Alberto Perez-Huerta

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced today that it will begin an orderly wind-down of its operations following the passage of a federal rescissions package and the release of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill, which excludes funding for CPB for the first time in more than five decades. For nearly 60 years, CPB has carried out its Congressional mission to build and sustain a trusted public media system that informs, educates, and serves communities across the country. Through partnerships with local stations and producers, CPB has supported educational content, locally relevant journalism, emergency communications, cultural programming, and essential services for Americans in every community. “Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations,” said CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison. “CPB remains committed to fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities and supporting our partners through this transition with transparency and care.”

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is shutting down operations after loss of federal funding:

If you have the chance to visit Glasgow, I can give you some pointers about interesting science and geology places to visit. I am a geologist and live there 3 years

Illustration from an 1846 conchological manual depicting twelve intricately detailed seashells of various shapes, sizes, and textures. The shells display a range of spiral forms with ridges, spines, and flared openings. Colors include shades of brown, beige, cream, and deep red, with visible inner and outer surfaces. Each shell is numbered, highlighting their diversity in structure, including elongated cones, wide flared edges, and spiky protrusions, emphasizing their unique natural designs. The background is aged off-white paper, and elegant cursive numbers and headings are printed above the shells for classification.

🐚 A conchological manual
London: Henry G. Bohn, 1846.

[Source]

Head on shot of The Titanosaur towering over the viewer as its head peers out of the arch of the hall entrance. Its long body can be seen trailing behind it, as well as three people who seem tiny compared to its immense size.

You don’t see one of these every day… or ever. 🦕 Meet The Titanosaur (Patagotitan mayorum). At 122 ft (37.2 m) long & ~70 tons, this sauropod was heavier than 10 African elephants—it was one of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth! This gigantic herbivore lived ~95 million years ago.

Brachiopods are shelled marine creatures that superficially resemble clams and oysters. Although still living, they were most abundant in the Paleozoic Era (540-252 mya). Since they're common fossils they're useful for dating rocks. The Knobstone Escarpment near Leota, Indiana, 19 Jan 2013.

Brachiopods are shelled marine creatures that superficially resemble clams and oysters. Although still living, they were most abundant in the Paleozoic Era (540-252 mya). Since they're common fossils they're useful for dating rocks. The Knobstone Escarpment near Leota, Indiana, 19 Jan 2013.

Brachiopods are shelled marine creatures that superficially resemble clams and oysters. Although still living, they were most abundant in the Paleozoic Era (540-252 mya). Since they're common fossils they're useful for dating rocks. The Knobstone Escarpment near Leota, Indiana, 19 Jan 2013.

NSF Division of Earth Sciences Informational Webinar

US Earth Science people: Our June webinar felt so good, we’re making it a series. Join us next Tuesday 7/15 (and again in Aug & Sept) to hear from NSF staff and to get (most of?) your questions answered. www.nsf.gov/events/nsf-d...

Reorientation and despinning of 4 Vesta formed the Divalia Fossae The Divalia Fossae are formed by tectonic stresses from reorientation and despinning of Vesta caused by large impacts.

Check out our new paper in Science Advances!
🧪🔭🪐
We show that Vesta’s giant equatorial troughs—Divalia Fossae—likely formed from spin axis reorientation and despinning as a long-term consequence of the two massive impacts near the south poles. 🪨⚒️

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

This may be part of the problem...do our representatives in Congress know the difference between NSF and NIH?

As others are probably doing, I contacted my Senator Hon. Katie Britt to explain the negative consequences, especially for Alabama and UA, to approve, by Congress, the requested NSF budget cut for 2026 by the current administration. I got a reply from her office talking about NIH rather than NSF...

Awesome!!!

This proposed budget is a policy statement, not an appropriation.
There are still a lot of steps and potential changes ahead before it becomes one. This is not a time to sit quietly, team. Let's go.

For those of you interested in less interesting lophophorates, you can enjoy this photo of bryozoa

Finally, a proper lophophorate!

Is Congress, in particular Senators (independently of political ideology), going to defend US core values rooted in knowledge and education?

The worth of a country is measured by the level of education of its citizens, rather than by economic power or political influence. As the current administration, and some states, in this country are trying to dismantle the education and research system, we have to stand for the US values I love.

Part of my education and career is due to the US academic system. I am a proud US citizen, but I am also an immigrant to this country. When I came to USA, I really liked the value that society was given to education, seeking knowledge, and promoting curiosity.

Proudly, I have been a member of the Palaeontological Association @thepalass.bsky.social for 25 years!!

A bunch of beautiful flowers to improve the mood

Left randomly on a campus corner, it may be considered as an artistic expression about thinking...given the current circumstances, we should think about placing empty chairs across US campus to value the "act of pausing and thinking" about what society we want

I like this approach...you have freedom to smoke, but you would have to be caged to avoid second hand smoking!

Insoluble organic fraction from Cretaceous fossil mollusk nacre...full of protein!

Another example of beautiful flower!

Beautiful flowers blooming in April in Israel

Modern and fossil nacre of related taxa...amazing preservation of Cretaceous bivalves!

Seminar talk on atom probe tomography went quite well today

Today visiting a beach filled with seashells

Marine gastropods have beautiful shells...a different matter is to extract samples for precise locations #biomineralizarion

Waking up with fresh orchids...not bad at all!