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Heidi Goodrich-Blair

@hgblair.bsky.social
438 followers 541 following 92 posts

Microbiologist with a special fondness for symbiosis and certain nematodes.

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Reposted by Heidi Goodrich-Blair
c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A former mentor of mine used to say "we don't often stand on the shoulders of giants, we're usually standing on the shoulders of our colleagues and the ones who came before us who were, like us, pretty normal sized"... or something to that effect.
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Kenneth Loi @kenjmloi.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
VIPR is now out in Science! What started with a mysterious RNA led us to an unexpected way of recognizing DNA, as well as some clues to CRISPR’s origins. So happy to share these two papers with an incredible team. Links below; original discovery thread here ↓
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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Join me Monday, Sep 21 at 7pm for “To Explore is to Lead: More leadership insights from the Climate Vanguard”. As part of #ClimateWeekNYC, this event will provide leadership insights from the vanguard of climate research and sustainability. For more information: www.explorers.org/calendar-of-...
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Jennifer Goff, PhD @jlgoff.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
New preprint! This one is actually from my class! We did metagenomic sequencing on a Winogradsky column. In my Microbial Biochemistry class, the students learned to assemble and analyze the MAGs, directly applying what they learned in lecture to make predictions about their organism’s metabolism. 🧵
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Peter Girguis @pgirguis.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
A little tube worm love for you all today (ca. 1998 on the East Pacific Rise hydrothermal vents)
A clump of Riftia pachyptila tubeworsm found at a hydrothermal vent. I turned this picture into a computer "icon".
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Yoselin Benitez-Alfonso @yoselin.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Extremely excited to welcome Tessa to our conference in October 2026. Tessa has already broken glass ceilings in research and leadership. She is @aspbofficial.bsky.social president elect and will travel from US to join us in person. Register to attend her address @blackinplantsci.bsky.social
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Corrie Moreau @corriemoreau.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
📣 📣 📣 UPDATE: The 2026-2027 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resource! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
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eric lai @lucksmith.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
i really do appreciate it when people try to keep things weird. life is so much better that way. 🪰 @flybase.bsky.social
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Bénédicte C @benecal.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Universities sue administration over visa limits for students and post docs. www.statnews.com/2026/08/18/d...
statnews.com
Trump administration sued over visa time limit that would affect grad students, postdocs
DHS was sued Tuesday over a sweeping policy change that would limit how long foreign students and scholars can remain in the U.S.
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Kaçar Lab at UW-Madison @kacarlab.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
🚨 Job alert! 🚨 Join the faculty at UW–Madison Bacteriology! We have two faculty searches: • Asst Prof (Microbial Communities & Bioeconomy) • Asst / Assoc / Full Prof (Systems & Synthetic Biology) Check out the open positions and apply👇 #FacultyJobs #SynBio #Microbiology #Astrobiology #Evolution
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Eric Stabb @evstabb.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Repainted my rusty patio furniture the colors of UW-Madison Memorial Union terrace furniture: John Deere green & yellow, and Allis-Chalmers Orange. No Lake Mendota, but I get a cheerful nostalgic alma mater vibe.
picture of four metal patio chairs and two small tables each painted green, yellow, or orange.
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Lars-Anders Carlson @lacarlson.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Open PI position in infection biology at Umeå University, deadline 15 September. MIMS is the Swedish node of the Nordic EMBL partnership and offers "EMBL-style" group leader positions. Great resources and infrastructure in a friendly environment. www.umu.se/en/mims/ 1/2
umu.se
MIMS
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Marc Dionne @marcsdionne.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
There will be an open information session on 9th September 2026 at 11am: teams.microsoft.com/dl/launcher/... Apply/more info here: www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...
imperial.ac.uk
Description
Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...
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Reposted by Heidi Goodrich-Blair
Eugene Valkov @eugenevalkov.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
NIH Intramural Research Program is hiring via the Stadtman program. Prospective candidates should feel free to reach out to me, and I will be happy to share my experience both as an applicant and a panel member- we are looking for great new colleagues! irp.nih.gov/careers/nih-...
irp.nih.gov
Stadtman Tenure-Track Investigators | NIH Intramural Research Program
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UC Berkeley MCB @berkeleymcb.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
MCB is hiring Assistant Professors across 3 divisions!: 🧪BBS: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05483 🧬GGED: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481 🦠IMM: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05486 🗓️ Application Deadline: October 19, 2026 🔗 Click the links or scan the QR codes to learn more and apply
MCB is hiring 3 Assistant Professor positions across 3 divisions: 

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BBS); Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development (GGED); and Immunology and Molecular Medicine (IMM)

BBS application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05483

GGED application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481

IMM application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05486
Assistant Professor of Immunology and Molecular Medicine (IMM). IMM application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05486Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology (BBS). BBS application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05483Assistant Professor of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution, and Development (GGED). GGED application link: https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05481
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Kate Laskowski @katelaskowski.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Attention: dream job alert!! 🚨 This is *my* home department, which I unabashedly love! We're a super collegial group (that really protects & supports junior faculty 💪) and Davis is a great place to live. Happy to chat more about what it's like to be a faculty here
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Rep. Dr. Jasmine Clark @jasmineclarkforga.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Trump signed an executive order changing the vaccine schedule and it’s clear that he has never attended one of his kids’ pediatrician appointments.
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George O'Toole (he/him/his) @geiselbiofilm.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Pls share: Three open posions in Bacteriology at Wisconsin: bact.wisc.edu/bacteriology...
bact.wisc.edu
Bacteriology is Hiring!
Bioeconomy Assistant Professor The Department of Bacteriology is seeking applicants at the Assistant Professor level to launch a research program in the New Bioeconomy. Applicants may be interested in...
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Sara Mitri @saramitri.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Open position in the Department of Ecology and Evolution here in Lausanne! Come be our colleague! Topic: behavioral ecology, cultural evolution, or evolutionary psychology
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Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com · 10/08/2026
Out Now! Bacterial symbionts and the lightness of being a prokaryote #MicroSky
go.nature.com
Bacterial symbionts and the lightness of being a prokaryote
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 10 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02440-1Silvia Bulgheresi muses on how studying bacterial symbionts of worms and mammals made her question whether the absence of a nucleus enables cellular freedom, potentiating architectural innovation and functional adaptation.
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Esther Verheyen 🇨🇦 @estherverheyen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Exciting - UBC is recruiting a cell and developmental biologist. Come join the great research community in vancouver!
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Ran Blekhman @blekhman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Huge faculty recruitment effort at the University of Chicago -- a division-wide, open-rank search looking to hire about 20 faculty across 5 research areas in biology. Come be our colleague! Full announcement: uchicago.app.box.com/s/ckih9zv3rj...
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STCmicrobeblog @stcmicrobeblog.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
from basic research to the diagnostic lab – asking the 𝘉. 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘴 experts: aren't muropeptides not good at triggering spore germination?🤔
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Dr. Lauren E. Fuess @laurenfuess.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Thanks to this grant we will be hiring!! Our grad position ad is already live with more opportunities forthcoming. But if you’re interested in postdoc or technician positions, please reach out! fuesslab.wp.txstate.edu/opportunities/
fuesslab.wp.txstate.edu
opportunities – Symbiommunity Lab
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Vivek Mutalik @vivekmutalik.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
This work is in collaboration with my dear friend 🤗 Ed Dudley who runs 80K+ E. coli collection center foodscience.psu.edu/research/cen...
foodscience.psu.edu
Strain Collection (Research)
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Chris Ashwood @cashwood.proteaglyco.com · 24/07/2026
#glycotime
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WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) @warfnews.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"Christina's approach to preventing fungal diseases before they become a problem is critical in these times when pathogenic fungi are expanding their prevalence, often in response to climate and weather pattern changes," says Jennifer Gottwald, WARF director of licensing.
warf.org
Meet UW-Madison’s Christina Hull
“Christina’s approach to preventing fungal diseases before they become a problem is critical in these times when pathogenic fungi are expanding their prevalence, often in response to climate and weather pattern changes.”
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Maureen Barr @barrlab.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Posted my comments opposing OMBs proposed rule. It was so easy, using this great letter writing tool of @faseborg.bsky.social www.faseb.org/science-poli... Did you submit yours yet? The deadline is soon - July 13. This is essential to save science and research in the US.
I write in my personal capacity as a research-active faculty member, not on behalf of my institution. I am a distinguished professor at a leading state R1 university. I am also a Senior Principal Investigator whose research laboratory is NIH. I submit these comments in strong opposition to OMB's proposed rule revising 2 C.F.R. Part 200 (Docket OMB-2026-0034). I am requesting that OMB withdraw this rule entirely because of the devasting consequences it will have on biomedical research, human health, the economy, and the nation.

The proposed pre-issuance review requirement (§ 200.205) eliminates that independence by giving political appointees – who may have no experience or training in the biomedical research field - veto power over peer-reviewed funding decisions. As a Senior PI / Lab director whose research is supported by NIH, I am deeply concerned that the best science will not be funded, instead politicians will decide not based on merit and research quality, but rather ideology. Peer-review is critical for gold-standard science.

This proposed discretionary termination provision (§ 200.340) jeopardizes the future and well-being of the researchers in my laboratory, my department, my university, my state, and the United States.  My research program has been continuously funded by the NIH for over two decades. My laboratory is like a small business – with NIH funding, I employ eight full-time personnel. These scientists are at all stages of their careers – newly minted bachelors who are working as research technicians or graduate students; postdoctoral researchers who are completing additional training in order to go onto careers in academia, biotech, industry, governments; senior scientists who have devoted their entire careers to biomedical research and training the next generation of scientists, physicians, dentists, teachers, etc. 

The proposed international collaboration restrictions (§§ 200.202(e), 200.220) will isolate US scientists and lead to the demise…
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ASM @asm.org · 07/07/2026
The symbiotic relationship between Ned Ruby's lab, who focus primarily on the bacteria, Vibrio fischeri and Margaret McFall-Ngai's lab, who focus primarily on the bobtail squid, has led to a deep understanding of what symbiosis really means at the molecular level youtu.be/M5rZ52wcQ08
youtu.be
You Gotta Be Squid-ding Me!: microTalk with Ned Ruby and Margaret McFall-Ngai at ASM Microbe 2026
YouTube video by ASM - Microbes Make Our World
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Dave Baltrus 🦦 @surtlab.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
In case anyone ever questions whether the current US administration has hurt science…small data point…but I’ve had one bacterial genome sitting at Genbank waiting to be cleared for 7 months with little to no response on their end
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ASM @asm.org · 06/07/2026
In coral reefs, dissolved organic matter (DOM) fuels microbial growth that harms corals. In #mSystems: new insights into how phages interact with DOM, showing that cell-associated phages are associated with more energy-rich organic compounds. asm.social/2ZL
Network of interactions between metagenome-derived phage abundance and metabolites.
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bioRxiv Microbiology @biorxiv-microbiol.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Predatory bacteria as members of human microbiomes and their impact on gut diversity and homeostasis www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…
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Learn Dirt @learndirt.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Nitrogen-fixing plants add nitrogen to the soil through symbiosis with bacteria.
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Ákos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Host Range Breadth Correlates with Genic Diversity in Honeybee Phages @genomebiolevol.bsky.social from @chicascientifica.bsky.social academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
academic.oup.com
Host Range Breadth Correlates with Genic Diversity in Honeybee Phages
Abstract. Bacteriophages can evolve rapidly. Mutation and recombination via horizontal gene transfer allow them to counter adaptive responses by microbial
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Kevin Forsberg @kvnforsberg.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Humans and bacteria share strategies to defend against viruses. We wondered: could they use each other's genes? Yes, both can! Bacteria can use human immune genes to defend against phages AND Human cells can use bacterial genes for viral defense. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Bacterial and human exonucleases mediate interkingdom antiviral immunity
All kingdoms of life have developed strategies to limit viral infection. In humans, interferons induce a suite of antiviral factors that collectively provide immunity. Some human immune genes are homo...
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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Congratulations @mehlelab.bsky.social!! 🎉 bsky.app/profile/uwma...
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Medical Microbiology & Immunology @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
🎉Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Mehle on receiving the prestigious Kellett Mid-Career Award! 🏆 mmi.wisc.edu/dr-andrew-me...
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Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Now imagine scaling up a single costly, wasteful, and flawed project to tens of billions of dollars in award decisions at NIH, NSF + more that are currently made by domain experts and at risk - via proposed OMB rules - of being made by political officials to fulfill administration priorities.
Picture: National Park Service workers clean the reflecting pool. 
Violet Jira/NOTUS

Source:
https://www.notus.org/metro/trump-american-flag-blue-reflecting-pool-is-green-with-algae
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Gc Rox @gcrox.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Are restriction/modification modules only used for host defense? @selmamhm.bsky.social shows an alternative use. "Restriction-modification systems are required for Neisseria gonorrhoeae pilin antigenic variation" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2602688123 #Microd #Microsky. #Microbiology
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 24/06/2026
Web-based modeling platforms can enhance collaboration between modelers and experimentalists during early model development. This Community Page by Marvin van Aalst, Alienor Lahlou &co provides guiding principles on how to build agile interactive #modeling tools. 🧪#AcademicSky bit.ly/4ahZ7Nm
The schematic contrasts a classical workflow with a web-enabled collaborative workflow. In the classical setting, experiments generate data that inform modeling and analysis, but interaction between experimentalists and theoreticians occurs through a separate, untracked layer (e.g., files, emails, code repositories), typically late in the process. Introducing a web-based interaction layer integrates models, parametric runs, and fits into a shared space accessible to both communities. This shared layer allows direct access to models, interactive parameter exploration, data upload, and tracking of experimental and modeling runs, thereby placing experimental feedback inside the iterative modeling loop rather than outside it. Interactive exploration enables earlier scrutiny of assumptions, faster feedback, and tighter coupling between experimentation and model refinement within interdisciplinary consortia.
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Peter Murphy @peterwmurphy1.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
"Something just brushed past my leg!" — Luke Skywalker, #StarWars Image credit: tempestkc on Threads #LincolnMemorialReflectingPool #USA
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Heidi Goodrich-Blair @hgblair.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Knoxville, TN app.climatecentral.org/dataviz/warm...
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eLife @elife.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Single-domain antibody inhibitors target the coiled coil arms of the Bacillus subtilis SMC complex
buff.ly
Single-domain antibody inhibitors target the coiled coil arms of the Bacillus subtilis SMC complex
A screen using in vitro-selected synthetic nanobodies identified inhibitors of SMC protein function in bacterial cells, revealing a coiled coil region as a vital component of the chromosome-folding machinery.
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Dr. Lauren E. Fuess @laurenfuess.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Gearing up for a full first day at #Evol2026 which includes two presentations from my lab group! I’ll be talking this morning about recent work investigating patterns of disease resilience in tropical corals. Then tonight MS student Carly Travers has a poster on her thesis studying immune memory!
Screenshot of poster info.

C-28- Investigating the presence of immune priming in the cnidarian model organism Exaiptasia diaphanoa

Sunday at 6pm in Grand Ballroom BCScreenshot of talk details:

Longitudinal, multi-species approaches reveal conserved and divergent mechanisms of disease resilience.

Sunday, 10:30-10:45 am in Room 25C
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The Monarch Diaries @monarchdiaries.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Mechanism and updated prediction for the epic fail of Lincoln Memorial Bioreactor's polyurea coating! First chemistry, then physics It was sprayed in big sections. In addition to pool edges, failure will concentrate at the OVERLAP SEAMS between sections because they likely barely bonded at all. 1/x
section of blue-tinted Rhino Pipeliner 5000 polyurea coating of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that's peeled off the surface and is bobbing in the puce-colored water
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Scott Dworkin @dworkin.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
🚨 John Roberts thought he was untouchable until the impeachment articles actually dropped. Now we need to force Congress to back them up. Send your official letter in one click: 👇 actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
actionnetwork.org
Tell Congress: Impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts
Contact Congress today!
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Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
The genius of Obama's big speech is this: He effectively stated that Trump/MAGA do not accept the Declaration of Independence's promise of equality. In the battle over our 250th anniversary, we need to put that basic truth squarely on the agenda. New from me: newrepublic.com/article/2121...
newrepublic.com
Obama’s Harsh New Takedown of Trump Points to a World After MAGA
The 44th president’s library dedication speech was a powerful explication of liberal patriotism—and much-needed repudiation of the Trump/Vance fascist variant.
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Mark Mandel @markjmandel.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Check out this exciting work from Jeniel Nett's lab! @uwmadisonmmi.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Noam Ross @noamross.net · 19/06/2026
NSF's grantmaking is miserly when compared to recent years, but when compared it to the historical record, we see it's a radical break from the long-term consensus of investing in scientific innovation. grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0... #NSF 🧪
grant-witness.us
The NSF is on Track for its Worst Year in Generations – Grant Witness
Throttling of science funding is utterly unprecedented and radical when compared to the past 50 years.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
These assholes back down when we push back. We should push back more often. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/c...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Backs Off Plan to End Ocean Monitoring
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