Lefteye Flounders get a facelift. Integrated Molecular and Morphological Analyses Resolve Long-Standing Classification Challenges in the Sinistral Flatfish Family Bothidae (Teleostei: Carangiformes). 🐟🧪 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The new #NSF #GRFP application now excludes 1000’s of students, including those who were told they could apply this year, or who planned to apply next year. We have a new specific petition urging #NSFGRFP undo this harmful action. If you are impacted sign here: laurenkuehne.github.io/grfpChanges/

We've got hundreds of signatures in five hours... but if we can cross 1000 by morning when I send this to NSF that'd be great. The stories from past, current, and future applicants in the comments section are hearbreaking. Keep up the pressure, and please please sign!!!

The morning routine.

Happy Sunday! For this week’s #SundayFishSketch theme of harvest I decided to go with a fish that reminds me of the harvest season, the Pumpkinseed! 🎃 🐟

This maple is really pushing for autumn!

Two doves on our water fountain when I got home. We said goodnight, it was very sweet. :’)

The GRFP announcement from NSF cuts out an entire cohort of 2nd year students from consideration, without warning. This is so deeply unfair that it warrants a formal protest from the scientific community. If someone wants to work with me to craft an open letter and solicit signatures, LMK.

New: After a long wait, the GRFP solicitation is live! Deadlines have been extended to early November, so applicants have a bit over a month to submit. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

Deer are showing up on our camera trap most nights now. The fall suburb migration has begun.

Cool critter. Sad that we found it dead.

A week later and prospective applicants are still awaiting the instructions for this year's #NSFGRFP. I checked in with NSF today and was told "I don’t have anything for you at the moment." #GradSchool

Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Join the nearly full Physalia course on genome assembly with Oxford Nanopore from Sept 29-Oct 3 (online). Register soon for this hands-on opportunity: https://www.physalia-courses.org/courses-workshops/course59/ #course

**PhD POSITIONS** I am recruiting 1-2 PhD students to work on sociality and cognition in Monk Parakeets, starting Fall 2026. Full ad is here: hobsonresearch.com/index.php/20... (please help spread the word!)

It’s here! Such a thrill to hold the book in my hands: “The Communicating Scientist” with my illustrations inside. It’s the kind of book I wish I had when I was a PhD student, and I’m glad to have it as a reference as a communications professional #SciComm 🧪 link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Beautiful morning sky in Crystal Lake.

New preprint I helped with led by @dmacguig.bsky.social @fishgenomes.bsky.social. Thanks for including me to participate in this work!

Ambush bugs.

Ecologistas en Acción y @ekologistakmartxan.org te invitan a participar en la jornada 'Espacios naturales en la ciudad: renaturalización de los ríos urbanos' que tendrá lugar el 8 de octubre en el BIC Ezkerraldea de Barakaldo, y que también se podrá seguir 'online'.

Autumn advancing.

Blast from the past. One of the most touching clips I’ve seen, Jimmy Kimmel sharing the story of his newborn’s heart condition. We have cancelled our Disney+ subscription. So much money wasted on corporations that could be going to people in need or conservation efforts. youtu.be/MmWWoMcGmo0?...

Nominations are due September 30 for the Lifetime Achievement Award! This prize recognizes contributions to the field through research, mentorship, outreach, DEI work, and/or other service to the evolutionary biology community. Submit your nomination today! www.evolutionsociety.org/society-awar...

A study uncovers genes behind an extreme symbiosis: Pygmy seahorses perfectly mimic the gorgonian coral they live within, are resistant to the coral's venom, and are protected from infection by the coral’s antimicrobial compounds. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Robert Redford (1936-2025) should be remembered as much for his social conscience as for his talents as a storyteller. This 1976 interview about ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN is a sobering reminder of what we’ve lost. #RobertRedford #FilmSky

I made a repository for some of the functions I've written for manipulating/handling phylo objects in R. Maybe they'll be useful to someone, but mostly it was a good excuse to start actually using git. github.com/miltontan/RP...

Sampling in a small urban prairie patch for evolution course this afternoon. Perfect weather.

Harvested some raspberry in the yard this afternoon and stumbled on several cool critters. Feel bad about not putting a sign up for the pollinators saying: “Beware, death trap ahead!”😬

I'm recruiting two PhD positions in my lab for Fall 2026. 1) evolutionary genomics that will focus on constructing and utilizing pangenomes; 2) conservation genomics focused on pop structure and adaptation of Pacific coast Am. black bears. Details: puckettresearch.org/people/posit...

An undergrad in my #EvolutionaryMedicine class contacted me after this weeks' disease phylodynamics class, asking about what careers exist at the intersection of phylogenetics and epidemiology & what entry level jobs exist for undergrads. I told her the little I know... any suggestions?

The beauty of autumn.

This quietly got published amongst all the horror of late 2020, and I feel like it got overlooked. Beautiful color plates for every mecopteran in Virginia! Flint et al 2020. The Insects of Virginia Number 16.

My favorite cartoon this week.

On this September 11, we mourn the passing of so many innocent people, and are reminded of the terrible consequences of hatred and extremism. www.usatoday.com/picture-gall...

Autumn is here.

Evolution of Natural History Collection autonomy in the Global South: the case of Neotropical freshwater fishes academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...

I am beyond excited to announce that ggplot2 4.0.0 has just landed on CRAN. It's not every day we have a new major #ggplot2 release but it is a fitting 18 year birthday present for the package. Get an overview of the release in this blog post and be on the lookout for more in-depth posts #rstats

I am one of a growing number of voices encouraging the scientific community to engage with people and policymakers outside of our typical professional circles. Our professional organizations, including @sicb.bsky.social, also need to engage with new audiences by making their science accessible.

A sobering fact: We’ve lost around 3 billion birds in North America since 1970. A new report (StateOfTheBirds.org) offers a snapshot of the struggle of several groups. About 1 in 3 American bird species need our help. We're fighting to save birds and other wildlife. Join us at SaveLifeOnEarth.org

“Clarity is kindness.” – Physicist @claudiaratti.bsky.social in A Pocket Guide to Scientific Writing and Publishing. Here are her top tips for clearer, kinder scientific writing 🧵👇

The #NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program #GRFP solicitation is coming soon! The due date for Life Sciences proposals is 27 October 2025. For more info: www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...

Nice interview to Katie Peichel @currentbiology.bsky.social I completely agree with her claims for more funding for curiosity-driven research, basic Science... Science. www.cell.com/current-biol...

Germany’s famous study showed over 80% insect declines in farmland over 27 years. “Those findings were often blamed on pesticides and habitat loss. Sockman’s work shows something different. Insects are collapsing even in a meadow with little human pressure. Climate itself may be enough.”

Applications due September 15 for the International Event Grants! These grants support symposia, workshops, courses, and other evolutionary biology events, including virtual events. Learn more and apply now: rb.gy/76fgi

And so it begins. Autumn colors showing up in Crystal Lake.

Terror of a praying mantis waiting for some poor bugs on our raspberry plant.😬

What a powerful image.

The jewel weed is popping!

Harvesting milkweed seeds.