Reposted by Tristan CaroDan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Agency-wide, NSF made far fewer new grants (~6,200, down from an average of ~11,000) and underspent its buget by 1.4 billion. See previous coverage:nature.comExclusive: NSF set to issue lowest number of new grants in four decadesThe US science-funding agency is withholding $1 billion of its budget so that the money can go to a special White House project. 115652
Reposted by Tristan CaroDan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 06/10/2026NEW: In March the White House released an FY27 budget request that zeroed out the National Science Foundation's directorate of Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). For months it was unclear what would happen. Now, with FY26 over, the damage to SBE is coming to light. My reporting:science.org‘Complete devastation’: How NSF gutted its social sciences researchAgency body that funds sociology, linguistics, and archaeology studies in U.S. gave 90% fewer new grants this year 9658514
Reposted by Tristan CaroDave Baltrus 🦦 @surtlab.bsky.social · 05/10/2026In case you hadn’t heard, the lab acquired case is an incredible and sad story The researcher working w/ attenuated strain at BSL2. Strain attenuated by disabling ability to acquire sufficient iron in hosts The researcher unknowingly had rare genetic disorder where their body had >iron levels 0127
Reposted by Tristan CaroBrett Baker @archaeal.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Two Assistant Professor Positions in Evolutionary Biology and Mechanistic Processes - including microbes! faculty.utexas.edu/career/191568faculty.utexas.eduFaculty Careers - The University of Texas at AustinUnleash your intellectual power by joining a world-renowned faculty that is solving the world's most urgent problems. At UT Austin, we provide you the freedom to blaze trails, follow your curiosity, e... 03848
Tristan Caro @tacaro.bsky.social · 30/09/2026ah yes alex told me about this. glad it's finally made it into the textbooks 010
Reposted by Tristan CaroRoland Hatzenpichler @environmicrobio.bsky.social · 27/09/2026One of the most neglected, least understood, and willingly ignored concepts in microbiology is how fast cells grown in their native habitat. We just extrapolate from cultures, which is unrealistic. I wish I could get funds to measure growth in a bunch of habitats and do some foundational work ;( 7408
Tristan Caro @tacaro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Yes!! And one can imagine the many ways textbook rules of microbial physiology may not hold under natural conditions... 221
Reposted by Tristan CaroEos @eos.org · 29/09/2026NASA has ignored recommended funding levels for planetary research & analysis for 15 years, according to a new investigative report by Mark Sykes (@coop.planetary-research.org). And for FY2025, it hasn’t even spent 50% of what it budgeted for R&A. 🧪🪐🔭 eos.org/research-and...eos.orgNASA has Underspent on Research and Analysis for 15 Years - EosSpending for NASA’s research and analysis programs has remained relatively flat for 15 years, ignoring recommendations from community-led decadal surveys and directives by Congress. 03623
Reposted by Tristan CaroJL Weissman @jlw-ecoevo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Two weeks left to apply for these postoc positions! We seek two postdocs interested in 1) building trait prediction models capable of resolving complex microbial traits from genomes and metagenomes, and/or (2) building mathematical models of microbial community dynamics in the human microbiome. 0514
Reposted by Tristan CaroStephen Turner @stephenturner.us · 26/09/2026Personal essay, weekend edition. My relationship with AI is changing. 1.8k words, 8 min reading time. doi.org/10.59350/bh7...doi.orgMy relationship with AI is changingWhen the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir? 06715
Reposted by Tristan CaroJess Niblo @jessniblo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Excited to share our manuscript “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes” is out in Cell! This work, led by @oliverio.bsky.social & @hbrappap.bsky.social, introduces I. cascadensis, which divides at 63C, beating the prior eukaryotic limit of 60C. doi.org/10.1016/j.ce...cell.comA geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotesThe amoeba Incendiamoeba cascadensis demonstrates that eukaryotic life can withstand temperatures beyond what was thought possible and sheds light on molecular strategies for survival in extreme heat. 1123
Reposted by Tristan CaroMichael Hendricks 🇨🇦 @michaelhendricks.bsky.social · 21/09/2026So sick of useless techbro scam artists sucking all the air out of every room and taking up all of the space we could be using for discussing things that matter. 2111
Tristan Caro @tacaro.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Incredible paper!! www.nature.com/articles/s44...nature.comStop messing with rumen microbes and focus on reducing ruminant populations for environmental and human health - npj Sustainable Agriculturenpj Sustainable Agriculture - Stop messing with rumen microbes and focus on reducing ruminant populations for environmental and human health 141
Reposted by Tristan CaroPLOS @plos.org · 16/09/2026We continue #OpenScienceWeek by highlighting the second output of our Redefining Publishing report on the future of the publishing business model. PLOS commits to develop a sustainable, non-APC model for research outputs and broaden participation in open science. 🔗 Read the report: buff.ly/hN8ycqNplos.ioRedefining Publishing: Practical pathways to open sciencePLOS explores innovative publishing models to enhance open science, focusing on broader recognition of diverse research outputs and sustainable participation beyond traditional article-centric… 062
Reposted by Tristan CaroDr. Jennifer Wade @volcanojw.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Do you like maps?? I’m in a briefing where the USGS shared these amazing 3D Elevation images that are just so cool. Find your state/district, and behold this example of DC! www.usgs.gov/3d-elevation... 1822761
Reposted by Tristan CaroStephen Turner @stephenturner.us · 14/09/2026Talk about a title that'll make me click papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... 🤔 "Universities are multi-sided markets whose strategic asset is a credible warrant of quality over a credence good and AI is the first technology to disrupt this core function." 052
Reposted by Tristan CaroTed Pavlic (he/him/his) @tedpavlic.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Another Monte Carlo methods explorer for my simulating stochastic systems course. Demos 6 applications of Monte Carlo methods for estimating output distributions from stochastic models (queueing, inventory, reliability, and more -- 3 dynamic + 3 static). tpavlic.github.io/asu-simulati...tpavlic.github.ioMonte Carlo Simulation Examples — interactive explainerSix classic Monte Carlo experiments, each a short simulation per replication: a queueing node with one or two servers, an order-up-to inventory policy, a bearing-replacement policy, a newsvendor, aid ... 001
Reposted by Tristan CaroTerence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...mathandai.orgDeclaration — Math and AIRead the declaration and add your name. 432071934
Reposted by Tristan CaroMatthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · 03/09/2026New paper out in @pnas.org : Extreme climatic events drive consistent and predictable shifts in soil antibiotic resistance genes Led by Guanghui Xu, postdoc in our lab; a collaboration with @frantecol.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...pnas.orgExtreme climatic events drive consistent and predictable shifts in soil antibiotic resistance genes | PNASAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing One Health challenge, and as climate warming intensifies extreme events, it remains unclear how these d... 3174
Reposted by Tristan CaroMongabay @mongabay.com · 03/09/2026[Commentary] Deep in the Gulf of Mexico, the unique and unstudied Orca Basin is threatened by corporate plans to dump organic waste for carbon storage. In this op-ed, deep-sea biologist @drcraigmc.bsky.social warns that this ancient deep-sea ecosystem is a living system, not a waste repository.mongabay.ccGulf of Mexico’s unique Orca Basin shouldn’t become a carbon dump (commentary)It’s 3 a.m. and I am standing on the deck of a research vessel, staring into water so dark it looks solid. I feel what I felt standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, watching the sun set: there are… 13722
Reposted by Tristan CaroÁkos T Kovács @evolvedbiofilm.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Limits and frontiers of microbial phenotype measurements Current Opinion in Microbiology by @tacaro.bsky.social, @quantaofgeorge.bsky.social, Jonas Cremer, Shin Haruta, and @shougroup.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 2193
Reposted by Tristan CaroGeorge Schaible @quantaofgeorge.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Our new opinion piece is out! @tacaro.bsky.social How you measure a microbe shapes what you learn about it. We make the case for a microbial observer effect, and what it means for experimental design: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...sciencedirect.com 1134
Reposted by Tristan CaroJeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 27/08/2026An existing NSF program allows graduate students to work for industry while earning their degree. So why does NSF think that a $47-million award to do the same thing--but on a smaller scale-- is a new idea? www.science.org/content/arti...science.orgNSF’s new plan to fund graduate students to work in industry covers familiar groundAgency gives university-industry consortium $47 million to reinvent existing internship program 0187
Tristan Caro @tacaro.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Oil companies profit when oil prices are high and it allows them to pursue expensive drilling exploration. Finance journals literally say out loud that oil companies and investors *worry* about diplomatic progress. @naomiaklein.bsky.social predicted this in 2017! finance.yahoo.com/energy/artic...finance.yahoo.comExxon Slips Below $159 as Hormuz Hope Hits Crude AgainA third day of falling oil is testing how much geopolitical premium remained inside energy shares. 000
Reposted by Tristan CaroAlex Bisson @archaeon-alex.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Yet another myth collapses and joins Ethidium Bromide. Next one will be "having dedicated RNA bench and pipettes" journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...journals.asm.orgAs a component of aseptic technique, Bunsen burners do not universally decrease deposition of microbe-containing particles | Microbiology SpectrumThe ability to manipulate and control microbial presence in built environments is imperative to research and medicine. The lack of documented evidence relating Bunsen burner use and airborne contamina... 5297
Reposted by Tristan CaroHomeworld Collective @homeworld.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Cave microbes are a substantial methane sink. A @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social Opinion from Sean Bay, Bob Leung, Homeworld, and @sparkclimate.bsky.social proposes enhanced subterranean aerotrophy, a prospective atmospheric methane removal pathway in caves or mines. www.cell.com/trends/micro... 267
Reposted by Tristan CaroDan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Finally, this has gone a bit under the radar, so I want to highlight it: The social, behavioral and economic sciences directorate (SBE) has simply ceased to deliver grants to many of its subareas. Any topic not specifically OK'd by the Trump administration is receiving zero new awards. 6423226
Reposted by Tristan CaroPeppyPanda 🐼 - Uplifting and good news @peppypanda.com · 20/08/2026Emissions from land-use change – including deforestation, loss of peatland and forest degradation – have been falling significantly since the late 1990s. 🌳 The decline accelerated after 2015 thanks to lower deforestation and higher restoration, reforestation and afforestation.carbonbrief.orgEmissions from land-use change – including deforestation, loss of peatland and forest degradation – have been falling significantly since the late 1990s. 🌳 The decline accelerated after 2015 thanks to lower deforestation and higher restoration, reforestation and afforestation. 024
Reposted by Tristan CaroCameron Thrash @jcamthrash.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Psychrophiles elude genomic prediction of optimal growth temperature journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/... #jcampubs 042
Reposted by Tristan CaroMount St. Helens Archive @mountsthelens1980.bsky.social · 17/08/2026August 17, 1982 Don Swanson and possibly Christina Heliker making deformation measurements on the north side of the Mount St. Helens lava dome. Photo: Lyn Topinka/USGS. 0312
Reposted by Tristan CaroRichard Sedgley @richardsedgley.bsky.social · 17/08/2026Two-thirds of UK news articles about wildfires this summer haven’t mentioned climate change uk.themedialeader.com/two-thirds-o...uk.themedialeader.comTwo-thirds of UK news articles about wildfires this summer haven't mentioned climate changeAnalysis from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit adds to concerns that national newspapers are failing to link this summer's extreme weather to climate change and the net-zero policies necessary to mitigate its drastic effects. 067
Reposted by Tristan Carowhet moser @whetmoser.com · 06/08/2026about the angriest i’ve ever gotten about an editorial was someone being smirky and shitty about the phrase “tree equity” 15713
Reposted by Tristan Caroc0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Thousands of ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) once roamed Texas, but urban sprawl, the rise of ranching & the clearing of thornscrub forest biomes for cattle have depleted their numbers to ~100-150 left. This Texas research institute aims to change that, if Elon Musk doesn't stop them.static.klipy.comBaby Ocelot Yawns and MeowsAlt: Baby Ocelot Yawns and Meows. A pair of gloved hands holds an ocelot, a sort of kitten-sized cat with yellow and white fur with black stripes. It is ridiculously cute and I want to hug it so much it hurts. 717646
Reposted by Tristan CaroDavid Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Which vehicles most endanger the drivers of other cars? Giant pickup trucks — and the Dodge Charger Source: www.iihs.org/news/detail/... 34548153
Tristan Caro @tacaro.bsky.social · 28/07/2026where is this visualization hosted?? i would love to include this in a class 131
Reposted by Tristan CaroLeon Simons @leonsimons.com · 28/07/2026This is such a great visualization of the carbon cycle and of how humanity has completely altered it within a geological instant. Visualization by @rarohde.bsky.social. 1/ 213361
Reposted by Tristan CaroZeke Hausfather @zekehausfather.com · 28/07/2026Fires in France have now burned over 91,000 acres, by far the most of any year since the satellite record started in 2006. Current area burned is about 34x larger than this date in a typical (median) year: 13446222
Reposted by Tristan CaroDaniel Swain @weatherwest.bsky.social · 27/07/2026An intense and long-duration heatwave now appears likely by late Jul/early Aug for SW U.S., including California. Extreme heat is likely in hottest inland deserts, and a potentially dangerous combination of heat & elevated humidity may develop in SoCal. More to come. #CAwx #AZwx 411136
Reposted by Tristan CaroCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 21/07/20261. We—@eduede.bsky.social, @mjcrockett.bsky.social, Kevin Gross, and I—have a new preprint on the arXiv today, based on ideas that emerged during an @sfiscience.bsky.social workshop in November 2024: The unintended consequences of large language models as a labor-augmenting technology in science.arxiv.orgThe unintended consequences of large language models as a labor-augmenting technology in scienceAs a labor-augmenting technology, large language models (LLMs) have the potential to accelerate scientific activity across the research pipeline. But even if LLMs perform on par with human experts at ... 10837339
Reposted by Tristan CaroLoukas Theodosiou @bioinformatician.bsky.social · 19/07/2026After four years, several updates and a handful of CRAN releases, 𝗹𝘁𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗥-𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲, reached a version I feel genuinely good about sharing with the community. github.com/loukesio/ltc... 216940
Tristan Caro @tacaro.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Can't wait for my doctor to prescribe me treatment based on sports gambler sentiment 010
Reposted by Tristan CaroCIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 16/07/2026Smoke from Canadian wildfires is blanketing the Midwest and Northeast, creating hazardous air quality conditions. This experimental @noaa.gov GSL decision support tool forecast shows where the smoke will travel over the next few hours. 34120
Reposted by Tristan CaroCIRES @cires.colorado.edu · 14/07/2026New blog by CIRES' Kyle Manley: "These [public] lands deliver an estimated $507 billion in benefits to the American public every year, from pollination that underpins our food systems, to water regulation supporting downstream populations..." and more. www.naturepeopleactioncolab.org/news/launch-...naturepeopleactioncolab.orgPublic Lands Are Worth Far More Than the Price Tag of a Sale — Nature & People Action CoLabPublic lands are already working for the American public, sustaining the food, water, air, biodiversity, and cultural connections that define daily life across the country. 175
Reposted by Tristan CaroKendall Powell @kendallsciwrite.bsky.social · 13/07/2026This @nature.com Q&A with Ryan Rising covers his own journey – and his work to help others – to get a PhD after being incarcerated. So easy to take for granted the raw power of higher education. As told to @virginiagewin.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comI want to see a prison-to-PhD pipelineRyan Rising creates programmes that help people who have been incarcerated to access academic opportunities. 074