Jake Mikic
@jakemikic.bsky.social
Restoration ecologist and science communicator based in Wisconsin🌱
MS Environmental Conservation | Nelson Institute at UW-Madison
Views and opinions expressed are my own | he/him
MS Environmental Conservation | Nelson Institute at UW-Madison
Views and opinions expressed are my own | he/him
Reposted by Jake Mikic
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
Reposted by Jake Mikic
CNN did not include this fact in their story about AT&T ending diversity initiatives, but they should have. we should have to reckon with the fact that AT&T has chosen to do today what a neo-nazi organization tried to force them to do 40 years ago. the nazis don't even have to ask anymore.
www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/b...
In April of 1988, William Luther Pierce sent Herbert Poinsett to represent his neo-Nazi organization at the annual AT&T shareholders meeting.
…
In April of 1988, William Luther Pierce sent Herbert Poinsett to represent his neo-Nazi organization at the annual AT&T shareholders meeting.
…
AT&T commits to ending DEI programs | CNN Business
US wireless carrier AT&T said in a letter to the US telecoms regulator that it had committed to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a move that comes as it seeks approval from the Trump a...
www.cnn.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:39 PM
CNN did not include this fact in their story about AT&T ending diversity initiatives, but they should have. we should have to reckon with the fact that AT&T has chosen to do today what a neo-nazi organization tried to force them to do 40 years ago. the nazis don't even have to ask anymore.
Reposted by Jake Mikic
I talked to Al Gore about Bill Gates's climate change memo.
He called it "manifestly absurd" and questioned Gates's true motives for releasing it.
"He has a lot of irons in the fire with whoever is in power."
He called it "manifestly absurd" and questioned Gates's true motives for releasing it.
"He has a lot of irons in the fire with whoever is in power."
Al Gore's case for optimism
Gore talks to HEATED about COP30, the Gates memo, and why he thinks billionaires should face far more scrutiny in the climate fight.
heated.world
December 4, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I talked to Al Gore about Bill Gates's climate change memo.
He called it "manifestly absurd" and questioned Gates's true motives for releasing it.
"He has a lot of irons in the fire with whoever is in power."
He called it "manifestly absurd" and questioned Gates's true motives for releasing it.
"He has a lot of irons in the fire with whoever is in power."
Reposted by Jake Mikic
"No one should be made to feel inferior or that they do not belong in science because of their origins." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/48JF6Pg
December 3, 2025 at 7:11 PM
"No one should be made to feel inferior or that they do not belong in science because of their origins." #ScienceWorkingLife https://scim.ag/48JF6Pg
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Like Germany, the US may never recover from this ... "The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine. A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Like Germany, the US may never recover from this ... "The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine. A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science." www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
While this usually isn't the intent, "no one will ever be held accountable for this" doomerism is an excuse not to try.
There'll be at least some accountability if enough Americans work for it. And this time really is different. Doesn't guarantee the aftermath will be, but it increases the chances.
There'll be at least some accountability if enough Americans work for it. And this time really is different. Doesn't guarantee the aftermath will be, but it increases the chances.
November 30, 2025 at 9:16 PM
While this usually isn't the intent, "no one will ever be held accountable for this" doomerism is an excuse not to try.
There'll be at least some accountability if enough Americans work for it. And this time really is different. Doesn't guarantee the aftermath will be, but it increases the chances.
There'll be at least some accountability if enough Americans work for it. And this time really is different. Doesn't guarantee the aftermath will be, but it increases the chances.
Consumer electronics should not be something you are replacing frequently. The throw away culture of these plastic and glass boxes filled with rare earth minerals is absolutely batty
stupid young people, stop buying a new phone every year if you don't want to be broke. wait no, not like that.
November 25, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Consumer electronics should not be something you are replacing frequently. The throw away culture of these plastic and glass boxes filled with rare earth minerals is absolutely batty
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Reposted by Jake Mikic
A couple weeks remain to submit your proposals to our conference panel at POLLEN in Barcelona next summer about the future of restoration - due December 5. nomadit.co.uk/conference/p...
P108: From global restoration goals to people's visions for the future: Capturing diverse imaginaries of ecosystem restoration
We intend to have paper presentations with an introduction to set the agenda
nomadit.co.uk
November 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
A couple weeks remain to submit your proposals to our conference panel at POLLEN in Barcelona next summer about the future of restoration - due December 5. nomadit.co.uk/conference/p...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
I mean, look, I'm not a reporter, so who am I to talk?
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
November 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
I mean, look, I'm not a reporter, so who am I to talk?
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
Reposted by Jake Mikic
This morning, there was a public hearing at Bessemer City Hall in Alabama to discuss the zoning of a new data center, which would likely cause the extinction of a newly-discovered small endemic fish, the Birmingham Darter. Best of luck to the fish people. abc3340.com/news/abc-334...
'We have to act fast': Petition filed to protect rare fish from proposed data center
The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to secure Endangered Species Act protection for the Birmingham
abc3340.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:31 PM
This morning, there was a public hearing at Bessemer City Hall in Alabama to discuss the zoning of a new data center, which would likely cause the extinction of a newly-discovered small endemic fish, the Birmingham Darter. Best of luck to the fish people. abc3340.com/news/abc-334...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Restoration ultimately aims to recover complex ecological systems with many interdependent species at large scale
To understand the driving processes, we combined experiments & modelling
Finding a trade-off between species recovery and food-web complexity
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
To understand the driving processes, we combined experiments & modelling
Finding a trade-off between species recovery and food-web complexity
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
November 18, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Restoration ultimately aims to recover complex ecological systems with many interdependent species at large scale
To understand the driving processes, we combined experiments & modelling
Finding a trade-off between species recovery and food-web complexity
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
To understand the driving processes, we combined experiments & modelling
Finding a trade-off between species recovery and food-web complexity
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
It is the ecological and ritual season of burning. The most salubrious time to burn. Coarse stems--even seeds--stand. Terricolous lichens and bryophytes survive. Larvae rest cosy in their galls. The stage is set for next season's abundance. #Prairie #Savanna #RxFire #MukwonagoRiverOakBarrens
November 17, 2025 at 9:42 PM
It is the ecological and ritual season of burning. The most salubrious time to burn. Coarse stems--even seeds--stand. Terricolous lichens and bryophytes survive. Larvae rest cosy in their galls. The stage is set for next season's abundance. #Prairie #Savanna #RxFire #MukwonagoRiverOakBarrens
Reposted by Jake Mikic
pretty worrisome that it’s 60° in November in Minnesota
November 15, 2025 at 4:02 AM
pretty worrisome that it’s 60° in November in Minnesota
Reposted by Jake Mikic
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
November 14, 2025 at 5:16 PM
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Huge scoop from Ed, who had several years of financial reports leaked to him. OpenAI has been over-reporting their revenue. The company is even less profitable than we knew.
Exclusive: Based on documents viewed by this newsletter, OpenAI spent over $12.4 billion on inference from 2024 to September 2025. As part of its Microsoft revenue share, it sent $493.8m in 2024/$865.8m Jan-Sep 2025, implying lower revenues than previously reported.
www.wheresyoured.at/oai_docs/
www.wheresyoured.at/oai_docs/
Exclusive: Here's How Much OpenAI Spends On Inference and Its Revenue Share With Microsoft
As with my Anthropic exclusive from a few weeks ago, though this feels like a natural premium piece, I decided it was better to publish on my free one so that you could all enjoy it. If you liked or f...
www.wheresyoured.at
November 12, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Huge scoop from Ed, who had several years of financial reports leaked to him. OpenAI has been over-reporting their revenue. The company is even less profitable than we knew.
Reposted by Jake Mikic
The tech billionaire’s climate pivot is cowardly—and profoundly unhelpful.
Respectfully, Bill Gates needs to shut up
The tech billionaire's climate pivot is cowardly—and profoundly unhelpful.
www.motherjones.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:38 PM
The tech billionaire’s climate pivot is cowardly—and profoundly unhelpful.
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
November 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
Reposted by Jake Mikic
By studying the process through which a soil bacterium naturally produces a well-known drug, scientists have discovered a powerful antibiotic that could help to fight drug-resistant infections
go.nature.com/4hJ4d7K
go.nature.com/4hJ4d7K
Powerful new antibiotic that can kill superbugs discovered in soil bacteria
Nature - Surprise discovery could pave the way for new treatments against drug-resistant infections.
go.nature.com
November 3, 2025 at 1:25 PM
By studying the process through which a soil bacterium naturally produces a well-known drug, scientists have discovered a powerful antibiotic that could help to fight drug-resistant infections
go.nature.com/4hJ4d7K
go.nature.com/4hJ4d7K
Reposted by Jake Mikic
perfect optics event to hold right as 40 million americans will increasingly struggle to get food with SNAP benefits expiring
November 2, 2025 at 5:36 AM
perfect optics event to hold right as 40 million americans will increasingly struggle to get food with SNAP benefits expiring
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Our 2025 State of the Climate Report was just published in BioScience by scientists from around the world including @michaelemann.bsky.social @petergleick.bsky.social This video (2 minutes) shows the key highlights: doi.org/10.1093/bios...
November 2, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Our 2025 State of the Climate Report was just published in BioScience by scientists from around the world including @michaelemann.bsky.social @petergleick.bsky.social This video (2 minutes) shows the key highlights: doi.org/10.1093/bios...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
Eminently reasonable proposed principles for professors’ use of AI, from a student refusinggenai.wordpress.com/2025/08/29/a...
October 31, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Eminently reasonable proposed principles for professors’ use of AI, from a student refusinggenai.wordpress.com/2025/08/29/a...
Reposted by Jake Mikic
My lukewarm take on this is I question why we continue to platform (mostly? Exclusively?) men who made a lot of money in one area for their views/advice in other totally unrelated areas.
Bill Gates has a new memo out calling for a “strategic pivot” on climate change, downplaying “doomsday” talk to focus on filling enormous post-USAID budget gaps in global health and vaccine funding. I got an early glimpse of his thinking last week:
7 New Takes From Bill Gates on Climate ‘Doomsday’ Talk and Global Health
“I mean, God bless the Europeans for caring about climate.”
heatmap.news
November 2, 2025 at 12:15 AM
My lukewarm take on this is I question why we continue to platform (mostly? Exclusively?) men who made a lot of money in one area for their views/advice in other totally unrelated areas.
Reposted by Jake Mikic
“Indigenous people are the stewards of much of the remaining standing forests and contain the hope that these precious places can be preserved.”
Not said in the best way, but it is absolutely right that honoring Indigenous land kinship is the right and necessary thing to do.
Not said in the best way, but it is absolutely right that honoring Indigenous land kinship is the right and necessary thing to do.
Harrison Ford says Trump’s assault on climate policy ‘scares the shit out of me’
Indiana Jones star calls US president one of history’s greatest criminals for attacks on science and boosting of fossil fuels
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 1:29 AM
“Indigenous people are the stewards of much of the remaining standing forests and contain the hope that these precious places can be preserved.”
Not said in the best way, but it is absolutely right that honoring Indigenous land kinship is the right and necessary thing to do.
Not said in the best way, but it is absolutely right that honoring Indigenous land kinship is the right and necessary thing to do.