Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Aug 12

Congratulations, Dr. An-Chi Cheng for her important contribution to understanding deer health! 🧪🌏👩🏻‍🔬BVDV is a pathogen mainly of cattle that causes abortions in white-tailed deer. Dr. Cheng is a critical member of our pathogen diagnostics team. Go An-Chi!

www.mdpi.com

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Aug 10

Here is another faculty position that looks cool

Jenn Coughlan @jenncoughlan.bsky.social · May 1

We're hiring an assistant prof in global change ecology! Apply!!! We're vibrant, supportive, and interdisciplinary EEB community!

Plz note the weird dates: We're reviewing applications beginning on ✨August 15th✨. I'm part of the SC and happy to answer questions!

apply.interfolio.com/164677

a netflix ad shows a woman talking to another woman at a vending machine

ALT: a netflix ad shows a woman talking to another woman at a vending machine

media.tenor.com

Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Aug 10

Here is an interesting permanent lectureship opportunity

Julia PG Jones @juliajones.bsky.social · Aug 6

If you know researchers with expertise in forestry/agro forestry please share this permanent lectureship @bangoruniversity.bsky.social. The quality of life in north wales is fabulous: great colleagues & a stunning location.
jobs.bangor.ac.uk/details.php....

Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Aug 8

Just published today! Our group used mosquitoes as flying syringes to conduct surveillance on pathogens of turkeys, white-tailed deer and invasive wild pigs. Not only could we detect DNA and RNA viruses, we could estimate prevalence! 🌎🧪👩‍🔬
doi.org/10.3390/path...

Exogenous xenosurveillance allows us to sample peripheral blood of wildlife hosts using mosquitoes. We can then identify hosts using barcodes and screen for host pathogens.

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Jul 29

I recently partnered with the Gene Drive Network to create a blog about how biotechnology helps conservation of the black-footed ferret. Here it is: 👩🏻‍🔬🌏🧪

genedrivenetwork.org/blog/science...

Science in action: bringing the black-footed ferret back from the brink - Gene Drive Network

When I first began working on black-footed ferrets over twenty years ago, the species was beginning to recover from what was once thought to be its final chapter.

genedrivenetwork.org

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Jun 2

Great post about PhD candidate, @emderuyter-ramirez.bsky.social

She is an essential team member of the UF Cervidae Health Research Initiative

phhp.ufl.edu/2025/05/28/c...
👩🏻‍🔬🌏🧪

Catching up with Emily DeRuyter, virus investigator and One Health Ph.D. student » College of Public Health & Health Professions » University of Florida

She is the first author on two recent papers describing the discovery of previously undocumented viruses.

phhp.ufl.edu

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · May 31

I've always had a soft spot for songs that celebrate women being messy and complicated and not always nice. Here's my latest fav!

open.spotify.com/track/35ISBk...

Messy

Lola Young · This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway · Song · 2024

open.spotify.com

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · May 30

I'm attending a conference in Budapest on global energy challenges sponsored by Hungarian Fulbright associations. The topic was interesting but the star was the Roccoco crown molding and chandeliers!

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Reposted by Samantha M. Wisely

Dr. K. Lotterhos @drk-lo.bsky.social · May 8

I'm hiring! Postdoc available in my lab in Ecological Genomics. northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/careers/job/... I will start reviewing applications mid-July. 🧪🧑‍🔬🖥️🧬🦑. Please share widely, thanks!

Postdoctoral Research Associate, Ecological Genomics

About the Opportunity Job Summary A postdoctoral research associate is available at the Lotterhos Lab at Northeastern University. The postdoc will be based at Northeastern University’s Marine Science ...

northeastern.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

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Reposted by Samantha M. Wisely

Ben Spies-Butcher @bspiesbutcher.bsky.social · May 29

The Macquarie PhD scholarship on our new Climate Economy project is now open - working with me, @garethbryant.bsky.social Sophie Weber, @clairerhiannon.bsky.social & Svenja Keele. We'll explore how climate change remakes our political economy. Topic negotiable.

www.mq.edu.au/research/phd...

The climate economy: Emerging strategies for Australia

Join a PhD project on Australia's climate economy, exploring how transport, policy, and finance adapt to climate change.

www.mq.edu.au

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Reposted by Samantha M. Wisely

Robert Fletcher @fletcherecology.bsky.social · May 29

Wonderful new 5-year postdoctoral fellowship opportunity at the University of Cambridge on #Biodiversity:

www.christs.cam.ac.uk/darwin-hamie...

Darwin-Hamied Senior Research Fellowship (stipendiary) in Biodiversity | Christs College Cambridge

www.christs.cam.ac.uk

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · May 26

Greetings from my office at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, where I am currently on a Fulbright Fellowhip studying red deer health 🧪🌏👩🏻‍🔬🦌🦌🦌

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Reposted by Samantha M. Wisely

Molly Simonis @mollysimonis.bsky.social · May 20

I am recruiting graduate students for Spring 2026 in my Lab at Auburn University. Please share broadly🦇

simonislab.weebly.com/opportunitie...

linking to 🧪 and 🦊

Opportunities

We are currently recruiting graduate student(s) interested in seasonal pathogen dynamics and bat health throughout various field sites and/or highway culverts throughout Alabama. You can find out...

simonislab.weebly.com

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Reposted by Samantha M. Wisely

Pedro Vale @pfvale.bsky.social · May 20

This primer on infection avoidance was incredibly fun to write with @cr-amo.bsky.social and Mandy Gibson. We cover its taxonomic breadth, mechanisms and evolution, and its importance across fields as diverse as public health, conservation, and agriculture. 🧪
www.cell.com/current-biol...

#SymbioSky

This figure highlights the diversity of avoidance across different species in response to pathogens and parasites. (A) Rainbow trout avoid waters with high concentrations of trematode cercariae, reducing exposure to these parasites. (B) Healthy Caribbean spiny lobsters avoid sharing dens with those infected by viruses, preventing the spread of infection within their communities. (C,D) Avoidance underlies many human public health measures such as social distancing, to minimize the risk of infectious disease contagion. (E) Oystercatchers avoid eating the largest cockles, which are likely to be infested with parasitic helminths. (F,G) Bees and ants (eusocial insects) exhibit complex social behaviours to minimize infection risks. Bees isolate or remove infected individuals from the colony, while ants restructure their social networks to reduce contact with fungal-infected foragers. (H) Sheep avoid food and water sources contaminated with feces, reducing the risk of ingesting parasites that may be present in such environments. (I,J) Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. These model organisms illustrate how detected pathogenic cues can modify behaviour and provide insights into the neurological integration of sensory perception and behavioural response to pathogens. Plants, like Saline latifolia (K), can avoid infection too, for example by flowering for shorter periods to reduce contact with fungal spores transmitted by pollinators. Root compounds of some sorghum (L) lines are associated with reduced germination of parasitic Striga seeds, demonstrating chemical avoidance strategies. (M) Crickets avoid detection by parasitic flies through the selection of variants that cannot sing, disrupting the ability of parasites to locate hosts acoustically. (N) Spongy moths show variability in larval behaviour to avoid virus-contaminated foliage. (O) Lemurs avoid water sources that have an elevated risk of fecal contamination.

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Reposted by Samantha M. Wisely

botero-canola.bsky.social @botero-canola.bsky.social · May 13

Check out this cool note from @profwisely.bsky.social Lab reporting that soft ticks feed on feral swine in Florida link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Contact between soft tick vectors of African swine fever virus and invasive wild pigs in the southeastern USA - Parasites & Vectors

Background African swine fever virus is a transboundary pathogen of high economic impact to the global pork industry. Florida has multiple factors that contribute to the high risk of introduction of A...

link.springer.com

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · May 12

First day at the European Vertebrate Management Conference. Excellent talks, great conversations! 🌏🧪👩🏻‍🔬
www.evmc.online

EVMC 2025 – European Vertebrate Management Conference – European Vertebrate Management Conference

European Vertebrate Management Conference Welcome Dear Friends, dear Colleagues, we would like to warmly invite you to attend the 14th European Vertebrate Management Conference (EVMC 2025...

www.evmc.online

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · May 9

Today my lab published a manuscript that provides insights about Torqu teno sus virus, a cute little 2800bp virus of pigs! THM: this virus can be used in wildlife ecoepideiology and biosecurity 🧪🌏👩🏻‍🔬
doi.org/10.3389/fmic...

Frontiers | Whole genome characterization of Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1) in wild and domestic pigs: insights into genetic classification, host differentiation, and intra-host variation

BackgroundTorque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1), a member of the Anelloviridae family, is highly prevalent in swine populations and exhibits substantial genetic d...

doi.org

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Mar 11

Post a photo you took with no context to bring some Zen to the timeline.

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Mar 8

bsky.app/profile/epi....

I just had our comms people post directly to blue sky!

Emerging Pathogens Institute @epi.ufl.edu · Mar 8

A little fun from our Instagram account today. Celebrating #WomenInStem this #InternationalWomensDay! 🤩

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Mar 8

www.instagram.com/reel/DG8NZk1...

Happy International Women's Day!
Here's to women in science!🧪🌎👩🏻‍🔬

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Feb 11

Pussy Riot g.co/kgs/UXRscPR
pussyriot.love

Perhaps my favorite grrl band of all time. They are feminist heroes who truly live by their words. A Russian collective of punk musicians, members have been imprisoned, beat, and exiled. They continue, undeterred. Rock on, sisters!💀💓💪

Pussy Riot

Pussy Riot is a feminist conceptual art group

pussyriot.love

Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Feb 6

An alternative to ggplot? Hurray!👯‍♀️

Vincent Arel-Bundock @vincentab.bsky.social · Feb 5

{tinyplot} 0.3.0 is out! 🚨

It's a lightweight #Rstats 📦 to draw beautiful and complex plots, using an ultra-simple and concise syntax.

This is a massive release! @gmcd.bsky.social @zeileis.org and I worked hard to add tons of new themes and plot types.

Check it out!

grantmcdermott.com/tinyplot/

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Feb 5

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Single large or several small patches? A 43 year dataset demonstrates that land sparing decreased rodent diversity locally while increasing the vector for and prevalence of Hanta virus. THM: the scale of conservation actions (both in time and space) matter! 🌎🧪🐀🐀🐀

Anthropogenic land consolidation intensifies zoonotic host diversity loss and disease transmission in human habitats - Nature Ecology & Evolution

A 43-year dataset of rodents in the Hu region of China reveals how urbanization-induced changes to land-use configuration affect rodent community composition, including benefitting striped field mice,...

doi.org

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Jan 31

wec.ifas.ufl.edu/cheri/
The UF Cervidae Health Research Initiative held its annual symposium yesterday. We are ecologists, veterinarians, geographers, virologists, and entomologists who use a One Health approach to study deer! 🌎🧪👩🏻‍🔬

22 members of the UF Cervidae Health Research Initiative pose for a group photo

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Samantha M. Wisely @profwisely.bsky.social · Jan 28

UF Research sent this memo today. It came from the White House Office of Management and Budget and was sent to all federal agency executives yesterday. 🧪🌎👩‍🔬

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