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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris

@ferrisifolius.bsky.social
950 followers 333 following 152 posts

Assistant Professor of plant evolutionary genetics at Tulane University. Amateur writer and painter. Lover of pastry, pretty shoes, cephalopods, and swimming in cold lakes.

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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Found a baby Mediterranean gecko in the library bathroom today. So I put her back in her native habitat. The vertical concrete of the library’s exterior.
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Not #Mimulus but still pretty…I guess 😉 #fireweed #GlacierNP
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Daphne Keller @daphnek.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This data on self-censorship among U.S. academic scientists and engineers -- not even humanities people, this is STEM -- is so disturbing. theconversation.com/self-censors...
How are scientists adjusting the way they work during the Trump administration?
The survey asked a representative sample of university based scientists: "Since January 2025, have you intentionally done any of the following due to concerns about possible negative consequences for you, your work environment, or your career?" [then data]
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Mimulus lewisii spotted just before sunset at Logan’s pass MT #sabbaticallife #Mimuluspropaganda
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Yesterday on the levee, a coyote. It’s coat a ragged red between the trees. #haikuonthebayou #nola
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I love my neighborhood. #NOLA
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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Hello we are back from a holiday weekend and the Office of Management and Budget is still trying to make sure federal grants can be withdrawn at any time, for any reason. There's still time to stop it. www.theverge.com/science/9576...
theverge.com
The war against ‘woke’ could end US science as we know it
‘Everyone will be affected, not just scientists. Every community in the country.’
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Anna Kornbluh @annakornbluh.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
today in destroying higher ed, the country's second largest export (not for long now!), the largest employer in 10 states, 60 cities, dozens and dozens of counties economic sabotage AND epistemic warfare www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/u...
nytimes.com
Decline of Ph.D. Admissions Could Imperil a ‘Generation of New Talent’
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Mario Vallejo-Marin @nicrodemo.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
PhD Position at Uppsala University. Sophie Karrenberg’s Lab. the project is about sex chromosome evolution in plants. Come join us! Deadline 22 July. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
uu.se
PhD position in evolutionary genomics - Uppsala University
PhD position in evolutionary genomics, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
The 2026 United States of Science Challenge starts NOW! Each bubble represents classrooms we’ve matched with scientists this year. This a competition to fill bubbles with $10 donations to support @skypeascientist.bsky.social The first region to fill all bubbles wins. 👇🏻 givebutter.com/USS2026
givebutter.com
United States of Science 2026
By Skype a Scientist
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New Phytologist @newphyt.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
How does phenotypic plasticity shape adaptation in the wild? Love and Ferris @jillmlove.bsky.social @ferrisifolius.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Two-panel figure showing leaf lobing responses to photoperiod. Panel (a) plots degree of leaf lobing under 11-hour and 15-hour photoperiods for two M. laciniatus genotypes. A blue line shows a strongly plastic genotype or population, increasing from low leaf lobing at 11 hours to high leaf lobing at 15 hours, with representative leaves changing from moderately lobed to deeply lobed. A red line shows little to no plasticity, remaining similarly low in leaf lobing across both photoperiods, with representative leaves that are mostly unlobed or weakly lobed. Error bars indicate uncertainty around mean lobing values. Panel (b) shows a histogram of  RIL leaf lobing plasticity values. Most individuals have plasticity values near zero with a relatively normal distribution to +/- 0.3. Vertical red and blue lines mark example low-plasticity and high-plasticity values corresponding to the red and blue genotypes types in panel (a).
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Jeremy Yoder says no war @jbyoder.org · 22/06/2026
Sam Scheiner accepts his @sse-evolution.bsky.social Lifetime Achievement Award by pulling up a slide packed with names of colleagues from his 26 years at NSF, and reminding us to thank federal agency staff and scientists who are still working to support research while going "through hell" #Evol2026
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
If you’re in Cleveland for #Evolution26 RUN don’t walk to @jillmlove.bsky.social ‘s talk on the genomic basis of local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity in Mimulus laciniatius!!!! Tomorrow at 5:15pm!!! #Mimuluspropaganda
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Jill M. Love, PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @jillmlove.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
And if you’re going to Evolution, come to my talk to hear about this project’s equally cool (but less finished 🤫) genomic side! “Linking a genomic locus for leaf shape plasticity to natural selection in the wild” - Monday, June 22 @ 5:15 PM - Ecological Genetics II - Room 24
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Jill M. Love, PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @jillmlove.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
🎉 PUBLISHED!!!! Out now in @newphyt.bsky.social 🎉 We found positive selection on leaf shape plasticity in a Monkeyflower species. This experiment used two big field transplants, greenhouse, AND growth chamber work. It was hard, but awesome. With @ferrisifolius.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/nph....
doi.org
Phenotypic plasticity is broadly adaptive across an elevation gradient in the Cutleaf Monkeyflower
Leaf shape plasticity expression is variable in Mimulus laciniatus.
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Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Write to your members of Congress. Congressional attention to comment volume and constituent concern can prompt legislative scrutiny or appropriations riders. A brief email to your House member and both Senators takes five minutes and adds a different layer of pressure. Do this ASAP!

Find your representatives

Tell your networks. Share this email and these resources with colleagues, family, and friends. Non-scientists can comment too, and a comment from a patient, a student, a farmer, or a parent who benefits from federally funded research is exactly the kind of public voice this process is designed to hear. The broader and more diverse the opposition, the harder it is to ignore.
The comment deadline is July 13, 2026. Please act this week, and please share widely.

Science has always advanced through open inquiry, expert judgment, and the freedom to follow the evidence. The SSE community has built careers and a field on those principles. This is a moment to defend them — together.

With gratitude,

Regina Baucom
Society for the Study of Evolution
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Well this new is all very bad for US Science. The time for public comment on this horrifying legislation from OMB is now open! Please read and follow the link at the bottom of the article! arstechnica.com/science/2026...
arstechnica.com
Proposed new US funding rules: We can cancel any grant at any time
Peer review now optional, political staff would screen grants for forbidden topics.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
We hit 30 observed species today for 2026! Today’s additions included the Texas, leaf cutter bee, cabbage white, and the oblong woolcarder bee. The big ol pot of milkweed is *bringing it*.
A white butterfly with a purple spot stands, sipping on some milkweed flowers
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Paper accepted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep an eye out for @jillmlove.bsky.social 's fabulous reciprocal transplant experiment that found selection for phenotypic plasticity coming soon to a New Phytologist near you!!!
static.klipy.com
Woman's Hilarious Oh My God Freak Out
ALT: Woman's Hilarious Oh My God Freak Out
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Jeremy Yoder says no war @jbyoder.org · 27/05/2026
NEW PREPRINT: You may recall Joshua trees started flowering fully four months early this year. Was that due to climate change? Well, @colincarlson.bsky.social and I called in Chris Callahan to formally test that hypothesis, and the answer is... it probably wasn't! doi.org/10.64898/202...
A western Joshua tree against a blue sky, a single inflorescence of white-yellow flowers at the end of its highest branch
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Jill M. Love, PhD 🏳️‍🌈 @jillmlove.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Graduation day!!! Katie, you changed my life in the best way. Thank you so much for the mentorship, support, and care you’ve shown me over the years. What a ride! @ferrisifolius.bsky.social ❤️
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Today @jillmlove.bsky.social have an amazing talk in her public dissertation defense on the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in #Mimulus . Jill, you’ve accomplished so much. I’m so proud of you. #ProudPI #Mimuluspropaganda
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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 10/03/2026
Mangled missile fragments purporting to be from the deadly strikes that hit a naval base and elementary school in southern Iran on Feb. 28 bear the markings of an American cruise missile, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
nyti.ms
Missile in Deadly Iranian School Strike Appears to Be U.S.-Made, Photos Taken by Iran Show
Iranian state media posted mangled remnants it claims were from the Feb. 28 attack in Minab. An analysis shows they have the markings of a missile made by American manufacturers
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Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Linking environmental & pollination-related factors to touch-sensitive stigma closure dynamics in #Mazus miquelii New #AJB research by Xiao-Fang Jin, Tian Luo, Chun-Feng Yang & Zhong-Ming Ye doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience #Mazaceae #pollen #pollination
Conceptual diagram of touch-sensitive stigma movements in Mazus miquelii. Higher temperatures accelerate both temporary closure and reopening. whereas permanent (irreversible) closure tracks pollination progress: greater pollen deposition and faster pollen-tube growth accelerate permanent closure, while pollen-tube position is positively associated with the time to permanent closure. Pollen source shows no detectable effect.
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Chris Martine | Plant People FTW @martinebotany.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Such an awesome program supporting undergrad engagement at the annual Botany conference. And I’m so glad BSA figured out how to keep it alive. It’s not too late to apply for #Botany2026 in Tucson (1-5 Aug)!! #plantpeopleFT
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Jenn @jennburrill.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
As millions of Americans were losing their SNAP benefits the Pentagon spent: 🔹️$6.9 million worth of lobster tails🦞 🔹️$15.1 million for ribeye steak 🥩 🔹️$2 million for Alaskan king crab 🦀 🔹️ and even $98,329 on a Steinway & Sons grand piano ✏️ by @newrepublic.com
newrepublic.com
Pete Hegseth Blew Billions on Fruit Basket Stands, Chairs, and Crab
The Defense Department went on a $93 billion spending spree in 2025.
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Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
🌿 Postdoc opportunity in plant evolutionary ecology/genetics! My lab in the Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to start Fall 2026. We study plant adaptation, using weeds as model systems. #Postdoc #EcoEvo Pls RT!
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Laura Ragni @lauraragni.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
🚨 PhD Position in Plant Molecular Biology 🌱 We are looking for a motivated PhD student to join our team to study root protective barriers. If you are interested in confocal microscopy, cell wall biology, and plant development, this project might be for you! Please share! #PlantScience #PlantSciJob
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Josh Mankiewicz @joshmankiewicz.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Her research laid the groundwork for the Global Positioning System, GPS, a technology that has made getting lost a thing of the past. wapo.st/4c3qzA5
wapo.st
Mathematician Gladys West dies at 95. She was a hidden figure behind GPS.
Without the mathematical model that she helped refine, “the extraordinary positioning, navigation, and timing accuracy of GPS would be impossible to achieve.”
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Schneeberger Lab @labschneeberger.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
🌾 We have an open postdoc position in Plant Genomics in our group at HHU Düsseldorf! If you enjoy computational biology, asking big questions, and the satisfaction of code working on the first try, check out schneebergerlab.org/career/ Apply by Mar. 31 | 3-year postdoc | German skills required
schneebergerlab.org
Career – Schneeberger Lab
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Wide Hybridization Group @widehybridization.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Latest work from our group together with @jsharbro.bsky.social This review synthesizes insights into cytonuclear incompatibility in plant hybrids and allopolyploids, highlighting maternal bias, evolutionary consequences, and applications such as cytoplasmic male sterility in seed production.
academic.oup.com
Causes and Consequences of Cytonuclear Incompatibility in Hybrids of Flowering Plants
Abstract. Hybridization and polyploidization combine divergent nuclear genomes with maternally inherited organelles, often disrupting cytonuclear coadaptat
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Kathleen (Katie) Ferris @ferrisifolius.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Happy Mardi Gras y’all!!!! From the Ferris Lab with 💗
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Mary Sturgeon @enchantressofnumbers.com · 09/02/2026
I keep hearing from people all over the country who want to know - how can I help? I put together a step by step list that starts with getting your first whistle and takes you all the way to recruiting your own band of whistlers! www.riotgrrrlrevolution.org/help
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Astra Taylor @astra.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Brilliant piece, and a public service to put these foul and upsetting pieces together.
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 09/02/2026
What's that? You say you want to learn more about Puerto Rico's electricity grid?
volts.wtf
Puerto Rico's electricity crisis
In this episode, lawyer and activist Ruth Santiago discusses Puerto Rico's latest electricity crisis, as the island struggles to restore power in the wake of Hurricane Fiona. In the wake of Hurricane ...
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Haley A Branch @stressedbranch.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
So excited to have been accepted to write this piece. Thanks to all who have entertained my ramblings over the years and have encouraged me in my passion for #ecophysiology and #evolution 🙏 #IAmABotanist 🌱
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Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 09/02/2026
Botany valentine. Another oldie.
A four panel comic. In panel 1, there are three beautiful blooming roses, and the text says "Roses are red..." In panel 2, there are some lovely violets budding and blooming, and the text says "Violets are blue..." In panel 3, there are some terrifying red and flesh colored plants with toothy maws and the text says "Hydnora are leafless, bizarrely fleshy, and incapable of producing chlorophyl..." and in panel 4 there are some cute hearts and the text says "And so are you. Happy Valentine's Day"
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Jennifer Berkshire @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
The student walkouts against ICE are a big deal (and really should be getting ore attention) open.substack.com/pub/educatio...
open.substack.com
Students Unite!
The high school student protests against ICE aren't getting enough attention
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Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Fun news! @gcbias.bsky.social and I are teaching a 2-week online population genetics workshop this summer to raise money for the Center for Population Biology at UC Davis. We're trying to gauge interest -- please fill this out if you might be interested! And please share broadly!
docs.google.com
Davis Summer Population Genomics Program
Want to learn population genetics? Please fill out this form to indicate your potential interest in a 2-week intensive online summer population genetics course taught by Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra and Graham...
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps. If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ajc.com
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
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andré carrington @andrecarrington.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
For those interested in why Black & Caribbean people are going off about the sugar cane from last night's halftime show: sugar is a plantation commodity that fueled slavery & colonialism bookshop.org/p/books/swee...
bookshop.org
Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History
The Place of Sugar in Modern History
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Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
It also points out how the cultural ignorance of much of our pundit & MSM class fails. 135 million Americans watched an important & controversial cultural event & many journalists are 1)ill-equipped to explain its significance or 2) too arrogant to know that would need assistance in unpacking it.
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MPR News @mprnews.org · 04/02/2026
Staff at the Center for Victims of Torture said that some conditions their clients face in the United States would qualify them for their services had they happened overseas. That includes clients who were recently detained by federal agents.
mprnews.org
Asylum-seekers at the Center for Victims of Torture say ICE reminds them of what they escaped
The torture rehabilitation clinic has pivoted to helping people process trauma from Operation Metro Surge.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Oh shiiiiit native plant stickers are here and ready to ship! You can get 'em at SquidFacts.net
a sticker measuring about 4.25 inches tall, with a woman surrounded by flowers and holding hands up to her face, in a stained glass window. Underneath it says in a gothy font "Plant Native Plants"
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Carolyn Rasmussen @carolynplants.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
In celebration of #BlackHistoryMonth let’s learn more about Marie Taylor, a plant biologist and chair of Howard University’s Botany Department. Love her focus on photomorphogensis and using light microscopy on living plants! 🌱 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_T...
en.wikipedia.org
Marie Taylor - Wikipedia
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Nora Benavidez @attorneynora.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
If you care about Don Lemon, don't forgot Mario Guevara (reporter who was filming police at a No Kings rally in June) was targeted for his journalistic activity; detained for 112 days; and deported. He had no criminal charges against him and was on the path to getting a green card.
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
NEW: As he released 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, Judge Biery warned of vast lawlessness and inhumanity in the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. He said courts amounted to “a judicial finger in the dike.” www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Hey cuties. Everything sucks ass. Get some valentines and send them to your friends. I'm sad. You're sad. They're probably sad. Send them a valentine. It keeps Skype a Scientist running, which hey, is very good too. squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/deep...
A pile of valentines, including a gulper eel saying "you make my jaw drop", a grimalditeuthis saying "I find you a-LURE-ing" a whale skeleton at the bottom of the ocean with snailfish and two octopuses making heart arms under the words "I've whale-fallen for you", and an anglerfish saying "You're my light in the darkness", and then two packs of cards that are all nice and tied up
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Dr Surekha Davies, Historical Monster Consultant (she/her) @drsurekhadavies.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
INCREDIBLE resource here. "Movements and campaigns are won not by overpowering one’s active opposition, but by shifting each group one notch around the spectrum (passive allies into active allies, neutrals into passive allies, and passive opponents into neutrals),.." 1/
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