Kevin Mueller

hmmmmmm... if you think economic valuations of nature are insufficient, this looks like a good read

📢 #postdoc position with Kim Novick and @richphillipslab.bsky.social (Indiana University) on #forest #carbon uptake and storage indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/30636. Great team & topic - apply!

👏 PLOT👏TWIST!👏 IF 👏THESE👏UNSERIOUS 👏WOCKAFLOCKAS 👏SOUND 👏LIKE👏 SERIOUS👏WOCKAFLOCKAS👏TO 👏YOU👏THEN👏YOU👏 YOURSELF👏HAVE 👏BECOME👏AN👏UNSERIOUS 👏WOCKAFLOCKA!👏

Shout out to the American Presidents who didn't... (checks notes)... hate Americans.

An eastern bluebird sits on a fencepost on a windy day. #birds

The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.

good thing this job is in Canada, not the USA, which is racing backwards

“No one man can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices.” -Edward R. Murrow

Nighttime Warming Enhances Tree Growth in Temperate Tree Species Moderate night warming (+2°C) enhances radial growth via faster cell expansion, but daytime(night +4°C) warming weakens benefits. Ring-porous, arbuscular mycorrhizal and isohydric species show heig...

Nighttime Warming Enhances Tree Growth in Temperate Tree Species

Good timeline cleaner...

ok, but how do we get politicians and consumers to actually show their support, to act on it? what counts is what we do, not what we say.

Simply reducing beef and lamb consumption to one serving a week -- as recommended by EAT-Lancet -- could reduce emissions by almost 3 billion tons CO2-eq. The equivalent of all of Russia's annual emissions.

Thanks to @melinawalling.bsky.social for including my thoughts in this article.

Side image of a lizard's head peeking up over the edge of a boulder and facing left. Blue is the predominant color on the lizard, with each scale colored a different shade of blue from light to dark. There is a ring of brown scales around the eye, and the eardrum is also brown as well.

Some days (as you all know) it's tough to focus on projects, on creativity and positivity. I hope y'all are hanging in there. Working on photos this pm so here's a Southern Rock Agama (Agama atra) playing peekaboo. W. Free State, South Africa. THAT BLUE! 💙 #herps #lizards #NaturePhotography 🌿

well now, everything dies
baby, that's a fact
but maybe everything that dies
someday comes back

Historical scientific illustration titled "Mededeelingen uit 's Lands Plantentuin Batavia: G. Kolff & Co." depicting various insects, including three large, detailed long-legged bats insects numbered 1, 2, and 3 on the left. The illustration also features a yellow, spiky caterpillar (4) centrally positioned, several small beetles and moths of different shapes and colors numbered 5 to 15, detailed with delicate wings, patterns, and textures. The illustration focuses on the diversity and morphology of these insects with each specimen distinctly numbered for identification.

🦇 Mededeelingen uit 's Lands Plantentuin
Batavia: G. Kolff & Co.

[Source]

Urban tree canopy cover over 30 % and native trees enhance bird insectivory and tree biosecurity Urban trees support biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services but are increasingly threatened by native and non-native insect pests. Biosec…

Basile et al. Urban tree canopy cover over 30 % and native trees enhance bird insectivory and tree biosecurity www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #ornithology

Illustration of a Phascolomys wombat from 1863, showing a close-up of the animal lying down on a grassy patch with small plants nearby. The wombat has a rounded, stout body covered in dense, dark fur, small rounded ears, a broad nose, and large claws on its front paws. The background includes soft shading suggesting foliage or a natural environment. The image is detailed, capturing the wombat’s characteristic robust build and features, and is part of a historical series on Australian mammals.

🦝 The mammals of Australia..
London, Printed by Taylor and Francis, pub. by the author, 1863..

[Source]

A flock of American kestrels were hanging around and one of them actually stayed put as I approached. Usually as soon as I get inside of 75 feet, they're gone. #birds

It wasn’t me
Love the look of this Cotton Bollworth moth as it has exited the flower and the pollen shed.
OM1 mkii and 90mm and MC-14 teleconveter
SS1/3200 F8 ISO1250

OpenAI's New Data Centers Will Draw More Power Than the Entirety of New York City, Sam Altman Says OpenAI's planned AI data center projects would consume as much as the entire city of New York City and San Diego combined.

That sounds like a lot of power. I hope we’re doing useful things with ChatGPT. 🙃

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

🚨Our new paper introduces the #AirQualityStripes – a visual tool to show how outdoor air pollution (PM2.5) has changed in 🌍 cities since 1850. Inspired by the iconic #WarmingStripes. Led by @kirstypringle.bsky.social & @jimmcquaid.bsky.social
🔗 airqualitystripes.info
📄 doi.org/10.5194/gc-8...
🧵👇

Scatterplot of federal agencies showing furlough rates vs ideological leaning. Liberal agencies (EPA, Dept. of Education) have high furloughs; conservative ones (DOD, DHS) nearly none. Rules structurally protect GOP priorities.

Shutdown rules aren’t neutral. They favor agencies aligned with GOP priorities, while those aligned with Democratic priorities bear the brunt of furloughs.

Furlough Rates:
EPA: 89%
Dept. of Education: 86%
Dept. of Labor: ~75%
DHS / ICE / CBP: ~0%

Bad incentives → biased outcomes.

🌳 Sugar maples sacrifice nitrogen use efficiency for greater water use efficiency while keeping photosynthesis steady. This field test of least-cost theory has big implications for land carbon models. Blog 👇
research.reading.ac.uk/lemontree/tr...
@eaperkowski.bsky.social @nickgregsmith.bsky.social

Deciphering tree drought responses across species: linking leaf water potentials with remote sensing greenness and photoprotection dynamics Monitoring forest drought stress requires indicators that capture tree water relations across species and scales. Remote sensing enables large-scale a…

New research reveals how to better monitor tree #drought #stress! We combined remote sensing data (greenness & photoprotection indicators) with leaf water potential measurements to track drought impacts across different tree species.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

And, now the finale of the Unbrella Magnolia seed pod season

We will regret not acting faster on climate change.

🚨 New Bright Line Watch report on state of US democracy
brightlinewatch.org/violence-red...

-Expert ratings ~= since April but ↓ substantially since January
-US now most closely resembles an illiberal democracy
-Partisan gap in democracy ratings highest since 2017

Full thread of results below

an old building with climbing plants around the door with purple flowers. The sign above the door says school of botany 1907

Come work with us - The School of Natural Sciences at Trinity College Dublin is looking for a tenure track assistant professor in plant biodiversity and conservation 🧪🌏🌾 my.corehr.com/pls/trrecrui...

Drop me a message if you want to chat about what it's like to work here or live in Ireland.