Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Chloe MacLaren

Richard Ostler @rostler.bsky.social · Jul 3

Interested in #agdata? Then join us at the @rothamsted.bsky.social data hackathon using the rich long-term data from our Long-term experiments, North Wyke Farm Platform and Insect Survey @rothamsted-lte.bsky.social, @thefarmplatform.bsky.social www.tickettailor.com/events/rotha...

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Jun 9

Leaving Zimbabwe 😢 ... and moving to Sweden!🥳

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Jun 4

Had a classic Reviewer 2 this morning. They wrote half their comments in CAPITAL LETTERS, APPARENTLY OBLIVIOUS TO THE FACT THAT IT READS LIKE SHOUTING 😂
🧪🌱🌾🌐

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · May 31

'Empathy is a kind of strength' - wish we had more world leaders who thought this way...

‘Empathy is a kind of strength’: Jacinda Ardern on kind leadership, public rage and life in Trump’s America

Young, progressive and relatable, the former prime minister of New Zealand tried to do politics differently. But six years into power, she dramatically resigned. In an exclusive interview with the Gua...

www.theguardian.com

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Jonathan Tonkin @jdtonkin.bsky.social · May 27

I love that this has struck a chord. This was a chance for me to think out loud about some of the things I've learned over the years in my research career. If you're an #ECR, you might find something useful. You also might not, but take a look and if you like it, subscribe for more.

Jonathan Tonkin @jdtonkin.bsky.social · Apr 29

What I wish I knew: 33 thoughts for early career researchers
Reflections I wish someone had shared with me early in my research career.

predirections.substack.com/p/what-i-wis...

What I wish I knew: 33 thoughts for early career researchers

Thirty three reflections I wish someone had shared with me early in my research career.

predirections.substack.com

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Gatien Falconnier @gatienfalconnier.bsky.social · May 14

On May 15th at 9:00 (CET), I will be presenting my HDR dissertation

'Sustainable intensification of smallholder farming systems for improved food security and adaptation to climate change in Africa'

Use this link to join online:
teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-joi...

Join conversation

teams.microsoft.com

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Falk Hildebrand @bioinf.bsky.social · May 7

Open postdoc position in my lab @earlhaminst.bsky.social @quadraminstitute.bsky.social
We will generate large-scale soil metagenomes to research the impact of agriculture on healthy soil microbiomes, developing strategies to increase carbon retention: jobs.earlham.ac.uk/Details.asp?...
Please RT

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Matthias C. Rillig @mrillig.bsky.social · May 6

On the importance of maintaining professional distance in research labs: how much harm in academia (maybe) comes from seemingly good intentions.

Recorded spontaneously today in Ishikawa, during a hike, since this has been on my mind.

Let me know what you think!

#AcademicSky

youtu.be/ppbnxMkgo3Q

Importance of maintaining professional distance in academia: how to avoid harm

YouTube video by Life in academia

youtu.be

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Reposted by Chloe MacLaren

Margaret Stanley @ecostanley.bsky.social · Apr 11

Don't forget to apply for this PhD in lovely Aotearoa! Closes 30th April

Margaret Stanley @ecostanley.bsky.social · Mar 28

FULLY-FUNDED NZ PhD @aucklanduni.bsky.social on role of bird dispersal in weed spread from residential gardens. Great team working on understanding emerging weeds & prevention. Closes 30th April. Full details: stanleylab.blogs.auckland.ac.nz/opportunities/ Funding: Bioprotection Aotearoa 🌏🧪🌱

Fruit of tree privet - environmental weed in New Zealand

Bangalow palm seedling in forest - invasive weed in New Zealand

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Scientists for XR @scientistsforxr.earth · Apr 24

In the news this week, what do you have in common with 89% of the rest of the world but think you are in a minority?

It turns out that although we feel like a silent minority we are actually a rather large majority.

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Guardian screenshot: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/activate-climate-silent-majority-support-supercharge-action

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Apr 22

With co-authors from @w-u-r.bsky.social, SLU, @cimmyt.bsky.social, @inrae-france.bsky.social, @srucnews.bsky.social, @helsinki.fi, and LUVY

Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Apr 22

In a new paper, we propose the 'ecological yield gap' as a framework to strengthen collaboration between agronomists and ecologists in our quest to enhance on-farm ecosystem services in ways that effectively sustain crop yields while minimising input use:
doi.org/10.1016/j.gf...
🧪🌱🌾🧑‍🌾🐞💚🤎

Narrowing the ecological yield gap to sustain crop yields with less inputs

Sustainable production of sufficient and healthy food requires efficient use of agricultural inputs. In many regions of the world with intensive agric…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Rémi Cardinael @remicardinael.bsky.social · Apr 16

📢 New #PhD offer. You have a MSc degree in agronomy, soil science or plant ecophysiology AND you are from Kenya? This offer might be for you.

"Contribution of #agroforestry systems 🌳 🌽 🥑 🐐 to provisioning ecosystem services, #climatechange adaptation and mitigation in Kenya"

Deadline: 31.05.2025.

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Apr 13

Any particular directions or contexts in which you think we should especially try to think more radically? I'm curious 😊

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Janelle Shane @janelleshane.com · Apr 12

1. LLM-generated code tries to run code from online software packages. Which is normal but
2. The packages don’t exist. Which would normally cause an error but
3. Nefarious people have made malware under the package names that LLMs make up most often. So
4. Now the LLM code points to malware.

David D. Levine @daviddlevine.com · Apr 12

LLMs hallucinating nonexistent software packages with plausible names leads to a new malware vulnerability: "slopsquatting."

LLMs can't stop making up software dependencies and sabotaging everything

: Hallucinated package names fuel 'slopsquatting'

www.theregister.com

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Gatien Falconnier @gatienfalconnier.bsky.social · Apr 11

Accurate simulation of the provision of nitrogen by soil organic matter is critical in low-input smallholder systems.

recrutement.cirad.fr/job/job-cher...

Join us at Cirad - Postdoc position to help with crop model intercomparison @agmip.bsky.social

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Gatien Falconnier @gatienfalconnier.bsky.social · Apr 9

Could drought and poor soil undermine the performance of intercropping ?

Our study in semi-arid Zimbabwe found that the benefits of intercropping are maintained even with water and N stress.

doi.org/10.1016/j.fc...

Congrats Illiana Kwenda - A nice combination of field experiments and modelling

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Nature Reviews Earth & Environment @natrevearthenviron.nature.com · Apr 8

New online! Crop pest responses to global changes in climate and land management

Crop pest responses to global changes in climate and land management

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, Published online: 08 April 2025; doi:10.1038/s43017-025-00652-3Crop yield losses to insect pests pose a risk to food security. This Review assesses global trends of crop pest prevalence associated with global environmental change, identifies the underlying ecological mechanisms and proposes strategies for effective, sustainable management of pests to support future food security.

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Chloe MacLaren

Lee Sweetlove @leesweetlove.bsky.social · Apr 5

Lots of excellent advice in this piece. The core message - only through writing do you really think and order your thoughts into logical sense. Makes a case for not using AI for 1st draft because you bypass the thinking step
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@naturebiotech.bsky.social
#PlantScience

An open letter to graduate students and other procrastinators: it’s time to write - Nature Biotechnology

Nature Biotechnology - An open letter to graduate students and other procrastinators: it’s time to write

www.nature.com

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UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) @ukceh.bsky.social · Apr 4

Soil conditions can significantly increase rainfall in the world's megastorm hotspots, a new UKCEH-led study has found ⛈️ .

The ground-breaking research led by @drexomole.bsky.social is set to transform early warning systems in tropical regions.

See our news: www.ceh.ac.uk/press/soil-c... 🧪

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Henning Hansen @henninghansen.bsky.social · Apr 3

The Swedish Research Council is offering 2 million SEK grants directed at scholars from outside Europe who want to relocate to Sweden and work at Swedish research institutions. The call opens 15 April. www.vr.se/english/just...

New grant for recruiting researchers active outside Europe

In mid-April, the Swedish Research Council will issue a call for grants of 2 million SEK to enable Swedish higher education institutions and other research organisations to recruit prominent researche...

www.vr.se

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Rémi Cardinael @remicardinael.bsky.social · Apr 3

PhD offer in the #GALILEO project @lerouxlouise.bsky.social @cirad.bsky.social @mcorbeels.bsky.social

"Multi-criteria & multi-scale assessment of performances & trade-offs induced by #agroforestry 🌳 🌽 🥑 🐄 for #climatechange resilience"

Deadline: 11 May 2025:

gaia.umontpellier.fr/documents/SU...

gaia.umontpellier.fr

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Mar 31

Lovely view from a hilltop in Chipata, #Zambia.
🌱🌳🌽🐐🌍

A view of a landscape with a mosaic of crop fields and woodland, with a lake left of centre. Big puffy white clouds in a blue sky. Savannah sloping away in the foreground, small mountains along the horizon in the distance.

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Mar 29

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky 🚀🪐🕷️🐜🧑‍🚀

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Chloe MacLaren @agent-sprout.bsky.social · Mar 25

Nice of the White House to put my own little mistake into perspective 🫣😬

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

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