Michael Skvarla

Very proud of the work from lab members and collaborators that coincidentally came out today www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... and www.nature.com/articles/s41.... A bacterial and viral pathogen associated with mass mortality in seastars and oysters. @kevinzhong2006.bsky.social @rhizalyssa.bsky.social

Uncovering the Christian Right’s Anti-Trans Disinformation Network with the Southern Poverty Law Center — Assigned Quinnehtukqut McLamore traced the vast disinformation network poisoning the science on trans youth care.

Disinformation has been a key driver of the anti-trans backlash, and @ghawinriver.bsky.social is an expert on how it is developed, spread, and leveraged.

Dig in with this interview by @rikiwilchins.bsky.social.

Israel’s new measures do nothing to stop the starvation crisis in Gaza, say aid workers Humanitarian workers say airdrops and corridors to allow trucks into region have done little to stop the rising death toll

Aid groups report that Israel is refusing to allow any olives or other “fruits or vegetables with pits or seeds that could be planted” into Gaza. They will only allow in pitted olives.

Austin police investigating assault of trans woman at Barton Springs as possible hate crime APD is asking the public for information about an attack over the weekend of a trans woman and someone who was injured trying to defend her.

The Austin community really stepped up in this story. Identified the attackers and raised $55k for the bystander who got seriously injured trying to stop the assault.

A photo of a bullhead catfish with bizarre mouth tumor things

Saw this on r/Fishing but none of the replies are serious. Anyone know what's going on with this bullhead?

www.reddit.com/r/Fishing/s/...

“AI hype should be added to the list of ways our oligarchs are contributing to authoritarianism. Add resisting that hype to the ways that the rest of us can fight.”

Obscure controversies in Cenozoic marine vertebrate paleontology 4: when did baleen whales become gigantic? For earlier entries in this series, check out these links: Obscure controversies in Cenozoic marine vertebrate paleontology 1: taxonomic ...

For #whalewednesday - When did baleen whales evolve to be gigantic? In this blog post I evaluate two hypotheses: a gradual development of body size, or instead - a delayed and sudden trend towards gigantism during the ice age? 🐋🦖🧪

genuine 60s-style student riots are not of the question here

I am increasingly sick and tired of businesses trying to force me to install their proprietary apps! My phone is full! Let me print my boarding pass at the airport! Let me get a posted paper schedule for the con! YOU ARE NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN 5,000 PICTURES OF MY CATS!

@scottmckay1.bsky.social We saw your bus on I-80 coming into Indiana but I'm not sure you saw our sign

Two things that shouldn’t be for profit: prisons and healthcare, because the incentive for harm is too great.

Keep ’em sick.
Keep ’em locked up.
keep the checks coming.

Reminder: We don’t need Ghislaine Maxwell to tell us the truth—it’s already buried in DOJ files they could unseal today.
She’s not a witness. She’s a convicted child rapist and sex trafficker.
Blanche isn’t seeking justice—he’s cutting a deal to keep her quiet.

The first 100% effective HIV prevention drug is approved and going global An epidemic that's been sustained for 44 years might finally be quelled, with the milestone approval of the first HIV drug that offers 100% protection with its twice-yearly injections. It's a landmark...

Well, I'll be damned.

It's royalty free and there's already six, generic manufacturers lined up.

newatlas.com/infectious-d...

The NIH’s 2024 budget of just under $37B generated $95B in economic activity in 2024 alone. 99.4% of new pharmaceuticals approved from 2010-2019 came from NIH-funded research. I’m hard pressed to think of anything that generates as much direct economic benefit as our NIH did before they destroyed it

Last week NYT Opinion shifted to suddenly run a bunch of "Gosh, this stuff in Gaza seems really bad, have you seen how bad this is?" content and political elites are absolutely taking cues from their preferred media elites. It was a bat signal: "Time to start salvaging your reputation on this one."

‘Mommy’s coming’: Video shows what happened before ICE arrested parent outside Oregon preschool Mahdi Khanbabazadeh, 38, was arrested by immigration authorities last week.

"...reaching with one hand to embrace his young child who is in the back in his car seat.

“Mommy’s coming,” he said.

The video doesn't show the child exiting the car. But in a later clip, Khanbabazadeh is alone in the vehicle when ICE agents break his window..."

www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

A process also known as “Genocide”.

Psycho Killer isn't even in my top five Talking Heads songs.

And She Was is probably my favorite, Once in a Lifetime is a close second.

There's a new episode of the Arthro-Pod podcast out. We interviewed @toomanywasps.bsky.social about gall wasps, especially the understudied herb gall wasps.

www.podbean.com/eas/pb-xcecc...

“UNESCO is the United Nations organization that promotes cooperation in education, science, culture and communication to foster peace worldwide.”

people who use AI as a replacement for thinking, learning and communicating should be shamed and punished. the same way we shame and punish drunk drivers, or people who negligently discharge firearms.

it is bad to misuse tools in a way that damages society

I can see why United Healthcare's CEO got wasted, these people are evil

It's true, AI could never surpass this

An aardvark at the bottom of a deep burrow.

Why would a melon plant choose to bury its fruit where almost nothing can find it? Wildlife cameras and some careful digging have found the answer. While lots of animals have a taste for melon, only one treats it the right way.

wp.me/pdRZhH-mbt

#Botany #PlantScience 🧪

this is getting next to no media attention and it’s horrifying. transphobes weren’t going to stop at bathrooms, no hormones for minors, they are going to keep pushing until it’s entirely illegal and no one is standing up for us other than trans people

Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work.

ICE detained a veteran and U.S. citizen for three days.

They didn’t let him contact his family or a lawyer. They didn’t let him change or shower. They didn’t give him a reason for his detention.

Under this regime, no one is safe. apnews.com/article/us-a...

Yes I was shocked by how many voters had never heard of the grab em by the pussy tape but millions of 2024 voters were literally 10 years old when that happened

Thanks for the props. 🥰

A reviewer pointed this out in my first peer-reviewed paper and ever since I've said "I/we thank...". It's a small thing, but that review had a lasting impact.

Colbert will be all right, maybe even better off. The world's his oyster and I'm sure MSNBC and Netflix will come calling. He could stand up the biggest late night YouTube channel in days. But they are just torching the Late Show, an institution, solely to appease a dictator. And that fucking sucks.