AI's use in writing/reviewing papers could degrade scientific literature. "Publishing carefully edited papers subjected to the judgment of multiple humans—and the retraction and correction of papers when the humans involved make mistakes—has never been more important" www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Seems highly doubtful to me. www.europesays.com/uk/665451/

“By talking to the public about our work, we can help rebuild a society that acknowledges the significance of science in everyday life and ensures that everyone has access to the information we need for informed decision-making.” www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/...

Quote: "Every species has a unique genetic code and ecological role. When it vanishes, the world loses an untapped reservoir of scientific knowledge – genetic blueprints, biochemical pathways, ecological relationships and even potential medical treatments." theconversation.com/with-every-e...

Current evidence shows: More invaders in an ecosystem = greater likelihood that one will be disruptive. Invaders can interact synergistically with each other & with external stressors. Rather than generate resistance, higher invasion rates promote more disruption. link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Very sad to hear of this. I met Emma at conference I organized in Montreal in 2019. She had a stellar reputation, so I invited her as a keynote speaker. She was charismatic & inspirational. Students in particular told me they enjoyed meeting her. Wonderful person. theconversation.com/emma-johnsto...

Extinction rarely departs with drama, it slips out the back door while we’re still debating the guest list. These records are made official on the Red List. "Conservation failures are often recognised only once they can no longer be reversed." via @mongabay.com: news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Co-founder of Colossal Biosciences Ben Lamm has a history of hyping up “world-changing” ventures that ultimately lead nowhere. Cheerleading false techno-fixes like de-extinction in the media distracts from real attempts to address biodiversity loss and climate change.

Biologists poured cold water on Colossal Biosciences’ claim to have brought the dire wolf back from extinction, and some worry the overblown headlines will undermine conservation work

Quote: "The initial steps for future ancestor conservation would be to improve the habitat where needed and make selected watersheds as disaster-proof as possible. ...The idea is to treat Freshwater Protected Areas as habitat for future ancestors." californiawaterblog.com/2025/12/28/f...

Anti-science claims can be easily debunked (as is done in this thread) - but the vast majority of people exposed to fast-spreading disinformation will never see it properly challenged.

Quote: "Using a decade-long time series of 975 genomes from hybridizing native and invasive Helicoverpa moths in Brazil, we demonstrate rapid, bidirectional adaptive introgression of pesticide resistance genes." #bioinvasions

A comprehensive review building on the IPBES #InvasiveAlienSpecies Assessment reveals that numbers of alien species are increasing for all taxonomic groups and regions, and that this trend is likely to continue. Read more: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/brv.70058

There are some impressive illustrations in T.H. Huxley's famous monograph, The Crayfish: An Introduction to the Study of Zoology. #Crustmas

From thelogicofscience.com, a response to self-described skeptics who are "just asking questions" about evolution, medical science, climate change, etc: There is nothing wrong with questioning science (indeed, it is encouraged), as long as you are willing to accept the answers science gives you.

MERRY #FISHMAS! It was on this day in 1938 that Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer made a discovery which would change the world — the first (non-fossil) coelacanth ever brought to the attention of science

On this day, December 21, 1968: The first photo taken of the whole Earth in one frame by a human from Apollo 8. It was the first circumnavigation of the Moon by a crewed spacecraft, and the furthest humans had ever travelled away from the Earth. 📸NASA

Bioinvasions impose significant burgeoning costs to society. A reminder from 2023: www.watercanada.net/new-study-sh...

1/ Three years ago this month, the Kunming-Montreal U.N. Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted. It recognized invasive alien species as a major threat to biodiversity. One of its targets (Target 6) is the reduction of global invasion rates by 50%: www.cbd.int/article/cop1...

Remarkably prescient. The 'dumbing down' of American society - a syndrome inevitably promoted & exploited by authoritarianism. Any hope of reversal requires substantial numbers of people to recognize it is happening.

Online now: Invasive species eradication standards

Important information from Cossey et al: 🌊Freshwater bivalve mass mortality events in Europe require immediate conservation action and policy development. Learn more at doi.org/10.1111/cobi... #conservation #science #scientificjournal

A reminder: Biodiversity loss, climate change, and species invasions are among the top environmental drivers of infectious disease outbreaks. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

If most #bioinvasions do not cause extinctions - and thus increase species richness in invaded areas, shouldn't people who care about biodiversity consider that to be a desirable outcome for conservation? To answer this, consider the processes & spatial scales involved: bsky.app/profile/ecoi...

The meningeal worm, a nematode, is native to eastern Canada & eastern/central U.S. (where white-tailed deer is a natural host) and was not expected to invade typically dry & cold areas of western North America.

Canada’s anti-greenwashing rules protect our health, but they’re under threat. Send a message to Ottawa: don’t give fossil fuel companies the license to lie to us. Choose truth, health and transparency instead. cape.ca/action/prote...

Quote: "Researchers no longer claim that biocontrol is always benign, and indeed, many emphasized the central role of careful risk assessment. But some risk may be acceptable when the consequences of inaction are severe enough." My question: How well can we quantify risk? undark.org/2025/11/10/i...

Good news for Caribbean biodiversity. The critically endangered Lesser Antillean iguana is rebounding on a small island near Anguilla after years of habitat restoration and invasive species removal. A true conservation win. Source: Re:wild & Fauna & Flora https://ow.ly/9Kt050XMxcY

New in @biolinvasions.bsky.social: I argue that accelerating invasion rates threaten ecosystem stability & sustainable management. Thus there is an urgent need for progress toward Target 6 of the Kunming-Montreal GBF, which calls for a substantive reduction in global invasion rates. -> rdcu.be/eVlNk

The marbled crayfish is a global aquatic invader of increasing importance. Distributed through the pet trade; now established on four continents. Feral populations have been found in Canada in recent years. See below for our synopsis, led by @vanmierlo.bsky.social #Crustmas

The quagga mussel may be the most transformative invasive mollusc known to science. Quote: "After thousands of years of stability, Lake Geneva is undergoing a period of huge and irreversible change in the space of just a decade." #bioinvasions #invasivespecies www.theguardian.com/environment/...

search.app/CRgw2

"I had to work 10 times harder than the average man just to get the same level of recognition," Jane Goodall told us in 2020. "But once I had made a name for myself, I let the data speak for me."

Creating "adorable" genetically-engineered mice in the lab will not move us even one iota closer to resurrecting an extinct animal, contrary to what is being advertised. www.npr.org/sections/sho...

For the love of mammoths, if you're not going to review a manuscript please decline right away. Don't just ignore the reminders and then let the system auto-decline after two weeks. Happy holidays to all who say "no" in a timely manner, and may those who suggest alternatives have a happy New Year.

👏👏

Quote: A new study finds that much of what’s happening in the name of “forest restoration” in the Congo Basin may not be restoring forests at all, but [instead is] largely focused on growing nonnative, commodity species.

The giant air plant of Florida is endangered due an invasive weevil species. A recent study by Campbell et al. (2025) suggests that only a very high germination rate and a short period of predation would lead to a sustained population. Read more w/ ‪PLOS Biology: https://ow.ly/mVFS50XAvua

I recall (true story) a student seminar on the ecology of white suckers. A prof in attendance was notorious for snoozing during seminars but always had a vague question ready at the end. He asked "What do we know about the population dynamics of suckers?" I replied quoting research by P.T. Barnum.

"Human meddling has led to countless ecological disasters from the impact of invasive species...Some forced emigrants to faraway lands of wind and tundra have been returned to their original ranges, where they augment the persistence of native cold-adapted relatives" therevelator.org/inadvertentl...

No paper from me or my lab will ever be submitted to an MDPI journal - including any of their superfluous "special issues". I will very rarely (if ever) cite MDPI papers. And I will never review for them. deevybee.blogspot.com/2024/08/gues... The same goes for FrontiersIn journals, among others.