Harriet Alexander

Anyone looking to do grad school in fields related to ecology/evolution should consider applying!

Patterns and drivers of diatom diversity andabundance in the global ocean rdcu.be/ehlG4

Many of us who don’t work on space science directly were inspired to become scientists because of NASA. Also, about 30% of NASA's science budget is for Earth and climate science, and they run one of the global climate models that's used by the IPCC. What happens at NASA will affect all of us.

Trump just reversed course on two key U.S. climate pledges By pulling out of two global climate finance programs, the United States has increased challenges for vulnerable countries.

The Trump administration just withdrew the US from two global climate programs: the loss and damage fund, which aids countries hit by climate disasters, and the Just Energy Transition Partnership, which helps developing countries transition from coal.

Judith Butler, philosopher: ‘If you sacrifice a minority like trans people, you are operating within a fascist logic’ A leading figure in feminism and gender studies, the thinker welcomes EL PAÍS in California after being voted one of the most influential minds in the world

Judith Butler: "Once you decide that a single vulnerable minority can be sacrificed, you’re operating within a fascist logic, because that means there might be a second one you’re willing to sacrifice, and a third, a fourth, and then what happens?"

Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century Numerous declines have been documented across insect groups, and the potential consequences of insect losses are dire. Butterflies are the most surveyed insect taxa, yet analyses have been limited in ...

Our paper is out, and it is distressing.

Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

www.cpr.org/2025/03/03/h...

Stand up for Science on March 7th. Find your local rally or organize one yourself! standupforscience2025.org #Science #Sciencenotsilence

⚠️A recent study reveals that a novel acidic organelle in the marine phytoplankton Scyphosphaera apsteinii plays a dual role in both phagocytosis and autophagy, highlighting its multifunctional catabolic capabilities. #coccolithophores 🌊 #protistsonsky
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Access to the GPM database removed for US researchers 😬

Crowds are massive in Silver Spring, Maryland…the home of NOAA. People chanting, “Save NOAA Now!” and “We will not weather the storm.” Make your voices heard and keep it up. #NOAA #NWS Severe Weather is on its Way. And so is hurricane season. 🌀 🧪

As my friend @drshepherd2013.bsky.social says, asking why we need a National Weather Service when we have apps and the Weather Channel is like asking why we need potato farmers when we can buy fries at McDonalds.

Distinct horizontal gene transfer potential of extracellular vesicles versus viral-like particles in marine habitats - Nature Communications Biller et al. use long-read sequencing of fractionated ocean nanoparticles, showing that extracellular vesicles and virus-like particles contain distinct pools of genetic information and thus may diff...

Our latest on the genetic content carried within different populations of DNA-containing particles in the oceans! Vesicles and viruses likely play distinct roles in microbial horizontal gene transfer networks. Grateful to all collaborators
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#MicroSky

Francis Collins, the NIH Director for 12 years, led the Human Genome Project and other NIH efforts for 32 years, resigned today. Key words from his resignation letter
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/01/u...

Statement by Francis Collins, MD. PhD March 1, 2025 Yesterday I notified NIH Acting Director Matt Memoli, MD of my retirement from the federal government. effective February 28, 2025. The National Institutes of Health is the world's foremost medical research institution. It has been rightfully called the "crown jewel" of the federal government for decades. It has been the greatest honor of my life to be part of this institution in various roles over the last four decades. In the 1980s, NIH supported my work at the University of Michigan through a peer-reviewed grant. That led to the identification of the gene for cystic fibrosis. Thirty years later that has led to an almost miraculous treatment that allows most kids with cystic fibrosis to look forward to an almost normal life span. I was recruited to NIH in 1993 to lead the Human Genome Project - an extraordinarily bold initiative to read out the three billion letters of the human DNA instruction book. Funded by the U.S. Congress, the project completed its work -- two years ahead of schedule, and $400 million under budget. The success of the project, and the commitment to share all of the data rapidly and freely, has revolutionized every aspect of human biomedical research and medical practice. Subsequently I was honored to be asked to serve as the Director of the National Institutes of Health. I had the chance to serve three Presidents - Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joseph Biden. I also had the opportunity to work regularly with members of Congress in both parties. I loved those interactions and relationships. Throughout that time, investment

relieving human suffering, and contributing substantially to the U.S. economy. That consistent support made possible bold new projects in regenerative medicine, brain science, precision health, cancer, and solutions for opioid addiction, to name just a few. When the worst pandemic in more than a century arose in 2020, it was my job as Director of NIH to pull together partnerships with the FDA, academia, and the private sector to produce what only America's unparalleled biomedical sector could have: COVID vaccines in just 11 months, a staggering medical achievement that saved over three million lives in the U.S.alone. After a stint in the White House as the President's Acting Science Advisor, where I had the chance to organize a major initiative to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States, i returned to the intramural research program of the National Human Genome Research Institute in 2023. There I have been overseeing a research laboratory of a dozen highly talented and visionary scientists who are providing new insights into the causes and possible means of prevention of type 2 diabetes, as well as seeking a gene therapy cure for one of the world's rarest diseases - progeria, a premature aging disorder. NIH is the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world. It is the main piston of a biomedical discovery engine that is the envy of the globe. Yet it is not a household name. It should be. NIH supports everything from basic science to clinical trials, providing the foundation of many breakthroughs. When you hear about patients surviving stage 4 cancer because of immunotherapy, that was based on NIH research over many decades. When you hear about sickle cell disease being cured because of CRISPR

gene editing, that was built on many years of research supported by NIH. It has also been the largest supporter of global health research in the world, winning us many friends and colleagues from across the globe. I have loved being employed by this extraordinary, life-giving institution for 32 years. I will continue to devote my life in other ways to seeking knowledge and enhancing health, to healing disease and reducing suffering, and to doing what I can to bring together our fractured communities around the shared values of love, truth, goodness, and faith. As I depart NIH, I want to express my gratitude and love for the men and women with whom I have worked side-by-side for so many years. They are individuals of extraordinary intellect and integrity, selfless and hard-working, generous and compassionate. They personify excellence in every way, and they deserve the utmost respect and support of all Americans.

Francis Collins, longtime NIH director with bipartisan bona fides*, retires as of yesterday.

He returned to NIH in 2023 to focus on research in his own lab, in the NIH in-house intramural research campus.

His letter seems to imply he wasn’t ready to leave. NIH is being torn down. 1/🧪 #academicsky

NSF downsizes summer research program for undergraduates Many participants are from groups underrepresented in science

This is sad www.science.org/content/arti...

A Study of Mint Plants. A Device to Stop Bleeding. This Is the Scientific Research Ted Cruz Calls “Woke.” The senator flagged thousands of National Science Foundation grants for using words like “female” and “diversify.” A ProPublica analysis found numerous examples of projects caught up in his crude meth...

Ted Cruz said he’d found $2 billion in “woke” science grants, but his team used keyword searches that flagged things out of context, like a grant to develop a device to treat severe bleeding that mentioned “victims” and “trauma.”

www.propublica.org/article/ted-...

Hero

All the folks who exited NBC today. Seen together, hoo boy. Message received.

THE conference of diatom molecular and cell bio is happening in Ghent this year !
Make sure to submit an abstract !
Flora

After 20 Years, Math Couple Solves Major Group Theory Problem | Quanta Magazine Britta Späth has dedicated her career to proving a single, central conjecture. She’s finally succeeded, alongside her partner, Marc Cabanes.

Two obsessed mathematicians spent 20 years and finally solved one of the biggest outstanding problems in the field
www.quantamagazine.org/after-20-yea...

At this point, doing science is resisting.

A Lady Professor with brown hair and glasses, wearing a scarf in red, green, yellow, & black, a gift from an incredible lactation consultant, sitting in in front of cactus.

I escaped poverty because I am a scientist.

And I am a scientist because of the National Science Foundation.

A 🧵:

NEW: NSF confirmed that they fired 168 employees today, out of their staff of ~1,500 feds.

This includes some people who'd finished their 1-year probationary periods, which were extended to 2-years last month without explanation. More to come.

Firings are happening right now at the National Science Foundation. Essential staff are being cut.

This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.

People in tech talk about the idea of a “10x programmer” — someone whose work is worth that of 10 others. I get the impression Musk etc think they can apply it all over the federal workforce but like… there’s no such thing as a 10x ATC navigational aid maintenance worker. Some jobs just need people.

Guest column: Why science funding matters to Indiana Last week the government cut “indirect costs” to universities and medical centers, which cover shared resources like buildings, utility bills, computer networks, and support staff. Indiana will los…

I wrote a column in my hometown newspaper about the importance of keeping SCIENCE FUNDING in our community 🧪
More soon about the power of writing back HOME 🏠
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/02/15/g...

I'm starting to hear that NSF firings have begun. If you're affected and want to talk, please reach out via signal @jonlambert.12

Dear NSF scientists and staff:

If you're looking to talk to a journalist about what's going on at the agency, please reach out (from a non-governmental phone/computer) via signal @jonlambert.12

Firings happening right now at the NSF.