Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 13h

Each Friday, I summarize what is happening to American science & higher ed. 🧪
This was Week 38:
- MIT declines loyalty oath/compact & I review latest at other 8 universities
- Newest RIFs gutting CDC
- “Payroll pirates” targeting university HR

& so much more buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Week 38

Oct 4-10, 2025 - failure state

buttondown.com

16 42

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 8h

#caturday #blackcat

6

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · 13h

I'm the incoming SSE president and am behind this idea -- if you're interested in putting together an app and have questions, pls reach out!

Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 2d

Now accepting proposals for new Research Synthesis Working Groups! Each funded group will present a symposium at the Evolution meeting, collaborate on a publication, and establish a lasting research network. Submit your proposal by January 6: www.evolutionsociety.org/content/soci...

Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Call for Proposals: Research Synthesis Working Groups. Deadline: January 6.

2 27 37

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 12h

Indeed

1

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 1d

WHAT

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump: "Portland, I mean -- every time I look at that place it's burning down. There are fires all over the place. When a store -- there are very few of them left -- but when a store owner rebuilds a store they build it out of plywood. They don't put up storefronts anymore. They just put wood up."

1

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) @slcuplants.bsky.social · 2d

Salicylic acid biosensor, SalicS1, tracks the plant immune hormone salicylic acid in real time - revealing propagation of hormone surge during plant pathogen advance

Latest biosensor from @xanderjones.bsky.social team
In Science doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Summary www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/news/new-bio...

1 33 64

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 1d

what are some examples? (I'm wondering what I'm susceptible to!)

3

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 1d

I'm hoping to attend a rally in Baker City, with my octogenarian mom!

1

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 2d

outstanding

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Beronda L. Montgomery @berondam.bsky.social · 2d

Recent conversation with Luis De Luna Valdez post-doctoral researcher @ucriverside.bsky.social & Features Editor for @theplantjournal.bsky.social

10 questions about my academic work at interface of plant boo, leadership, mentoring & institutional change: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/AKQTDG....

In conversation with Dr. Beronda Montgomery

You have to enable JavaScript in your browser's settings in order to use the eReader.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

3 9

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Hugues Renault @huguesrenault.bsky.social · 2d

Can’t wait for the #EMBO workshop on Plant Evolution: From Origins to Diversification on Land! Just finalized my registration.

meetings.embo.org/event/25-pla...

Plant evolution: from origins to diversification on land

The evolution of plants – photosynthetic eukaryotes resulting from the endosymbiosis of a cyanobacterium and a non-photosynthetic host cell – transformed the earth system by reducing the amount of CO…

meetings.embo.org

1 3 22

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 3d

😀

1

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 3d

Best consideration deadline, Friday Oct 10:

#SCIMaP (scienceimacts.org) seeks to hire a Research Communications and Media Outreach Specialist at U-Maryland to facilitate public engagement related to federal investment in science and health research.

umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/j...

SCIMaP job opportunity - https://umd.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/UMCP/job/Research-Communications-and-Media-Outreach-Specialist_JR102577

21 26

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 3d

and how

1

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Bethann Garramon Merkle (@commnatural elsewhere) @bgmerkle.bsky.social · 4d

Tl;dr: for the PhDs, postdocs, and early career faculty (hoping to be) among us, I have a recommendation for *the* book for early career academics trying to stay afloat (plus bonus recs).

1/

#scicomm #AcademicSky #🧪

*The* book for early career academics trying to stay afloat (plus bonus recs)

For the PhDs, postdocs, and early career faculty (hoping to be) among us

schoolofgoodtrouble.substack.com

1 3 11

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 3d

very cool

1

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 3d

An incredible book!

1

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 3d

ICE is not only chasing down every random brown person in Chicago, they have a cameraman following them to film this for social media. Cruelty and inhumanity as content.

210 2.1K 5.3K

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 4d

pumpkin ravioli from TJs is pretty good!

1

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 4d

I started to work on MscS-Like proteins 20 years ago, dreaming that they were involved in plant mechanotransduction. And it is becoming more & more clear that they are!
#plantscience 🧪
"DmMSL10 is crucial for mechanosensing, facilitating AP firing by generating a receptor potential (RP) amplitude."

Arif Ashraf @aribidopsis.bsky.social · 10d

🍀🔬

MSL10 is a high-sensitivity mechanosensor in the tactile sense of the Venus flytrap @natcomms.nature.com from Toyota lab.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

1 22 65

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 4d

Great words, much needed!

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Robert Mackey @robertmackey.bsky.social · 5d

The Oregon Republican Party tried to help Donald Trump make the case for military intervention in Portland with an image of a fiery protest — but since Portland is calm, they had to fabricate one by merging old photos of police in Ecuador and protesters in Brazil www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Republicans post fake image of Oregon protest – using photos of South America

A federal judge had blocked Trump’s request to deploy California national guard to Portland

www.theguardian.com

120 2K 3.8K

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 5d

Some good advice in here but one critical piece I always give is this:

Get a hobby. Preferably a mildly social one. One that has NOTHING TO DO WITH SCIENCE. NOTHING.

You need friends. Not colleagues. FRIENDS. Friends who will love you no matter your research prospects...

Nature @nature.com · 5d

What's one piece of advice you'd give to someone considering a PhD?

We asked 3785 doctoral candidates across 107 countries for their hard-won wisdom
go.nature.com/4nDjJ7t

27 things we wish we’d known when we started our PhDs

Nature’s survey of PhD candidates reveals hard-won wisdom on choosing supervisors, managing mental health and surviving academic culture.

go.nature.com

2 24 83

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Kevin J. CREATURE @kevinjkircher.com · 7d

Sometimes I think about how from 1935-1975ish, Bell Labs produced an insane amount of revolutionary science and technology, including 11 Nobel Prizes, the transistor, UNIX, C, the laser, the solar cell, information theory, etc. The secret? Provide scientists with ample, steady, no-strings funding.

sites.stat.columbia.edu

51 490 1.7K

Reposted by Liz Haswell

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · 7d

Each Friday, I summarize what is happening to American science & higher ed. 🧪
This was Week 37:
- 9 universities face loyalty oath (“compact”)
- government shutdown - impact on services & fear of further RIFs
- four NIH directors officially fired

& so much more buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Week 37

Sept 27-Oct 2, 2025 - hold the door

buttondown.com

29 74