Sierra S. Raglin, Ph.D.

YouTube video by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne, more - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" | 2004 Induction

Every once in a while I go back and rewatch this performance, and every time I'm glad I did youtu.be/6SFNW5F8K9Y

Jeffrey Epstein E-mails Reveal Depth of Ties to High-Profile Scientists A trove of e-mails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released by a congressional committee on Wednesday

A trove of e-mails from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released by a congressional committee on Wednesday

This is an insane metric of how awful the American government has become.

Black-Owned Farms Fill Gaps Left by SNAP Funding Delays From North Carolina to Mississippi, small businesses work to feed their communities while benefits are paused.

From North Carolina to Mississippi, Black-owned farms are filling the gaps left by SNAP funding delays

OMG

Biomedicine Institute | LEGO® Ideas It all started by building a small microscope with my 8-years old daughter following her visit at my work place, a biomedical research center. She loved it and …

Please, my friends, vote for this brilliant idea from Lego!

beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...

Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs The selective revision of beliefs in light of new evidence has been considered one of the hallmarks of human-level rationality. However, tests of this ability in other species are lacking. We examined...

Even chimpanzees think rationally and weigh the evidence when making a choice ;-)
@science.org
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Signatures of local nitrogen adaptation in the Brachypodium distachyon root microbiome Plants associate with diverse microbiomes that impact their fitness, yet the contribution of the microbiome to plant adaptation is uncertain. As plant recruitment of its microbiome can be both highl...

My labmate @kevinricks.bsky.social and I decided to complete a side project during the last year of our doctorate programs, and I'm happy to say that it's finally been published in New Phytologist !! doi.org/10.1111/nph....

Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund

The Community Archaeology Radiocarbon Dating (CARD) Fund is now open for applications. ⏳

Funded by Archaeological Research Services Ltd and the SUERC Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, the fund covers the full cost of radiocarbon dating for community projects across the UK.👉

Initial Data Suggest Decrease In Black Freshman At Selective Colleges An analysis of admissions data for 22 selective colleges suggests a decrease in the percentage of black freshmen admitted in 2025 at almost all of the institutions.

A new analysis shows that out of 22 selective admission institutions, 20 showed a decline in the share of enrolled Black freshmen this fall, with nine seeing decreases of 30% or more. #HigherEd #AcademicSky www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

Anti-science bills hit statehouses, stripping away public health protections built over a century More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year.

“More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law.“

Fellow academics, I'm doing it. Going all in. Pulling the plug, literally.

This is on my syllabus for Spring 2026: "This is an analog class. No Canvas; this syllabus is your guide."

All readings are printed books; hand-written exams; no laptops. #academicbluesky #Highered #academia #Rutgers

Trump officials cut nearly $8bn in clean energy projects in Democratic states Democrats and environmental groups slam move as ‘sick political game’ and say it will drive up energy bills

As far as I can tell, this $8B in cuts to clean energy as part of the government shutdown is on top of the $13B from the pocket rescission.

"...this administration is not serious about American energy dominance”.

Big surprise.

www.energy.gov/articles/ene...

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Trump Environmental Protection Agency moves to repeal finding that allows climate regulation President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed revoking a scientific finding that's long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

Trump EPA moves to repeal landmark finding that allows climate regulation | AP News share.google/4j8mjz3qQ3wD...

Travelers to the US must pay a new $250 'visa integrity fee' — What to know The fee will be at least $250, is on top of other visa fees, and may be reimbursable.

Do not organize conferences in the US with an expectation to invite international scientists.

www.nbcnewyork.com/news/busines...

a man wearing sunglasses and a fake mustache says " capiche " ALT: a man wearing sunglasses and a fake mustache says " capiche "

Peer review ≠ projection. You’re a reviewer, not a co-author. Judge what’s there—not what you wish was. We are not here to realize your fantasies. It is really not that hard.

JPMorgan hired NOAA's chief scientist to advise clients on navigating climate change Last year, JPMorgan hired Sarah Kapnick as the bank's chief climate scientist. She's now advising clients on how climate change will impact their investments.

Glad to hear this 👇🏾(below) for Sarah Kapnick. The best of success to a singularly brilliant scientist!

www.cnbc.com/2025/05/31/w...

Illinois moves to protect autistic residents’ medical records Gov. JB Pritzker issued an executive order after the NIH announced plans to use private medical records for an autism database

After the NIH & Dept. of Health & Human Services announced plans to use private medical records for an "autism database", Gov. Pritzker signed an order preventing IL state orgs from sharing autism-related info without informed consent, @nberlat.bsky.social reports:
prismreports.org/2025/05/27/i...

Start every day with this reality:

EVERY HOUSE SEAT and 33 Senate seats are up for election in 2026. THAT must be the focus. Let’s get disciplined.
#LeaveNoPowerOnTheTable

ballotpedia.org/United_State...

Nothing like a dust storm to start the weekend

If you're lucky enough to live someplace where you can see Brood XIV cicadas, I highly recommend the experience. Plus, you can help scientists map zombie hotspots on @inaturalist.bsky.social, entomologist @humanbyweight.bsky.social (author/artist of a guide to N. American cicadas) explains how!

Cannot emphasize this too strongly.

YouTube video by Beyoncé Neighborhood Inaugural Ball "At Last" Performance

youtu.be/HGrq1SzkHs0?...

Diet outperforms microbial transplant to drive microbiome recovery in mice - Nature Experiments in mouse models show that proper recovery of the intestinal microbiota following depletion, with or without faecal microbiota transplant therapy, is dependent on syntrophic interactions th...

Diet outperforms microbial transplant to drive microbiome recovery in mice | Nature

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Trump administration withdraws FDA plan to ban menthol cigarettes The Trump administration has withdrawn a plan to ban menthol cigarettes in the U.S., in a setback to health regulators and activists.

This got WAY too little attention. 50 more Americans will die every day from cancer, heart attack and stroke than would have if the ban on harmful menthol cigarettes had been implemented.

Utah Farmers Signed Up for Federally Funded Therapy. Then the Money Stopped. Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah. But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.

NEW: Farmers are dying by suicide at the third-highest rate by vocation in Utah.

But after a federal program offering mental health support ran out of money, the state did not continue it.

By @jessicamiller.bsky.social, with @sltrib.com

Smithsonian begins removing exhibits, artifacts from African American History Museum WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Some artifacts and exhibits are being removed from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It comes a month after President Trump’s execu…

This is so horrible! Hopefully everything can be returned when he is gone gone gone!

www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-n...

Warming Disrupts Plant–Fungal Endophyte Symbiosis More Severely in Leaves Than Roots Warmer temperatures associated with climate change disrupt relationships between plants and the fungi living in their leaves and roots by reducing the abundance and diversity of these fungi—especiall...

Fungal endophytes may not be a reliable way to improve plant resilience to global change. Warmer temperatures disrupt symbiosis between plants and fungal endophytes by reducing fungal colonization and diversity in plant tissues, with stronger effects in leaves than roots.
dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb....

ICE can enter anyone’s home, and abduct and deport them to a foreign prison indefinitely because the DOJ says they can ignore the 4th, 5th and 15th amendments.

If there’s no due process or protections against illegal search and seizures, none of us are safe.

Study Finds Plants Increasingly Reliant On Gig Workers For Pollination

Study Finds Plants Increasingly Reliant On Gig Workers For Pollination
theonion.com/study-f...