Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Matt Grainger

Makkon @makkon.bsky.social · 6d

a flow-chart with 2 islands. "Do I need AI?" that flows into a final island saying "No"

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Graeme Cumming @gscumming.bsky.social · 11h

Now watch humanity embed the minimum levels in policy… rather than maximising this important habitat. 🤡

Science Magazine @science.org · 3d

A new study in Science evaluating published data from 19 countries has pinpointed the minimum habitat levels needed to sustain pollinators in agricultural landscapes. https://scim.ag/3VIq4Cg

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Steve Dudley @stevedudley.bsky.social · 12h

Forget environmental implications (altho most national parks are already trashed by overgrazing, etc) the sheer idiocy of choosing the most expensive option to deliver housing is breathtaking. Build new homes where there is no infrastructure to support them. No jobs. Poor connectivity. It’s moronic.

Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 13h

Treasury pushing for weakening of protections for England’s national parks & national landscapes to make it easier for developers.

Once lost, they are lost for ever

Rehabilitate empty homes.

Ever thought about building houses on the estates of the rich? Can't they live in smaller houses?

Green groups criticise plans to weaken protections for English national parks

Exclusive: Letter from 170-plus organisations calls on government to drop proposed changes to planning law

www.theguardian.com

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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 2d

Two of the most common climate misconceptions I see, even among knowledgeable folks, are that (1) most people aren't worried about climate change, and (2) if they were, they'd act.

Not true! Data show (1) most people are worried, but (2) they won’t act if they don’t know what to do-and most don’t.

A map of the world showing how levels of worry in most countries are greater than 70%. Source: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, International Public Opinion on Climate Change, 2023.

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Matt Grainger @drmattg.bsky.social · 7d

"Nature in Europe is being lost piece by piece. No complete overview has existed on how much is disappearing – until now". www.nina.no/english/Abou... @ninanatureresearch.bsky.social

How We Helped Journalists Uncover Nature Loss in Europe

XX, YY reports The Guardian. Using satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI), we have, together with 40 journalists and researchers from eleven countries, uncovered large-scale loss of nature...

www.nina.no

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Corrie Moreau @corriemoreau.bsky.social · 18d

UPDATE: The 2025-2026 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

ecoevojobs.net 2025-26

docs.google.com

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Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 19d

We're looking for a new postdoc on our new BBSCR grant (Graham Taylor/Tim Guilford/Cait Newport). See link below!

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

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Antica Culina @anticac.bsky.social · 20d

Excited to be kicking off our symposium on improving research quality & impact with a plenary by Tracey Weissgerber. We have also been lucky with the weather!

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Ed Ivimey-Cook @eivimeycook.bsky.social · 20d

Our latest #SORTEE-led paper is out now in #ProcB!

We reviewed data/code-sharing policy clarity, strictness & timing across 275 EcoEvo journals

We also worked with #ProcB & #EcologyLetters to assess initial compliance with sharing mandates. Huge team effort! 👉 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

From policy to practice: progress towards data- and code-sharing in ecology and evolution | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Data and code are essential for ensuring the credibility of scientific results and facilitating reproducibility, areas in which journal sharing policies play a crucial role. However, in ecology and evolution, we still do not know how widespread data- and ...

doi.org

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Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar @asanchez-tojar.bsky.social · 21d

📣 Hot off the press at #ProcB!

🔍 Our study checked data/code-sharing policies in 275 eco/evo journals and compliance in Proc B (n=2,340) & Ecology Letters (n=571). Policies exist, but clarity and strictness vary, affecting reproducibility.

🔗 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

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Matt Grainger @drmattg.bsky.social · 21d

Also a good argument for registered reports… (and predefined peer-reviewed protocols)

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Bruno Rodrigues @brodriguesco.bsky.social · Sep 7

vibedesigned rixpress hex logo

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Prof. Vigdis Vandvik @vvandvik.bsky.social · Sep 6

#valg2025 - selv om valgkampen har handlet om alt mulig annet har dette valget enorme konsekvenser for #klima og #natur. Her er min appell, formidlet av @naturvernforbundet.no @naturvernhordaland.bsky.social #jegståropp

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James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · Sep 6

Reminded of this as an academic told me the other day that they were off to a country in South America, then one in Africa & then one in Asia, in rapid succession

I really didn’t know what to say…
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Academics say flying to meetings harms the climate — but they carry on

A survey at one of the biggest UK research universities finds that staff often end up flying to meetings despite a preference to avoid air travel.

www.nature.com

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Michael Bertram @michaelgbertram.bsky.social · Sep 4

Great to see our paper on the importance of experimental approaches in movement ecology out in an issue today! @camphilsoc.bsky.social

Conceived at a Gordon Research Conference and led by the fantastic Whitney Hansen www.kwhitneyhansen.com

👉 dx.doi.org/10.1111/brv....

@jack-brand.bsky.social

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DrZP @zarahpattison.bsky.social · Sep 4

🏞️𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Improving university policies and risk assessment to support inclusive fieldwork in environmental sciences

Among 90 UK higher education institutions, there was patchy mention of protected and other identity-related characteristics in fieldwork policy and risk assessments, and very limited consideration of....

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Matt Grainger @drmattg.bsky.social · Sep 4

"We did not understand what publication bias was"

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Matt Grainger @drmattg.bsky.social · Sep 4

Apropos of nothing....
Peer-review should be rigorous, not rude.

Critique the work, not the author team.
Explain, don’t sneer.
Build science up, don’t beat the authors down.

Respect in peer-reviews isn’t optional — it’s how good research gets better.

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Paul Whaley @dangerwhale.bsky.social · Sep 1

christ i hate article proofs a live-tweeted thread 🧵

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Matt Grainger @drmattg.bsky.social · Aug 25

Exciting PhD opportunity at Nord University with @ebnilsen.bsky.social. The PhD will work together with a team of researchers to assess sustainable levels of recreational harvest on willow ptarmigan, black grouse and capercaillie populations.

www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

PhD - Terrestrial Ecology (284000) | Nord University

Job title: PhD - Terrestrial Ecology (284000), Employer: Nord University, Deadline: Wednesday, October 1, 2025

www.jobbnorge.no

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Ulf Bergström @ulfbergstrom.bsky.social · Aug 18

Come work with us! 2-year postdoc position open at SLU Aqua, on the role of herring in coastal food webs of the Baltic Sea. Applications due August 25.

www.slu.se/om-slu/jobba...

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Cameron Patrick @cameronpat.bsky.social · Aug 18

this slide is from a colleague's introductory stats course, I think it fits many statisticians' experiences

Slide titled: "Assumptions of the model and model checking"
with a scatterplot with axes how much people should worry vs how much people do worry.

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Matt Grainger @drmattg.bsky.social · Aug 15

New balcony bird…It’s been a windy and wet day today so I think he was looking to come inside and warm up by the fire.

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Joel Pick @joelpick.bsky.social · Aug 15

🚨Introducing the @sortee.bsky.social Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology🚨 doi.org/10.32942/X24...

Increasingly E&E journals are recruiting data editors. We provide standardised guidelines for journals with data editors and those wanting to recruit them 🧵

The SORTEE Guidelines for Data and Code Quality Control in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

doi.org

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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · Aug 12

AI slop and the destruction of knowledge irisvanrooijcogsci.com/2025/08/12/a...

AI slop and the destruction of knowledge

This week I was looking for info on what cognitive scientists mean when they speak of ‘domain-general’ cognition. I was curious, because the nuances are relevant for something I am researching at t…

irisvanrooijcogsci.com

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