Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 2h

Judaculla Rock! Love this place and miss Cullowhee.

Chris Cooper @chriscooperwcu.bsky.social · 3h

Beautiful morning at Judaculla Rock near Cullowhee. Definitely worth a visit if you're visiting Jackson County, or if you (like me) live here

The rock has more than 1,500 petroglyphs--the most of any boulder East of the Mississippi.

A 6 post 🧵 that no one asked for ⤵️

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 1d

"Admittedly, research grant funding is not the most riveting topic to come before this Court. However, the Court has come to appreciate that, as Defendants readily admit, basic research is an 'essential' service that universities provide to the federal government and so to the American people."

This case is about “indirect costs,” an accounting term undoubtedly unfamiliar to most.
Defense Secretary Hegseth has seized on this knowledge gap to call them “waste” and
“bureaucratic fat.”3
But that is entirely misleading. Indirect costs are the buildings within which
new materials for life-saving armor are developed. They are the supercomputers that find new
ways to defend our country against cyber-attacks. Yes, they are also the assistants who keep things
running and the custodians who come in at night. But these are not “waste.” Indeed, the
regulations treat them as both “necessary and reasonable.”4
Admittedly, research grant funding is not the most riveting topic to come before this Court.
However, the Court has come to appreciate that, as Defendants readily admit, basic research is an
“essential” service that universities provide to the federal government and so to the American
people. In exchange, universities submit themselves to a baroque and exacting regulatory system
that scrutinizes their costs and demands accountability. Yet, Defendants would unravel that
partnership with less than a nod toward Congress’s requirement that federal agencies make
reasonable choices and rationally explain them.

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Lars Brudvig @lars-brudvig.bsky.social · 4d

Apply to become the next MSU EEB Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow!

These are two year positions with research stipend, working with 2+ MSU EEB faculty. Applications due 10 November 2025. More here:

eeb.msu.edu/initiatives/...

Postdoctoral Fellowship - Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

eeb.msu.edu

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

emily moonlight @threnody.bsky.social · 2d

just watched a dozen people ask microsoft copilot experts their most pressing questions and those questions were 90% “how do i turn it off?” and “when i turn it off, is it really off or is it spying on me?”

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Tim Curran @timcurran.bsky.social · 2d

Great PhD opportunity with an excellent supervisor:

Quantify traits of tree species across the western US to determine how tree populations and forest communities will respond to drought and fire.

plant-traits.net/lab-openings/

Lab openings | Laughlin Research Lab

plant-traits.net

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Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 2d

No.

Science News @scinews.bsky.social · 2d

Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery

The future of science will be written by humans and machines together. Awards should reflect that reality.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

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Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 2d

Actually love that play, but also...$1400?????

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Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 2d

One of the good teams might win today, so that's something.

Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 2d

Botetourt

Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 3d

What’s the word where you’re from that, when pronounced exactly as it looks, identifies a tourist immediately?

Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Cate Macinnis-Ng @loraxcate.bsky.social · 6d

📣 Opportunity for early career researchers from developing countries who work on climate change. IPCC is calling for chapter scientists for assessment round 7. Successful applicants will receive a stipend for 48 months. 🧪🌎
www.ictp.it/opportunity/...

IPCC AR7 Chapter Scientists | ICTP

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is in the process of preparing its Seventh Assessment report (AR7). The IPCC Working Groups are seeking highly motivated early-career researchers f...

www.ictp.it

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Cate Macinnis-Ng @loraxcate.bsky.social · 3d

Applications for @ipcc.bsky.social AR7 Chapter Scientists close on 18th October. Great opportunity for emerging researchers from developing countries! 🧪🌎🌱

Cate Macinnis-Ng @loraxcate.bsky.social · 6d

📣 Opportunity for early career researchers from developing countries who work on climate change. IPCC is calling for chapter scientists for assessment round 7. Successful applicants will receive a stipend for 48 months. 🧪🌎
www.ictp.it/opportunity/...

IPCC AR7 Chapter Scientists | ICTP

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is in the process of preparing its Seventh Assessment report (AR7). The IPCC Working Groups are seeking highly motivated early-career researchers f...

www.ictp.it

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Chris Cooper @chriscooperwcu.bsky.social · 3d

One week until we begin reviewing applications ⬇️.

3:3 load w/ manageable class size. If you're a junior Americanist who is excited about teaching Congress, Intro American, and the Presidency, doing research in a collaborative environment & living in the mountains, please apply.

#polisky

Chris Cooper @chriscooperwcu.bsky.social · 9d

We (Western Carolina University) are hiring for an assistant professor in American politics (w/ focus on & willingness to teach the Presidency, & Congress). Review of applications begins Oct. 15.

jobs.wcu.edu/postings/31915

Good colleagues, good students, good views. Reach out w/ ?s.

#polisky

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Mathias Disney @matdisney.bsky.social · 5d

Our new perspective on what TLS can (& can't) do in forest research www.nature.com/articles/s41... - led by Eduardo Maeda w lots of great colleagues including @kimcalders.bsky.social @emilyrlines.bsky.social @louiseterryn.bsky.social @benjaminbrede.bsky.social (apols for any I don;t have @ for)

Expanding forest research with terrestrial LiDAR technology - Nature Communications

This Review highlights how terrestrial laser scanning is transforming forest research by enabling highly detailed 3D measurements of trees, supporting applications in forest ecology, carbon monitoring, and biodiversity assessment.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Rivanna Conservation Alliance @rivconalliance.bsky.social · 5d

Hot off the presses 🙌 The 2025 Rivanna River Watershed Stream Health Report is here!

This annual report presents the latest data collected by RCA's long-running bacteria and biological monitoring programs. Read the full report on our website at www.rivannariver.org/monitoring-reports.

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 5d

The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Andrew Heiss @andrew.heiss.phd · 8d

Just discovered the {gm} package, which lets you programmatically create sheet music (and audio!) with #rstats (with MuseScore as the backend) flujoo.github.io/gm/index.html

library(dplyr)
library(gm)

golden <- tribble(
~pitches, ~duration, ~lyric,
"E4", "q", "I’m",
"G4", "q", "done",
"C5", "q", "hid-",
"B4", "q", "-ing",
"D4", "q", "now",
"G4", "q", "I’m",
"E5", "q", "shin-",
"D5", "q", "-ing",
"G4", "q", "like",
"B4", "q", "I’m",
"A5", "q", "born",
"F#5", "q/3*(q/8)", "to",
"G5", "q/3", "be._",
"G5", "h", ""
)

music <-
Music() +
Key(1) +
Tempo(125) +
Meter(2, 4) +
Line(pitches = golden$pitches, durations = golden$duration) +
Tie(13) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[1], 1) + Lyric(golden$lyric[2], 2) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[3], 3) + Lyric(golden$lyric[4], 4) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[5], 5) + Lyric(golden$lyric[6], 6) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[7], 7) + Lyric(golden$lyric[8], 8) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[9], 9) + Lyric(golden$lyric[10], 10) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[11], 11) + Lyric(golden$lyric[12], 12) +
Lyric(golden$lyric[13], 13)

show(music)

The first part of the bridge from "Golden" from KPop Demon Hunters

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Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 7d

You love to see it

Lucas Brown Eyes @lucasbrowneyes.bsky.social · 9d

Microsoft shoved their AI Copilot into everything in Windows 11. Which lead to an increase in Windows 10 use. So they announced they'd stop support for Windows 10, but its usage was still strong. So they started to put Copilot into Windows 10.

Windows 7 use is surging 5x now.

AI is product poison.

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Martin Dovciak🌳🌱🌻 @dovciak-lab.bsky.social · 8d

🥁New paper on microclimate vulnerability under changing climate 🌦️ & forest structure 🌳. Forest structure can buffer or amplify climate warming! Congrats to Joanna Lumbsden-Pinto @sunyesf.bsky.social, @brookhavenlab.bsky.social, @sunyofficial.bsky.social. 🌐🌍

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Microclimate vulnerability under coupled effects of changing climate and forest structure

Understanding how forest structure affects microclimate is crucial amidst global warming, especially in biodiversity hotspots such as the North Americ…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Jeff Atkins @atkinsjeff.bsky.social · 8d

Hobbies. And going all in on them. Lifting, exercise, getting outdoors. And probably friends too, but I am a hermit and all my friends live 100s to 1000s of miles away so not sure how to address that for me or y'all.

essencesimmone.blacksky.app @essencesimmone.blacksky.app · 8d

Those who are 35+, what advice do you have for people just entering their 30s?

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

ForestSAT @forestsat.bsky.social · 8d

🌲Join the ForestSAT 2026 Pre-Conference Virtual Workshop Series!
Don’t miss our hands-on virtual workshops, starting in less than 3 weeks!
📅 Dates: October 2025 – April 2026
💻 Format: Online
🔗 Learn more & register: carlos-alberto-silva.github.io/silvalab/For...

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Dr. Crystal A. Kolden @pyrogeog.bsky.social · 9d

Published today: our new paper showing a 44-year trend of increasing global wildfire disasters (fatalities and economic losses) due to climate change-induced extreme weather. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Climate-linked escalation of societally disastrous wildfires

Climate change and land mismanagement are creating increasingly fire-prone built and natural environments. However, despite worsening fire seasons, evidence is lacking globally for trends in socially ...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Catherine Hulshof @hulshof.bsky.social · 9d

Data manager Rice Rivers Center..a beautiful VCU owned field station.

vcujobs.com/jobs/data-ma...

Data Manager, Rice Rivers Center - VCU Main Campus, Virginia, United States

The VCU Rice Rivers Center seeks a full-time Data Manager. The Data Manager will join a vibrant and growing team of student and faculty researchers and instructors at the Rice Rivers Center, VCU’s 366...

vcujobs.com

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Caryn Vaughn @lovemussels.bsky.social · 9d

The Oklahoma Biological Survey at the University of Oklahoma is hiring a tenure-track freshwater ecologist. This is a great opportunity at a wonderful place to work. Please spread the word and encourage folks to apply: apply.interfolio.com/174472

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

apply.interfolio.com

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Reposted by Jeff Atkins

Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 9d

Hey authors, the official list of Anthropic works is available for searching.

secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup

Submit a Claim

secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

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