Took a while to get to this level of plainspeak, but glad to see it more and more.

The NYT liveblog on the autism press conference is a fascinating read -- largely because it's written by health reporters and not political reporters. Look at how direct and appropriately shocked these posts are! www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...

Giving a webinar on #BlueSoup this Friday, in case anyone wants to pop in during their lunch!

The president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said Monday that suggestions that Tylenol use in pregnancy causes autism are “irresponsible when considering the harmful and confusing message they send to pregnant patients.” https://to.pbs.org/46oVMck

Impressive degree of mendacity to try insist on a Tylenol autism link, given its flatly contradicted by better data, like this study of >2 million Danish kids. There's a grim history of false "causes" for autism, a dogwhistle RFK Jr & Trump blowing.. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

In 2024 I drew cutlery for my light and shadow series. The spoon technically contains a tiny self-portrait. N.B. You can find my other light and shadow drawings here: hgpenningtonart.co.u...

📢Speaker Announcement: Jade Bleau 🧾Panel: The Journey of Plants through Black Botanist Jade Bleau, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Dundee/James Hutton Institute. Learn more about Jade and register here: buff.ly/jWhjAei

Seen around #Christchurch #NZ, bird edition 😊 Kererū in a tree, feeding. 135mm lens, so not that far away 😊

Lovely day on the Murrumbidgee

Creeping on the ground everywhere is #Banksia dallanneyi, a small prostrate shrub with subterranean stems! It’s found from Geraldton to Albany! Gotta love the prostrate Banksias they are all soo odd!

Flowers that work as a light trap! Pterostylis are masters of using light and in some case scent to achieve pollination, #Pterostylis barbata is a great examples of this! With the pollinia at the top of the flower they use light to fool their pollinator to travel further up to the pollinia!

Out around Southern Cross, and spotted this big #Stigmodera roei flying from the car! What a stunning beetle! So colourful it didn’t seem real!

A great use of genetic engineering 🧬 Attempting to reduce the spread of Lyme disease using modern scientific technologies 🧪 www.cbsnews.com/news/genetic...

If regulators give the green light, scientists will first release a small batch of genetically engineered mice on a private island to see if they can help curb Lyme disease — without disrupting the ecosystem. cbsn.ws/42qD7vV

Lyme disease on Nantucket can be traced to 1926, when locals voted to import two female deer to give a lone buck company. The deer population exploded, and so did that of ticks. cbsn.ws/3Vv4W29

60 Minutes returns this Sunday with a new report: Researchers are testing a first-of-its-kind approach to curb Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness spreading across the U.S. Dr. Jon LaPook reports on how genetic engineering could reshape the future of disease prevention. 60Minutes.com

“It’s like almost an optical illusion because everything is beating at this weird frequency — it’s like the whole world is kind of pulsing,” says photographer Court Whelan while observing monarch butterflies swarming. cbsn.ws/4jbBGrk

Hello! We are currently hiring for two post-doc positions on projects related to plant natural products, enzymes, and developing new systems to make useful small molecules. More details on our website: lichmanlab.weebly.com/post-docs.html

A very good interview. I highly recommend watching #Vaccines #Science

@simonmaechling.bsky.social Agreed. It’s time for scientists (and all experts) to stand up, stand together, and get loud. Without someone communicating the science, the science can’t speak for itself #SciComm

Look who I found in the volunteer dill in the traffic circle!

Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Computational Ecology and/or Evolution @columbiauniversity.bsky.social. Deadline to apply September 30. Reach out if you have questions. apply.interfolio.com/172496

Hybrid zones in Cardamine (Brassicaceae) reveal the formation of diverse triploid hybrids with evolutionary potential. Cardamine rivularis plays a key role as both a driver and a species at risk. @newphyt.bsky.social nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @ceitec.eu @uebscimuni.bsky.social

Some recent yard birds for a bit of restful contemplation

How do monarchs complete a 3,000-mile journey with no prior experience? 🦋🧪 Each fall, millions of monarch butterflies take off on an extraordinary migration from the northeastern U.S. and Canada to the high-altitude forests of central Mexico.

For more on the ABC model check out this review of the classic 1991 paper, "Whorl of the Worlds" by Coen and Meyerowitz: cambridge.org/core/journal...

Friday Flower 005: Arabidopsis thaliana 🌱✨ A tiny flower, but a giant in research, thale cress enabled our understanding of flower development through the "ABC Model". With this knowledge, their flowers can be essentially reprogrammed to produce micro-roses 🧬🌹

Doing my homework 📚

NPR is tracking the record number of lawmakers in Congress who have already announced they don't plan to run for reelection ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Honoring the 2025 Ecological Section Student Presentation & Poster Award Recipients! 🏅 Graduate Presentation: Brooklyn Richards 🏅 Graduate Poster: Alex Arena 🏅 Undergraduate Posters: Bjoyrn Domst & Sarah Jones Learn more: botany.org/home/awards/... #BSA2025AwardsBlitz #IamaBotanist

I illustrated a cluster of apple blossoms from my front garden, using a reference photograph taken last spring 🌸 hgpenningtonart.com/...

Color changing flowers 🧬🎨- attempt #2 Older flowers (bottom) show dark red/ orange tints whereas young buds (top) display strong fuchsia color. Getting closer..

Sharing my own pretty image on #ZebrafishZunday! #devbio

My kids (14&17) were refused a Covid vaccine at CVS in Connecticut.

Some White House RFK Jr announcements expected early this week about autism, here’s my detailed interview with Boston @museumofscience.bsky.social explaining why it’s not related to vaccines www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHxb...

A hat tip to the @texastribune.org for this excellent, balanced reporting of the events leading up to Texas A&M losing a professor, a department chair, a dean and then a university president. All because of disruptive stunts & secret recordings by a single student. The shape of things to come.

This summer, as salmon swam upstream at Katmai National Park’s Brooks Falls and turned the river into an all-you-can-eat buffet for bears, more than 15 million people tuned in on live nature webcams. cbsn.ws/3Is51Rh

Wishing a happy 94th birthday to plant geneticist Dolores Ramirez. Her career was devoted to studying diseases and genetic conditions that affected food crops in the Philippines, and was awarded the status of National Scientist there in 1998. #WomenInSTEM #BioSky #Biology #PlantBiology 🧪🌱

Sad news. Plant science has lost a global champion with the passing of Steve Long. His recent work on engineering enhanced photosynthesis portends future breakthroughs in crop yield and food security. Here is a tribute from the Uni Essex where started 🧪 #plantscience www.essex.ac.uk/blog/staff/p...

"Assistant Professor - Plant Resilience to Climate Change at University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA *Application Deadline: 11/1/2025" Read more here: https://arabidopsis.org/news/jobs/view?file=20250919_UCB.pdf #PlantSciJobs

Winner of mRNA Nobel Prize says ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist is “absolutely impossible” www.statnews.com/2025/09/20/d... via @statnews.com

As a reminder, land areas (where we live) are warming around twice as fast as over the oceans. Subsequently, most of us are 'feeling' temperatures rising faster than the global mean record. Graphic from zacklabe.com/climate-chan...

Nobel Prize winner for his work on mRNA vaccines says that ACIP member’s claim that Covid vaccines persist in the body is absolutely impossible. Dr. Drew Weissman says that the vast literature shows that the Covid vaccines are safe. www.statnews.com/2025/09/20/d...

If you're in the Northeast, you have probably seen a spotted lanternfly this summer. The invasive species has now spread to 19 states and chows down on dozens of plants, most notably grapevines. https://to.pbs.org/4lPT997

Haven’t finished reading, but seems interesting. Communications is key for influence. #SciComm “Institutions unprepared or slow to engage have repeatedly been outflanked by bad-faith actors who were weak on facts but had superior communication tactics.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a law banning most law enforcement officers from wearing masks during some operations.

Post the wins, even when they’re just California wins. I’d like to see other states do this. It’s a crime that DC can’t.

Ever wonder how flower petals can make such amazing patterns? Me too, and thanks to @nwonieuws.bsky.social, we will get to find out! www.uu.nl/en/news/biol... @petuniaplatform.bsky.social #plantscience #UtrechtUniversity #NWO #flowers #epigenetics

Whenever the scaries hit or when I feel real down, one of my favorite places to be is under my grow lights. The warmth and brightness pours into me like drinking sunlight from a garden hose. Its been rough the last few months but am grateful I get to do what I love. 🌺🐕

Does anyone have a tobacco RB7 MAR part I can PCR out of? I dont want to spend money on synthesis for an insulator if I can avoid it. TYIA!