I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA 10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

For the actual, whole, and entire sake of fuck.

Meet "Little Flower". A genetically engineered flower, frozen in time and blown up over 150X. Here's the story (1/6 🧵)

"In a landmark study, OpenAI researchers reveal that large language models will always produce plausible but false outputs, even with perfect data, due to fundamental statistical and computational limits." www.computerworld.com/article/4059...

Sir!! You can’t do that!! Aaaah!!

"machines were far more likely than human agents to carry out fully unethical instructions." rdcu.be/eGY0v

FAT BEARS

When journalism was cool. And risked everything to challenge power.

Either way, it would be nice to form a coalition of like minded academics who are desperate to abandon the current publishing system. 5/

I'm curious if other mid career PIs have considered completely abandoning the trad publication model. We've been making gradual moves towards that end goal. But it's been difficult to completely jump ship for one main reason for me at least. 1/

Heads up: ignore samtools dot org, similarly minimap2 dot com and likely others. It's owned by a known phishing site and while the binaries they offer look valid currently (but note they may be serving us different binaries to others), that could change. Ie: it's not us (Samtools team)! Be warned

#Archaea #ArchaeaSky

@chatbiology.bsky.social @dewhurst-ben.bsky.social @norwichbirder.bsky.social @plantteaching.bsky.social

EVENT - Calling all teachers, A-level science classes and colleges! Registration is now open for the NBI Accessible Science Talks 2025 🗓️ Tuesday 7 October 2025 💻 Register here: jic.link/NBIAST2025

🔔 UPDATE: This event is now open to the public too! Click the link below to register ⬇️

In late June, Google quietly scrubbed its pledge to hit net zero by 2030 from its sustainability website as it goes full steam ahead on hyperscale data centers and generative AI.

OOF

On the way to Nottingham for @bspp.bsky.social #PPATH2025 to show off recent work in the @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social lab @johninnescentre.bsky.social on plant-aphid interactions. Come and see my poster and have a chat.

Early Bird ends in 2 weeks! Whether you're presenting, networking, or learning from global leaders in plant health — don’t miss your chance to join #PPATH2025. 🗓️ Register by 1st May 📍 Nottingham | Sept 9–11 🔗 www.bspp.org.uk/conference-i...

This gets progressively funnier with every use of the term "floppy".

Amazing #CelebratingAlumni news this week (Thread) (1/3) Clemence Marchal @ClemMarchal received an @ERC_Research Starting Grant -- CooPAIRation "Optimised plant immune receptor pairs" erc.europa.eu/news-events/...

🚨 🐜 is there a Bluesky starter pack for researchers who don’t study ants but who get lightheaded every time there’s an awesome ant paper? CC @mariusw.bsky.social @jrichardalbert.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

"M. ibericus queens are unable to produce workers without mating with males of another species." www.nature.com/articles/s41...

So new studies showcase that the more you know how GenAi works, the less likely you are to use it! 😌 This reminds me of ai advocates who claim that those who refuse to use GenAi do so because they dont know how it works, yet it’s the opposite! The less you know the more you are likely to use GenAi

Just for perspective, a few weeks ago roughly 100,000 turned up for the London Trans+ Pride march. By contrast fewer than 3,000 ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY, have turned up to anti-asylum "protests". Yet we are meant to take the latter as "the voice of the people" and the former as "the minority".

Abstract deadline fast approaching! buff.ly/9i0owxY Submit your #PlantScience research by 21 August, join a stellar line-up of speakers: @delaconcepcionjc.bsky.social @tatsuyanobori.bsky.social @samtmugford.bsky.social Christine Foyer Piers Hemsley Alison Baker Ari Sadanandom #PlantBiology🧪

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.

So you’re telling me the Wizard of Oz presented itself as a towering force of overwhelming technology, only to be unmasked as just some guy, off-screen?

Happy What the Heck Am I Going to Do With All This Zucchini season to all who celebrate. Also, favorite zucchini recipes? (Chart shows results for the Google Trends search term "zucchini recipe" from 2004 to present)

Introducing the 1,000 Flower Collection 🧬🌹 I’m creating 1,000 genetically designed flowers each crafted with new colors, patterns, and shapes. Here’s how I’m making it happen… and how you can join me on this journey 🧵(1/7)

Wow… can’t believe it’s almost a year as a predoc 🧑‍🔬 @johninnescentre.bsky.social time flies so fast 🤯

1st western blot vs. 128th western blot 🧪 - - #science #westernblot #predoc #labscientist

“You know what they call the Hunger Games in France?” “They don’t call them the hunger games” “No man, they got the welfare state, they don’t know what the hunger games are” “What do they call them?” “Battle Royale With Cheese”

The legendary astronaut Jim Lovell (of Apollo 8 & 13) has just died, aged 97. There are only 5 Apollo astronauts still living, only five who have been far enough from home to really see the precious jewel of Earth hanging in space. I wonder whether human eyes will see it again in a their lifetimes.

Apparently Xeno recorded a cover of 'Livin on a prayer' but it's just the first line of the chorus over and over

It's the Edge's birthday today, so we're contractually obligated to post this ridiculous piece from our archives.

Lord Dannatt urged ministers to crack down on Palestine Action at request of US firm

A brass band is more than the sum of its parps.

Excellent research by @guyshrubsole.bsky.social What are the implications of having millions of 'ghost Pheasants' wandering around the countryside? In a #BirdFlu epidemic it could be catastrophic. #Ornithology #UKBirding raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/08/01/s...

I am thrilled to share the 2nd chapter of my PhD with @adsteinbrenner.bsky.social In collaboration with @tiszapatrick we demonstrated that the LRR-RLP INR is the missing molecular link between caterpillar recognition and predatory wasp recruitment in the field. A thread 1/6

🎉Thrilled to share our latest work, now published in @newphyt.bsky.social! 🧑‍🔬 @matteogravino.bsky.social, @samtmugford.bsky.social, @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social et al., @johninnescentre.bsky.social #️⃣ #PlantScience #PlantImmunity 📄 Read the full paper👇 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/8QSRJ9...

A cat was spotted on top of Bolivia's iconic Cristo de la Concordia statue..😅😇 #cat #catday #bluesky

Now published in @newphyt.bsky.social , congrats @matteogravino.bsky.social @saskiahogenhout.bsky.social et al @johninnescentre.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

In some species, the function of the treehopper's pronotum (the body part that forms the crazy structures) is intuitive - for example, there are species that look like thorns, which presumably helps them hide from predators or injure attackers. But in many species, a function is not obvious...

Why do treehoppers look so weird?! Our latest paper, out this week in @pnas.org, suggests a perhaps unexpected reason - static electricity ⚡ We show that treehoppers can detect the electrostatic cues of predators and that their crazy shapes may boost their electrosensitivity! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

I just verified my age on bluesky by holding up an x-ray film autorad of a p33-labelled Sanger sequencing gel

First Ma lab #GMI paper is now online! It‘s a mini-review on insect-induced plant #galls —their coolness and research potential! Plant galls induced by insects: Coordinated developmental reprogramming and defence manipulation www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We should have listened when the modems screamed at us.