Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Alana Alexander

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 14d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · 15d

led by wahine toa Tara, I'm lucky enough to be beside a rōpū of awesome Māori and Pacific "earliesh" career researchers on this one - our advice to the rangatira o āpōpō who are entering into STEM research training (ki a au, he reta aroha nā ngā tuākana tēnei): www.journal.mai.ac.nz/system/files...

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Theta Salmon @thetasalmon.bsky.social · 19d

This TikTok should be titled:
“The Right Wing Explained”

Well worth 90s of your time, & very applicable to the incoherent hypocrisy & gaslighting we see from Seymour, Peters & the Luxo-pool Noodle.

This will get worse the longer NACT hold power here in NZ as it will feed their tantrum.

#nzpol

Gareth Watkins @garethwatkins.bsky.social · 19d

Dam been writing a book about this and she just TikToked it in 90 seconds.

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Richard McElreath 🐈‍⬛ @rmcelreath.bsky.social · 28d

“Overall, the message from this survey is positive; evolutionary biologists are readily employable outside of academia, generally well-prepared for those jobs, and report high levels of satisfaction” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Leaving Academia: Insights from Evolutionary Biologists on Their Career Transitions and Job Satisfaction

Many who have obtained PhDs in evolutionary biology will ultimately pursue careers that fall outside a narrow definition of an academic career. At the same time, PhD students and supervisors of PhD st...

www.biorxiv.org

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Gary Chiles 🚲 🍄 ☕ 🦚 🐱 𝟜 𝟚𝟘 @testtubeone.bsky.social · Aug 8

@taniawaikatolawyer.bsky.social has posted these on Facebook so I'm sharing the joy here because we all felt Ellen Tamati's mamae.
All of the mana, all of the time.✊✌️🥰
#ToitūTeTiriti
#OneTermGovernment
#nzpol

Toitū Te Tiriti billboard featuring Ellen Tamati wearing a big smile

Billboard says:
MY MANA
MY VOICE
MY MANDATE
VOTE YES TO MĀORI WARDS

Toitū Te Tiriti billboard featuring Ellen Tamati visible from Parliament

Billboard says:
MY MANA
MY VOICE
MY MANDATE
VOTE YES TO MĀORI WARDS

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · Jul 14

@sebasalco.bsky.social doing an awesome job repping the team on the research we were lucky enough to conduct on these taonga.

Joseph Guhlin @josephguhlin.bsky.social · Jul 14

www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Sebastian Alvarez-Costes spoke to Melissa Chan-Green about endangered Hector and Maui dolphins! Must listen!

#conservation #animals #genomics

Scientists make breakthrough in tracking health of endangered dolphins

Scientists working to help track the health of endangered Hector and Maui dolphins have made a breakthrough which they compare to solving a 3 billion piece puzzle. Using that analogy, the puzzle piece...

www.rnz.co.nz

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

University of Otago - Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka @universityofotago.bsky.social · Jul 8

With fewer than 100 Māui dolphins left, and Hector’s also endangered, these rare subspecies are hard to find and even harder to study. But Otago researchers have cracked their DNA, revealing just how vulnerable they are and what it will take to protect them.💙🐬
Read more here🔗:

Smart solution delivers on dolphin DNA

Creating genomes from DNA is hugely important for managing threatened species –understanding their past and how they have adapted to their environment helps conservationists protect them.

www.otago.ac.nz

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Rochelle Constantine @rconstantine.bsky.social · Jul 12

🧪 Great work on Hector’s & Māui genomes with @laninsky.bsky.social @emma-carroll.bsky.social

phys.org/news/2025-07...

Innovative DNA assembly process produces high-quality reference genomes for endangered dolphins

Creating genomes from DNA is hugely important for managing threatened species—understanding their past and how they have adapted to their environment helps conservationists protect them.

phys.org

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · Jun 27

Tēnā koe e te whānau - ka kimihia tētahi tumuaki hou ki tō Te Koha Waimarie (tō taku pēpi) kohanga - tēnā, horahia tēnei pānui ki ngā tāngata e hīkaka ana ki tēnei wero! www.seek.co.nz/job/85125985...

Head Teacher/Kaiako Kaiārahi Job in North Dunedin, Otago - SEEK

Become Kaiako kaiārahi at Otago's only bilingual early childhood centre. Where the team enjoys strong whānau support while providing early learning.

www.seek.co.nz

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Jane @janerefreshed.bsky.social · Jun 20

That's appalling & Otago should protect & defend this esteemed & honourable thinker, scholar & Māori academic. I was honoured to learn from Anaru & look to his example at as a Social Worker, Academic Mana Tanē. Anaru has more mana & heart & mind in his little finger! He's obviously hit a nerve?

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Dr Lucy Stewart @lcsnz.bsky.social · Jun 4

Our problem is not a lack of young people who want a career in science, our problem is a lack of careers in science

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Deborah Russell MP @beefaerie.bsky.social · May 26

Submissions are open on the Regulatory Standards bill. The Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Committee has opened them until 23 June, ie just over four weeks, instead of the more usual six weeks for a bill with a standard six month report back date.

www.parliament.nz/en/pb/sc/mak...

Regulatory Standards Bill - New Zealand Parliament

Public submissions are now being invited on this Bill

www.parliament.nz

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Paul Brislen @brislen.nz · May 7

The good people behind the flu tracker study are searching for new participants, particularly young ones. It takes about two minutes once a week to tell them whether you've had the snuffles or COVID or anything in between. Easy as, plus you're helping SCIENCE.

www.flutracking.net/Join/NZ/inv2...

Flutracking.net | Tracking respiratory illness across Australia and New Zealand

Flutracking is an online health surveillance system used to detect epidemics of influenza across Australia and New Zealand,

www.flutracking.net

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Dr. Stephanie @punkrockscience.bsky.social · May 4

As a little kid, I was in an elevator at Boston’s Museum of Science, excitedly telling my grandparents about squid chromatophores.

The older man with us turned to me and told me that it *was* amazing, and that that kind of excitement is the mark of a great explorer.

Sir Edmund Hilary, folks.

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · May 4

Screw "never meeting your heroes." What were some times you met your heroes and they were super cool?

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · Apr 20

A Fulbright is what enabled me to travel to the states to study conservation genetics of sperm whales for my PhD, giving me lasting scientific skills, friendships, and understanding of a place that was not my own 💔

👻Sewall Fright🎃 @stairwaytokevin.bsky.social · Apr 20

This is so tragic. Fulbright has been a consistent funder of amazing humanities and cultural work. I did evolutionary research in Belgium as a postbac. So sad these opportunities won’t exist anymore and for no good reason

Dave Levitan @davelevitan.bsky.social · Apr 20

Fulbright changes:

“The Fulbright Program is reauthorized solely for master’s-level study in national security–related disciplines, including but not limited to strategic studies, cybersecurity, nuclear policy, counterterrorism, intelligence, energy security, and regional or area studies.” contd..

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Marty Kardos @martykardos.bsky.social · Apr 17

📢 📢📢📢📢
Every biologist who cares about biodiversity should provide public comment on this rule proposed by the Trump administration that would REMOVE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS for endangered species! This is extremely bad.

www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

Rescinding the Definition of “Harm” Under the Endangered Species Act

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (collectively referred to as the Services or we) are proposing to rescind the regulatory definition of "harm" ...

www.federalregister.gov

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · Apr 10

Thanks heaps Rob ❤️

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Whale Scientists @whalescientists.bsky.social · Apr 7

Scientists have assembled the first high-quality genomes of New Zealand’s Hector’s + critically endangered Māui dolphins using degraded DNA—an unprecedented breakthrough that offers insights for conservation and a new path forward for endangered species worldwide.
whalescientists.com/new-zealand-...

New Genome Assembly Approach Unlocks Secrets of Critically Endangered Dolphins in New Zealand

Despite working with degraded DNA, scientists assembled high-quality genomes of New Zealand's dolphins, with insights for conservation.

whalescientists.com

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Whale Scientists @whalescientists.bsky.social · Apr 7

The recap of the study by Sebastian Alvarez-Costes on his new study! Super fascinating and inspiring work 🐬✨

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · Apr 8

Really proud of @sebasalco.bsky.social's mahi on this one, and grateful to the iwi and hapū who entrusted us with their ngā ika moana taonga. @royalsocietynz.bsky.social, University of Otago, Genomics Aotearoa and ORG.one provided funding, and thanks to all incl coauthors who provided tautoko!

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Janel Comeau 🍁 @verybadllama.bsky.social · Apr 3

I have tariffed
the penguins
that are on
Heard Island

and which
you were probably
assuming
did not export goods

forgive me
they were taking advantage of us
so cunning
and so cold

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Reposted by Alana Alexander

Sarah Pallett @sarah4ilam.bsky.social · Mar 28

When the website for submission collapsed under the weight of our collective anger we were told that we could still bring our fury to the committee by hand, on paper.
But that was not true. Those words are unread, those voices unheard.
Thanks to @duncanwebbmp.bsky.social for fighting this.

#nzpol

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Alana Alexander @laninsky.bsky.social · Mar 27

Nā @emmahislop.bsky.social te tuhinga nei!