Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Derek D. Houston

Juan Liu @liujuan.bsky.social · 6d

New in @science.org, meet Acronichthys maccagnoi, a new species from Late Creatacous Canada that changes what we know about the origins and evolution of one of the most successful fish groups on Earth.

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Kevin Connor @kevintconnor.bsky.social · 7d

She built a legacy that wove science AND emotion together to help us better understand ourselves, our primate cousins, and nature. She was a giant and it’s on all the people she inspired and influenced to keep her work and her values alive. abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Jane Goodall, famed primatologist and conservationist, dies at 91

Jane Goodall, the most prolific primatologist of a generation, has died. She was 91 years old.

abcnews.go.com

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Brian Gallagher @bkgallagher.bsky.social · 13d

Check out our new paper in Nature describing trends in US freshwater fish biodiversity! Great to be part of such an amazing team.

Nature @nature.com · 13d

Nature research paper: Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams

go.nature.com/42JFObR

Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams - Nature

In the past three decades, fish abundance, richness and uniqueness have diverged across cold and warm streams, and the effects on native fish communities of stream warming and increases in introduced fishes have magnified each other.

go.nature.com

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Jordan E. Rutter @jerutter.bsky.social · 20d

Come work with me as my #bird #scicomm team is growing!

@abcbirds.bsky.social is hiring an #ornithology writer/editor! They'll be reporting to our Senior Writer/Editor, Molly Toth (who is the hiring manager too!).

More info/apply by Oct 14 deadline:

recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...

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Dr. Solomon David @solomonrdavid.bsky.social · 21d

BIG Bigmouth Buffalo fish! These native freshwater planktivores can live for over 100 years!

We caught, fin-clipped, released several during yesterday’s @garlab.bsky.social native fishes survey!

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Dr. Solomon David @solomonrdavid.bsky.social · Dec 16

That time @tnaquarium.bsky.social asked me how long I could go without talking about gars…

#GarWeek BEGINS TODAY (I mean later this morning)!

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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 28d

Political violence is bad. It usually begets more political violence.

Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.

Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.

It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.

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Derek D. Houston @derekdhouston.bsky.social · Sep 5

It went well. Backup cameras really help a lot :)

Two fisheries management students practicing backing a yellow boat on a reservoir's boat ramp

Derek D. Houston @derekdhouston.bsky.social · Sep 4

Today's fisheries management lab: Backing a trailer. Wish me luck. This one could be a huge headache.

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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · Sep 3

ICYMI: Next week I am leading a free online 2-hour crash course in scientific writing and publishing, perfect for graduate students about to write their first paper.

Learn more and sign up at the link below. Feel free to spread the word, all are welcome.

🧪🦑🌎

I’m offering a free online crash course in scientific writing and publishing. Here’s how to join!

The world of scientific writing and pubilshing is complex and confusing, and it can be hard for early career scientists to master. But don’t worry! I am an experienced and award-winning scien…

www.southernfriedscience.com

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Derek D. Houston @derekdhouston.bsky.social · Sep 3

Nothing like a -80 freezer failure to liven up one's day (luckily nothing important was lost)

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Emily Troyer @fishfetisher.bsky.social · Sep 3

Excuse me, what?

Nature @nature.com · Sep 3

A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species

go.nature.com/4mOb5T9

‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother

Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.

go.nature.com

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Matthew L. Miller @matthewlmiller.bsky.social · Aug 30

Northern pikeminnow, a great species to target on the fly.

Payette Lake, Idaho. #flyfishing

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The Revelator @therevelator.org · Aug 31

Do you study, advocate for, or live near an at-risk species? Consider sharing their story in our "Save This Species" feature. Here's how: https://therevelator.org/save-this-species-template/

Save This Species Template • The Revelator

therevelator.org

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Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · Aug 31

rip to everyone whos become delusional after talking to chatgpt but im built different. like actually different. according to chatgpt im some kind of god. the one who decides

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Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · Aug 8

Fun news: I'm hiring a postdoc in ichthyology!

Please spread the word #TeamFish, and message me if you have questions.

(Job requisition id is R00107333 if LSU link below takes you elsewhere.)

lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/de...

Postdoctoral Researcher

All Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre...

lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · Aug 20

Greenland sharks, which can live to be over 400 years old, eat polar bears and reindeer.

(It’s probably scavenging. But polar bears swimming between ice floes are vulnerable to getting slurped from below)

Meredith Rose @mrose.ink · Aug 19

Ok folks: what is your favorite fact that you share with people (maybe a bit too) eagerly?

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Derek D. Houston @derekdhouston.bsky.social · Aug 20

Know anyone looking for a funded MS thesis project focused on native fish conservation? Send them this ad. NDOW and U. of Nevada-Reno are going to be learning more about this newly described species. (Note that the application deadline is quickly approaching.)

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Justin Conover @conjustover.bsky.social · Jul 1

The Conover Lab is open!

I am so excited to join a group of talented, caring, and creative folks at the @danforthcenter.bsky.social, all in service of improving the human condition through plant science.

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center @danforthcenter.bsky.social · Jul 1

The Danforth Center is gaining two outstanding scientists whose unique expertise will support our mission: conjustover.bsky.social & erinsparks.bsky.social, who is a joint hire with Mizzou, are joining our faculty.
Read all about their focus areas & more in the full news release: loom.ly/QuMW7XE

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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · Aug 5

Every reputable expert I know considers mRNA vaccine technology to be one of the most revolutionary advances in medicine in our lifetimes. Its inventors won the Nobel Prize in 2023. Shutting it down now is pointless self-harm to humanity.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · Aug 5

Release from HHS: HHS will wind down its development of the mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA

WASHINGTON, DC—AUGUST 5, 2025—The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including the cancellation and de-scoping of various contracts and solicitations. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments initiated during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

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Derek D. Houston @derekdhouston.bsky.social · Aug 6

Look at my dog, chasing something in his sleep (maybe the bear that's been hanging around the neighborhood)

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Clare Fieseler, PhD @fieseler.bsky.social · Jul 30

There are new still species to discover.

But entirely new ecosystems??

Introducing: A new deep-sea ecosystem discovered around cold-water chemical seeps in the Pacific Ocean. It's the deepest ecosystem ever found!

@dinograndoni.bsky.social has the story based on a @nature.com paper out today. 🦑

Scientists discover a whole new type of ecosystem 30,000 feet deep

In Pacific Ocean trenches, scientists found creatures that expand the limits of where we know life can live on Earth.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Maven's Notebook @mavensnotebook.com · Jul 31

A ‘living fossil’ at risk: California’s white sturgeon population continues to decline #cawater www.capradio.org/articles/202...

A ‘living fossil’ at risk: California’s white sturgeon population continues to decline

Populations of the ancient bony fish have continued to decline across California, according to a new report. The sturgeon’s long life span makes it difficult to study, with researchers having to wait ...

www.capradio.org

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Derek D. Houston @derekdhouston.bsky.social · Aug 1

Spent a few days in the field volunteering with a Rio Grande cutthroat trout reclamation effort. This is my rotenone drip station outfit. Feels like being an evil supervillain poisoning a stream, but hey, the ends justify the means.

Streamside selfie of me with a facemask on to avoid inhaling chemical fumes