Two independent origins of XY sex chromosomes in Asparagus https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.05.674532v1

Excited to share the first paper from my PhD! We looked at what traits help Aneides salamanders excel at climbing using museum specimens, CT scans, SEM, and more! No claws or toe pads, so how do they do it? In short, with long limbs, big feet and grippy toes! 🦎🧪 DM for PDF doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

I would simply hire 5 actual real life graduate teaching assistants for classes

Wake up, babe, a new phylogeny and classification of coelacanths just dropped. 🐟🧪

*ahem* Kentucky, West Virginia, I’m gonna need you two to look at your voting, look at your Medicaid usage, look deep in your soul and get right with the Lord. Y’all didn’t use to be like this, and your coal miner granddaddies are spinning in the ground.

Excited to launch a new State Wildlife Grant on the newly-described Plethodon pauleyi. An impressive undergrad team’s habitat analysis from last fall is helping us locate new pops of this enigmatic species, w/ almost 20% of all of Virginia’s known individuals of the species recorded in the last week

dude what the fuck

My NSF PRFB on the genetics of female polymorphism in hummingbirds was terminated yesterday. I don't have much to say, I'm just sad. We've discovered so much, and could have gone so much further. If anyone else is in the same boat, esp postdocs, please reach out, it would be good to connect.

Yesterday I was awarded $10k in research funds, today the grant was terminated by NSF. Would love someone to explain how this is making America great again…

Really enjoyed speaking with @jackiefmogensen.bsky.social at @motherjones.com for this piece on Helene's impacts on #Appalachia. The story discusses our long-term river restoration work & how ongoing attacks on science by the Trump admin might impact regional conservation efforts.

I’m so angry & heart broken. My NSF CAREER grant was stolen today; dream project supporting science teachers/students as climate justice action researchers, tackling urban heat. Truly transformative, the culmination of my life’s work, we won’t stop, not in this climate crisis. Gonna fight like hell!

Muy buena oportunidad para estudiantes internacionales interesados en un doctorado en US. eeb.princeton.edu/graduate/eeb...

In case this is helpful to someone out there: I'm moving to Ball State University this August, and I'll have a support for MS students over the next three years (RAs/TAs) If your lab has talented students graduating this spring, I welcome them to reach out and talk about the opportunities.

Saying it’s ‘about hate,’ Beshear vetoes ban on DEI in Kentucky public higher education kentuckylantern.com/2025/03/20/s...

Colleagues, including my partner, with years of service at the agency. Some Permanent POs reclassified as Probationary. Exceptional scientists who were former professors at major institutions, and came to NSF to serve the community and ensure science thrives in the US.

I'm giving away EVERY Masters set EVER! It's Masters Masters! I'm giving TEN PEOPLE each one box of Masters from the entire history of Masters sets as a thank you! Just donate in multiples of $4.00 to @translifeline.bsky.social until Feb 15 at 11am PST! Donate---> give.translifeline.org/tolarian

Rhiannon Hall @rhall01.bsky.social tackled a split poster for both chapters of her MS work: landscape genomics of two bumblebee species in North Dakota and occupancy modeling to understand bumble bee nest selection out at the Central Grasslands Research and Extension Center. 3/6

they’re PRIVATE

My student's diversity F31 has been pulled from study section even though it's the SAME APPLICATION as regular F31s, normally reviewed together in the same panel. Throwing out all the applications from URMs while the ones from white/privileged students get to be reviewed is blatant discrimination.

Bumping this because some issues with text formatting in the figures were fixed! The trees in the paper should be more legible now 😅

The entire archive of CDC datasets can be found here. HUGE shoutout to data archivists- this work is important 👏🙌🏻 archive.org/details/2025...

The dismantling of American Science continues. The Organismal Response to Climate Change grant call has been cancelled. The NSF Director is a disgrace

I'm begging a major news org to cover the fact NSF is defying the courts to enact Trump's unconstitutional executive order

This is exactly why NSF's response is so concerning. We need leaders who aren't complying in advance to unlawful orders that are paused by courts or rescinded by the WH

Just a reminder that Appalachia is not code for white- my kid’s dad is Appalachian and Indian- there are tons of communities of color throughout Appalachia.

Male southern elephant seals are 5.3 times heavier than females but female helmeted water toads are 21 times heavier than males. What is the reason for sexual size dimorphism in evolutionary terms? #NHMScience @nhcooper123.bsky.social & al investigate www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Hey All, plz repost, and share with grads, post-docs and disease folks! We are hiring a post-doc to work on mechanisms of immune responses of frog hosts to Bd infections. Deadline is February 1, 2025. Details for the position can be found at the link below. 🐸🐸🐸 zamudiolab.org/2024/12/17/p...

🌵🌴 Big news! Botany 2025 is now heading to sunny Palm Springs, CA (July 25-31, 2025)! While plans shifted from Tucson, we're excited to stay in the Southwest. See you there! More information will be coming in early January at www.botanyconference.org #Botany2025

Do you need a salamander phylogeny? You're in luck! We put together the largest salamander phylogeny to date based on molecular markers and used more fossil calibrations than any other currently available trees. 765 salamander species! Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We had a fun end of the semester axe throwing and Sonoran dog day in the lab! This has become an enjoyable annual event! Here is @aast242.bsky.social throwing an axe with Geoff Finch and @skang.bsky.social with a winning throw!

We had a wonderful 2024 #Plantsgiving with @conjustover.bsky.social, @aast242.bsky.social, @skang.bsky.social, and @poppybot.bsky.social among others! Our final count for this year's dinner was 103 species from 42 families! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

In honor of National Poetry Day, one of the all time classics.

The indirect benefits of free lunches

New review paper with Drew Larson, Mike Itgen, and Rob Denton! "Reconsidering cytonuclear discordance in the genomic age" ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

Join us on Wednesday, October 2, at 11AM PDT for the first #PolyploidyWebinar of the season! @shellygaynor.bsky.social and @pairoflogs.bsky.social will lead us off! The zoom link will be emailed out before the talks - sign up here if you have not signed up before! forms.gle/Bp3VUGeP9nAc...

I am ecstatic to share that I have accepted the Assistant Member and Principal Investigator position at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO! The Conover Lab will open June 1, 2025, and will be broadly interested in polyploid evolutionary genomics.

The University Senate of the University of Kentucky has passed a vote of No Confidence in President Eli Capilouto.

The 1864 law was passed at the first session of Arizona’s territorial legislature. The territory wouldn’t become a state for another 48 years.

🦎🐍🐸🐢🐊🧪 Herpetology faculty! It’s time for a new spreadsheet to help get the word out about herp-focused labs that are recruiting students and postdocs for 2025-26! Faculty, use this form to advertise positions: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

New collection of articles of neurodivergent experiences in academia from @elife.bsky.social : elifesciences.org/collections/... #Academia #HigherEd #DisabledInSTEM #Neurodivergent

New urban wallie paper ! 🧪🦎 Smarter in the city? Lizards from urban and semi-natural habitats do not differ in a cognitive task in two syntopic species (Podarcis siculus and P. muralis) academic.oup.com/cz/advance-a...

submitted my first first-author publication today 🍾🥳

New paper alert 🚨. We found a virus in the amphibian pathogen fungus Batrachochytrium. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Warning: If you are doing a phylo ANOVA on shape using the R geomorph package, your states must be in the exact same order (by species) as your landmarks, even if both are labeled with the species names. The documentation doesn't tell you that. How many errors has this introduced in the literature?

Bad budget news: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the biggest loser, with lawmakers imposing an 8.3% cut to $9.06 billion, some $820 million below 2023. 🧪 www.science.org/content/arti...

Cute little Batrachoseps attenuatus, California Slender Salamander, occupying about 1.5 cm^3 area of space Contra Costa Co, CA Feb 4 2024 🌿🐸🧪🌎