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msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt
@msbbirds.bsky.social
1.7K followers 620 following 230 posts
Prof & Curator @UNM, Museum of Southwestern Biology NM Game Commissioner Studies: bird ecology, evolution, genetics, physiology, biogeography, & toxicology Enjoys: Birding, hunting, fishing, running Personal account, not representing UNM or State of NM
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Reposted by Christopher Witt
davelevitan.bsky.social
Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · 16h
EXTREMELY COOL BAT STUFF: A study out in Science today found that the greater noctule bat, Europe's largest, hunts and catches *migrating birds* while in flight. In at least one case, a bat climbed to more than 1200 feet, then chased a robin downward FAST until it caught it near the ground.
Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight
Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...
www.science.org
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msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt @msbbirds.bsky.social · 17h
Foster Hall! 🙌
Reposted by Christopher Witt
erictopol.bsky.social
Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · 18h
Why does the naked mole rat have the longest lifespan of any rodent, nearly 40 years?
A 30-year long mystery unraveled @ScienceMagazine today!
Its cGAS enzyme in cells has 4 missense mutations that upends its function, promoting DNA repair and suppressing inflammation
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
govpritzker.illinois.gov
Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 1d
If you come for my people, you come through me.
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
currentbiology.bsky.social
Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 2d
Which journal would publish such a fragmented mess?
www.cell.com/current-biol...
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
joshuasweitz.bsky.social
Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 1d
UC-Berkeley physicist who just won the Nobel Prize tells it like it is: "It is going to be disastrous if this continues"

For "It" read -> science, economy, rule of law, and beyond.

www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Nobel physics laureate says Trump cuts will 'cripple' US research
It was just past 2:00 am when a mysterious number rang Nobel laureate John Clarke, what he deemed "obviously a joke call" that grew increasingly surreal when he heard "a voice from Sweden."- 'Basic sc...
www.yahoo.com
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
jdmanthey.bsky.social
Joe Manthey @jdmanthey.bsky.social · 2d
Our paper on the temporal genomics of Ethiopian birds
has been highlighted (and gotten the cover) in @genomebiolevol.bsky.social
Article: doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf163
Highlight: doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf175

w/ @bourgeoisyann.bsky.social, @lcampillo.bsky.social, and others not on bsky
Genome Biology and Evolution October 2025 cover image with a photo of an Ethiopian White-eye.
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
nielsjdewinter.bsky.social
Niels de Winter @nielsjdewinter.bsky.social · 3d
Such a sad story, but good that it can be told in full in museums now.
doi.org/10.1126/scie...
Fate of the last female great auk is finally solved
DNA and historical sleuthing have traced the extinct bird’s remains to a museum in Ohio
doi.org
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
johnfabianwitt.bsky.social
John Fabian Witt @johnfabianwitt.bsky.social · 4d
Political violence, post-pandemic one-party rule, vast economic inequality, and immigration backlash? The 2020s are the 1920s all over again--and that may show us a way out. Adapted from my book, to be published next week. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/o...
Opinion | How to Save the American Experiment
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
alxnelson.bsky.social
Alex Nelson @alxnelson.bsky.social · 5d
Roseate spoonbills will splash their wings through the water as part of their beauty routine. Here's one doing so mid-splash, facing straight ahead towards the camera. I really love this shot. #birds
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
dirtbagqueer.rocks
victoria zeller (buy ONE OF THE BOYS) @dirtbagqueer.rocks · 7d
thank you bills tiktok
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
cwebbonline.com
Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 6d
Attn Black people, stop scrolling.

This is not a drill: Chicago
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msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt @msbbirds.bsky.social · 5d
Do they do impressions though?
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maaloufmd.bsky.social
Monica Maalouf, MD @maaloufmd.bsky.social · 6d
My husband was detained by ICE today

Juan Muñoz, an American citizen, father of 2, and local government official, was peacefully protesting w. other elected officials. He was assaulted and taken away

I have had zero contact or updates since

#SOS
@duckworth.senate.gov @durbin.senate.gov
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
juddlegum.bsky.social
Judd Legum @juddlegum.bsky.social · 11d
1. The $20 billion taxpayer-funded rescue package for Argentina, announced last week by the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, delivers an enormous windfall to hedge fund billionaire Rob Citrone.

Citrone has a longstanding personal and professional relationship with Bessent.
Trump’s Argentina bailout enriches one well-connected billionaire
A $20 billion taxpayer-funded rescue package for Argentina is a gift for a hedge fund manager with personal and professional ties to the Treasury Secretary
popular.info
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
miriamposner.com
Miriam Posner @miriamposner.com · 14d
To read the university’s triumphant all-campus email about restored NIH funding, you’d think UC administrators made it happen. But that’s not true. In fact the UC *Faculty Association* organized the lawsuit; administrators kept their heads down and hoped it’d go away.
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
kyle-horton.bsky.social
Kyle Horton @kyle-horton.bsky.social · 15d
Truly impressive number of birds migrating tonight. More than 800 MILLION birds up in the air right now❗ #BirdMigration
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msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt @msbbirds.bsky.social · 15d
If the purpose of this PSA is to remind ppl that Ferruginous Hawks have feathered tarsi, mission accomplished
cpsc.gov
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission @cpsc.gov · 15d
These are the facts.
A hawk with the head of a human baby -- soaring through the blue skies with glee -- its talons extended and ready to strike. The text reads: Babies don't have talons. You need to keep them safe. Your human baby needs a safe sleep space. Bare is best - make sure to remove all suffocation hazards like toys, blankets, pillows, and padded crib bumpers from your baby's sleep space.
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
adamserwer.bsky.social
Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 17d
Nothing says “land of the free” like armed agents of the state saying “show me your papers if you want your daughter back” bsky.app/profile/nbcb...
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msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt @msbbirds.bsky.social · 16d
Happy Birthday!
msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt @msbbirds.bsky.social · 17d
Mammatus clouds, but my 10-yr old called them “skeleton fingers”

#NewMexico
Odd cumulonimbus raincloud over Albuquerque on 9/22/25, with bubble-like protrusions resembling a skeleton’s fingers, technically called mamma, mammatus, or mammatoculus Odd cumulonimbus raincloud over Albuquerque on 9/22/25, with bubble-like protrusions resembling a skeleton’s fingers, technically called mamma, mammatus, or mammatoculus Odd cumulonimbus raincloud over Albuquerque on 9/22/25, with bubble-like protrusions resembling a skeleton’s fingers, technically called mamma, mammatus, or mammatoculus
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
devoevomed.bsky.social
Vincent J Lynch 🐘🦣🦥 🦇🐋🐢🐍 @devoevomed.bsky.social · 20d
Intense ivory poaching has led to the evolution of tusklessness in some African elephant populations, which might reduce poaching, but also happens to be an X-chromosome–linked dominant trait that is lethal to males #EleFunFactFriday #TheMoreYouKnow 💫 🧪 🐘

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Ivory poaching and the rapid evolution of tusklessness in African elephants
Intensive ivory poaching during a period of civil conflict caused the rapid evolution of tusklessness in an African elephant population.
www.science.org
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Reposted by Christopher Witt
chrismurphyct.bsky.social
Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 22d
This is a massive, history making abuse of your power. It will define your legacy and one day you will come to regret punishing free speech and trying to destroy democracy.
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colincarlson.bsky.social
Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 23d
🚨 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...
"Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change," a brief communication in the journal Nature Climate Change. There's a map showing regions of the world, and pie charts of relevant studies as they apply to different health impacts like "heat-related deaths" and "maternal and child health"
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msbbirds.bsky.social
Christopher Witt @msbbirds.bsky.social · 23d
If disease falls in deforest and nobody’s there to disburse it tho?