Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Joel Slade

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · Aug 19

Hey everybody! @drjuliawester.bsky.social and I have a new paper!

We surveyed over 800 scientists, science communicators, and science educators who use social media.

Conclusion: Scientists no longer find Twitter useful or pleasant, and many have switched to Bluesky! 🧪🌎🦑

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

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Aug 20

Now you're speaking my language!

a man with a beard is holding a towel and says `` count me in '' while standing in a room .

ALT: a man with a beard is holding a towel and says `` count me in '' while standing in a room .

media.tenor.com

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Aug 20

Reintroduction time! I’m Joel - a professor, researcher, and bird enthusiast 🐦 🦚🦉. I study ecoimmunology in birds, and I teach ecology, evolution, and immunology. I was here before but drifted away for a bit. Happy to be back and excited to connect again!
#Science #AcademicLife #Birds

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Jun 15

I don’t think my local one has this capacity, but maybe the broader society does.

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Jun 15

I will be applying for sabbatical the same time as tenure this year. It can only be a semester-long tenure. My ultimate goal is to be a master bander, or at least get permission to mistnet. I saw @instbirdpop.bsky.social offers courses, which is a possibility. Does anyone have ideas?

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Greg Gloor @ggloor.bsky.social · May 5

this is #whysciencematters

Stacey D. Smith @iochromaland.bsky.social · May 5

On Friday, my son stayed home from school because he had a sore throat and wasn’t feeling well. He went with my husband to his office for the morning while I handled our daughter. When he came back at lunch, he was not interested in eating, saying his throat hurt too much. 1/n

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · May 5

I am looking for a MS student to take on a project. We have samples already collected, and there is opportunity for more field work. California resident is preferred (fees for non-resident and international students are too high IMO). Repost please.

#ecology #physiology #ornithology #grad

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Apr 2

Two articles just published this week very closely resembling the paper my grad student is ready to submit 🙃

It’s scoopin’ season! 🥲

Reposted by Joel Slade

Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · Feb 18

From NSF’s website: ‘Our investments account for about 25% of federal support to America's colleges and universities for basic research: research driven by curiosity and discovery.’

More than 95% of NSF’s budget goes back out the door to fund science. Cutting staff won’t save much tax payer money.

NSF by the numbers

$9.06B
NSF's Fiscal Year 2024 enacted budget
93%
Percent of budget supporting research, education and related activities
1,900+
Organizations supported by NSF across every state and U.S. territory
350,000+
Researchers, entrepreneurs, students and teachers supported by NSF

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · Feb 24

After playing a fictional member of the Resistance a long time ago, I never could have imagined it ever happening in real life, but here we are.

Delaney (Pum)King (She/Her/Whomst) @delaneyking.bsky.social · Feb 24

Mark Hamill posting rebellious content in a battle against a dictator and his robotic sidekick is the most Star Wars shit ever.

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Jessica Arbour @fountainscholar.bsky.social · Jan 15

I am taking up to 2 applicants for the masters program in biology at MTSU this coming fall. Projects working on cichlid ecomorphology, cichlid fossils and missing data. Experience with fish, geomorph or R a plus. Funding for stipend and travel support.

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Reposted by Joel Slade

SHOAL @shoalorg.bsky.social · Jan 8

❌ BREAKING NEWS ❌
1/4 of freshwater animals are at risk of #extinction‼️
The largest global assessment of freshwater animals on the IUCN Red List to date has revealed that 24% are at high risk of extinction, according to analysis published in Nature today.
👇
shoalconservation.org/global-fresh...

One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction - IUCN Red List - Shoal

One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List The largest global assessment of freshwater animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ to date has revealed that 24% of...

shoalconservation.org

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Peter Santema @petersantema.bsky.social · Jan 8

New paper out in @rsocpublishing.bsky.social! Research from our group shows that males of the polygynous ruff visit many potential breeding sites within a breeding season, travelling up to 9000 km and visiting up to 23 different sites! royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... 1/7

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Jan 6

Sucks. Didn’t Louisiana recently pass a bill that doctors and other health care professionals cannot promote vaccinations? I feel bad for the family and I hope this is a one-off.

This has me thinking it’s time to swab some birds.

Meg Tirrell @megtirrell.bsky.social · Jan 6

The first person to have a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the US has died, Louisiana's health department said: www.cnn.com/2025/01/06/h...

America’s first bird flu death reported in Louisiana | CNN

The first person to have a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States has died, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Meg Tirrell @megtirrell.bsky.social · Jan 6

The first person to have a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the US has died, Louisiana's health department said: www.cnn.com/2025/01/06/h...

America’s first bird flu death reported in Louisiana | CNN

The first person to have a severe case of H5N1 bird flu in the United States has died, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

www.cnn.com

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · Dec 26

Are you familiar with the growing body of research on how climate change is reshaping birds' bodies? Here's a great overview of how this trend is playing out in Australia. #ornithology

Shrinking wings, bigger beaks: birds are reshaping themselves in a warming world

Beak sizes increase, and body sizes decrease - but why? How we are slowly unravelling the mystery behind changing body shapes in Australian birds.

theconversation.com

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Kelly Zamudio @kzutaustin.bsky.social · Dec 18

Hey All, plz repost, and share with grads, post-docs and disease folks! We are hiring a post-doc to work on mechanisms of immune responses of frog hosts to Bd infections. Deadline is February 1, 2025. Details for the position can be found at the link below. 🐸🐸🐸

zamudiolab.org/2024/12/17/p...

Post-Doc position in the KZLab! Immune responses to pathogen infections in frogs

We are looking for an NSF-funded post-doc in our lab in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Texas at Austin. The work will examine immune mechanisms that potentially underlie…

zamudiolab.org

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Dec 20

“Can you bump my C to an A?”

Effin' Birds @effinbirds.com · Dec 15

A painting of a bird beside the text "motherfucker be reasonable"

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · Dec 20

Another thing I made this year: Real and implied birds.

A six-panel cartoon titled "real and implied birds". In the two panels in the top row, there's a rough legged-hawk sailing through the sky, next to a smooth legged hawk, which has smooth human legs. In the second row, there's a great-crested flycatcher looking dapper, next to an ok-crested flycatcher that has just a slightly less nice crest. In the third row, there's a mountain chickadee standing up on stones, next to a valley chickadee peeking out from a dip between stones. In the fourth row, there's a least bittern standing in some reeds, next to a most bittern that is enormous and stomping through a city, with people running in fear, helicopters overhead, and an overturned car on fire.

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Janet Hill @saskajanet.bsky.social · Dec 20

The Chimney Swift Restoration Fund (the Chimney Swift Fund) helps maintain nesting and roosting sites for the Chimney Swift by providing financial support for the restoration of anthropogenic structures (i.e., chimneys, barns, etc.) known to be important for the species in Canada. #birds

Kathy Jones 🍁🇨🇦 @volunteer4birds.bsky.social · Dec 15

From #BirdsCanada: We’re excited to announce that the Chimney Swift Fund is once again accepting applications! This important initiative supports the restoration of nesting & roosting sites for this Species at Risk. Apply now! https://buff.ly/4fGjqUQ #birds #conservation #stewardship #urbanbirds

Three Chimney Swifts in the bright blue sky circling over an old chimney. Text: Why restore old chimneys? Photo: Peter Middleton

A white block over the chimney swift in blue sky image with the text: Why restore old chimneys? In the past, Chimney Swifts would nest and roost in large, hollow trees in old-growth forests. However, over the past 400 years, the availability of these trees has declined drastically. As a result, these birds have become largely dependent on human-made structures for nesting and roosting: primarily chimneys!

A darling little gray chimney swift clinging to some bark. It is almost verticle as chimney swifts can only cling, they cannot perch horizontally. Text: The Chimney Swift fund is accepting applications! PhotoL Catherine Jarjour

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Joel Slade @evoecojoel.bsky.social · Dec 20

Well, shit…
It was a matter of time, but one case isn’t a cause for panic yet.

www.usatoday.com/videos/news/...

First severe case of bird flu reported

Just days after the CDC reassured people that the risk of contracting bird flu remains low among humans, the agency reported the first case of severe illness caused by an infection in the United State...

www.usatoday.com

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Reposted by Joel Slade

Tim O'Connell @tinosaurs.bsky.social · Dec 13

Page charges? Gone!
Publication date = date published online!

THANK YOU @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social for breaking down barriers to publishing in the #WilsonJournalOfOrnithology.

Today's announcement is the realization of a long-term plan I've been advocating for years!

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Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · Dec 14

You know why you should never ask a goose for directions?

They always anserinae honk 🪿

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