Patrick Geyer successfully defended his thesis today! Patrick’s project examined differences in bat echolocation calls and feeding buzzes on and off prairie dog colonies at The Nature Conservancy’s Smoky Valley Ranch in western Kansas. Congratulations!!!

FIRST UP: #2-seed OSSIFRAGE (Gypaetus barbatus) vs #15-seed CICADA KILLER WASP (Sphecius speciosus) #2026MMM #2026mmm

Next Up: #2-seed Wild Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius) vs. #15-seed NZ Greater Short-Tailed Bat (Mystacina robusta) #2026MMM

UP NEXT: 4th-seeded Caribbean Monk Seal (Neomonachus tropicalis) vs. 13th-seeded Yallara (Macrotis leucura), a special collaboration between @mammalssuck.bsky.social & yours truly #2026MMM

UP NEXT: 1st-seeded Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) vs. 16th-seeded St Kilda House Mouse (Mus musculus muralis) #2026MMM

TONIGHT is ROUND 1 of the Extinction is Forever Division of species lost in recent decades & centuries due to the actions, and inactions, of humans. #HumanImpacts #Anthropocene #2026MMM

Cozy Friday night… #kitty

Moving On: #5-seed Grey Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) vs. #12-seed Book Scorpion (Chelifer cancroides) #2026MMM

Next Up: #7 White Stork (Ciconia ciconia) vs. #10 Mesopotamian himri (Carasobarbus luteus) #2026MMM

Up next: 6-seed cat (Felis catus) vs 11-seed common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) #2026MMM

First Up: #1-seed Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) vs. #16-seed Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) #2026MMM

LAST BATTLE OF THE NIGHT! Seed #8 Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) vs Seed #9 Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei) #2026MMM

But sloths are good swimmers! Though surprised at his suddenly aquatic surroundings, Sloth begins to paddle. (Britton 1941) #2026MMM www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7HG...

Next Up! 3rd seed Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) vs 14th seed Brown-Throated Sloth (Bradypus variegatus). #2026MMM

Hippos are the closest relatives to cetaceans (whales, dolphins), but these two groups lost their hair independently. Genetics show that hair-related PADI3 and S100A3 became nonfunctional pseudogenes AFTER these two groups split. #2026MMM doi.org/10.1007/s002...

NEXT UP: 2-seed Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) vs. 15-seed Beech Marten (Martes foina) #2026MMM

But judge them not by their size! A Beech Marten took down the ~9 billion dollar Large Hadron Collider when it chewed through wire connected to a transformer, bringing a, ahem, paws to the workday (Aron 2016) #2026MMM

NEXT UP: No. 5 Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) vs. No. 12 Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) #2026MMM

NEXT UP: No. 4 Indian Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis) vs. No. 13 Chital (Axis axis) #2026MMM

WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME to the first night of ROUND 1 MONEY MAMMALS DIVISION! #2026MMM

But can we talk about that "Bone Collector Caterpillar" March Mammal Madness bump? #GoogleSearchTrends #DustsShouldersOff #2026MMM

Finally, some cute pet pics from the past few months.

The @mammalmeetings.bsky.social meeting wrapped up last week. I have a well-attended talk on teaching, co-facilitated a workshop with other @stemsquirrels.bsky.social folks, attended workshops and talks, and with old and new friends. I’m also terrible at remembering to get pics with folks…

Summer research! Graduate student Patrick had to pivot his project and is now continuing the ongoing bats and prairie dogs study.

Very belated congratulations to the FHSU Biology Class on 2025!

My #zoology students once again knocked their #unessay projects out of the park!

In May my Science Communication students participated in the first annual Hays Science Festival! They came up with activities to teach kids about DNA structure.

I’m super behind on lab updates! In March we attended the joint meeting of Kansas Academy of Science and the Central States Entomological Society. Grad student Patrick presented his proposed research project and undergrads Emily and Chad gave talks. Chad won best undergrad talk!

At the No Kings protest in Hays, Kansas. #nokings

Yesterday’s high: 85 F Today: Blizzard conditions Typical March weather in Kansas

I was awarded tenure today!!!

At @standupforscience.bsky.social and the signs are statistically significantly excellent

Our little rally in Topeka, KS, for Stand Up for Science was never going to make the headlines like the DC one, but many Kansans still showed up! I’m glad I took my daughter to see that even little ripples can cause larger waves. We will not go quietly into the night. #standupforscience

We stood up for science today in Topeka! Thanks to the organizers for planning the event so we could stand together in solidarity. #standupforscience @standupforscience.bsky.social

Ready to #standupforscience in Topeka tomorrow!!! @standupforscience.bsky.social

For those that don’t know, Oakley is a very small town in western Kansas, near where my lab does a lot of fieldwork. This is a very red area. Kansans are not happy with what’s happening and made their voices heard.

Who’s joining me in Topeka???

Squirrel-Net is a community of student, instructors and researchers alike. To join and learn more about how we integrate research-based learning into higher education, keep swiping! #SquirrelNet #STEMSquirrels #squirrels #CUREs #researchbased #highereducation

Every scientist, long before they were a scientist, was a little kid who stood in front of a fish tank or stared up at the stars or turned over a rock to look at the bugs underneath and said “wow”. On the best days, working in science still feels like that.

I escaped poverty because I am a scientist. And I am a scientist because of the National Science Foundation. A 🧵:

One of our supporters shared this with us—people are getting creative tonight!

Tenure is under attack in Kansas. The bill was introduced late on Friday and the hearing is today. kansasreflector.com/2025/02/10/k...

Gene editing technology began by people studying salt marshes. Ozempic began by folks studying the venom of Gila Monsters. Support for basic science has empowered us to understand our world. Tethering it to applications health has transformed and saved countless lives.

1/8. This week I had a few different conversations with scholars who, in the face of the attacks on science and institutions of learning in the U.S., are wondering what to do. One suggestion I have is: keep doing your work. It matters in and of itself. Why do I say that? A few reasons.

"I promise, America will soon be the Cybertruck of countries—uglier than you could have imagined, built for rich chuds, borderline inoperable, and on fire."

February 4, 2025:

Our democracy is crumbling, yet I still had to teach my zoology about flatworms today…

Super excited to contribute data to this project! At least 40 Fort Hays State University students and several Nature Conservancy folks made our contribution possible. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... It takes a village. Or about 300 coauthors 📸 🦌