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Reposted by Stephen A. Smith

James Pease @jamesbpease.bsky.social · Aug 7

Congrats to (newly graduated) Dr. Ellen Weinheimer for her new publication in @theplantjournal.bsky.social on drought responses in the iconic umbrella acacia of the African savannas using a "differential gene reaction" analysis developed for this project onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/....

Differential gene reactions reveal drought response strategies in African acacias

We studied the genetic basis of drought response in two well-known and widespread species of African acacia by analyzing gene expression reactions across a water deprivation experiment using a newly ...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Stephen A. Smith

phy_papers @phypapers.bsky.social · Jun 25

Longevity in plants impacts phylogenetic and population dynamics https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.20.660758v1

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Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Jun 30

This was great fun, and I wholeheartedly agree!

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⚡️🔩Felsenstein's Monster🔩⚡️ @josephwb.bsky.social · May 28

In the grand tradition of Gould, I love when papers use analogies (and art!) to frame their questions. This first line (on the age of angiosperms) from @blackrim.bsky.social and @phylieu.bsky.social is a banger. nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... 🧪

Highlighted text:

During the Reformations of the 16th and 17th centuries, populist
movements like the Reformation Iconoclasts attempted to strip
away the superfluous elements of Christian worship to move closer
to the truth (Fig. 1). We draw on this analogy to discuss
divergence-times of angiosperms for two purposes.

Figure 1: Fig. 1 The destruction of Our Lady in Antwerp, part of the Beeldenstorm of 20 August 1566. Engraved by Frans Hogenberg (in the public domain).

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Apr 11

news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/f...

Foreign Michigan Students Sue Over Revoked Immigration Status

Four Michigan college students sued the Trump administration on Thursday over the abrupt termination of the federal government’s permission for them to study in the United States.

news.bloomberglaw.com

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Apr 11

www.science.org/content/arti...

Trump seeks to end climate research at premier U.S. climate agency

White House aims to end NOAA’s research office; NASA also targeted

www.science.org

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Apr 1

NIH, CDC, and FDA getting RIFs this morning www.reddit.com/r/fednews/co...

From the fednews community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the fednews community

www.reddit.com

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Cory Booker @corybooker.com · Apr 2

I may be tired and a little hoarse, but as I said again and again on the Senate floor, this is a moment where we cannot afford to be silent, when we must speak up.

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Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Mar 28

thanks!

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Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Mar 28

thanks! BTW, loved your new book!

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Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Mar 28

Thanks!

Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Mar 28

Thanks!

Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Mar 27

Thank you! I appreciate it!

Stephen A. Smith @blackrim.bsky.social · Mar 27

I am honored to be elected an AAAS fellow! news.umich.edu/13-u-m-facul...

13 U-M faculty named as 2024 AAAS fellows

Thirteen University of Michigan faculty members earned election to the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2024.

news.umich.edu

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 26

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Exclusive: NIH to cut grants for COVID research, documents reveal

Studies on climate change and South Africa are also on the latest list of grants to be terminated, according to updated documents obtained by Nature.

www.nature.com

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 24

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Tom the Dancing Bug, by Ruben Bolling @rubenbolling.bsky.social · Mar 21

Okay, here is this week’s comic.
NEWS OF THE TIMES: LOCAL CRACKPOT TAKES TRUMP SERIOUSLY
-
Brought to you by the Inner Hive, including longtime member Burkbark and new member Darren Bedwell
( bit.ly/theInnerHive )
-
READ IT RIGHT HERE👇

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 23

NYU hacked and data leaked - politically motivated nyunews.com/news/2025/03... also here signalinthestorm.org/news.html

Over 3 million applicants’ data leaked on NYU’s website - Washington Square News

A hacker took over NYU’s website for at least two hours Saturday morning to expose over 3 million applicants’ names, test scores, majors and zip codes, as well as information related to family members...

nyunews.com

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · Mar 21

Well, this took my breath away a bit...

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/n...

Decades Ago, Columbia Refused to Pay Trump $400 Million. Note That Number.

A quarter century ago, the university was looking to expand. It considered, and rejected, property owned by Donald Trump. He did not forget it.

www.nytimes.com

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 21

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 21

🚨 Now on Bluesky! 🚨

We’re Signal in the Storm, a project dedicated to tracking federal policy changes and news re: academia - follow us here and at signalinthestorm.org/index.html

Signal in the Storm

signalinthestorm.org

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 20

Executive order on Dept of Ed www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202...

summarized here at the top signalinthestorm.org/eos.html
TLDR: shifting from fed to states

On Education, President Trump Knows We Can Do Better

Since 1979, the U.S. Department of Education has spent over $3 trillion with virtually nothing to show for it. Despite per-pupil spending having increased

www.whitehouse.gov

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Reposted by Stephen A. Smith

Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 20

The Trump administration is exerting unprecedented pressure on American universities, demanding compliance with specific policies or facing substantial federal funding cuts. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/u...
signalinthestorm.org/news.html

Trump’s Battles With Colleges Could Change American Culture for a Generation

Many in higher education worry Trump’s efforts to bend academia to his will could end American leadership in research and science. Universities are not finding many allies to defend them.

www.nytimes.com

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 20

Federal immigration detained an Indian national and postdoc at Georgetown University. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
signalinthestorm.org/news.html

D.H.S. Detains a Georgetown University Academic

Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen teaching on a student visa, was deemed “deportable,” a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security said.

www.nytimes.com

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Signal in the Storm @signalinthestorm.bsky.social · Mar 20

President Trump is set to sign an executive order directing the dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...
signalinthestorm.org/news.html

Trump to Sign Order Aimed at Dismantling Education Department

The order, which President Trump may sign on Thursday, will lay the groundwork for eventually shuttering the agency, reassigning some of its primary duties.

www.nytimes.com

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