Karen R. Lips

Bird Community Composition, Migration, and Environmental Factors Jointly Influence the Global Distribution of Avian Haemosporidian Lineages Avian haemosporidians are widely distributed; however, the role of migratory and non-migratory birds, as well as environmental conditions, is incompletely understood. A histogram of the number of par...

We recently studied how avian malaria parasites are distributed globally, with bird migration, host community similarity, & environmental affinity all playing a role. Important because some lineages are more harmful than others and distributions susceptible to global change
doi.org/10.1111/1749...

Forests’ misty breath sustains crops in distant lands The moisture emitted by forests travels across national borders to provide precipitation to far-away fields.

The moisture emitted by forests travels across national borders to provide precipitation to far-away fields

go.nature.com/47RAMgg

Some charts for those who don't know the extent of the US public (and private) investment in research (particularly in biomedical research) compared to other countries and institutions. The destruction of the US' scientific institutions has global implications.

Scientists may have found a panacea for snake bites A broad-spectrum antivenom could save thousands of lives a year

Snake venom is complicated stuff, sporting many damaging proteins whose overall molecular structure differs between species. But scientists have had a breakthrough

Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending' A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who’s been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what’s b...

The US funds the bulk of biomedical research globally by far. It's not like other countries can simply take up the slack. The more likely: people leave research, new people don't become researchers. There is no happy ending. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

After submitting a FOIA request UKRI, I obtained success rates by three grant call scheme and I can only say that I am disheartened by the results:

- AHRC Responsive Mode 2025: 2%
- ESRC New Investigator Grant 2025: 1%
- ESRC Research Grant Round 2025: 1%

Research thrives on innovation and the diversity of ideas, yet our funding system often penalizes both. In our new study published in PNAS, we explore the hidden costs of competition in allocating scarce research funds. (1/10) www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

This is figure 5, which shows global hotspots and coldspots of non-native mosquito introduction and establishment, and their socio-economic and environmental drivers.

Globalization has accelerated the spread of mosquito species that transmit human diseases. An analysis in Nature Communications shows that 45 disease-vector mosquito species have been introduced to non-native regions worldwide. go.nature.com/4hn6ogW 🧪

Join the new Science Diplomacy Grid webinar:

Grid Talks: Global Perspectives in Science Diplomacy
Researchers, policy professionals, diplomats, students, technologists, and anyone interested in the intersection of science and global affairs is welcome to join.

us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Pink graphic with various biological drawings and the word AFRICA overlaid in white writing

Last days to get your concept notes submitted for the 2025 round of the #EuropeanUnion-funded Biodiversity Information for Development (BID) programme for Sub-Saharan African countries.

⏰Deadline: 3 November 2025, 15:59 CET (UTC+1)

Read more:🔗 gbif.link/BID-Africa

#BIDAfrica #Biodiversity

A study by I. R. Onley, P. Cassey, & M. A. McGeoch shows that biodiversity data sharing platforms are key to managing biological invasions. Closing the "knowing-doing" gap can create better conservation outcomes. 🌍

Read the full article: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10531-025-03058-1

Energy flows reveal declining ecosystem functions by animals across Africa - Nature An ecosystem energetics approach, quantifying trophic energy flows across species, offers a unified framework for linking animal biodiversity loss to changes in ecosystem function and Earth system pro...

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

Perhaps the most ominous satellite presentation we've seen. Cat 5 Melissa within 2 hours of landfall in Jamaica. Winds at 185 mph (tied for 2nd highest on record). Pressure at 892 mb (tied for 3rd lowest). Will be one of strongest Atlantic storms to make landfall ever recorded.

US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold Some doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding.

Some doctoral programmes in the US are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding

go.nature.com/4o63boK

Analysis: Just 28% of countries have released nature pledges a year after UN deadline - Carbon Brief Just 28% of countries have met a UN call to submit new plans on addressing nature loss – a year after the original deadline

www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-jus...

Graduate students from any country can apply!

Japanese scientists find microplastics are present in clouds Japanese scientists have found between 6.7 and 13.9 pieces of microplastic in each litre of cloud water tested.

Japanese scientists have found ~10 pieces of microplastic in each litre of cloud water tested.

Researchers in Japan have confirmed that microplastics are present in clouds, where they are likely affecting the climate in ways that are not yet fully understood.
www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/...

🌏 We’re hiring! Research Scholar / Modeler – Global Land Carbon Cycle & Land Use Change. Join IIASA’s Exploratory Modeling of Human-Natural Systems & Integrated Assessment and Climate Change research groups groups to advance open-source Earth system models. Apply: iiasa.ac.at/employment/j...

📢 CALL OPEN!
The Korea Research Foundation–IIASA Postdoctoral Fellowship offers up to 24 months of funded research for Korean PhD holders. Work on climate, systems analysis, and more 🌍

🗓️ Apply by 14 Nov 2025
🔗 iiasa.ac.at/opportunitie...

Graduate students! Applications for @iiasa.ac.at‘s summer research program is open!

On an Arctic archipelago, frozen soil may preserve a hidden history of viruses Scientists are hunting for ancient RNA in Svalbard’s permafrost, hoping to shed light on the evolution of viral diseases

Evolutionary biologist @scs22.bsky.social has had a lot of success recently sequencing ancient RNA viruses from museum samples. This summer I had the chance to accompany him and a team of researchers to the Arctic where they hope that the permafrost might allow them to go further back in time.
🧪

At last week’s #OvershootConference at IIASA, Journalist in Residence, Lisa Palmer, along with science communicators Katharine Mansell, Holly Simpkin, and Marina Menga were tasked with gaining a better understanding of the narratives that can put the science into dialogue with a range of audiences.

New on the #IIASAblog: From a holiday to high-level conversations 🇬🇭 IIASA’s Felicity Addo turned a trip home to Ghana into a journey of teaching, learning & building bridges through science.
“Africa doesn’t need charity - it needs partnership.”
iiasa.ac.at/blog/oct-202... Learn more about Felicity ⏬

DNA from rum-soaked fishes chronicles century of environmental change Museum specimens collected during a 1907 marine expedition reveal loss of genetic diversity in the Philippines

By comparing DNA in historic specimens with that in modern fish populations, researchers have discovered that fish have not only grown scarcer, but their genetic diversity has also declined. https://scim.ag/4h710P0

“Using metrics to assess researchers can be ‘very dodgy terrain,’” says @jameswilsdon.bsky.social.

Great overview of how research assessment is changing worldwide in @nature.com , featuring recent work by RoRI with the Global Research Council: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Nexus Notes – Planetary Boundaries special edition Nexus Notes #15

The seventh Planetary Boundary of nine has been crossed. Ocean acidification has joined climate change, change in biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater change, modification of biogeochemical flows, and introduction of novel entities.

BREAKING: Friday night massacre underway at CDC. Doznes of "disease detectives," high-level scientists, entire Washington staff and editors of the MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) have all been RIFed and received the following notice:

More than half of world’s bird species in decline, as leaders meet on extinction crisis Biodiversity losses are growing, the IUCN reports as summit opens, but green turtle’s recovery ‘reminds us conservation works’

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Grisly recording reveals bat catching, killing and eating robin mid-flight Before the Spanish study, some scientists had been sceptical about the mammals attacking migratory birds

www.theguardian.com/science/2025...

Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...

EXTREMELY COOL BAT STUFF: A study out in Science today found that the greater noctule bat, Europe's largest, hunts and catches *migrating birds* while in flight. In at least one case, a bat climbed to more than 1200 feet, then chased a robin downward FAST until it caught it near the ground.