Matthew A. Barnes
@drbarnes.org
He/Him/Él; Associate Professor at Texas Tech; environmental DNA, freshwater ecology, biological invasions; BA from Southwestern University; PhD from University of Notre Dame. Posts are mine alone and do not represent my employer or other affiliations.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)
RTs appreciated.
RTs appreciated.
November 26, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Scientists: have you been the target of an online harassment campaign, doxxing, or weaponized FOIA requests? I'd like to talk to you about steps you had to take to protect your digital security for an upcoming Nature story. (You can be anonymous if necessary.)
RTs appreciated.
RTs appreciated.
#Invasivore You could eat these invasive species for Thanksgiving www.futurity.org/thanksgiving...
You could eat these invasive species for Thanksgiving
An expert digs into invasive species that are not only edible, but downright delicious, with flavors that could enhance a Thanksgiving table.
www.futurity.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
#Invasivore You could eat these invasive species for Thanksgiving www.futurity.org/thanksgiving...
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
UW-Madison is hiring a Professor of History who work in the history of science with a focus on water
For full consideration, all materials must be received no later than 11:59pm on December 31, 2025.
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/profess...
For full consideration, all materials must be received no later than 11:59pm on December 31, 2025.
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/profess...
Professor of History - Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.Job Category:FacultyEmployment Type:Regula...
jobs.wisc.edu
November 18, 2025 at 5:29 PM
UW-Madison is hiring a Professor of History who work in the history of science with a focus on water
For full consideration, all materials must be received no later than 11:59pm on December 31, 2025.
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/profess...
For full consideration, all materials must be received no later than 11:59pm on December 31, 2025.
jobs.wisc.edu/jobs/profess...
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Conflicts over freshwater resources are accelerating.
Data from the new update of the Pacific Institute Water Conflict Chronology.
www.worldwater.org
Data from the new update of the Pacific Institute Water Conflict Chronology.
www.worldwater.org
November 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Conflicts over freshwater resources are accelerating.
Data from the new update of the Pacific Institute Water Conflict Chronology.
www.worldwater.org
Data from the new update of the Pacific Institute Water Conflict Chronology.
www.worldwater.org
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
I feel so sad for the students, faculty, and staff of Texas A&M
November 14, 2025 at 1:01 PM
I feel so sad for the students, faculty, and staff of Texas A&M
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Three German universities offering post-docs for researchers "who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure. "
www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...
www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...
Early Career Rescue Fellowship
www.uni-konstanz.de
November 11, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Three German universities offering post-docs for researchers "who cannot conduct or continue their work in the USA appropriately because of actual political pressure. "
www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...
www.uni-konstanz.de/zukunftskoll...
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
November 13, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Submit them to Aurorasaurus!!! They're an NSF funded project out of University of New Mexico that takes crowdsourced aurora observations for research purposes:
www.aurorasaurus.org
www.aurorasaurus.org
Aurorasaurus - Reporting Auroras from the Ground Up
Friends, see my real-time #aurora report on the aurorasaurus.org map! Follow us on www.facebook.com/aurorasaurus.org. Reporting #northernlights and #citizenscience from the ground up since 2012!
www.aurorasaurus.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Submit them to Aurorasaurus!!! They're an NSF funded project out of University of New Mexico that takes crowdsourced aurora observations for research purposes:
www.aurorasaurus.org
www.aurorasaurus.org
There is a race to the bottom brewing in Texas regarding academic freedom.
Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M Chapter of the AAUP said faculty were not consulted on the proposed changes, which he called “a direct violation” of their expertise + freedom to teach. “If that’s the case, there’s just going to be a further black eye on higher education here in Texas.”
Texas A&M to vote on banning “race and gender ideology”
The proposal appears to mark the first time a Texas university system offers definitions of what kind of instruction related to race and gender should not be permitted.
www.texastribune.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:43 PM
There is a race to the bottom brewing in Texas regarding academic freedom.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Once these freedoms go away we no longer have universities. Real learning will be pushed underground.
🚨🚨 Texas A&M Board of Regents is meeting next week and set to approve a new policy requiring pre-approval of courses on race and gender. This is a blatant violation of academic freedom.
November 8, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Once these freedoms go away we no longer have universities. Real learning will be pushed underground.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Hey look👀
Getting a COVID vaccine is safer for kids when compared to getting a COVID infection
Has your family gotten their COVID booster yet?
Getting a COVID vaccine is safer for kids when compared to getting a COVID infection
Has your family gotten their COVID booster yet?
Important study
Children & adolescents are "far more likely to experience rare but serious heart & inflammatory conditions after a COVID-19 infection than after being vaccinated–and the risks after infection lasted much longer"
Next post has link to study itself
1/3
www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...
Children & adolescents are "far more likely to experience rare but serious heart & inflammatory conditions after a COVID-19 infection than after being vaccinated–and the risks after infection lasted much longer"
Next post has link to study itself
1/3
www.gavi.org/vaccineswork...
COVID-19 infection poses higher, longer heart risks to children than vaccination
A comprehensive analysis of English health records finds higher risk of rare heart complications in children and adolescents who caught COVID-19 compared to those who received an mRNA-based COVID vacc...
www.gavi.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Hey look👀
Getting a COVID vaccine is safer for kids when compared to getting a COVID infection
Has your family gotten their COVID booster yet?
Getting a COVID vaccine is safer for kids when compared to getting a COVID infection
Has your family gotten their COVID booster yet?
The worst part is that this destruction is not a side-effect; it is the goal #WarOnScience
"Science is being destroyed across many agencies" say federal researchers.
For my latest @nature.com piece, I spoke to 19 different scientists across EPA, NOAA, NIH, NASA, and USGS to document how science is being dismantled across US federal agencies.
For my latest @nature.com piece, I spoke to 19 different scientists across EPA, NOAA, NIH, NASA, and USGS to document how science is being dismantled across US federal agencies.
Dismantling of US federal agencies will ‘destroy science’
From NASA to the National Institutes of Health, federal agencies conduct research that universities cannot. Agency scientists speak out about the irreplaceable facilities, institutional knowledge and ...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 9:37 PM
The worst part is that this destruction is not a side-effect; it is the goal #WarOnScience
"Policed and censored: professors in the southern US feel under siege" www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Policed and censored: professors in the southern US feel under siege
Politics trumps salary as the main reason academics are looking for jobs in other states, a survey of university educators shows.
www.nature.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:51 PM
"Policed and censored: professors in the southern US feel under siege" www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Probably a radical ideology that will get me fired, but this seems wildly unconstitutional www.everythinglubbock.com/news/latest/...
www.everythinglubbock.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:28 AM
Probably a radical ideology that will get me fired, but this seems wildly unconstitutional www.everythinglubbock.com/news/latest/...
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
New: a $60 mod to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses disables the privacy LED light. This is supposed to light when people are filming with the glasses. We bought the mod, verified it works. Now you can never be sure whether someone wearing Meta Ray-Bans is filming you or not
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
A $60 Mod to Meta’s Ray-Bans Disables Its Privacy-Protecting Recording Light
Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses usually include an LED that lights up when the user is recording other people. One hobbyist is charging a small fee to disable that light, and has a growing list of customers ar...
www.404media.co
October 23, 2025 at 1:01 PM
New: a $60 mod to Meta's Ray-Ban glasses disables the privacy LED light. This is supposed to light when people are filming with the glasses. We bought the mod, verified it works. Now you can never be sure whether someone wearing Meta Ray-Bans is filming you or not
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
www.404media.co/how-to-disab...
What an embarrassment www.texastribune.org/2025/10/21/t...
Texas trans students fear identity erasure at college
Once considered a safe haven to explore identity, Texas campuses are invalidating and alienating trans people, students say.
www.texastribune.org
October 21, 2025 at 3:28 PM
What an embarrassment www.texastribune.org/2025/10/21/t...
Heroes, leaders in the resistance to the #WarOnEducation and #WarOnScience
BREAKING: USC HAS JOIN THE RESISTANCE!
That’s four (MIT, Brown, Penn, USC) of the nine schools Trump targeted.
Stay tuned! 🍿
#DefendHigherEd
#StandUpFightBack
That’s four (MIT, Brown, Penn, USC) of the nine schools Trump targeted.
Stay tuned! 🍿
#DefendHigherEd
#StandUpFightBack
USC rejects Trump education compact aimed at shifting the university to the right
USC interim President Beong-Soo Kim said in a statement that he had sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Education turning down the Trump offer.
www.latimes.com
October 16, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Heroes, leaders in the resistance to the #WarOnEducation and #WarOnScience
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
let’s see what they canceled children’s cancer research for:
"It doesn't get more tinfoil hat."
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to investigate *chemtrails,* according to an internal memo @stephaniearmour.bsky.social obtained.
A department spokeswoman notably did not deny it.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to investigate *chemtrails,* according to an internal memo @stephaniearmour.bsky.social obtained.
A department spokeswoman notably did not deny it.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s a Chemtrail? New Conspiracy Theory Takes Wing at Kennedy's HHS - KFF Health News
The idea that airplane vapors are toxic to people or that there are ongoing efforts to intentionally change the climate made the social media rounds. Now, it has found advocates at the Department of Health and Human Services.
kffhealthnews.org
October 16, 2025 at 3:05 PM
let’s see what they canceled children’s cancer research for:
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Every decade, university administrators excite themselves over the prospects of firing all the faculty and 95% of the staff.
Early 2020s: LLMs
Early 2010s: MOOCs
Early 2000s: Wikis
Early 2020s: LLMs
Early 2010s: MOOCs
Early 2000s: Wikis
October 16, 2025 at 5:13 AM
Every decade, university administrators excite themselves over the prospects of firing all the faculty and 95% of the staff.
Early 2020s: LLMs
Early 2010s: MOOCs
Early 2000s: Wikis
Early 2020s: LLMs
Early 2010s: MOOCs
Early 2000s: Wikis
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
WOW! Our survey of scientists who stopped using Twitter and started using Bluesky is now the #1 most-shared on social media article in the history of the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology! Thanks for reading it, everyone! @sicbjournals.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
Scientists no Longer Find Twitter Professionally Useful, and have Switched to Bluesky
Synopsis. Social media has become widely used by the scientific community for a variety of professional uses, including networking and public outreach. For
doi.org
October 15, 2025 at 7:29 PM
WOW! Our survey of scientists who stopped using Twitter and started using Bluesky is now the #1 most-shared on social media article in the history of the journal Integrative and Comparative Biology! Thanks for reading it, everyone! @sicbjournals.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
doi.org/10.1093/icb/... 🧪
Heroes. Leaders. Although we didn't make the first cut, I have begged my University to also reject this compact.
🚨🚨🚨
And THREE stood up!
Penn has joined MIT & Brown in rejecting Trump’s loyalty oath compact.
When we join together and fight back, WE WIN!
No amount of federal bribery is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent.
LET’S GO!
#DefendHigherEd
@aaup-penn.bsky.social
And THREE stood up!
Penn has joined MIT & Brown in rejecting Trump’s loyalty oath compact.
When we join together and fight back, WE WIN!
No amount of federal bribery is worth surrendering the freedom to question, explore, and dissent.
LET’S GO!
#DefendHigherEd
@aaup-penn.bsky.social
Penn rejects White House proposal for special funding treatment
With the decision, Penn becomes the third university to decline the offer.
www.thedp.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Heroes. Leaders. Although we didn't make the first cut, I have begged my University to also reject this compact.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Small water bodies - ponds, ditches, small fens, headwater streams, flushes - the delicate capillaries that make up 80% of water bodies, home to some of our rarest creatures - ensuring their health has an outsize benefit for wildlife
October 16, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Small water bodies - ponds, ditches, small fens, headwater streams, flushes - the delicate capillaries that make up 80% of water bodies, home to some of our rarest creatures - ensuring their health has an outsize benefit for wildlife