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John Spear

@spearmicrobe.bsky.social

470 followers 560 following 89 posts

Professor, Colorado School of Mines: Environmental Microbiology; Geobiology; Life in Extremes; Environmental Policy; Climate Change. ORCiD: 0000-0002-4664-7438 https://people.mines.edu/jspear/

Videos

Environmental science 44%

Geography 13%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · 9d

Science and the impact of people who work for more knowledge in all fields can and do change the world—lessons for all of us on the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall.

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · 10d

Filamentously tethered, afternoon fresh, photrophically generated, oxygen bubbles on top of a new @mblscience.bsky.social Microbial Diversity Course produced Winogradsky column!

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Sep 5

The latest and greatest from an amazing team of authors. See what you think:

A Comprehensive Framework for Assessing Terrestrial Analogue Field Sites for Ocean Worlds - Stern - 2025 - Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets - Wiley Online Library agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

A Comprehensive Framework for Assessing Terrestrial Analogue Field Sites for Ocean Worlds

The choice of analogue field site for ocean worlds research requires traceability to a well-developed science question We present a two-step process to evaluate field sites with respect to their ...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Aug 25

Today’s first day @coschoolofmines.bsky.social ain’t yesterday’s. A small, niche engineering school discovered.

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Aug 9

@michaelbennet.bsky.social

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Aug 9

Insanity, the dominant paradigm, will disintegrate world class health and science research in America.
What say you Congress?
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve the process of Federal

www.whitehouse.gov

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Aug 6

How to Winogradsky from 2025 Microbial Diversity @mblscience.bsky.social

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Aug 1

Monitor image of a stromatolite’s top from Yellowstone National Park; microbially complex; builders and tenants present. Thx @mblscience.bsky.social for a nice tool in the toolbox!

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 31

Science is Art.
Art is Science.
Not a bad afternoon with scanning electron microscopy @mblscience.bsky.social with Microbial Diversity!

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Reposted by John R. Spear

Marine Biological Laboratory @mblscience.bsky.social · Oct 18

Excited to announce that our 2025 Advanced Research Training Course schedule is up and applications are open! 🎉🎉🎉

See you in Woods Hole! mbl.edu/courses

🧪🐙🦑🧠🐟

A flyer of all the 2025 Advanced Research Training Courses available at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA with course titles, dates, and application deadlines listed. Visit mbl.edu/courses for more information.

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Reposted by John R. Spear

Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · Jun 17

They just detained Brad Lander.

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · Jun 17

Here's a longer video of Brad Lander's detention just now inside 26 Federal Plaza as he tried to walk a man out of immigration court, by masked federal agents.

230 1K 3.3K

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 24

Never ceases to amaze how one can pull an entire lab out of 2 closets; conduct and teach science to 20 Amazing! students at the Microbial Diversity Course and have great science produced @mblscience.bsky.social
…stay tuned for publications….

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 18

I once had a joyful evening in the Ed Sullivan Theater watching magic happen in front of me. An educated, civil, democratic society values the jesters—Stephen Colbert is a master teacher we all learn from.

Apparently CBS Paramount does not, enhancing our decline.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/b...

CBS Canceling ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ After Next Season

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by John R. Spear

George O'Toole (he/him/his) @geiselbiofilm.bsky.social · Jul 14

Week two on Microbial Diversity. One of our course directors, John Spear, spoke about H2 and sulfur metabolism, including his adventures doing research in caves.
@mblscience.bsky.social

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Reposted by John R. Spear

George O'Toole (he/him/his) @geiselbiofilm.bsky.social · Jul 8

Need to see the live action!

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 7

A media extravaganza at Microbial Diversity ‘25 @mblscience.bsky.social difficult to pull off anywhere—Thank you Juan Parales et al.!

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 6

Thanks!

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 6

Hey George—took it last year, Jenn is TA-ing this year. We are almost ready for mayhem to start tomorrow evening. Hope all is well your way!

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 6

At @mblscience.bsky.social preparing for Microbial Diversity ‘25; takes a lot of preparation for both aerobic and anaerobic cultivation of amazing microbiota from diverse environments.
(and yes, this is what this course has ‘diversity’ in the title…)

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jul 4

When doing field work, or being anywhere, always important to pay attention to your surroundings. Nice writeup on Biscuit Basin @yellowstonesv.bsky.social 2024: eos.org/features/hyd...

Hydrothermal Hazards on Display in Yellowstone National Park - Eos

Tourists and officials were startled by a hydrothermal explosion at Black Diamond Pool in July 2024. Geoscientists are working out how and why it occurred to better understand these hazardous events.

eos.org

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 17

Not the America I grew up in, nor one any of us should condone. Speak up on the wrongs!

Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com · Jun 17

They just detained Brad Lander.

Gwynne Hogan @gwynnefitz.bsky.social · Jun 17

Here's a longer video of Brad Lander's detention just now inside 26 Federal Plaza as he tried to walk a man out of immigration court, by masked federal agents.

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 11

God Only Knows…
Good Vibrations.
etc., etc., etc….
Brian Wilson dented the universe.
Passed. Sad. 😅 😎

In today’s world, my job, your job, is to embrace, and share, the vibe.
The world needs us—to do that.
Be the Beach Boy.
Make A Dent.🙏

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 11

Hey world—like to breathe?
Me too.
Don’t follow the insanity of American air pollution rollbacks.
Step up and lead ‘cause we ain’t.
Trump’s EPA announces major rollbacks to power plant pollution limits - The Guardian

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Jun 9

If you are into subsurface microbiology, hydrogen and serpentinization, this is a great read (in my biased opinion) from Dan Colman.
See what you think!
Microbial ecology of serpentinite-hosted ecosystems url:https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article/19/1/wraf029/8019724

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Apr 11

You know what’s the best thing in the world?
People: your family; your co-workers; your neighbors; those encountered on your travels, etc.
Then, there is fascism, particularly in leadership, that ruins it all.
The U.S. is exporting citizens, naturalized, green card holders, etc.
Not good.
Stand up!

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Apr 3

Congratulations to the new Dr. Carmen Villarruel!
Ph.D. work on wildland-urban interface wildfire and the mobilization of metals—an important story of our climate-changing (there, I wrote it) times.

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Mar 26

You can worry about the world, but sometimes best to focus on what is right in front of you.

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Mar 15

An important, key, element of American democracy passed today; former Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming.
A republican centrist (today’s world a democrat) who did so much. Lesson served, educate yourself on how we can make our own local world’s better—by looking at the role models.

John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Mar 5

Presidential Address to a joint session of Congress; not sure if my liver can take these next 4 years.
Insanity, is the dominant paradigm in America.

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John Spear @spearmicrobe.bsky.social · Mar 1

America, 28 February 2025:

Hey! Welcome to my house.
First, my dog takes a dump on your foot (did not happen).
Then, my partner yells at you.
Next, I’m going to scream at you.
Last, I throw you out of the house and let you fend for your self.
Good luck.

Adults, please enter the room.
Needed….