Matt Bracken
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brackenlab.bsky.social
Matt Bracken
@brackenlab.bsky.social
5.6K followers 2.7K following 3.4K posts
Marine biodiversity - https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/biodiversity/ - he/him/his
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brackenlab.bsky.social
Matt Bracken @brackenlab.bsky.social · Mar 4
It is amazing to have this field site only a few minutes from my home & campus! #MarineLife #Seaweed 🌊
The low intertidal zone at Corona Del Mar State Beach. Kelps - including *Eisenia* & *Macrocystis* - are in the foreground, with red algal turfs & surfgrass behind them. In the background is the ocean, an arched offshore rock, and blue sky.
Reposted by Matt Bracken
whysharksmatter.bsky.social
Every year around Thanksgiving, I see tons of grad students post heartbreaking messages on social media about how their loved ones don’t understand or support their decision to study what seems like something pointless or silly.

Perhaps my American Scientist essay can help!

🧪🌎🦑 #SciComm
“Why Are We Funding This?”
Long-standing myths about “silly science” have contributed to the reckless slashing of government-supported research.
www.americanscientist.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
erantal.bsky.social
🚨We're hiring! A tenure track position at McGill University in the area of #bioethics and / or philosophy of science, with a special focus on the ethics of medical technologies. Please share widely. #philsky #ethics #philsci philjobs.org/job/show/30402
Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy and Department of Philosophy, McGill University - PhilJobs:JFP Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Department of Equity...
An international database of jobs for philosophers
philjobs.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:02 AM
brackenlab.bsky.social
🐋 #MarineLife 🦑🌊
banditelli.org Brett "Solidarity 2025" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 2d
Ok one more video. the most beautiful fluke I've seen. edited for EXTRA BEAUTY!!!
November 25, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
scalzi.com
You know, I'm not sure I ever really read the Pond Rules at our local nature preserve all that closely before
POND RULES: No swimming, jumping or gallivanting. Do not disturb the pond witch. No fishing with dynamite. Sacrifices to water gods on alternate Wednesdays only - NO EXCEPTIONS! Taunt the crows at your own risk. If a hand comes out of the water to beckon you, turn and walk away. Do not feed the weretrout. Is the water burning with cold unholy fire? Report it to the ranger! They’re not ducks. Run. Have fun!
November 25, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
mattkoski.bsky.social
I'm hiring a full time fixed-term 1yr lab tech to assist with field and greenhouse projects related to floral evolution and plant reproductive ecology. Please share! Ideal start date early 2026.

jobs.clemson.edu/psc/ps/JOBS/...
November 24, 2025 at 8:17 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
*Megathura* for #MolluscMonday. Giant keyhole limpets are so wonderfully chonky! #MarineLife 🌊🦑
A giant keyhole limpet - a large gastropod mollusc - sits in a tide pool. Its black mantle extends around and on top of its shell. Like other members of the Fissurelidae, it has a pore (“keyhole”) at the apex of its shell that is used for waste excretion.
November 24, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
drkatfish.bsky.social
🎶From Atlantic to Pacific, gee the fish facts are terrific!🎶

#25DaysofFishmas is hitting the road! While there's no place like H.O.M.E.S. for the holidays, we'll be traveling beyond the #GreatLakes this year to learn about freshwater fishes from across the US. The road trip kicks off December 1!
A cartoon winter landscape with fish participating in winter activities; the text reads "#25DaysofFishmas is hitting the road December 1!"
November 24, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
sse-evolution.bsky.social
Submit your proposal now for the Research Synthesis Working Groups at #Evol2026. Selected groups will present a symposium, collaborate on a publication, and establish a lasting research network. Proposals due January 6! shorturl.at/2JNeG
Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Call for Proposals: Research Synthesis Working Groups. Deadline: January 6.
November 20, 2025 at 8:22 AM
brackenlab.bsky.social
#BanjoFeed 🪕
November 24, 2025 at 4:59 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
“When the researchers caused human cells to overproduce the protein, those cells repaired DNA breaks more efficiently. And when they caused live fruit flies to make a lot of the protein, ’they started living longer and they also became more resistant to DNA damage,’ says Gorbunova.” 🤯🐋🧬 #MarineLife
November 24, 2025 at 4:35 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
So an advertising blimp flew over my backyard this afternoon. But the AI in my phone says it’s a slug… 🤔
A photo of an orange blimp against a blue sky. Below it are the Siri suggestions for what it is: either *Sarasinula plebia* or *Drusia valenciennii*. Siri thinks it’s a slug.
November 23, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
theonion.com
Detroit Lions Rookie Asks For Thanksgiving Off
Detroit Lions Rookie Asks For Thanksgiving Off
DETROIT—Double-checking that he had approval before finalizing travel plans, Detroit Lions rookie Tate Ratledge reportedly approached head coach Dan Campbell on Monday to see if it might be possible f...
theonion.com
November 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
ajcousins.bsky.social
Took a day trip yesterday to see the Sandhill Cranes gather at sunset at the Jasper-Pulaski FWA and it was absolutely and totally worth it. 😍 #birds
Photo of 4 Sandhill Cranes flying in silhouette against the hot pinks, purples, and blues of a brilliant sunset
November 23, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
cpsc.gov
There is a post circulating on Bluesky encouraging the moving of a frozen turkey straight into a pot of hot oil. We are combating this misinformation the best way we know how - through the power of dance music.
November 23, 2025 at 1:31 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
There are four types of guys online. No exceptions.
The Highwaymen: Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, & Kris Kristofferson. Photo: Jim McGuire, https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-highwaymen-the-fights-and-friendship-of-countrys-great-supergroup-184126/
November 23, 2025 at 5:09 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
Today, I learned a cool, new word that is fun to say.
brucedstaylor.bsky.social Bruce Taylor @brucedstaylor.bsky.social · 5d
Weird word of the day: "kleptosquamy." The testate amoeba Awerintzewia cyclostoma steals scales from other amoeboid organisms to build its own shell. This one has robbed Quadrulella, Netzelia, various euglyphids, and even an Acanthocystis. Kleptosquamy! #amoebae #ProtistsOnSky #biology #nature
November 23, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
jonlen.bsky.social
Study area shape matters when tracking species range shifts & we may underestimate longitudinal range shifts to the benefit of latitudinal range shifts, potentially undermining drivers other than T°C 🌡

🌐🌏🌎🌍🧪🐠🐍🦋🦉🦇🌳🌲

shorturl.at/prp63
Global bias towards recording latitudinal range shifts - Nature Climate Change
The authors consider studies reporting species range shifts and demonstrate a geometric bias in sampling along latitudinal, rather than longitudinal, gradients. This bias may favour the corroboration ...
shorturl.at
November 22, 2025 at 10:05 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
Egret evening. 🦑🪶
A Great Egret hunts along a rocky shore at low tide, with rocks, the ocean, and a sunset sky behind it.
November 23, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
mayorwu.boston.gov
An honor and dream come true to perform alongside Yo-Yo Ma, presented by Celebrity Series at Boston Symphony Hall. 💜

🎼Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)
November 22, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
theradr.bsky.social
hey guys i made a seasonal meme
Meme: Straight ahead: Pausing to consider the meaning of Cohen's lyrics Everyone, for some reason, takes the exit towards Singing "Hallelujah" again in religious contexts
November 22, 2025 at 5:41 AM
brackenlab.bsky.social
#Caturday 🐈‍⬛💕
Our calico kitty, Sephy, is sitting on my lap.
November 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
mikegrillo.bsky.social
I am hiring a postdoc to examine the genomic and evolutionary basis of plant microbiome variation in legumes. There are opportunities to gain teaching experience. Chicago is a great city to live in! Please help spread the word.
share.google/gukbzS1zdIx6...
Postdoctoral Researcher in Plant Evolutionary Genomics
The postdoctoral researcher will work in Dr. Michael Grillo’s plant evolutionary genetics lab. The goal of this research project is to understand the genomic basis of plant-microbiome variation in leg...
share.google
October 10, 2025 at 6:11 PM
brackenlab.bsky.social
Sometimes, the lemon tree in our yard produces cursed artifacts.
I’m holding a lemon that looks like it has twisted appendages.
November 22, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
idontevencara.bsky.social
Hope you’re staying healthy this cold and flu season! Have you ever wondered why one side of your nose might feel more congested than the other when you get sick?

It’s an unfortunate side-effect of the way your nose is built to process smells.

1/7 ⚛️🧪
A woman in a blue sweater with a handkerchief over her (ostensibly congested) nose. Image via PickPik, public domain.
November 22, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Reposted by Matt Bracken
kathryntewson.bsky.social
I would like all of you, each and every one, to go google “Miss Universe National Costume Competition 2025 Norway” right now
November 22, 2025 at 7:15 AM