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Jason Munshi-South

@urbanevol.bsky.social
2K followers 1.4K following 340 posts

Betz Chair of Ecology at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Urban ecology & evolution, landscape genetics, native plants, rats, lichens. Problematic political opinions all my own!

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Reposted by Jason Munshi-South
Botanical Society of America @botsocamerica.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
💥 Check out this new #AJB essay! 💥 Urban #lichens as an emerging model for urban #evolution By Ann Evankow, Jeremy Howland, James Lendemer & Jason Munshi-South doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #plantscience #fungi
This image shows several urban lichens, including Physcia millegrana and Candelaria concolor, growing on an oak tree, Quercus rubra, in Long Island City, New York.
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Reposted by Jason Munshi-South
Sewell Chan @sewell.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Yesterday I was fired by Columbia University after eight months as executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review. This was the first time in a 25-year career that I've ever been subjected to discipline in a job — much less terminated from one.
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Ethan Kocak @ethankocak.com · 09/04/2025
De-extinction is Mars colonization for biology nerds. Sorry but it is.
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Garry Peterson @resiliencesci.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Promoting urban biodiversity for the benefit of people and nature Kowarik+ doi.org/10.1038/s443... "urban biodiversity is people’s primary contact with nature" "Biodiversity-sensitive and socially inclusive urban governance and urban planning are key to developing biodiverse, green cities"
doi.org
Promoting urban biodiversity for the benefit of people and nature - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
Urban biodiversity underpins ecosystem services in cities, but faces multiple pressures from human activities, declining engagement of urban residents with nature, and inadequate governance systems. T...
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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 20/03/2025
Because Republicans are so evil, it's easy to lose sight of how bad Democrats are on public higher education. They tend to have a deeply condescending, classist view of public education as job training. Intellectual curiosity is to be reserved for those who get into private institutions.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
I think some in the Senate have convinced themselves that the backlash to folding will be limited to “the left” and therefore ignorable. Those people are deeply and profoundly misreading the moment and the stakes. Virtually every swing district House Dem walked the plank to vote NO for a reason.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
Anybody else annoyed at how universities act like their endowments are fake money? Even if only 15-20% of the funds are unrestricted, that is a lot of $$ for wealthy universities. They need to stop acting like they are Berkshire-Hathaway and protect their people and academic mission.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Columbia U. has an endowment of $14 billion. They should be fighting with all they have rather than capitulating to a dictatorial regime. The federal government is trying to set up an exception to the First Amendment to benefit a single foreign country, Israel. It won't stop there.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Spring peepers but only a few-not the entire chorus yet and no wood frogs
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Heather Anne Campbell @heathercampbell.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Favorite part of Star Wars was when Luke Skywalker took off his jacket and defeated Palpatine with his T-Shirt that said “Resist”
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
It often starts with criminalizing the speech of dissidents, journalists, and academics. Recently, professors in Turkey have been jailed for not being sufficiently pro-dictatorship. We're on a speedrun to a general crisis (economic, social, etc)
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Maxim Greenberg @maxvcg.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Sensible Op-Ed about safety issues involved in pathogen research. The public needs to have faith that scientific institutions are not putting them at unnecessary risk: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/03/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Recent Virus Research Should Raise Alarm
Research with pandemic potential needs the utmost precautions.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Is this true? Do it anyway. Academic freedom exists for this reason. As long as you aren't claiming to be a spokesperson for the university then it is fine.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
If you have ever dealt with a narcissistic sociopath then you understand Trump's and Vance's hysterical reactions to moderate pushback from Velensky. I still wonder a bit if Vance is acting to keep his benefactor happy but now kind of doubt it.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
My state legislators are Republicans because we're in a gerrymandered district that lumps us with ultra-wealthy towns on either side. Last night they had a town hall and a bunch of Democrats came to yell at them about everything. The Repubs acted like they didn't know what is happening at fed level!
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Red-winged blackbird males are back today! Over the last 7 years this about the latest they have arrived. Chipmunks are already active and have had a robin already. Usually robins show up in larger numbers later. Wood frogs and spring peepers calling should not be far behind.
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Ana Bedoya @botana-bedoya.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Come work with us! The New York Botanical Garden is hiring a Curator at the Assist. or Associate level. Profile: a productive and FUN Mycologist or Cryptogamic Botanist. Happy to talk to candidates about how wonderful one of the best botanical research centers is, easy. www.nybg.org/about/work-w...
nybg.org
Employment | New York Botanical Garden
Find out what employment opportunities are available at The New York Botanical Garden.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
Open to idea of taxing huge university endowments. Non-profit universities should not be hedge funds, health care systems, and real estate portfolios that run an education side hustle. But make it productive! Taxes go down as you serve more students, cut administrative bloat, and rein in tuition
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Sasha Gusev @sashagusevposts.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
We finally have some well-powered whole-genome heritability estimates, including a quasi-behavioral trait (BMI). For height, ~89% of the heritability estimated to reside in common variants. For BMI and WHR, ~100% estimated in common variants. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Baby boomers on local Nextdoor are arguing they shouldn't have to pay property taxes after age 65. The main argument is that more than half of the city budget is for the school system. They didn't like it when I pointed out younger people are already paying for their medicare and social security
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Drug Monkey @drugmonkey.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Interesting comment in here about converting to a "direct admit" strategy for those Profs with the funds to bring in graduate students. I think we will be seeing a lot more of this, albeit not necessarily publicly announced or revealed.
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Germán Orizaola @gorizaola.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
Nothing better today than a message from our colleague Sergey Gaschack on FB about the recovery of several of his camera traps that were left in #Chornobyl for years, inaccessible due to war. Incredible #ChornobylWildlife footage amid the sound of war. Have a look: www.facebook.com/gaschak/vide...
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
It may not be cool or hip in some circles, but we legitimately do need a massive amount of people to run for office. Flood the school boards, councils, county seats, state legislatures, Congress, etc. Big changes at the top happen when the ground shifts at the bottom. And that can start now.
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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · 22/02/2025
🚨PA colleagues: "Senator Fetterman wants to hear from you about how the federal funding freeze is affecting Pennsylvania." "If your project has been impacted, please fill out our constituent impact form:" forms.office.com/g/mFv2JAPxpC Get out your Other Support and share that info!
forms.office.com
Microsoft Forms
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Carolyn Ibberson @cbibberson.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
I created a brief spreadsheet of reductions I've heard of so far. Any additions you know of (especially if you have the links/receipts) would be great: docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com
Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)
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WESA @wesa.fm · 21/02/2025
The University of Pittsburgh confirmed Friday that there would be no new Ph.D. offers of admission while Pitt works to understand how reduced federal aid could impact the institution.
wesa.fm
The University of Pittsburgh pauses its Ph.D. admissions process amid research funding uncertainty
A spokesperson for the University told WESA Friday that the school has "temporarily paused additional Ph.D. offers of admission," while Pitt works to understand how proposed federal funding cuts could...
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scott dagostino @scottdagostino.ca · 20/02/2025
And here it is, my Joker moment. I am insane now.
The secretary of agriculture canceled a meeting on biodiversity

The secretary of agriculture bragged about canceling a biodiversity conference because she thinks biodiversity is DEl-related. I wish this was a joke. It's just the level of stupidity and
"confidently incorrect" we're at right now.
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Caitlin S., PhD @paleophile.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
The Democrats on the House Science Committee have set up a website to collect stories from fired federal employees, anonymously if desired. Please amplify. (This helps the lawyers establish standing for bringing legal cases against the administration!) democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings
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Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Firings happening right now at the NSF.
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Philip Eil @phileil.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Me, working on my little articles and book projects in February 2025:
A dog in a tie happily typing on a laptop while intense military combat takes place behind them.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
RFK Jr up to no good again
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Immediately assigning this new paper to my pop gen students! Waples publishes some real hits - "What is a population?" is another instant classic onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Idiot's Guide to Effective Population Size
This is a reference manual for the elegant, yet hideously complex concept of effective population size (Ne), inspired by a classic, self-published manual of automotive repair ‘for the compleat idiot’...
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Ed Burmila @edburmila.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
For decades the dominant Democratic response to electoral setbacks has been "The voters are bad." We did nothing wrong, but look at these swine we have to appeal to! You can't ask the politics judge for a new electorate. You either figure out how to appeal to the one you have or you disappear.
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Emilio M Bruna @brunalab.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
My course (The Future of Tropical Rain Forests) was one of the ones stripped of its GenEd designation. I found out by checking the list linked in the article. I don’t know who reviewed or why it was deemed inappropriate. No one informed me, my Chair, or my Dean. www.alligator.org/article/2025...
alligator.org
Why are politicians purging ‘identity politics’ from UF’s general education curriculum? - The Independent Florida Alligator
The Board of Governors, a majority of which are appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis, voting month to purge UF’s general education catalog from more than 1,200 courses to just under 300. 
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Spoiler: The Democrats have learned nothing
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
😂 is this real? Seems like a psy-op to make fun of progressives www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/m...
nytimes.com
As a White Man, Can I Date Women of Color to Advance My Antiracism?
The magazine’s Ethicist columnist on interracial dating as a sociopolitical strategy.
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Alex Crits-Christoph @acritschristoph.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
this is not the only lichen-like symbiosis with the fungus on the inside - another I learned about from @spribille.bsky.social's textbook on lichens is Mastodia, where the algae forms the thallus - but that's a eukaryotic algae where phyllosymbia is a cyanobacteria en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastodia
en.wikipedia.org
Mastodia - Wikipedia
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Diana Lobo @dianaclobo.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
A few years ago, we started asking if the adaptation of Iberian wolves to anthropogenic landscapes could be associated with ancient introgression from domestic dogs. In our recently accepted paper at @genomeresearch.bsky.social we provide new insights: genome.cshlp.org/cgi/content/... 🐺🧬🐶
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Congratulations Lindsay and coauthors! #nativeplants #urbanevolution
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
It is a massive mistake to completely wall yourself off from the arguments of people you disagree with. Also, the NY Times is doing some of the best reporting of the DOGE dismantling of the federal government. Real reporting costs money. Don't confuse op-eds with reporting.
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mweinstock.bsky.social @mweinstock.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Portuguese editorial cartoonist Zez Vaz reaches back to Tiananmen Square to call on American defiance.
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Kid Rock on Bill Maher last night was better at making a case for his political views than any current Democrat, excepting maybe Bernie and AOC. The party is in shambles!
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Jason Munshi-South @urbanevol.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
The dismantling of federal research funding is coming at the same time as the demographic cliff. The freshman class of Fall 2025 marks the beginning of a long period of demographic decline and austerity for US academia.
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Madhusudan 🦉 Katti @leafwarbler.myatproto.social · 15/02/2025
At faculty meeting a couple of days ago we talked about colleagues being fired at EPA, USDA, etc, and some suggested this presents opportunities for us to hire good researchers. The following morning we got a memo from the provost announcing an immediate and total hiring freeze.
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PM Delaux @pierremarcdelaux.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
This is so cool, "inverted lichen"! The first subtitle of the result section makes the point "Fungal hyphae embedded within the sheaths of cyanobacteria" www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
A thallus-forming N-fixing fungus-cyanobacterium symbiosis from subtropical forests
Fungus lives within cyanobacterial sheaths in a thallus-forming symbiosis, named “phyllosymbia.”
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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
ATTENTION (PLEASE SHARE) If anyone has or knows of any positions that might be appropriate for the NIH staff members who were terminated, please post the information in this thread. There are lots of talented and accomplished people who may be looking for new opportunities.
media.tenor.com
a poster that says if life gives you lemon make lemonade on it
ALT: a poster that says if life gives you lemon make lemonade on it
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Tiziana A. Gelmi Candusso @urbanzoochory.bsky.social · 14/02/2025
Just published today! We analyzed the SLOS dilemma for maintaining connectivity through urban sprawl besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Urban planning for wildlife connectivity: A multispecies assessment of urban sprawl and SLOSS renaturalization strategies
Notably, smaller but widely distributed natural areas can serve as a practical and effective management strategy for balancing the trade-offs among economic costs, urban expansion and habitat conserv...
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Annals of Botany @annbot.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
🌸🏙️#PlantReproductionWeek The flower does not open in the city: evolution of plant reproductive traits of Portulaca oleracea in urban populations by Tomohiro Fujita et al. in @annbot.bsky.social #openaccess article 👉 doi.org/n5qg @portulaca-oleracea.bsky.social #PlantScience
Urbanization may be driving evolutionary shifts in the reproductive strategy of Portulaca oleracea, favoring cleistogamous (self-fertilizing) plants that produce earlier flowers and larger seeds. These traits likely help the species cope with the heat and drought stress of urban environments, highlighting how cities can act as agents of natural selection.
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