S Otto

March 7th, 2026 is about more than standing up for science...it's scientist standing up for DEMOCRACY!

Democracy cannot thrive when a paramilitary force being used against civilians, extremist ideology abounds, and science is censored and used against the public.

@standupforscience.bsky.social

The Daily Bruin UCLA's independent, student-run newspaper

My heart goes out to Priyanga Amarasekare. I don't see justice served with this one-sided Board decision. Is it right to have her reputation & career ruined for being a POC speaking out for equity? Academic freedom is worth protecting. 💔
dailybruin.com

One thing we've consistently seen is that if an emerging divergent variant competes evenly w/the most advanced circulating variants, it will eventually predominate. We saw this with XBB & BA.2.86, and a similar pattern holds among various minor lineages. 1/3

The high cost of turning a blind eye to species at risk By removing these 106 species from the official list under its new Species Conservation Act, the province is withdrawing recognition of their imperiled status within Ontario.

"Ontario is about to make 106 species disappear - not from nature, but from responsibility."

By removing species from the official list under its new Species Conservation Act, Ontario is withdrawing recognition of their imperiled status, writes Justina Ray

www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/18/o...

Very helpful overview of our rapidly changing understanding of these issues. Thank you for the guide.

@whysharksmatter.bsky.social - We missed you and the other forever fellows at the @libererofellows.bsky.social training!

Thank you to all the wonderful people and groups we met to make our @libererofellows.bsky.social training transformational: Michelle LeBaron, Chief Hugh Akagi, Adam Wilkins, Kim Davies, Laurenne Schiller, the Huntsman Marine Science Centre, Canada Whale Institute, & NB Museum. So many thanks!!

🚨 BREAKING: All major groups of wildlife in Canada are in decline

#LPRC2025: Across 910 species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles & amphibians, wildlife populations in Canada have declined by 10%, on average, since 1970.

BUT not all is lost. Together, we can help nature heal & wildlife recover.

YouTube video by SMTPB Reflections on Modeling and Theory in Population Biology: Warren Ewens

@sarperotto.bsky.social and I are back for the @smtpb.bsky.social, interviewing Warren Ewens. "Get out of that ivory tower and do something useful" might seem unlikely advice for a mathematical population geneticist, but this was key for Warren. Full interview here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_K_...

Duolingo's CEO says AI will soon replace teachers. But... should it? | CBC News Duolingo's founder and CEO is sparking controversy with his recent statements that AI should replace teachers since it teaches better than humans, but that schools will still exist for childcare.

Exactly! Perhaps let’s hold off on replacing teachers with AI 😉. www.cbc.ca/news/world/d...

At least humerus is right, just spelled wrong!

Great to see @sarperotto.bsky.social !

YouTube video by SMTPB Reflections on Modeling and Theory in Population Biology: Joel Cohen

For “Reflections on the history of modeling and theory”, @sarperotto.bsky.social and I met with Joel Cohen. We learn how he navigated math and biology, the value of embracing ignorance, and what is a population. Or really, what _isn't_ a population: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCt9...
@smtpb.bsky.social

YouTube video by SMTPB Robert D. Holt interview

Going live in 2 hours... @jpodwyer.bsky.social and @sarperotto.bsky.social interview Bob Holt for @smtpb.bsky.social

youtu.be/q8hX3S0xMJc?...

Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas – why that’s a problem for fishing’s future, and for whales, corals and other ocean life America’s marine protected areas help fish populations thrive. Trump’s plan to open them to industrial fishing may ultimately harm the fishing industry itself.

ICYMI, I have a piece in the conversation about President Trump’s disastrous executive orders related to the ocean. No not that one, the other one.

Trump is stripping protections from marine protected areas – why that’s a problem for fishing’s future, and for whales, corals and other ocean life America’s marine protected areas help fish populations thrive. Trump’s plan to open them to industrial fishing may ultimately harm the fishing industry itself.

Read this from Dr. David Shiffman (@whysharksmatter.bsky.social):

Biosciences Computing Manager Staff - Non Union Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Information Systems and Technology, Level D Job Title Biosciences Computing Manager Department Administrative Leadership | Dep...

We are looking for new manager for our computing unit! If you have experience in both biology and computers, this might be the perfect job for you! UBC is a lovely place, and Zoology is a fantastic, collaborative and kind department. Apply by May 4th at ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcstaffjobs...

Don’t get too distracted. This is the fourth student (and the fourth university) as far as I know to get snatched by ICE in just the last few days.

It’s only going to get worse from here.

Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern (TEM image) Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles (yellow) within endosomes of a heavily infected nasal Olfactory Epithelial Cell. Credit: NIAID

I’m not going to be able to tell you about the consequences of EVERY lost grant, but I’m going to try.

Let’s start with the Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) program for pathogens of pandemic concern! It just got unceremoniously shitcanned.

U.S. to End Vaccine Funds for Poor Countries (Gift Article) A 281-page spreadsheet obtained by The Times lists the Trump administration’s plans for thousands of foreign aid programs.

Trump administration to cut vaccination funds. "The loss of U.S. support may mean 75 million children do not receive routine vaccinations in the next five years, with more than 1.2 million children dying as a result," reports @stephanienolen.bsky.social Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/h...

3/3 We can do better! Data lags shortened dramatically during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, improving the ability of scientists to track mutations of public health concern and providing early warning signals that lead to protecting the vulnerable and informing the public. @seanedgerton.bsky.social

2/3 We included only countries with ≥50 submissions; among these, GDP per capita didn't account for delays. Human cases were shared rapidly (15 days), but data from animals, especially wildlife, often take months to release. 🦢Shout out to Netherlands & Czech Republic, submitting data within a month!

Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID Nature Biotechnology - Lengthy delays in H5N1 genome submissions to GISAID

1/3 How long do you think it takes for highly pathogenic avian flu H5N1 sequences to be uploaded to GISAID after collection? How long should it be? In this commentary, we find a median delay of 228 days, with half the countries taking more than 6 months. rdcu.be/eeZGU @naturebiotech.bsky.social

Science Under Threat in the United States: Feeling abandoned but energized Many individual researchers are frustrated by the response - or the lack of a response - from universities to a growing crisis.

My OpEd in @elife.bsky.social

“It feels as if we are trying to fight a series of attacks on science with one arm tied behind our back and our lips half sewn shut.”

“Yet we are not beaten, and some of us are downright energized.”

elifesciences.org/articles/106...

This is terrible news & just one part of a bigger picture.

Prepare yourself for ongoing updates about the “reduction in force” this month and more again in April.

Talk to your community about it. They may not believe it at first - it sounds unbelievable! But we must bear witness & explain.

Liber Ero Fellowship Program

Looking for a postdoc in 🇨🇦?

Liber Ero Fellowship
liberero.ca

* Applied conservation science
* Leadership training
* Open to int’l applicants
* Due Nov 1

🌎🧪🦤

This BA.3 saltation best fits a chronic infection mutation distribution - approximately 10^6 times more likely than the global Omicron distribution in the SMDP app.

Interesting. No alarm bells, but still Erin Gill @makemydna.bsky.social checked this saltation using her SMDP app eringill.shinyapps.io/covid_mutati... finding it most fits the mutation distribution of a chronic infection. Chronic infections are still a source of novelty (cc @sarperotto.bsky.social)

"As scientists, we know we simply cannot ignore the link between human health and well-being and the health and survival of wild species, ecosystems and our planet. No amount of economic growth is going to insulate us from the continued deterioration of critical life support systems. "

Genome duplication in a long-term multicellularity evolution experiment - Nature In the Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment, diploid yeast evolve to be tetraploid under selection for larger multicellular size, revealing how whole-genome duplication can arise due to its...

1/46 Hey folks, we have a new paper out on the MuLTEE. Strap in and I’ll tell you the story of how this “little paper on polyploidy” turned into the most data rich paper our lab has produced, largely thanks to the leadership and work ethic of @kaitong25.bsky.social.

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

48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science 48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science

Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs.

It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎