Thanks so much for the shout out in the latest newsletter. I appreciate the support of my aquatic sciences community 😍

Vale, Emma. This is truly gut-wrenching news. Sincere condolences for her family, friends, and countless colleagues in the scientific community. theconversation.com/emma-johnsto...

Can you help us keep it up in 2026? We’ve set an ambitious new goal to raise $300,000 this month, and we’re so close! Donate today and your contribution will be matched, making twice the difference: thenarwhal.ca/double-up

The Narwhal’s reporting about the natural world in Canada turned a lot of heads this year. Here are the stories you read the most, from every corner of the country: thenarwhal.ca/10-top-stori...

For the Star’s opinion section I contributed to the year end “loss” package: the loss of the TTC as “The Better Way”. Not yet the worst way but sliding towards it. Many culprits, ultimately but it’s our own fault for not demanding, & voting, better.

Ford closed the science centre for no reason, is shrinking it dramatically, and gov’t doesn’t want you to know the truth about this. My column: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/toron...

Guess what Bill C-16 includes? Don't let them tell you it can't be done. Man oh man, I'm in absolute shock right now, frankly.

Some closing thoughts for my students this semester on LLMs and learning #rstats datavizf25.classes.andrewheiss.com/news/2025-12...

More diverse forests have greater productivity, but do they use more water? A new meta-analysis by Shovon et al. in @journalofecology.bsky.social suggests not. 🌐🌏🧪 besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Rachel Gilmore on the anti-DEI movement: "I think that to attack these notions is a dog whistle to the worst elements of society that are seeing a slide towards a more fascistic world. And every politician who engages in that should be ashamed of themselves."

It's easier for the media to say "trade war tensions" than for them to explain to Americans that much of Canada -- and the world -- now sees the U.S. as a dangerous authoritarian state that's unsafe for travel.

I’m going to LOVE adding this next part of the story to #ZOO2700 in January!

You know those labs that keep harming students, again and again? Some reflections on why it's so hard to stop this from happening and where our responsibilities lie. scienceforeveryone.science/bad-mentors-... 🧪

Our new study: light and nutrients interactively shape the thermal traits of phytoplankton -> Interactions matter! #phytoplankton #light #nutrients #temperature #traits Led by @alheinrichs.bsky.social and in cooperation with Miriam Gerhard #bestteam doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Excited to share our new review article on Viral Dark Matter led by PhD student @kosmopoulos.bsky.social. We talk about what is known and unknown in the world of viruses (specifically phage), and highlight future opportunities for research and biotechnology. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Seeking an experienced postdoc in freshwater environmental genetics to join our exciting @ercrefresh.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @ukri.org team to investigate environment x gene interactions in freshwater biotic responses to environmental stressors www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK766/s... @mgenner.bsky.social

Happy International Day of LGBTQIA+ People In STEM! How are you celebrating it? #LGBTQSTEMDay #PrideInSTEM

Hydrology Paper of the Day @kirkwoodlab.bsky.social on decades of water quality data from Severn Sound, Georgian Bay, Lake Huron: processing of data and GAMM models used to obtain periods of change, and PCA to identify relationships between water quality parameters and site-specific processes.

Still free, neutral, open, and human. #Wikipedia25 Donate now ➡️ donate.wikipedia25.org

Forgot to add that the paper is Open-Access:)

NEW PAPER: Nearly 50 years of water quality monitoring shows improvements and remaining challenges for a delisted Great Lakes Area of Concern. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @iaglr.bsky.social @otwomen.bsky.social @ontariotechscience.bsky.social

When the City of Toronto amalgamated, services for places like Scarborough noticeably got worse. This was in large part due to these peripheral communities having less representation and influence at a centralized city hall biased towards the old City of Toronto.

The Doug Ford government is setting its sites on conservation authorities for the fifth time, merging the watershed protection agencies. Staff tell @fatimabsyed.bsky.social it may ‘slow approvals, create confusion’ — not to mention it's leaving them with ‘whiplash.’ thenarwhal.ca/ontario-cons...

Opinion on the potential and future of so-called "generative AI" is polarized to the point of hyperbole. But if you peel back the extremes, we're having an important debate. My take on the ethics of AI. conservechange.medium.com/is-ethical-a...

I know no media is covering the Canada Student Grant cuts, but it's real and it's going to cost several hundred thousand students about $1200 this year. Here's the explainer.

New OnlineFirst article: "Design, Disability, and Critical Pedagogy in STS" by Kaitlin Stack Whitney, Kristoffer Whitney, Katie Healey, Jessica Hardin, Anna Carter, Angeline Hamele, + Lee Smith @kstackwhitney.bsky.social #criticalSTS #pedagogy #technoableism journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

Everyone needs to know how to identify this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealion...

I feel this is an excellent example of how we massively overestimate the importance of one person (genius complex). I guarantee that the double helix would have been discovered irrespective of Watson, and his remaining contributions of racism and horribleness, far outweighs his stolen valour.

Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...

One thing to do, especially if you’re a science writer or editor, is when you have occasion to mention the names of the discoverers of the structure of DNA, just say “Watson, Crick, and Franklin.” No one can stop us, and it is correct.

On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This is correct, with one important caveat - most decisions on funding, admin, publishing, career, are made (and can be derailed) by people who by definition benefited the most from these metrics and incentives, and stand to lose the most by changing them.

The 🇨🇦 Standing Committee on Science and Research passed a modified resolution this afternoon that the requested ricouncil applicant and reviewer data can be aggregated and anonymized. Thanks to the many researchers who signed letters pointing out legitimate data privacy concerns. 👏👏

Thanks to @royalsocietynz.bsky.social for awarding me the Callaghan medal for Science Communication. Thanks to my many supporters, NZ communities for being curious, & the many people in various agencies who really do want to use evidence in decision-making. This is critical now, more than ever. 🌐🌏🧪

Very happy and proud to see this one published! Have a look at this global assessment of the effect – or lack of effect – of extra oxygen (hyperoxia) on ectotherm thermal tolerance! Led by @graham-raby.bsky.social and a team of incredible collaborators working on multiple taxa 🐟 🐠 🦀 🦐.

New paper out today in Ecology Letters! In this synthesis we dive into the equilibrium assumption in ecology - why it's everywhere in ecological theory, the evidence for it in nature, when meeting the assumption is important, how to achieve it in empirical research, and more! tinyurl.com/yh6kyysm

You might have seen that Siouxsie won her legal battle against the UoA, but even after the damages were awarded she ended up massively out of pocket. So she's asking for help - There's been lots of support already, which is cool to see - Siouxsie deserves it! www.pledgeme.co.nz/projects/852...

More necessary awareness: yes, parliament has the legal authority to do this. There are many reasons they should not. That it is legal does not mean it is ethical, necessary, non-destructive, or appropriate. It DEFINITELY doesn't mean it shouldn't be publicly opposed (👀 @u15ca.bsky.social )... /1

So for me a white guy who is heterosexual and pretty open about the disabilities I live with that may not be a big deal, but it doesn't take a genius to know that won't be the case for everyone. I can think of a tonne of bad faith uses for this kind of data and that is the point

This data must NOT be made public. Doing so would compromise researcher privacy (especially for vulnerable groups), undermine confidential peer review, and expose unpublished research. We support accountability, but it must preserve privacy and scientific integrity. #SupportOurScience

We're concerned about the SRSR motion requesting 25 years of disaggregated tri-council data. While we understand the data is intended to be anonymized, this wasn't explicitly stated in the motion – and the specific information requested could still enable re-identification when linked together.

Any such request is not only unethical, it is a violation of privacy laws. It’s tiresome to see American style attacks on EDI being taken up by Canadian politicians. Equity, diversity and inclusion are hallmarks of Canadian society and should be celebrated and emulated.

Canadian graduate students... how do you feel about members of parliament going through your transcripts and the personal information you disclosed in your applications in order to question whether you deserved your fellowship or not? @supportourscience.bsky.social

Halloween costumes to scare scientists (by @twisteddoodles.bsky.social) 🧪

Thanks for flagging this, Michael. People can also write to the SRSR committee members (email all at the same time is fine), and request a response: www.ourcommons.ca/committees/e... Ping @e4dca.bsky.social

Attn: Canadian researchers/ If you are looking for text/arguments to mix-n-match in a letter to your MP, the committee, Ministers, etc.. here is some. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Yes! Contact them and sign this petition here —it’s not just about EDI data! So much personally identifying information for applicants and reviewers will not be protected! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Canadian researchers should be aware the there is a motion before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research to force Tricouncils to hand over disaggregated peer review data on all applications: Applicant names, profiles, demographics Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores