J. Chris Pires

Every disaster movie starts with someone ignoring a scientist…

Ancient Plants Used Infrared Radiation to Attract Their Pollinators - Harvard University - Department of Molecular & Cellular Biology Long before flowers painted the planet in brilliant colors, some of Earth’s earliest plants were glowing—not with pigment, but with heat. A new study from the lab of […]

Ancient Plants Used Infrared Radiation to Attract Their Pollinators #research 🧠 🧪🧬 #AcademicSky #higherEd
www.mcb.harvard.edu/department/n... @nbellono.bsky.social @rachellegaudet.bsky.social @harvardoeb.bsky.social @science.org

Map showing current temperatures in California (from PivotalWeather.com). It depicts balmy and even record warmth in the mountains and hills, as well as SoCal, with temperatures into the 70s and 80s in these areas, but very chilly temperatures in the Central Valley remaining in the low 40s under a dense fog layer.

Central California is currently experiencing one of the most remarkable temperature inversions I've ever seen in this part of the world. The Central Valley remains miserably damp & chilly under dense fog layer, but it's balmily warm & sunny just 2,000ft up nearby mountain slopes!

This is criminal. One reason black lung is becoming worse is that as thick Appalachian coal seams are mined out, the remaining seams are thin. The result? More silica-rich sandstone and siltstone must be removed to get the coal. More silica dust + weakened protections ≠ loving coal miners.

Hugely important though because we thought this era was about geo-political competition, but these guys do not care about national self-interest so this neo-royalism or emergent network of personalist authoritarians may be as if not more important than US v China or US v Russia.

It conveys a sort of hereditary aristocracy with that word, which raises the question about succession and whether these are phenomena that outlive the charismatic actors who brought them into being. When Trump leaves or dies, does the mantle get passed to his son or can he g(r)ift it to Vance?

one reason "great power competition" is a bad description of the emerging order is that an interlinked global kleptocracy does not care about national interests or rivalries

Applications for TBS #grants are currently open - we have grants for undergrads and grad students alike to fund #research and costs associated with training, workshops and symposia! Applications are due by Jan 15 - apply here: www.torreybotanical.org/grants-awards/

🧪🌎🌿🍄🌾 #botany

Trump DOJ Sues Colorado and Hawaii in Latest Attempt to Seize Voter Data Read more here.

🚨BREAKING: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) sued Colorado and Hawaii Thursday in the latest lawsuits by the administration seeking to force states to hand over their unredacted voter rolls. DOJ has now sued 16 states over access to their voter data. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Note: Trump's plummeting rating on the economy has pierced the crucial Darwin Threshhold...the point at which his approval rating on handling the economy (31 percent) is actually lower than the number of Americans who do not believe in evolution (33-37 percent), the once solid core of Trump support.

Tweet from a user sarcastically calling Trump the “President of the United States of America,” with an American flag emoji. Below is a TV screenshot showing Donald Trump next to a graphic titled “Trump’s Attacks on Women Reporters,” listing several dates with insults he used, including “Quiet, piggy,” “Insubordinate,” “Ugly,” “Are you stupid?,” “Stupid and nasty,” and “Obnoxious and terrible.”

We need to teach our young men about misogyny so they don't think it's okay to become like him.

Screenshot from an article of the Financial Post. The headline reads: Canada launches billion dollar plan to recruit top researchers.

Canada’s new government is investing big to attract world-class talent in science and technology — and become an innovation powerhouse.

This is the moment when more than 30 million Americans received affordable healthcare in 2010.

Today, Republicans have voted to make healthcare UNAFFORDABLE for more than 40 million.

The #RepublicanHealthCareFailure and greed will cost thousands of lives.

Vote and make Trump a lame duck in 2026.

Trump and Putin laugh as they hold hands

The Trump regime is pushing for Austria, Hungary, Poland, and Italy to leave European Union, this is the latest ploy by MAGA to weaken support for Ukraine and help Russia. Trump's inner circle is hoping to plunder Ukraine's territories and dissolve the EU for financial gain.

NATO chief Rutte: "Russia has brought war back to Europe, and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great-grandparents endured." 😳

Republicans gave $132 billion in tax breaks to the top 1% in 2027. With that money, we could have extended ACA tax credits for over 20 million people next year and still have $100 billion left over.

Republicans gave $132 billion in tax breaks to the top 1% in 2027.

With that money, we could have extended ACA tax credits for over 20 million people next year and still have $100 billion left over.

When Trees Testify: Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy Science, Wisdom, History, and America’s Black Botanical Legacy

I'm so excited to have preordered @berondam.bsky.social's new book, "When Trees Testify," available in UK from Feb 16.
Beronda's "Lessons From Plants" is brilliant:thoughtful, caring, engaging (as is she).
X-mas idea: preorder for pals & send a card with a note!
uk.bookshop.org/p/books/when...

Tenure Track Professorship (W1 with Tenure Track to W3) in “Molecular Biology" (f/m/d) - Heidelberg job with Universität Heidelberg | 12850668 The Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) and the Faculty of Biosciences invite applications for a   Tenure Track Professors...

Please RT‼️ #TenureTrack position @zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de one of the best #proteostasis research centres in the world. www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Ending the year with fantastic news! Our project "Taming and ancient guest: Autophagy in mitochondrial quality control" got funded by the #FWF.

Soooo in 2026 our first PhD student will be joining our small but mighty #team 🎉🌱

#NewPI #autophagy @bokuvienna.bsky.social www.fwf.ac.at/forschungsra...

Profile Spotlight: Dr. Crispus Mbaluto is a Senior Research Officer, at the School Life Sciences, University of Essex, UK. Head to our website to learn more about how the spirit of “why not give it a try” has propelled Crispus throughout his career.https://buff.ly/TtIxUya

a man with glasses says i collect them as a hobby in front of a wooden wall ALT: a man with glasses says i collect them as a hobby in front of a wooden wall

#HeardToday #LabMeeting

“That’s just stamp collecting.”

…And what exactly is wrong with stamp collecting?

Today’s @cosheidelberg.bsky.social seminar is on 🍃 given by @hildenelissen.bsky.social from @psb-vib.bsky.social Really cool work all the way from mechanistic science to translation!!!

Congrats to all authors!

A delightful #PlantScience read and one of my favorites among the nonfiction books I read this year. #BookSky

A nonprofit group has developed a cheaper, faster way for farmers to assess soils UK-based international non-profit organisation, the Earth Rover Programme, which currently operates in Colombia, Kenya and the UK, has globally launched its “soilsmology” initiative, to allow even poor farmers to be able to assess their soils accurately, and in a non-invasive...

A nonprofit group has developed a cheaper, faster way for farmers to assess soils
->Engineering News | #Soil | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai

📢 EGU26 abstract submission is still open! 🌱

Share your soil science research at EGU 2026! With 14 outstanding SSS sessions, you'll find the perfect fit for your work.

🗓️ Deadline: 15 January 2026, 13h CET
📍Location: Vienna, 3-8 May 2026
👉 www.egu26.eu/pg/SSS

#SoilScience #EGU #EGUSSS #abstract

→ Go to article

#biodiversity #biodiversity loss #climate #climate change #desertification #GEO #UNEP

🌱🌽 HARVRESt project update!

We’ve just completed the maize harvest in our barley→maize double-cropping trial.

Read more 👉https://bit.ly/4rFPizI

#Digestate #CircularAgriculture #SoilHealth

@udivulga.bsky.social
@uvic-ucc.cat

DG’s Soil Nutrient Roadmap (SNR), with CSIR and Ghana's Ministry of Food and Agriculture, recently brought experts in Accra to refine the Soil Nutrient Roadmap. The Roadmap turns complex data into policy-ready insights to guide targeting, planning, and investment.

#SoilHealth #FoodSecurity

🌱 New #EU #Soil Mission project #MultiSoil launched in #Finland
EU’s MultiSoil project advances sustainable farming by testing practices that restore soil, enhance biodiversity and reduce chemicals across Europe, providing tools for healthier, resilient soils.
Project Website: www.multisoil.eu