Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Rebecca Finger Higgens

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 19d

Breaking news: The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered scientists in at least one of its research offices to immediately pause almost all research and stop publishing their studies.

EPA tells scientists to stop publishing studies, employees say

Staff from the EPA’s Office of Water were summoned to a town hall meeting this week and told to pause the publication of most research, pending a review.

wapo.st

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DC Environmental Film Festival @dceff.bsky.social · Aug 26

ABOUT DAMN TIME is now streaming on YouTube! The new short chronicles the journey of the Colorado River's trailblazing boatwomen.

Learn more about the @americanrivers.bsky.social supported film and start watching here:
substack.com/home/post/p-...

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Seth Munson @smmunson.bsky.social · Aug 17

“Average North American Monsoon onset is delayed in years with anomalously high spring soil moisture in the Colorado Plateau”

Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · Aug 17

'North American Monsoon Response to Antecedent Soil Moisture and Snow in the Colorado Plateau' - a fresh look at land surface feedbacks on the NAM, harkening back to the work by e.g Barlow and Gutzler agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/...

North American Monsoon Response to Antecedent Soil Moisture and Snow in the Colorado Plateau

Average North American Monsoon (NAM) onset is delayed in years with anomalously high spring soil moisture in the Colorado Plateau (CP) Increased latent and decreased sensible heat flux in the CP ...

agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Raymond J. Mollica @raymondmollica.bsky.social · Aug 16

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Jonas Lembrechts @jlembrechts.bsky.social · Aug 16

New for all microclimate enthusiasts!

A step-by-step workflow to build your own sensor network - with awesome R code for site selection + tips on engagement, fieldwork & outreach.

Led with @thenaturedave.bsky.social and @rebeccasenior.bsky.social

🔗 the3dlab.org/2025/08/16/h...

How to set up your own microclimate network

Back in 2021, we had an important thought: maybe we should start treating microclimate the same way we treat macroclimate. Weather and climate are monitored by national governments through organize…

the3dlab.org

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Justin S. Mankin @jsmankin.bsky.social · Aug 14

With the EPA targeting the Endangerment Finding, @ccallahan45.bsky.social, Alex Gottlieb, & I conducted an end-to-end attribution of climate damages from U.S. power sector emissions.

The result: $78 billion in climate losses to the U.S. economy over 1973–2023.

See here: zenodo.org/records/1687...

Left: Annual-scale direct economic damages to the U.S. economy from the U.S. electric power sector emissions over the 1973-2023 period in billions of U.S. dollars benchmarked to the 2015 dollar value ($US2015). Right: Cumulative direct economic damages from U.S. power sector emissions, equivalent to the integral under the curve at the left.

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Eliza Maher Hasselquist @emhasselquist.bsky.social · Aug 14

I had a few people at #ESA2025 say that it was hard to find where to apply for jobs in Sweden. If you want to check jobs at university, here's the website: www.slu.se/en/about-slu...

#forests #restorationecology #forestry #silviculture

Jobs and vacancies | slu.se

Would you like to join us in creating the conditions for a sustainable, thriving and better world? Welcome with your application!

www.slu.se

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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · Aug 7

Loud voice: This is a win for a classroom!

(Whisper: it’s a win for you too. It doesn’t take long and it’s hard to imagine feeling low after participating in @skypeascientist.bsky.social).

I participated last spring it and will again. Strong recommend!!

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · Aug 7

Scientists!

@skypeascientist.bsky.social matches scientists with classrooms, libraries, & more for virtual Q&As! It's easy and fun!

We are looking for 750 more volunteers by 8/15

If you're down to chat with 1-5 classrooms this semester, sign up here
www.skypeascientist.com/sign-up.html

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Rebecca Finger Higgens @fingdinger.bsky.social · Aug 5

"Nature’s secrets will continue to be uncovered, even if Americans aren’t the ones who see them first."

Mark Histed @markhisted.org · Aug 5

This is an excellent explainer about the US scientific ecosystem. It covers a lot of points I often hear non-scientists asking about: about talent, the dynamics of the academic research environment, Germany, the USSR, history of NSF, NIH. Worth a read.

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Every Scientific Empire Comes to an End

America’s run as the premier techno-superpower may be over.

www.theatlantic.com

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Global Change Biology @globalchangebio.bsky.social · Aug 3

Grazing Modulates the Multiscale Spatial Structure of Dryland Vegetation

🔗 buff.ly/AZABRtK

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DC Environmental Film Festival @dceff.bsky.social · Jul 25

ABOUT DAMN TIME, the new short supported by @americanrivers.bsky.social, follows the trailblazing boatwomen of the Colorado River. Read more about it and stream it for free (this weekend only) via our Shorts: Wild Lives virtual collection. open.substack.com/pub/dceff/p/watch-now-about-damn-time

Watch Now: About Damn Time

A love letter to the Colorado River and its trailblazing boatwomen

open.substack.com

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Brooke Osborne (she/her) @brookebosborne.bsky.social · Jul 22

Way excited for Savannah's defense next week!

If you love biogeochemistry and thinking about potential for soil carbon management, mark your calendar for Monday, July 28th @ 11:00 AM MDT (or stop by campus if you're in Moab 😉)

Public Zoom Link: usu.zoom.us/j/8144285688...

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Ning Chen @chenning-cn.bsky.social · Jul 23

Happy to share an excellent study on the self-organized spatial patterns of biocrusts. Biocrusts make a difference. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

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The Onion @theonion.com · Jul 17

Rising Cost Of Living Forcing More Buddhists To Continue Working Years Into Reincarnation theonion.com/rising-...

Rising Cost Of Living Forcing More Buddhists To Continue Working Years Into Reincarnation

Few Can Save Enough To Relax And Enjoy Next Life

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Eos @eos.org · Jul 10

Senate Appropriations has a markup hearing for science this morning. In their bill: $9B for NSF (current is $9.06B). Also includes protections for NOAA and NWS staffing. 🧪

eos.org/research-and...

New U.S. Budget Proposal Slashes Billions in Funds for Science - Eos

President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget, released today, slashes non-defense discretionary spending by $163 billion, a 22.6% reduction from 2025.

eos.org

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Eos @eos.org · Jun 11

Climate.gov will likely soon shut down, as most of the staff charged with maintaining it were fired. 🧪

eos.org/research-and...

NOAA’s Climate Website May Soon Shut Down - Eos

Climate.gov, NOAA’s portal to the work of their Climate Program Office, will likely soon shut down as most of the staff charged with maintaining it were fired on 31 May.

eos.org

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Michael Battalio @battalio.com · May 31

The President's Budget request as released yesterday will gut scientific research. Why should you care?
1) Science is fundamentally a jobs program. Many 100,000s are employed to do science and work for you, the US taxpayer.

NSF, NASA and NIH budgets per year, inflation adjusted from 2000-2025 along with the proposed cuts. NSF includes research component only. Massive cuts across all sectors, well below support spanning 25 years.

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Kevin Anchukaitis @thirstygecko.bsky.social · May 31

'The [Ecosystems Mission Area] is also a core part of federal climate research. The Trump administration has sharply reduced or eliminated funds for climate science across federal agencies, calling the study of climate change part of “social agenda” research' www.nytimes.com/2025/05/31/c...

Trump’s Proposed Budget Would Cut a Major Ecology Program

www.nytimes.com

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Eos @eos.org · May 28

Are you keeping up with the firehose of changes to science policy? You can, with our handy (and sortable) tracker. eos.org/research-and...

Lately, we're thinking about how the #SAA2025Denver program was called a “two-page blood bath of federal disengagement” by one attendee. Yikes. (‪@nytimes.com‬)

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Jessamine Finch, PhD @seedystudies.bsky.social · May 27

Mojave Desert Land Trust is hiring a Field Coordinator with the Mojave Desert Seed Bank! 🫘 #seedjobs

2 positions posted, hiring 1 candidate depending on quals & experience.

Coordinator/Lead – min 1 yr experience, $23-25/hr
Supervisor – 2-5 yrs exp., $25-28/hr

saveplants.org/forums/topic...

Job Opportunity, Mojave Desert Seed Bank Field Coordinator - Center for Plant Conservation

Mojave Desert Land Trust is recruiting to fill a Field Coordinator position with the Mojave Desert Seed Bank! We are recruiting to fill the position of Seed Bank Field Coordinator/Lead – Field Supervi...

saveplants.org

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Rebecca Finger Higgens @fingdinger.bsky.social · May 27

Such sad news. Teresa was always helping and welcoming. This scholarship is a nice way to share the love of a great woman.

Rebecca Finger Higgens @fingdinger.bsky.social · May 3

Those are amazing!

Reposted by Rebecca Finger Higgens

Eos @eos.org · May 1

A climate change curriculum cocreated by a team of Western and Indigenous researchers could amplify adaptation on the Colorado Plateau.

Teaming Up to Tailor Climate Education for Indigenous Communities - Eos

A new college-level curriculum, cocreated by Indigenous and Western researchers, could help Indigenous communities adapt to climate change on the Colorado Plateau.

eos.org

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Dr. Mariana García Criado @nanitundra.bsky.social · Apr 30

🌸Plant diversity dynamics over space and time in a warming Arctic 🌸

Our new study @nature.com analysed plant diversity change in >2000 tundra plots over 4 decades. We found that plants changed unevenly, mostly driven by warming and biotic interactions.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

🧵 (1/7) 🌐🧪🌱🌍

Illustration of a Greenlandic landscape, showing in the foreground Rhododendron lapponicum on a cliff, with sea ice and icebergs in the background. Illustration by Alberto S. Ballesteros (@asbillustration.bsky.social)

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Humboldt-Stiftung @humboldt-foundation.de · Apr 25

Happy #WorldPenguinDay!

Did you know that the Humboldt penguin (with whom Humboldt dances here) can blush? This penguin type lives in relatively warm habitats – in contrast to the icy environments of other species. The blushing helps it to cool down! 💚

AI-generated image of a man who looks like Alexander von Humboldt dancing with a Humboldt penguin.

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