The first three years of Weird Sisters magazine are now available in an online archive. As Arminta Skip Neal used to say, here tis. weirdsistersmagazine.wordpress.com

Wham bam CAM!

This is a wiiiiiiild system! Iberian harvester ant queens clone ants **of a different species** to maintain a supply of their sperm. “They then mate with those ants to produce hybrid workers that take care of the colony... In effect, M. ibericus has domesticated M. structor and its genome”

There's a reason why sports teams don't chant "I believe that we will lose" before a game, a reason so obvious that I'm pretty sure it needs no explanation. Which is why it makes my head explode when people surrender in advance verbally, which they do all the time about politics.

Heads up 🧪science folks. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to generate some examples of issues in how Chat-GPT 5.0 answers intro bio type things. I'll stick at least some of them here in a thread so you're free to use them, rather than having to waste resources asking it stuff we know it gets wrong

"The rise of fascism in the United States convinced the Guthrie family and their associates that the music scene needed a dose of Guthrie’s anti-authoritarian, anti-racist, Nazi-punching ethos." #woodyguthrie #folkmusic #antifascist

Cannot stop laughing at this

MAHA ignores the real causes of poor health in the US, but Defend Public Health doesn’t. Our report has 11 pillars of actions for Improving the Health of Americans Together, like reducing gun violence, combating scientific misinformation, and removing RFK Jr. from office.

Just to give the TL;DR on this one: *The* main purpose of the EO is to move funding priorities and decisions away from experts and career professionals over to political appointees. With the ultimate power held by Vought / OMB.

Scientists of Bluesky, help me! Do you have an example of a question that was (1) studied using both observational and experimental methods, and (2) the observational results are far more trustworthy because of the circumstances and/or quality of design? #AcademicSky #PhDSky #Science

The Trump administration effectively created a de facto bathroom ban at Brown University and none of the major media is covering it, and if they do, they character it as about sports. This is how the trans visa ban was enacted and characterized. www.advocate.com/news/transge...

We need your email power to support Dept of Agriculture! USDA is opening a 30-day public comment period on the Department's reorganization plan now through Aug. 26, 2025. Say yes to SNAP! Say yes to Research! Say yes to conservation! To submit feedback, please email [email protected].

We share your excitement @jacanamama.bsky.social 🙌thanks for spreading the word & thanks for being part of SICB Portland.

I'm SOOOO EXCITED for this Sex(es) Across Origins Symposium at #SICB2026!!!! I just submitted an abstract for the complementary session (on bird plumage and social selection with @gamaevo.bsky.social), and I hope you consider applying, too! @sicb.bsky.social @sicbjournals.bsky.social

Hey SICB 2026 @sicb.bsky.social! Don't forget about the Sex(es) Across Origins Symposium 🍄🦠🐌🌽 If you'd like to give a talk or poster session or poster session in our ✨complementary sessions✨, make sure to specify that in your abstract submission when you submit! (deadline, Aug 27)

Signal boosting:

From @aaas.org check-in with Sudip Parikh: a letter by 14 Republican senators urge the Office of Management and Budget to release NIH funding. If this includes your state (AL, ME, WV, SC, KY, KS, AR, PA, NC, IN, AK), Sudip recommends contacting & thanking them for being American science leaders.

If you haven't picked up this book, you're really missing out on a charming and beautiful piece of writing. #BookSky 🧪 #scicomm www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726129...

Are you a PhD student, have an offer, or have had an offer recently rescinded from a US university? If so, Western (in London, ON, Canada) has a new scholarship program for you! Check out this news story. I can vouch for this university! You will love it. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

What is also ludicrous about this idea is that scientists love being scientists! It’s our pleasure to do the work! Replacing us with AI makes no more sense than having AI watch movies or read novels for us! #science #academicsky

Everyone, please repost this very important numbers. They could’ve lives.

Our Bodies, Our Decisions: A Response to Andrew Sullivan’s NYT Essay nursingclio.org/2025/07/16/o...

Call your senator TONIGHT or tomorrow morning if they are on the appropriations committee and encourage them to support the subcommittee recommendation - i just did!

We finally got to see the hardcopies of ‘Nature Selecting’ the #evolution book I wrote for kids (around 6th grade level and up) and illustrated by my 14 year-old daughter Anjali Free pdf here www.lsu.edu/mns/news-and... We plan to send hard copies to local schools and teachers for free.

There’s a live “State of the People” all night marathon happening tonight to encourage our community engaged in opposing this bill that will harm all of us NOW. You have to reach out to your representative (202-224-3121). But first get energized by tuning in. www.youtube.com/live/uax8jmJ...

These are the weak points. You know what to do. First thing tomorrow, use 5calls.org and raise hell.

Quick boost: if you are troubled by RFK’s new remarks about AI in drug development, great news, there’s an open comment period on that very subject at NIH right now! Let *them* know your thoughts.

Memo for cis people who like trans folx, it would take but a minute, but putting your pronouns in your bio is a signal to us that you care. You dont have to insist on your pronouns, but it is a sign to us This labeler makes it easy to do.

I’m excited to share that this paper is finally published - Sustaining socially just and accurate life sciences teaching for sex, gender, and reproduction?

If you're a scientist who's had to cut or cancel your field season because of US budget cuts, DM me for an oped I'm working on.

🚨 Breaking News Alert 🚨 Sat. Jun. 28, Via Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership on Facebook. Somehow, Palpatine— I mean, the Public Lands Sell-off, returned. Senate Parliamentarian says it’s ok, after all. I think still only BLM lands, but who knows with these crooks 😫 ☎️ 1-202-224-3121

hi, cis folks! the GOP put the all-ages trans medicaid ban back in the budget, despite it being struck. they did it to force dems to challenge it on the floor. if you've been paying attention, you know dems need to hear you want them to actually stand up to the GOP. contact info at reps.fyi 🧵

With Pride Month🏳️‍🌈 at its peak, it’s a good time to revisit this powerful piece by Kamran & Jennings (2023): fieldwork must be made inclusive and safe by recognising differences, rethinking planning, protocols, and hearing LGBTQ+ voices. Safety is inclusion. #PrideInSTEM 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

Taking over the NSF building to put in a private dining room, a gym, and FIVE?? parking spaces for the HUD secretary's use means displacing 1800+ staff who, as federal employees, have to pay for their own water cooler if they want one in the office

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.

Outdoor Afro is offering scholarships to cover the costs of anyone, at any age, interested in learning how to swim: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

The pelicans are back! (Ebird says they are unreported here, which is caused by lack of reporting/data nor lack of birds).

This is good news! 15% indirects blocked at NSF now too

This critical ruling confirms that science must be guided by evidence, not ideology.

You want to hear what "return on investment" means in relation to NSF funding? I know you do...

It's a great day to write your lawmakers about public land selloffs in the Senate's 'Big Beautiful Bill.' Let them know that your favorite trail leads to a big beautiful view, and that you don't want to see it go up for sale!

There's a lot of confusion about which NIH grants will be reinstated after Monday's ruling. Right now, we can say many grants from PIs who were members of either APHA or UAW OR grants at public unis in plaintiff states. A partial list is available now. We'll update Grant Watch ASAP

3/4 This is from a few years ago but sadly even more relevant today. An excellent briefer on the importance of offering gender-affirming care. And includes a list of all the reputable medical organizations that support this. www.aclu.org/news/lgbtq-r...

CLARIFICATION : The Trevor Project's hotline will still be live. But basically this means LGBTQ people can no longer be connected to it through the US national 988 suicide prevention hotline. They will need to be contacted DIRECTLY So spread this around They can be texted. They can be called.

The court got it wrong. Denying transgender youth the health care they need solely because they’re trans is discriminatory, and we will keep fighting.

No matter what the courts say, we are not going anywhere. Our fight continues. 📸 Will Martinez Jr

Selling the country out for parts

⚖️ HUGE day today in the NIH terminations cases There's a trial (of sorts) at 10a ET in Boston today for arguments that NIH unlawfully terminated 100s of grants. It's a 3 hour hearing and I'll post periodic updates. Of note: this is the 1st lawsuit filed against the Trump Admin to go to trial.

Great to see Alyssa continuing her vital work! Also don’t miss Alyssa’s previous guest post integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/2020/07/14/d... & Charlotte Devitz’s Equipment Repositories for #Accessibility: A Model for Improving Access in Field #Science doi.org/10.1093/icb/...