Sara Ricklefs

what a decade this week has been

You know what's good? Books.

Don’t forget about the #FindThatLizard Scholarship!! Please share

#science #scholarship #funding #herps #HERpers #lizards #snakes #frogs #salamanders #game #challenge #education

Yesterday, I did a @skypeascientist.bsky.social session with a big class of 7th graders. Obviously I still have a few days, but I already know it’ll be the most joyful part of my work this week. Smart, curious, hilarious questions. 10/10 🧪

There should be a word for "setting an out-of-office auto-reply as I travel to go to a conference even though I'm still going to be checking email constantly while at the conference because of who I am as a person"

two cuttlefish hover over a reef where the female has laid eggs with tiny little baby cuttlefish in them. It's the month of December

This fall, @megstampede.bsky.social & I are collaborating to create a 2026 calendar!

Each month features a different animal, facts about them, & actions we can take to help them!

Sales will fund our '26 Native 🌱 Project

Order before 10/1 to get a free plant sticker!
www.etsy.com/listing/4366...

A map of the United states titled "United States of Science 2025" with the skype a scientist logo and 2000 tiny empty circles spread out across the USA. States with low population numbers have fewer than where there are more people.

Whew, ok, with a few hours to spare, the 2025 classroom map is ready! The 7th annual United States of Science competition starts tomorrow.

If you wanna get your region off to a head start, just between us night owls, here's that link 😘

givebutter.com/USS2025

Alright I have a question for *all of you*, esp for those of you who are not into environment stuff.

When you think about planting native plants in the area you control, what *prevents* you from taking that action? These could be emotional, financial, practical, anything.

RTs appreciated here.

Marbled crayfish.

How hard is it to get rid of unwanted cloning marbled #crayfish?

Marbled crayfish were released into 1️⃣ pond in Prague.

The pond got drained. Collected every visible crayfish. Nope: still crayfish.

The pond got drained AGAIN. Collected every visible crayfish AGAIN. Nope: still crayfish.

1/4

Why do scientists study obscure things like Joshua trees? Because we don’t know what we don’t know. A Yellowstone hot spring microbe led to PCR, the technology behind cancer diagnostics, forensics, HIV tests, & more. Basic research leads to BIG SURPRISES that change the world. 🧪🧬🔬

As Trump comes after research, Forest Service scientists keep working - High Country News Scientists describe how they’re preparing for the upcoming field season despite the challenges.

www.hcn.org/issues/57-6/...

Nonprofits Under Threat: What’s in the House Tax Bill and How You Can Help The draft tax bill includes many provisions which, if enacted, could have a significant impact on nonprofit organizations nationwide and the people they serve

❗️ The R tax bill would hand unchecked power to the Trump admin to punish nonprofit orgs that don’t fall in line with the its ideology by labeling them as terrorist-supporting groups - w/o due process, w/o a third-party investigation & w/o public evidence: www.councilofnonprofits.org/articles/non...

Plankton? Daphnia are so cute

Ugh, foundations are tough! Just got another ‘no’ this week too. We keep trying, but every time we get our decision I’m left shouting at my screen “what do you waaaant?!?”

I’m the Executive Director at Invasive Species Action Network based in Montana. We provide outreach, education, and services focused on invasive species prevention. Check us out at stopais.org or on socials.

We’re doing geocache trackables (or travel bugs) to talk about forest pests and their native lookalikes. You can tie lots of communication to the associated web page, but fun and new to us.

DOGE takes over federal grants website, wresting control of billions A DOGE engineer removed users’ access to grants.gov, threatening to further slow the process of awarding thousands of federal grants per year.

Scoop: DOGE now controls how grant opportunities get posted across government.

DOGE engineer removed users’ permissions to post to Grants-dot-gov without telling them. Now requests flow thru DOGE-controlled mailbox.

with @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social + @hannahnatanson.bsky.social

A collection of handmade Victorian ink bottles

A tiny posy of fresh flowers in a cobalt blue Victorian ink bottle

A tiny posy of blue & purple spring flowers in a cobalt blue Victorian ink bottle

The front cover design of a booklet I've written on how making a tiny posy in a beautiful little antique bottle will improve your mental health, along with a brief guide to/history of Victorian ink bottles.

Tmrw evening at 8 I'll be opening my Etsy for a limited no. of Victorian ink bottle posy kits designed to👇 anxiety while you make something lovely.
Contents:
Victorian ink bottle
booklet:neuroscience of improving mental health with creative activity
tiny dried flower posy.
A RT would help so much🌿

May I [once again] interest you in a little sturgeon break?

US map via scienceimpacts.org visualization of economic loss due to IDC cuts to 15% as part of Feb 7, 2025 executive order, with shading denoting intensity of cuts.

Working with an interdisciplinary team, we have developed a website to communicate how the White House's proposed cuts to health research would cause losses of $16B and 68,500 jobs.

Find out how your community may be impacted.

Explore more at SCIMaP: scienceimpacts.org

a 🧵

Exclusive: NIH to cut grants for COVID research, documents reveal Studies on climate change and South Africa are also on the latest list of grants to be terminated, according to updated documents obtained by Nature.

NEW: The NIH has begun terminating grants about COVID-19, leaving long COVID funding in limbo, according to a new internal guidance document I obtained.

“Now that the pandemic is over, the grant funds are no longer necessary,” it says.

We published the full document in my latest for @nature.com:

Folks, exactly 5 years ago today I made this offer, & I'll do it again.

Many graduate students are in danger of losing their one field season for collecting data- in March 2020 because of the pandemic, now because of Musk-Trump BS. This means that many won't be able to finish graduate school. 🧪🧵

The Fish Doorbell — The Fish Doorbell Did you spot a fish? Press the Fish Doorbell! This alerts our lock operator to let the fish through. The Fish Doorbell is in Utrecht, NL.

The Fish Doorbell is live!
THE FISH DOORBELL IS LIVE 🐟 🐠
visdeurbel.nl/en/

If you’ve any doubt the nonprofit sector faces an unprecedented existential threat, see yesterday’s Joe Rogan interview with Elon Musk.

Remember - while his power is significant, ours is greater. When we unite to protect & advance the entire nonprofit sector, we are formidable, and we will win.

Natural Resource Professional Societies Issue Joint Statement on the Impacts of Federal Workforce Reduction - American Fisheries Society Amidst the continued termination of the nations’ federal workforce, the American Fisheries Society (AFS) joined forces with the Society of American Foresters

fisheries.org/2025/02/natu...

A blue infographic gives a step by step guide on how to Skype a scientist. The steps are: 1) sign up on skypeascientist.com 2) pick a category of science your group would like to talk about (e.g. marine biology, chemistry, astronomy) 3) get a match via email 4) connect with your scientist, discuss your ur group’s needs and pick a time to chat 5) talk to your scientist!

Hi! We're Skype a Scientist! We're a free program that matches scientists with classrooms, scout troops, libraries, & other groups for Q&As all about science.

Get matched with a scientist for a virtual conversation! We have 30+ types of scientist & match weekly.
www.skypeascientist.com/sign-up.html

Every scientist, long before they were a scientist, was a little kid who stood in front of a fish tank or stared up at the stars or turned over a rock to look at the bugs underneath and said “wow”. On the best days, working in science still feels like that.

The SIFT method - STOP, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims, quotes & media

Information hygiene request - please circulate & take action.

I’m getting bombarded with frantic fragments.

Information flow is crucial right now, and every link in the chain matters. This is a concrete place where you can play a massive role in improving transmission.

Start with SIFT method:

Post the amazing science things you have done with federal funding.

White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.

I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.

“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.