Andrew Alverson
@sinkingdiatom.bsky.social
π€ 245
π₯ 282
π 48
diatoms - evolution - phylogenetics; he/his
pinned post!
Our phylogenetic classification of >400 diatom genera is now published in Journal of Phycology.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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A phylogenetic classification of diatoms (Bacillariophyta)
Diatoms are known for their extraordinary species richness, cornerstone roles in aquatic ecosystems, and immense contributions to the global cycling of carbon, oxygen, and silica. For nearly 2 centur....
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.70125
2 months ago
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Kenneth Dumack
4 days ago
Five days left to apply! π Exciting
#PhDPosition
in
#PlanktonEcology
at the University of Koblenz, Germany! Work on
#marine
#protists
with a mix of π¬ wet lab and π» bioinformatics in a 3-year, 60% position. π Apply by 20 May 2026 Please repost/share π Link:
tinyurl.com/yu27knau
#ProtistsOnSky
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Andrew Alverson
The Onion
8 days ago
Gas Station Price Sign Using Scientific Notation
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Andrew Alverson
19 days ago
My lab is currently looking for a postdoc interested in phylogenomics to work with our group on PhyloFisher. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is interested.
evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi...
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https://evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldir/PostDocs//MississippiStateU.Phylogenomics
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Phylogenomics https://explore.msujobs.msstate.edu/cw/en-us/job/510010 The Brown Lab at Mississippi State University invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researc...
https://evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldir/PostDocs//MississippiStateU.Phylogenomics
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Megan Sorensen
20 days ago
Interested in working on the evolution of photosynthetic endosymbioses? Come join us! I have 2 open positions in my new group
@cemess.bsky.social
in Vienna 3yr postdoc info:Β
tinyurl.com/4emkjpn4
4yr PhD info:Β
tinyurl.com/mtxmsjpy
Apply by 1stΒ June! Please share/repost
#Protists
#Symbiosis
#PhD
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Andrew Alverson
Fredrik Ryderheim
about 1 month ago
Our review on the evolutionary arms race between copepods and diatoms is now published in
@aslo.org
#ASLO_LO
π We discuss the most common defense mechanisms found in diatoms, and how copepods have evolved to overcome them. Check it out
#openaccess
aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
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Diatomsβcopepods: An evolutionary arms race
Diatoms and copepods are dominating and diverse groups of phytoplankton and zooplankton, respectively. Diatoms account for 25β40% of ocean primary production, and their main predators, copepods, are ...
https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.70355
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Somehow this paper has been largely ignored, but the basic idea has been presented by others as novel, or the idea gets misattributed to someone else. If you're interested in
#diatom
sex and its evolutionary importance, read and cite this paper.
www.jstor.org/stable/2460887
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The Diatom Sex Clock and Its Evolutionary Significance on JSTOR
William M. Lewis, Jr., The Diatom Sex Clock and Its Evolutionary Significance, The American Naturalist, Vol. 123, No. 1 (Jan., 1984), pp. 73-80
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2460887
about 2 months ago
0
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Gergely Orosz
about 2 months ago
If you use GitHub (especially if you pay for it!!) consider doing this *immediately* Settings -> Privacy -> Disallow GitHub to train their models on your code. GitHub opted *everyone* into training. No matter if you pay for the service (like I do). WTH
github.com/settings/cop...
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Andrew Alverson
Peter Godfrey-Smith
about 2 months ago
This is great.
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/c...
(free link) "Notably, half of the whales attending were not related to the mother." "The calf was rarely left untouched, and it was usually being touched by at least two whales simultaneously."
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Scientists Filmed a Whale Birth. The Surprise: Mom Had Many Helpers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/26/climate/sperm-whale-birth-assistance.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WVA.xeIg.V23Pc4GzMt0I&smid=url-share
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Gust Bilcke
about 2 months ago
In our new pre-print, we established massive single-cell RNA-sequencing for diatoms to investigate key cell fate transitions. Notably, we discovered that the diploid-to-haploid transition is regulated by Myb TFs, a process that is actively ongoing across the Global Ocean! π
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Andrew Alverson
Molecular Biology and Evolution
2 months ago
Turner et al. introduce OrthoGarden, an automated and containerized de novo assembly-based phylogenomics pipeline aimed at recovering accurate and reproducible phylogenies from any combination of short reads and assemblies. π
doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag053
#evobio
#molbio
#compbio
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OrthoGarden: a pipeline for propagating phylogenetic trees for nonmodel organisms from short reads and de novo genome assemblies
Abstract. Phylogenomics pipelines are designed to reconstruct evolutionary relationships among groups of organisms. Existing pipelines are dependent upon r
https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msag053
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Our phylogenetic classification of >400 diatom genera is now published in Journal of Phycology.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
loading . . .
A phylogenetic classification of diatoms (Bacillariophyta)
Diatoms are known for their extraordinary species richness, cornerstone roles in aquatic ecosystems, and immense contributions to the global cycling of carbon, oxygen, and silica. For nearly 2 centur....
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.70125
2 months ago
1
26
15
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Dr. Brooke Weigel
3 months ago
Awesome Masterβs degree level
#Phycology
job at UC Berkeley!
aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05258?fbc...
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Assistant/Associate Specialist - Phycological Specialist - University and Jepson Herbaria
University of California, Berkeley is hiring. Apply now!
https://aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05258?fbclid=IwY2xjawQGF_hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExbURvZHVldXpleFhNQkowc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHtJOloyxsqh-s2Seqf_ICSdirf8TQkQSOX7F9-xiak3y5blCJbRYzWOCv0qF_aem_vT9QhYoJbQbp4pfLElMaAQ
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Trying to imagine my time at UT without discussions of parsimony vs. likelihood.
add a skeleton here at some point
3 months ago
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4
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Letters of Note
3 months ago
Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin
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3488
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Kate Littler
3 months ago
No I cannot be on your important panel, sorry. No I cannot review your exciting grant, sorry. No I cannot review your groundbreaking paper, sorry. No I cannot help you with your awesome outreach project, sorry. Because all of this^ is invisible on my uni workload model and therefore worthless. π€·ββοΈ
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Simeon SchmauΓ
3 months ago
This is a real timelapse video of the Moon transiting in front of the Earth. It was captured by the Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft in November 2022 while flying at it's furthest point from the Earth. The video covers about 3.75 hours of real time. ππ§ͺ
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Andrew Alverson
Sarah Smith
3 months ago
Our paper on the need for field studies to test ocean iron fertilization as a climate solution is out - please read it, share widely, and let me know what you think!
add a skeleton here at some point
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Merriam-Webster
4 months ago
β€οΈ
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9935
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
EvolDir
4 months ago
The Brown Lab at Mississippi State University seeks a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Phylogenomics. Applicants should have sequencing data analysis experience, preferably in Python/R. Details at:
https://explore.msujobs.msstate.edu/cw/en-us/job/510010
#postdoc
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Careers | MSU Jobs
Careers | MSU Jobs
https://explore.msujobs.msstate.edu/cw/en-us/job/510010
0
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3
I would not have a job.
add a skeleton here at some point
5 months ago
0
2
0
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Two live sets I listen to repeatedly this time of year. Had both of them on cassette in the 90s.
youtu.be/iavST2Uecm4?...
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Tom Waits WNEW Studios New York, NY 12-14-76 "Nighthawks on the Radio"
YouTube video by Killa Khyang
https://youtu.be/iavST2Uecm4?si=Y6HmWmFf8vAcDoY0
over 1 year ago
2
1
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
George Matsumoto
5 months ago
π§ͺππ π¦π Marine Scientist Position β Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), full-time, permanent Marine Scientist position based in Panama. Application review begins February 15, 2026 (open until filled). Early-career researchers are strongly encouraged to apply.
www.stri.si.edu
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Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute was founded with the purpose of increasing and sharing knowledge about the past, present and future of tropical ecosystems and their relevance to human welf...
https://www.stri.si.edu
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40
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Jonathan Eisen
5 months ago
Back in the day, I spent a lot of effort pointing out that many claims of lateral gene transfer between taxa were better explained by other phenomena, like gene loss, duplicaiton and deletion, convergence, bad informatics, etc 1/n
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Trevor A. Branch
5 months ago
Deep deep organisms that might live for thousands of years
aeon.co/essays/the-d...
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The discovery of aeonophiles expands our definition of life | Aeon Essays
The discovery of organisms that have been alive for many thousands of years requires a revolution in how we understand life
https://aeon.co/essays/the-discovery-of-aeonophiles-expands-our-definition-of-life
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17
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www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/c...
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This Arkansas City Shows How to Slash Emissions and Save Money, Too
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/climate/fayetteville-arkansas-climate-plan.html?unlocked_article_code=1.7k8.OEOV.tu8TEEsp6bHF&smid=url-share
5 months ago
0
5
0
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Yawako
6 months ago
Iβve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees!
yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches. Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.
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PhyloWeaver β Interactive phylogenetic tree editor
Edit and visualize phylogenetic trees directly in your browser. PhyloWeaver lets you interactively rearrange tree topologies and export high-quality figures for publications and presentations.
https://yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/
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Andrew Alverson
Cameron Thrash
6 months ago
Conserved genetic markers reveal widespread diatom sexual reproduction in the global ocean
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#jcampubs
π
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Conserved genetic markers reveal widespread diatom sexual reproduction in the global ocean - Nature Communications
Diatoms dominate the oceans, yet sexual reproduction - key to bloom dynamics and species evolvability - is rarely observed. Using a lab-to-field approach, this study presents conserved markers applica...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-65296-9
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13
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Bruce Taylor
7 months ago
The amoeba Difflugia bacillifera builds its shell from things that contain silica, and it is not particular about the source. These ones have incorporated whole shells from another testate amoeba (Euglypha), along with diatoms, algal cysts and chunks of rock.
#Amoebae
#ProtistsOnSky
#peatlands
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oh, what I'd give to see one of these . . .
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
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Radiohead review β bards of the apocalypse return for a brutal bacchanal
Powered by a pounding rhythm section, the crowd dance to even the tricksiest drum patterns at Radioheadβs first gig in seven years β one that demonstrates the pure joy this band can bring
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/05/radiohead-live-review-movistar-arena-madrid-spain-thom-yorke
7 months ago
0
2
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Andrew Irwin
7 months ago
New results from our lab: Polyploidization in diatoms accelerates adaptation to warming. Nat. Clim. Chang. (2025).
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
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Polyploidization in diatoms accelerates adaptation to warming - Nature Climate Change
The authors obtained large-volume individuals of diatom cultures under thermal stress. These polyploids (having more than two sets of chromosomes) are shown to rapidly adapt to high temperatures, high...
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02464-1
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13
5
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Sholto David
8 months ago
Recent MDPI paper including diagram of a bacterial cell with a mitochondrion π€¦ββοΈ The authors propose a mechanism for the toxicity of silver nanoparticles: "Ag+ ions in AgNPs bombard the bacterial mitochondriaβs electron transport chain, resulting in cell death".
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
c0nc0rdance
8 months ago
The buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) has mastered a very particular kind of camouflage. When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig. Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Heidi B. Hammel
11 months ago
"Useless" and/or "silly" federally-funded research has turned the United States into the worldβs leader in science and technology over the past 75 years. Such science is under attack throughout the federally-funded agencies in the United States. More at:
www.americanscientist.org/article/%E2%...
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Andrew Alverson
Vesna Grujcic
9 months ago
How do microbes become permanent partners? ππ¬π¦ Check out our new study published in Current Biology showing how cyanobacterial genomes evolve step-by-step into endosymbionts of diatoms.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@currentbiology.bsky.social
@mehrshmali.bsky.social
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Andrew Alverson
Your Parents Are Sellouts
9 months ago
This is one of the most beautiful things I have witnessed, the craft here is impeccable.
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9571
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Mike Moore
10 months ago
π¨π¨ New tenure track position in
#ConservationBiology
@oberlincollege.bsky.social
in the
#Biology
department--come join us, and contribute to our brand new Environmental Science major too!
#biologyjobs
#ecologyjobs
jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16671
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Assistant Professor of Biology
The Biology Department at Oberlin College invites applications for a full-time tenure track faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences in conservation ecology. Initial appointment to this po...
https://jobs.oberlin.edu/postings/16671
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Andrew Alverson
Dan Sloan
10 months ago
Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.
sites.google.com/site/danielb...
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Sloan Lab
Welcome! Our research focuses on the evolutionary process at the molecular level. In particular, we investigate how a mixture of natural selection and non-adaptive forces create and maintain the amazi...
https://sites.google.com/site/danielbsloan
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Glen Wheeler
11 months ago
Are you interested in how diatoms communicate with each other? Exciting post-doc position available in my lab to study the signalling mechanisms of cell-cell communication in diatoms. Deadline 14th July.
@kehelliwell.bsky.social
@thembauk.bsky.social
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNO210/p...
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Marc Somssich
11 months ago
π A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis π§βπ¬ Corey A.H. Allard, Amy S.Y. Lee,
@nbellono.bsky.social
, et al. π
@cellpress.bsky.social
π
www.cell.com/cell/abstrac...
#οΈβ£
#PlantScience
#Kleptosomes
#Sacoglossan
#SeaSlug
#Photosynthesis
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A host organelle integrates stolen chloroplasts for animal photosynthesis
Sea slugs steal foreign chloroplasts and store them in specialized organelles that facilitate photosynthesis and eventual digestion to mediate starvation resistance.
https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(25)00637-3
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Gust Bilcke
11 months ago
Looking back on last week's Molecular Life of Diatoms conference π. Honored to be hosting this tight-knit, creative and collaborative community in Ghent! Topics ranged from single-cell approaches, imaging breakthroughs, new insights into photosynthesis and symbioses etc.
#protistsOnSky
#MLD8
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Bruce Taylor
12 months ago
Many amoebae incorporate diatoms in their shells, but Cylindrifflugia bacillariarum is the master. Third and fourth pics are close views of the glue that holds it all together.
#ProtistsonSky
#Amoebae
#Peatlands
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New paper on diatom phylogenomics from our lab. Ten years in the making, but it always took a backseat to student and postdoc papers.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Phylogenomics reveals the slow-burning fuse of diatom evolution | PNAS
Evolution is often uneven in its pace and outcomes, with long periods of stasis interrupted by abrupt increases in morphological and ecological dis...
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2500153122
12 months ago
1
15
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I had a chance to talk about the importance of
#NSF
on our local public radio station.
www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-...
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Ozarks at Large
Ozarks at Large is a daily news magazine highlighting the people, places and events of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas River Valley.
https://www.kuaf.com/show/ozarks-at-large
12 months ago
0
4
1
reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Wallace Marshall
about 1 year ago
www.forbes.com/sites/johndr...
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The NSF Is Being Dismantled β With Broad Implications For The American Economy
The economic consequences of cuts to the National Science Foundation and restricting scientific inquiry on this scale could be far-reaching.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johndrake/2025/05/09/the-national-science-foundation-is-being-dismantled-what-the-economy-needs-is-more-investment/
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Khashoggi's Ghost
about 1 year ago
Dear
@bsky.app
, please let
@atrupar.com
keep posting so we don't have to go to the bad place to see his much needed videos.
add a skeleton here at some point
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Sigh.
academic.oup.com/ismej/articl...
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 year ago
1
9
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Kirsty Wan
about 1 year ago
Delighted to see our work on
#diatom
motility published in
@pnas.org
!π
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...
These abundant single-celled algae are responsible for a significant portion of the air we breathe yet often overlooked. Here we show how how diatom (raphe) shape impacts their gliding function... 1/3
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reposted by
Andrew Alverson
Matthew Herron
over 1 year ago
I lost my job at the National Science Foundation yesterday, along with 167 of my colleagues, including some dear friends. This was the best job I've ever had, and I thought it would be my last. The PI community has been sympathetic and supportive, without exception. I will miss working for you.
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www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
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Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs
National Science Foundation staff heard the plans at a meeting Tuesday.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/04/science-funding-agency-layoffs-threat-00202426
over 1 year ago
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