival of the Dire Wolf heralds the advent of a thrilling new era of scientific wonder, showcasing how the concept of “de-extinction” can serve as a bedrock for modern species conservation.

The Dire Wolf revival carries profound cultural significance as it embodies strength and courage that is deeply encoded within the DNA of American identity and tribal heritage.

Breakthroughs of this nature will inspire leading minds and future generations of innovators to chase the impossible, capture it, and unleash its potential!

The Department of the Interior looks forward to a vibrant future full of innovation that advances core missions such as wildlife conservation.
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Riley Black 🏳️‍⚧️ 🦖 @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Dire wolves were not close relatives of gray wolves. They last shared a common ancestor more than 5 million years ago. What Colossal has done is make something new and slapped a dire wolf sticker on it, as if an organism equals a hypothetical genome.
scientificamerican.com
Dire Wolves Were Not Really Wolves, New Genetic Clues Reveal
The extinct giant canids were a remarkable example of convergent evolution
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ALT Fish and Wildlife Service @altfws.altgov.info · 30/03/2025
Next big chance to show up to support America! Protests all over the country Saturday, April 5th. We need big numbers. Protests in DC, every state capitol, and many other cities. Be present. Be loud. Bring others with you. @50501movement.bsky.social @indivisible.org Handsoff2025.com #HandsOff
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AFL-CIO @aflcio.org · 31/03/2025
On April 5th, America’s unions are coming together with allies of labor at events across the country to send a message: #HandsOff our unions and our contracts! Find an event near you: www.mobilize.us/handsoff/
Hands off! Union contracts.
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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
The plan is destruction, not acquiescence. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard
The administration has already canceled hundreds of millions in federal grants and contracts at Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.
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Peter Gleick @petergleick.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Stand up. Today I join with >1900 members of the US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine signing this letter, as individuals, decrying the assault on #science by the GOP and Trump administration. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
docs.google.com
Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care. We count on engineers when we drive acr...
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Marcello D'Amico @marcellodamico.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Our datapaper "Global Roadkill Data: a dataset on terrestrial vertebrate mortality caused by collision with vehicles" is now online on #ScientificData: nature.com/articles/s41... #RoadEcology @ebdonana.bsky.social
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NPR @npr.org · 31/03/2025
JUST IN: The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave this morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.
npr.org
Entire staff at federal agency that funds libraries and museums put on leave
The staff of the Institute of Museum and Library Services was placed on administrative leave this morning, following a meeting between IMLS leadership and DOGE staff.
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Andrew Guthrie Ferguson @profferguson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Your DNA is for sale. This is the danger of all personal data. As a commodity, it is always at risk of being sold. oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...
oag.ca.gov
Attorney General Bonta Urgently Issues Consumer Alert for 23andMe Customers
Californians have the right to direct the company to delete their genetic data OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing ...
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Erin Murphy @erinmurphyslaw.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
The below walks you through how to delete your DNA data from 23andMe before it goes bankrupt.
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Tina MF @tmfab.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
Lewelyn Dixon,64, a permanent resident with a valid Green Card since 1975,was detained by ICE. She immigrated from the Philippines at age 14 & works as a laboratory technician at the Univ. of Washington.The family has not received any information from ICE regarding the reasons behind her detention.
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Leah Feiger @leahfeiger.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
WIRED talked to actual federal auditors about how government auditing works—and how DOGE is doing the opposite. “This isn’t an audit, it’s a heist,” one told @telliotter.bsky.social.
wired.com
'It's a Heist': Real Federal Auditors Are Horrified by DOGE
WIRED talked to actual federal auditors about how government auditing works—and how DOGE is doing the opposite.
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Laura Bassett @lebassett.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
From a source: “Just had a co-presenter for a buildings research conference bow out. She’s a dual citizen and the FBI came knocking to ask her about her involvement in coauthoring chunks of the Paris Agreement. Climate science is being literally (and I mean literally) criminalized.”
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Andrew Solender @andrewsolender.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
House Dems' text chains lighting up with apoplexy. "Complete and utter meltdown," says one member. Members floating marching onto the Senate floor. Others urging primaries not just for Schumer, but any Senate Dem who votes for the GOP bill. @Axios.com www.axios.com/2025/03/14/h...
axios.com
"People are furious": House Democrats have "complete meltdown" as Schumer folds on shutdown
Members have talked openly about backing primary challenges to Democratic senators who support the GOP's spending bill.
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