Maureen Kearney
@maureenmkearney.bsky.social
Biology, evolution, phylogenetics, biodiversity, sustainability, science, and science policy. Also: nature, music, poetry, history, philosophy and all the good things.
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
A major reorganization and significant downsizing has left scientists wondering about the future of the US National Academies. www.science.org/content/arti...
Can a smaller U.S. National Academies remain relevant?
Loss of federal support leads to staff layoffs and fewer committees of outside experts
www.science.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:02 PM
A major reorganization and significant downsizing has left scientists wondering about the future of the US National Academies. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
It is very hard to overstate the evil of the fossil fuel industry.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
U.N. climate talks fizzle out 10 years after Paris accord
Nearly 200 countries at the U.N. climate summit reached a deal that didn’t include a road map to curtail use of fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:14 PM
It is very hard to overstate the evil of the fossil fuel industry.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
When people finally do figure it out, it may be too late to undo the damage.
Look who I found in a photo hangin' around next to Robyn Hitchcock at a recent show... "Where's Gordon?"
November 23, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Look who I found in a photo hangin' around next to Robyn Hitchcock at a recent show... "Where's Gordon?"
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
A tour de force expose of those trying to smother us in anti-science propaganda. Michael Mann and Peter Hotez are leaders in confronting the anti-science crowd. They describe their own experiences and name and shame the organizations and individuals involved and how we can defeat them. Read it. 🧪
November 13, 2025 at 10:52 PM
A tour de force expose of those trying to smother us in anti-science propaganda. Michael Mann and Peter Hotez are leaders in confronting the anti-science crowd. They describe their own experiences and name and shame the organizations and individuals involved and how we can defeat them. Read it. 🧪
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
Transformative change often takes time, but its impacts can be immense!
IPBES #TransformativeChange Report shows how initiatives can boost:
🌱 Nature’s contributions, climate, food & water security
💡 Socio-economic outcomes, equity & resilience
https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change-assessment
IPBES #TransformativeChange Report shows how initiatives can boost:
🌱 Nature’s contributions, climate, food & water security
💡 Socio-economic outcomes, equity & resilience
https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change-assessment
November 16, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Transformative change often takes time, but its impacts can be immense!
IPBES #TransformativeChange Report shows how initiatives can boost:
🌱 Nature’s contributions, climate, food & water security
💡 Socio-economic outcomes, equity & resilience
https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change-assessment
IPBES #TransformativeChange Report shows how initiatives can boost:
🌱 Nature’s contributions, climate, food & water security
💡 Socio-economic outcomes, equity & resilience
https://www.ipbes.net/transformative-change-assessment
A great read. Particularly loved the rhetorical linking of different forms of bias and systemic error - the ruinous alchemy of social bias, bigotry, distorted judgments, inaccurate conclusions, and wasted time.
"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:26 PM
A great read. Particularly loved the rhetorical linking of different forms of bias and systemic error - the ruinous alchemy of social bias, bigotry, distorted judgments, inaccurate conclusions, and wasted time.
This should be really interesting. And with quite the compelling lineup of speakers/panelists. issues.org/event/was-sc...
Was Science’s Social Contract “Just a Myth”?
Join us for a conversation on the legacy of the social contract, and what its role might be in the future of the scientific enterprise.
issues.org
November 15, 2025 at 7:31 PM
This should be really interesting. And with quite the compelling lineup of speakers/panelists. issues.org/event/was-sc...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
November 12, 2025 at 10:31 AM
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
Patti Smith spoke with @amyweissmeyer.bsky.social over matcha lattes about her new memoir, “Bread of Angels.” In the book, Smith reflects on her lifetime of reinvention—and the twists in her story that have surprised even her. Read more from their conversation:
Patti Smith’s Family Secrets
Nearing 80, the punk poet reflects on the twists in her story that have surprised even her.
bit.ly
November 8, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Patti Smith spoke with @amyweissmeyer.bsky.social over matcha lattes about her new memoir, “Bread of Angels.” In the book, Smith reflects on her lifetime of reinvention—and the twists in her story that have surprised even her. Read more from their conversation:
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
"Michael Mann to Bill Gates: You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it" | Repost of my @thebulletin.org commentary by #MROnline: mronline.org/2025/11/04/m...
November 4, 2025 at 9:23 PM
"Michael Mann to Bill Gates: You can’t reboot the planet if you crash it" | Repost of my @thebulletin.org commentary by #MROnline: mronline.org/2025/11/04/m...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
Landmark report shows how decision-makers can manage global crises.
For the first time, researchers have compiled decades of resilience science research into nine critical Must-Knows, refined through dialogue with decision-makers.
Access the full report: www.stockholmresilience.org/research/res...
For the first time, researchers have compiled decades of resilience science research into nine critical Must-Knows, refined through dialogue with decision-makers.
Access the full report: www.stockholmresilience.org/research/res...
November 4, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Landmark report shows how decision-makers can manage global crises.
For the first time, researchers have compiled decades of resilience science research into nine critical Must-Knows, refined through dialogue with decision-makers.
Access the full report: www.stockholmresilience.org/research/res...
For the first time, researchers have compiled decades of resilience science research into nine critical Must-Knows, refined through dialogue with decision-makers.
Access the full report: www.stockholmresilience.org/research/res...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
For 41 weeks now, I’ve been sitting down every Friday night to chronicle the damage this administration is doing to science & higher ed.
We must stay focused. We’re in this for the long haul. We are finding ways not just to block them, but build something better.
buttondown.com/liminalcreat...
We must stay focused. We’re in this for the long haul. We are finding ways not just to block them, but build something better.
buttondown.com/liminalcreat...
Week 41
October 25-31 - a seasonal shift
buttondown.com
November 1, 2025 at 3:26 PM
For 41 weeks now, I’ve been sitting down every Friday night to chronicle the damage this administration is doing to science & higher ed.
We must stay focused. We’re in this for the long haul. We are finding ways not just to block them, but build something better.
buttondown.com/liminalcreat...
We must stay focused. We’re in this for the long haul. We are finding ways not just to block them, but build something better.
buttondown.com/liminalcreat...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
I also talk about de-extinction in this paper & the need to have some name to call the organisms. Like many people, I know that the Colossal "Dire Wolves" are not the descendants of the extinct wolves they are named after. But they are *something*, so we need to have a name for them.
I've often wondered about what we should call organisms whose similarity might be due to acquired genetic material. It got a little complicated, but I made a stab at it here
Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes
Abstract. The classification of living systems presents significant challenges due to the prevalence of gene transfer between genomes. Traditional taxonomi
academic.oup.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:36 AM
I also talk about de-extinction in this paper & the need to have some name to call the organisms. Like many people, I know that the Colossal "Dire Wolves" are not the descendants of the extinct wolves they are named after. But they are *something*, so we need to have a name for them.
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
My little book on Schrödinger's famous classic 'What Is Life?' is out! Offering the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of the book's origins, reception, impact, and legacy, it uncovers Schrödinger's motivations in writing it, and shows how it has shaped our current understanding of the cell
<i>What Is Life?</i> Revisited
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - <i>What Is Life?</i> Revisited
www.cambridge.org
October 10, 2025 at 1:52 PM
My little book on Schrödinger's famous classic 'What Is Life?' is out! Offering the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken of the book's origins, reception, impact, and legacy, it uncovers Schrödinger's motivations in writing it, and shows how it has shaped our current understanding of the cell
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
On Thursday, I'll join Megan Molteni at the 2025 @statnews.com Summit for a fireside chat on the future of science, technology, and research policy--from AI governance to public trust, from access to human rights. And how to ensure science serves the public good. www.statnews.com/stat-summit-...
October 11, 2025 at 9:02 PM
On Thursday, I'll join Megan Molteni at the 2025 @statnews.com Summit for a fireside chat on the future of science, technology, and research policy--from AI governance to public trust, from access to human rights. And how to ensure science serves the public good. www.statnews.com/stat-summit-...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
How far can NSF bend before it breaks? Science looks at what's happened to the agency under Trump. www.science.org/content/arti...
Under Trump, NSF faces worst crisis in its 75-year history
Political directives have undermined agency's independence and record of supporting the best basic research
www.science.org
September 19, 2025 at 8:23 PM
How far can NSF bend before it breaks? Science looks at what's happened to the agency under Trump. www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
Great to see our new paper "Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change" out in print today in @natclimate.nature.com, which builds on our landscaping project on climate-health attribution a couple of years ago, funded by @wellcometrust.bsky.social
🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 17, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Great to see our new paper "Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change" out in print today in @natclimate.nature.com, which builds on our landscaping project on climate-health attribution a couple of years ago, funded by @wellcometrust.bsky.social
Yes! And de-commodify tenure criteria.
And yes, now is the right time.
New for @undark.org
"The fundamental problem with the tenure process is that it has struggled to recognize that knowledge is curated, created, and consumed differently today than even a decade ago."
undark.org/2025/09/11/o...
New for @undark.org
"The fundamental problem with the tenure process is that it has struggled to recognize that knowledge is curated, created, and consumed differently today than even a decade ago."
undark.org/2025/09/11/o...
It’s Time to Rethink the Academic Tenure Process
Opinion | To fight the war on science, higher education needs to reimagine the most important career milestone for faculty.
undark.org
September 11, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Yes! And de-commodify tenure criteria.
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
“In a scientific sense, this is a total loss.”
US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants
The decision will hinder lawsuits against grant terminations, legal specialists say.
www.nature.com
August 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
“In a scientific sense, this is a total loss.”
US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants www.nature.com/articles/d41...
US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
Crystal clear.
Pritzker: To the members of the press who are assembled here today and listening across the country, I am asking for your courage to tell it like it is. This is not a time to pretend here that there are two sides to this story.
August 26, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Crystal clear.
When your grown child is listening to the 500 greatest albums of all time (according to Rolling Stone) and providing commentary and critique on the music you lived through your entire life...🫣. Hearing things that are so so familiar and loaded with meaning through the ears of others is interesting.
August 13, 2025 at 6:48 PM
When your grown child is listening to the 500 greatest albums of all time (according to Rolling Stone) and providing commentary and critique on the music you lived through your entire life...🫣. Hearing things that are so so familiar and loaded with meaning through the ears of others is interesting.
Reposted by Maureen Kearney
We've been waiting for this report from NSF for many months — results of a survey on sexual harassment at US Antarctic stations. The numbers aren't good, but at least this problem is out in the open & starting to be tackled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Sexual harassment is rife at US Antarctic research bases, fresh survey finds
More than two-thirds of people polled had witnessed sexual harassment or assault on the ice.
www.nature.com
August 6, 2025 at 5:59 PM
We've been waiting for this report from NSF for many months — results of a survey on sexual harassment at US Antarctic stations. The numbers aren't good, but at least this problem is out in the open & starting to be tackled. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Update on agency appropriations... www.aaas.org/sites/defaul...
www.aaas.org
August 5, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Update on agency appropriations... www.aaas.org/sites/defaul...