Shan Kothari
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shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari
@shankothari.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.7K following 190 posts

Assistant professor at University of Alberta. Forest ecology + tree physiology. he/il

Videos
Environmental science 59%
Agriculture 16%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Dan Immergluck, Shan Kothari

froomkin.bsky.social
Dan Froomkin/Press Watch/Heads Up News @froomkin.bsky.social · 6h
This piece by M. Gessen should have been co-signed by the entire NYT editorial board. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/o...
Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Stacy D. VanDeveer, Daxton R. Stewart, Shan Kothari

chrisgeidner.bsky.social
Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 14h
DOJ lies.
DHS lies.
ICE lies.

That has been established. Do not repeat their claims as fact. Their claims are arguments or, often, misleading propaganda — when not outright lies.

They are seeking to make a case for their lawlessness (and to please Trump), not seeking to inform.

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller , and 5 more

newsguy.bsky.social
Steve Herman @newsguy.bsky.social · 2d
VOA's headquarters, 'the Sistine Chapel of the New Deal,' faces possible destruction as part of the Trump administration's drive for "maximum value for the federal real estate footprint." wapo.st/4a5NCsq
The stunning art trove hidden in a D.C. building marked by Trump for disposal
Packed with frescoes, paintings and reliefs, the federal government’s Cohen Building has been called “the Sistine Chapel of the New Deal.” Advocates fear these works could be at risk.
wapo.st

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 3d
Mumbai! this is near Bhuleshwar Market (one of my favorite places in the world)

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 3d
I'm sorry whose water supply now
Tank on a truck that says "Saddam Husain Water Supply" in painted letters

Reposted by Shan Kothari

phunphunphun.bsky.social
dash @phunphunphun.bsky.social · 5d
The Aviary in Edmonton needs our support after fire damage.
They are asking folks to buy gift certificates, and plan to reopen soon.

This size of venue is very important for the arts community here.
Please support as you are able...sharing helps!

#Edmonton #yeg #yegArts
#TheAviary

the-aviary.net

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 6d
I would venture to guess that most Canadians have no idea that happened, let alone care

Reposted by Shan Kothari

rmtransit.bsky.social
Reece Martin @rmtransit.bsky.social · 6d
An incredibly important video on the huge benefits of upzoning a North American city, and the risks that present afterwards: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVQ6...
This City Tried to Fix Housing. The Backlash Was Intense.
YouTube video by Oh The Urbanity!
www.youtube.com

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 7d
every roadside dhaba in the country around Baroda offers the same holy trinity of cuisines: Punjabi, Kathiyawadi, Chinese

Reposted by Shan Kothari

ralfekrowski.bsky.social
Ralf Ekrowski @ralfekrowski.bsky.social · 7d
Prediction markets simulate “science” with a few numbers and curves.
Any serious scientist would hesitate.
In a system that keeps attacking expertise, forecasts turn into pure gambling.
Maybe that’s exactly the appeal.
www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...
America Is Slow-Walking Into a Polymarket Disaster
Why is the media obsessed with prediction markets?
www.theatlantic.com

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 9d
Supine Rag by Scott Joplin, the hottest player piano roll of 1913

Reposted by Shan Kothari

yegbike.bsky.social
Edmonton Bike Coalition @yegbike.bsky.social · 9d
Wîhkwêntôwin Neighbourhood Renewal final designs are out now:
buff.ly/ea557h2

There is a short engagement period, with two in person events and an online survey.

We think that an important neighbourhood like this deserves a more ambitious design.

#yegbike #yegcc

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 10d
go Robert Mueller and the rule of law!

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Michael A. Clemens, Shan Kothari

scientificdiscovery.dev
Saloni @scientificdiscovery.dev · 10d
This is really heartening news, if it passes the US Senate.

There are lots of questions about how this would work in practice given the shutdown of USAID, but it would restore funding to Gavi, the Global Fund, UNAIDS, and other lifesaving foreign aid programs.
Unexpected global health wins in the US foreign aid bill
U.S. lawmakers released a foreign assistance appropriations bill that allocates $9.4 billion for global health.
www.devex.com

Reposted by Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham, Shan Kothari

melaniemitchell.bsky.social
Melanie Mitchell @melaniemitchell.bsky.social · 10d
My latest on Substack -- a write-up of the talk I gave at NeurIPS in December.

aiguide.substack.com/p/on-evaluat...
On Evaluating Cognitive Capabilities in Machines (and Other "Alien" Intelligences)
(Apologies for the length of this post, which means it gets cut off in the email version.
aiguide.substack.com

Reposted by Naomi Klein, Will Jennings, Rebecca Tushnet , and 2 more

cwarzel.bsky.social
Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 11d
There is a crisis of impunity. The Musk/Grok stuff is just one f many examples of people who are counting on there never being any consequences. And it all makes me just incandescently mad.
Elon Musk Cannot Get Away With This
If there is no red line around AI-generated sex abuse, then no line exists.
www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Shan Kothari

ahlfeldt.bsky.social
Gabriel M Ahlfeldt @ahlfeldt.bsky.social · 12d
Good architecture is a posterchild public good: non-rival and non-excludable. Had great fun using the economics toolbox to study why developments look rather underwhelming and simulate what policies could lead to more beautiful cities. @bsoeberlin.bsky.social github.com/Ahlfeldt/DPs...

Reposted by Adrian Vickers, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Shan Kothari

theguardian.com
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 14d
Indonesia blocks Musk’s Grok chatbot due to risk of pornographic content
Indonesia blocks Musk’s Grok chatbot due to risk of pornographic content
Move comes after governments and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned the AI tool and some have opened inquiries into sexualised content Indonesia temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot on Saturday due to the risk of AI-generated pornographic content, becoming the first country to deny access to the AI tool. The move comes after governments, researchers and regulators from Europe to Asia have condemned and some have opened inquiries into sexualised content on the app. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Shan Kothari

parismarx.com
Paris Marx @parismarx.com · 16d
60 workers at Ubisoft’s studio in Halifax, Nova Scotia voted to form a union.

In response, Ubisoft announced it was closing the entire studio. Maybe it’s time to look into the millions they get in public money for operating in Canada.
Video game giant Ubisoft closes Halifax studio, cutting 71 jobs | CBC News
Staff formed company's first North American union in late December but Ubisoft says unionization did not influence closure.
www.cbc.ca

Reposted by Darío Martin‐Benito, Shan Kothari

charlottegrossiord.bsky.social
Charlotte Grossiord @charlottegrossiord.bsky.social · 17d
🌳PhD Opportunity in plant ecophysiology🌡️ Join EPFL (Switzerland) for fully-funded 4yr PhD on tree responses to air drought and heat. Climate chamber + long-term experiments to uncover physiological thresholds under climate change. www.epfl.ch/labs/perl/pe...
PhD Position: Tree Physiological Responses to Atmospheric Drought
We invite applications for a fully funded four-year PhD position at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, with a planned start date in June 2026. The selected candidate wil...
www.epfl.ch

Reposted by Brian J. Enquist, Ben Bond‐Lamberty, Richard Betts , and 7 more

bmedlyn.bsky.social
Belinda Medlyn @bmedlyn.bsky.social · 18d
New research from our group: A pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent - driven by rising temperatures
rdcu.be/eXSa7
Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent
Nature Plants - Eight decades of forest plot monitoring show a pervasive increase in tree mortality across Australia’s forest biomes driven by climate change, jeopardizing their role as...
rdcu.be

Reposted by Erle C. Ellis, Garry Peterson, Jane K. Hill , and 3 more

markuseichhorn.bsky.social
Markus Eichhorn @markuseichhorn.bsky.social · 19d
I often get asked about the Miyawaki method of forest restoration, usually by people who have heard extraordinary claims for it. Morales et al. (2025) have reviewed the evidence and found it to be weak or absent. 🌏🧪🌳🌲 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Tiny forests, huge claims: The evidence gap behind the Miyawaki method for forest restoration
To scale up restoration effectively, practitioners and policymakers should prioritize methods supported by robust empirical evidence rather than relying on untested claims. Our findings highlight the...
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Shan Kothari

faineg.bsky.social
Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 22d
The world must boycott the World Cup and the Olympics.

It is both the only moral choice and will actually get the attention of these dead-eyed clout demons.

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, David H. Kaye , and 13 more

evacide.bsky.social
evacide @evacide.bsky.social · 23d
If you are a resident of California, the state now has a portal where you can demand deletion of your personal data from 500+ registered data brokers with a single request form, for free.

consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov

Reposted by Shan Kothari

beenwrekt.bsky.social
Ben Recht @beenwrekt.bsky.social · 26d
an argmin year in review
an argmin year in review
.
www.argmin.net

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 28d
Wouldn't be at all shocked if there were some great ones scattered across West Island!

The one I want to plug most is Hindusthali on Rosemont, run by a vegan Gujarati Ismaili couple raised in France—lovely people and great food!

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 28d
and there's decent Mexican in La Petite-Patrie and St-Michel but that's about it

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 28d
Montreal has some excellent Indian restaurants! I can send some recs if you'd like

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 28d
Halifax rent went up very quickly in just a few years. I think people in most major Canadian cities that are still cheap(-ish) have a persistent fear that the same could happen thete.

shankothari.bsky.social
Shan Kothari @shankothari.bsky.social · 28d
(a tremendous amount of the recent migration to Alberta has been due to affordable housing, in spite of our currently weak job market)