Cameron Stern
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plantpolyploidy.bsky.social
Cameron Stern
@plantpolyploidy.bsky.social
PhD student @MacquarieUni. Aspiring ornamental plant breeder studying biochemistry and genetics of Anigozanthos flower color (blue). MSc @AucklandUni. BSc @Cornell. Science, creativity, education, daylilies, and plants. He/Him
Reposted by Cameron Stern
This sycamore fruit would make a fine holiday tree decoration, but it is only available in May. Sycamore, Platanus occidentalis.
December 28, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
The Mimic Poison Frog! 🥰🐸
One of the world’s most special frogs, Ranitomeya imitator lives up to its name and mimics other Dart Frogs that are more toxic! 😮☠️
In this case here in the Peruvian rainforest it’s mimicking Ranitomeya summersi, a beautiful yellow & black frog! 💛🖤
December 28, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
There is still beauty in this world. Just look at the wonderful array of shapes and colours in our #Australiannativeplants

#Nature has always prevailed, and will continue on in spite of what life throws at it.

(Species descriptions in alt text)

#photography #naturephotography #plants #flora
December 28, 2025 at 3:56 AM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Silicon anodes are coming to market! Huge improvement in energy density (400 Wh/kg!) and charge rates (10 min rapid charging) for Li-ion batteries, and an alternative to graphite, which is almost all sourced from China now. This is one area where US could regain leadership in battery tech.
🔗⤵️ 🔌🚗 🔌💡
December 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
The Trump administration says it plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the nation’s premier atmospheric science center. It was founded in 1960 and has facilitated generations of breakthroughs in climate and weather science https://to.pbs.org/4qygWgV
White House pushes to dismantle leading climate and weather research center
The Trump administration says it plans to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, which is the nation’s premier atmospheric science center. The center was founded in 1960 a...
to.pbs.org
December 27, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Must be Saved
**Foolish and counterproductive are two words that come to mind regarding the  ****Administration's plan to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado.** NCAR is the **crown jewel** of atmospheric research in the nation, with an unparalleled global reputation. Its research covers an immense scientific range, including the development of new weather and climate models, essential research into atmospheric processes, technological innovations to deal with weather threats (such as aircraft turbulence and severe weather), and the use of supercomputers for environmental research and prediction, to name only a few. NCAR is a primary site for disciplinary meetings and has played an important role in training generation after generation of future atmospheric students. My career began at NCAR. Thus, it is more than disturbing when the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, **Russel Vought** , put out a message stating the NCAR would be broken up due to its "climate alarmism". Breaking up NCAR would dramatically hurt U.S. science capability and profoundly undermine the ability of the U.S. to predict both weather and climate. This in turn would put Americans at increased risk to severe weather, costing both lives and property. Yes, there are a **few** NCAR scientists who have been vocal regarding climate change, but that is certainly their right as American citizens. Their statements do not represent the organization, which is based on scientific excellence. I hope that this counterproductive and profoundly damaging plan is shelved. **U.S. weather prediction capabilities do need to be greatly improved.** Doing so requires a _strengthening_  of NCAR and building a joint effort with NOAA that would create the best weather simulation and forecasting capabilities in the world. The American Meteorological Society (of which I am a Councilor), just put out a statement on the situation.
cliffmass.blogspot.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
I've put together my predictions for 2026 and 2027 temperatures over at The Climate Brink. I expect 2026 will likely end up similar to 2023 and 2025 at ~1.4C, while 2027 will likely be considerably warmer (conditional on El Nino): www.theclimatebrink....
December 20, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
“There has been erosion of trust in science & public health & medicine,” vaccine & infectious disease expert @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social said in response to the Trump administration’s cuts to vaccine and medical research. “It’s a terrible tragedy,” said Dr. Francis Collins, former NIH director.
‘This is immoral’: Public Health experts respond to funding cuts to science & medicine 
Over the course of the year, the Trump administration cut billions in funding for the National Institutes of Health, and $500 million worth of mRNA vaccine research. “There has been erosion of trust in science and public health and medicine,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the Texas Children’s Hospital. “But it’s not random, this occurred deliberately by bad actors for political motivation.” Dr. Francis Collins, the former director of the NIH, said he’s never seen anything like this. Cuts to NIH resulted in the cancellation of 383 clinical trials affecting 74,000 trial participants. “Many of these people very serious cancers for which we don't have a great answer, but maybe we're in the middle of discovering one, and then the trial gets stopped, and all that data is lost, and those people are basically left to drift,” Dr. Collins said. “This is immoral to drop somebody into that space.”
www.msnbc.com
December 20, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
We have 526 scientists signed up for spring semester. We try to get that to about 1000 scientists before unleashing the teachers on the database. Wanna connect a class of kids with science this spring? Sign up!
Alright scientists! It's that time again!

Time to sign up for Skype a Scientist's spring semester.

Want to get matched with a classroom in 2026?

Sign up now 🥰

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
December 20, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
So far this season, there have been at least 4.6 million illnesses from the flu in the U.S., causing more than 49,000 hospitalizations and 1,900 deaths.
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Flu season is hitting kids hard. As the holidays near, older adults are likely next.
A new strain called H3N2 subclade K has emerged, raising concerns that the body may not be able to fight it off as well. Experts say everyone should "absolutely" still get a flu shot.
www.nbcnews.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Our fig tree is hosting more than just figs it seems 🦉🪶

Two beautiful Boobook Owls (Ninox boobook) have made their roost in the shady centre of the fig tree. The other local birds were very vocal in their displeasure at this arrangement!

#ausbirds #wildoz #owls #birds #raptors
December 20, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Beetle cards are now on our Etsy shop! These 5x7 cards are glossy on the outside and are blank and matte finished on the inside for easy writing. Available on our shop and they will also be at #SICB2026 🐞 #entomology #science #entomologist #cards #biology #biologist #nature
December 13, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
As someone who ended up using non-model systems after doing his PhD with Drosophila, you don't realise just how amazing FlyBase or WormBase are until you try to genetics without them.
FlyBase needs your help! We ask that European labs continue to contribute to Cambridge, UK FlyBase, whereas US and other non-European labs can contribute to US FlyBase. For more information and how to donate: wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
FlyBase:Contribute to FlyBase - FlyBase Wiki
wiki.flybase.org
August 15, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Closing out my year with a journal editor shocker 🧵

Checking new manuscripts today I reviewed a paper attributing 2 papers to me I did not write. A daft thing for an author to do of course. But intrigued I web searched up one of the titles and that's when it got real weird...
December 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
And for those who do cite fake papers, just think: this is then in your paper forever. Will it be discovered when you're up for tenure or a job? Will your kid find it out when they read your work to see what their parent did all those nights and weekends?
December 20, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
I wanted to finish this before year's end & I did. 😁
I LOVED it.
Such a pleasure to read, information-rich, fascinating but accessible. 🎁🎅
Air-Borne by Carl Zimmer
www.scientificamerican.com/article/book...
@carlzimmer.com
Plant pathogens covered as well as human 💚
Even Norman Bourlag!
December 20, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Understood the assignment.
December 20, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Explore the first seven parts of American Science, Shattered
A multipart series on how the Trump administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
American Science, Shattered
An eight-decade partnership between universities and the federal government made U.S. science preeminent. It took Trump less than a year to shred that
www.statnews.com
December 14, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
"We crunched the numbers on drug discovery in the U.S. vs. China. The results were alarming" www.statnews.com/2025/12/16/c...
We crunched the numbers on drug discovery in the U.S. vs. China. The results were alarming
U.S. biopharma is now a Ford Mustang racing against the Chinese-built BYD Yangwang U9 supercar.
www.statnews.com
December 16, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
The destruction of the enterprise of US academic science has been one of the most confounding aspects of a hugely confounding year. My @statnews.com colleagues are writing about the consequences for individuals & the country.
You want to read this series.
www.statnews.com/american-sci...
American Science, Shattered
An eight-decade partnership between universities and the federal government made U.S. science preeminent. It took Trump less than a year to shred that
www.statnews.com
December 9, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
1. Early in the Trump administration there were predictions of a brain drain from US universities. It's hard to tell how substantial the losses are at this point, but academics are leaving the US for more stable environments, @drewqjoseph.bsky.social reports. www.statnews.com/2025/12/17/r...
Amid talk of a brain drain, some scientists leave U.S. behind
“A large part of what we loved about the United States is no longer there”: Amid talk of a brain drain, some scientists leave the U.S. behind.
www.statnews.com
December 17, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
The former head of R&D for Pfizer warns the future doesn't look great biopharma. People looking for new cancer drugs, cures for rare diseases, or thinking about what we'd need in the next pandemic, take note. The concern here isn't just dividents & stock prices. www.statnews.com/2025/12/19/p...
I’m the former head of Pfizer R&D. I’m very worried about biopharma’s future
The New York Times once called John Lamattina, then Pfizer head of R&D, “Dr. Optimistic.” He’s not so optimistic now.
www.statnews.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Stat is the best publication for following this administration’s effect on US science. Check out "American Science, Shattered,'' a comprehensive look at how the administration has disrupted labs, upended lives, and delayed discoveries.
December 19, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Reposted by Cameron Stern
Together with Benjamin Underwood & David Satori of the mycorrhizal ecology lab, they took root samples to understand more about the process of colonisation by mycorrhizal fungi in these successional areas where grazing prevention is allowing young trees to grow

More on these fungi ow.ly/IqV650XMcxp
December 19, 2025 at 1:01 PM