My sense is that investigators and institutions are generally surviving on continuing funding and reserves for the moment, but they become more vulnerable to serious, perhaps even largely irreversible, damage with each passing day/week/month.

So I pleased to announce the conceptual spawn of FigTree: PearTree (acronym still to be finalised). If you want to dive right in it is hosted as a web app here: artic-network.github.io/peartree (click the “Example...” button for immediate candy and then click every button you can find).

Gotta wonder how much more productive I'd be in this super critical time in my career if it weren't for *gestures wordlessly at the country*

It really sucks to watch awesome early career folk get denied opportunities. I know this has always happened, but it feels so much more precarious now. and extra sucky because the time when I finally have folks in the lab looking for jobs comes at the same time as science falls off a cliff. 🙁

looking at my primer list bc I'm thinking about clearing some of these out and my notes are so unserious lol

Please enjoy our research paper on how Bluesky is the preferred home of academics of all stripes, including professors of rare moths. (Yes, we actually have lots of entomologists here). academic.oup.com/icb/article-... 🧪

After four months, the journal has not found a single reviewer for my PhD student's manuscript. The academic peer review system is broken. I think we all should: 1. Review three papers for every one that we submit. 2. Promptly declined to review a paper when the request arrives. #AcademicChatter

😢

Had a student with a straight up microbiology GRFP declined bc didn’t fit STEM focus (Didn’t involve plants, not a human pathogen…)

But, as they say, there is no time like the present [OK, maybe the 1930s if you want to nitpick] But, with some data wrangling, my first NSF Funding Curves! 2/3

Editor’s Pick: “Non-Nitrogen-Fixing Sinorhizobium meliloti Can Escape Sanctions in Indeterminate Alfalfa Nodules, Exhibiting Parasitic Growth,” by Amanpreet K. Brar et al. Learn more: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-06-25-0074-R

Hey y’all, New paper out from the lab in Microbial Genomics, starting down the rabbit hole of IS elements in Paeudomonas syringae www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Trying to find apt metaphors for the state of 🇺🇸 science rn I had been using “arranging deckchairs on the titanic” but that’s too doomer Right now I’m on “We’re arguing about how to saddle a horse when in reality we all ride emus now.” Things have changed but we’re still chasing the same standards

Introducing a new article type in PhytoFrontiers: Protocol papers detail in-depth, reproducible methods relevant to plant health. Learn more about submitting a protocol paper (scroll to the bottom for more information): https://apsjournals.apsnet.org/page/phytofr/about

Host Matt Kasson talks with Dr. Alejandro Olmedo-Velarde of Iowa State University about multi-trophic interactions in vector-borne diseases affecting corn, soybean, and other crops—plus his journey from Ecuador to plant virus research in Hawaii. 🎧: https://www.plantopiapodcast.org/68

A number of our students got the following comment back on a rejection for the NSF GFRP. They are in an eligible STEM field. Is this something people in other places are getting too? Is it a quirk or targeted?

I am excited to offer a postdoctoral research position in my lab in Oxford studying the distribution of small RNAs during plant sexual reproduction. shorturl.at/7Goxt Reposts appreciated! Obligatory cat video to brighten your day. :-)

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Muttering to myself "AAT GCA..." and thinking that it is very obvious when I am writing questions for my Genetics course. That or I just sound like I've lost it, to anyone passing my office.

Been hearing some horrifying chatter about dealing with the new #NIH common form and #ScienCV system, so I put together a short video with some tricks for mitigating some of those pain points. Hope it helps? 🧪 open.substack.com/pub/emptymod...

The Murphy Lab did our annual retreat this week. This year's theme was using AI (what it's good and bad for). I wanted to be open-minded to make sure we are not missing something we should be using it for, so we did a few exercises to test, and had presentations.

Got given a subscription to @humblebundle.com monthly bundle this year which has inspired me to play through more of my backlog as well. Goal is to play a new game a day (if I play any games that day) and post about it here.

One last read of this grant. Completely sick of it, so I know it’s ready.

New postdoctoral fellowship opportunity! Please pass along. Excited to announce the launch of the Tom Lovejoy Fellowship Program at the University of Arizona for innovative research to protect species, sustain ecosystems, and promote a thriving planet lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell... 🧪🌐🌾

Felt a little festive at the microscope this morning for #FluorescenceFriday 🎄 Here’s the nervous system of a juvenile sea star ⭐️ Green = acetylated tubulin, red = nuclei Happy holidays!

I’m more optimistic than Terry here about the fundamentals of the review process…. But I think the lack of money will make it so the borderline grants he mentions here (and yep, it definitely happens like he says) won’t be funded anyway bc theres less money overall

NSF bio hour - NSF BIO lost 40% of its staff 😑

Q&A My favorite program has been archived, will it come back? Postdoc, etc…programs They don’t know what’s coming back if they’re archived. They value postdoc program but they don’t know what’s coming back

Live thread of the NSF biology virtual office hour: 🧵

Applications for the ASM Career Development Grant for Postdoctoral Women are due February 17! A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, this grant renewed my confidence in my career and helped me launch my predatory bacteria research program. How might it help you? asm.org/fellowships/...

imagining a NSF PO handing a VC bro the stack of 10-to-15 proposals they'll have to be ready to discuss, then explaining that they'll be paid $600 for the three days of the panel meeting

the sort of canonical raison d’être of NSF funding, of course, is that it supports research efforts that do not appeal to the venture capital/industry/near-term profit-motivated set,

Have you ever wondered: just how strong *is* the evidence for Muller's ratchet on mtDNA? Well, wonder no more! (Project led by Yu Mo, with @smishra677.bsky.social and @yadirapga.bsky.social) "No molecular evidence for Muller's ratchet in mitochondrial genomes" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Join Dr. Quan Zeng for "Illustrating a Novel Host Entry Mechanism of Plant Pathogenic Bacteria," part of our Advances in #phytobacteriology series. Save your spot, and we'll see you Jan 15, 2026: https://bit.ly/3YnkfLz FREE for members! #apswebinar #phytobacteriology

Amid a whole host of other upheaval—their last day in the building is this Friday—NSF is making some changes to its grant review process. I spoke to staff about the potential benefits and drawbacks:

Please repost If you were to choose a new postdoc advisor to launch yourself for a faculty position in some realm of bacterial physiology/genetics, who would you consider? (Asking for a thesis committee mentee of mine) #microSky

Looks like a great special issue on hyphae in fungi in FGB www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu... doi.org/10.1016/j.fg... worth a browse! 🍄🧬

DOE's Office of Science is making a big push into AI, and that includes our work at the @jgi.doe.gov . We want to hear your thoughts (+ and -) on AI-enabled biological data. Consider joining one of our interviews or focus groups by filling out this form! 🧪🧬🦠🖥️ #secmet jointgeno.me/PortalStorie...

Most common editorial management systems are notoriously bad. So yes, it *is* that hard 😭 So please be aware that many of these things are automated/fixed and are, unfortunately, not under our control.

Super excited to share our latest work on the Hsp70 chaperone code "Mechanosensor-mediated Hsp70 phosphorylation orchestrates the landscape of the heat shock response" out now in Nature Communications: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Oh I have a comment: “Loss of promising talent supported by these [DEI] programmes will substantially weaken our research capacity, limit innovation and substantially reduce discoveries important for driving scientific advancements.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41131402/

@bhuwanabbot.bsky.social @morgancarterphd.bsky.social @raw937.bsky.social @andrabuchan.bsky.social et al. present a pangenome analysis of the endofungal genus Mycetohabitans, showing bacteria-fungus coevolution. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evaf231 #genome #evolution #pangenome #MicrobeSky

After years of struggling with how to cryopreserve one of our endosymbiotic bacteria, we found something that worked! 🦠☃️ We crowd-sourced suggestions and then @ruthwright.bsky.social tried the most common ones (like 🥛...). Want to do the same? Here is how we did it: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

And we're also not doing any weird STEM superiority complexes, either. I've seen some "why is earth & atmospheric science getting lumped in with textiles & fashion" and that's not cool. Nebraskans deserve the fullest range of educational opportunities & community expertise, not just in science.

The UC Davis Ecology and Evolution in Working Landscapes REU provides undergrads with research experience in ecology and evolution in natural and managed landscapes. Apply now through Feb 15 via etap.nsf.gov Contact me or @clhom.bsky.social for questions!

#NewPI life level-up: approving the proofs for one paper the same day that you submit another 🤩 good work team!

We are hiring!! Biological Sciences as UNC Charlotte has a broad search for a new assistant professor. Apps reviewed 12/15. Please spread the word! 💚⛏️ #PlantSci 🧪🦠🧬 jobs.charlotte.edu/postings/65141

My department at California State University Northridge is hiring! We're looking for a new colleague studying microbiology or molecular/cellular biology. I'm not on the search committee, but happy to answer questions about the department and campus, and life in LA buff.ly/Pc1KOaC

I'm playing around with an article concept about "compensation absurdities" in higher ed. Thinking about things like: -a $1,500 raise for promotion after 6 years of teaching -requiring outside offers for a raise -not increasing pay for interim roles What other examples can you think of?