A small sample of oak heroes who have had a disproportionate influence on my thinking and work, from Mexico, France, and the U.S. Names in the alt text; from the International Oak Society meeting last week in Oaxaca. Join www.internationaloaksociety.org today!

Undergrads, grad students, professors, medical researchers, scientists in industry: help middle and high schoolers across the country understand what you *actually* do and why it matters! Be a source of inspiration amid all this chaos.

In the most extreme case, an accession from Armenia (Ames 32873) has nearly unprecedented levels of genomic rearrangement: only 25% syntenic to the reference genotype. However, those rearrangements are entirely located in the pericentromeres and don't contribute to higher levels of gene PAV. 4/

Genome size variation (455Mb-466Mb) and gene level presence/absence variation between genotypes was small (~80% core), but the pangenomic variation in genome graph was larger (~53% core), suggesting more going on beneath the surface. 2/

New — with @joannarifkin.bsky.social, @jotlovell.bsky.social, @spicybotrytis.bsky.social, and many more — we created seven new high-quality genomes and explored pangenomic variation in the emerging oilseed crop pennycress (Thlaspi arvense). 1/

Whole-genome alignments revealed pennycress has nearly dichotomous genome compartmentalization: huge gene-poor pericentromeric regions (~300Mb; <1% genic) with frequent rearrangements and highly syntenic gene-rich chromosome arms (~150Mb; ~20% genic). What we call a "two-speed" genome structure. 3/

Please repost and amplify ! We are hiring a faculty position in Evolutionary Genetics in the Biology Department at U of South Carolina! Check us out and come be our colleague! sc.edu/study/colleg... Deadline for applications is Oct 1 #AcademicJobs #EvoBio

Why are you a naturalist? What does natural history do for us? Swedish botanist Peter Kalm (1750) claimed that American adults take “little account of Natural History… that science being… looked upon as a mere trifle, and the pastime of fools.” Still true? www.plantlovestories.com/post/plants-...

Did you see @racheljabaily.bsky.social new open educational resource "Biology of Plants" coloring textbook when you were at #Botany2025 ? No? WELL GO CHECK IT OUT: oercommons.org/courses/the-... Gorgeous illustrations by MGB Hurst 😍

#Botany2025 was fabulous! I'm SO proud of these undergrads, who did a fantastic job presenting their work! It is so gratifying to make and strengthen connections with my Botany fam. 💖 you all! Unfortunately, my sore throat on Thurs morning was not karaoke related...I have COVID, so test yourself :(

#Botany2025… the comedown is real.

#Botany2025 was a blast! So much cool botanical science to learn from. Also, very happy to present our work on the genetics of Saguaro 🌵 Looking forward to the next one!

#botany2025 was incredible! Thank you to all the organizers, speakers, and conference center staff! I loved seeing old seeing old friends and making new ones! I always come home inspired and renewed! See you all in Tucson in 2026!

Had such a great time at #botany2025! Hearing about everyone's research was very inspiring and generated some new ideas for my own work. See you all in Tucson next year!

This story is not new but a presentation at #Botany2025 raised awareness on the impact of avocado production on biodiversity. U.S. demand is driving deforestation in rich Mexican cloud forests which also support monarch butterflies. www.nytimes.com/2023/11/28/u...

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Happy mammal reunion day to all botanists returning from #Botany2025

Hey #Botany2025 was so fun we’re ready for #Botany2026 … maybe we’ll wait for y’all here in Tuscon!

15th annual #UpAllNightWednesday at #Botany2025. Even after 5 intense days people still want to be around each other. 😍 (Except for Norm.)

Hi #Botany2025 - In my quest to never do flow cytometry again, I am collecting sequence data (radseq, target enrichment, WGS, ect.) with confirmed ploidal level. If you have samples, reach out!

The BSA awarded more than $140,000 in awards (research, travel, hardship) to its membership this year!! @botsocamerica.bsky.social 💚💚

Leaving Palm Springs and #Botany2025 feeling inspired, as always, but perhaps more importantly, feeling incredibly grateful for the wonderfully supportive botanical community. Botanists really are the best folks around.

Sometimes (especially late in the conference) 5 minute talks just hit the spot! Thorough enjoying Germinating Ideas/Lightening Talks at #Botany2025 Got to see my senior undergrad Magdalyn Rowley-Lange crush her CAM talk ...and we got to see dogs hunting invasive plants!

If you need a visual pick-me-up to get through the last session of #Botany2025, come listen to me talk about using a conservation dog to find #truffle #biodiversity in the Mycology section at 2PM (Sierra room). I promise golden retriever pics!

Extra kudos and thanks to all the staff at NIH and NSF and other federal funding agencies for working extra hard in very small windows of opportunity to get grants reviewed and funds released before the attention-addled federal policies change again (on an hourly basis).

What a night for #Rubiaceae! I’m so proud of my student @laymonstera.bsky.social for taking home the American Society of Plant Taxonomist’s Cooley Award for best talk, and my colleague and dear friend Charlotte Taylor for receiving the lifetime achievement Asa Gray Award. #Botany2025 #LagoLab

What an honor! When the scheduled plenary speaker for #Botany2025 fell ill, our own Dr. Catrina Adams was asked to step up and open the conference with a talk about our amazing program and its history! What a great way to kick off our 20th year!

Some members of the Nigerian plant community at #Botany2025 in Palm Springs, California! Always fun to meet new friends and listen to all the brilliant ideas and research work from everyone. Always sticking together!!! @ajayibenmi.bsky.social @petfemspeaks.bsky.social @preshonnature.bsky.social

The incoming ASPT incoming presidential address by @andrewlhipp.bsky.social was a beautiful meditation on the importance of natural history and natural history is my highlight of #Botany2025 (so far, but probably overall).

My heart is full, my cup overflowing. Wonderful dinner out with my @coloradocollege.bsky.social Jabailylab alumni, from the classes of '19, '20, '22, '25, '26. Our currently ill '28 was greatly missed. I am so proud of these people (a second family!) and grateful to be together at #Botany2025

Another great moment for us at #Botany2025! When we learned our plenary speaker would be unable to speak as planned, Dr. Catrina Adams stepped up and gave the plenary in her place. She did an AMAZING job of highlighting PlantingScience's 20 years of supporting plant education!

Great talk about alpine diversity in W. North América by #HannahMarx #Botany2025

Obs not gonna post people’s pics, but the #Botany2025 #sciink game is seriously off the hook. #sciencetattoos

Hey #Botany2025 peeps! Come watch me blab about Comps tomorrow! Phylogenomics 2, Santa Rosa room, at 2:30 pm!

The open fruits of Guaiacum sanctum reveal dangling seeds covered in red arils. The seeds are easily plucked & eaten by birds, but as usual, nutritional analyses of the arils are lacking. Are there any chemists/food scientists who want to analyze arils? #Zygophyllaceae #dispersal #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Thanks everybody who came to the student mixer last night! The vibes were magnificent and it was great to meet new folks! #botany2025

A few moments from the poster session at #Botany2025!

Tea towels, jewelry, and so much more - BlueBeehiveStudio.etsy.com . #Botany2025 #HomeDecor #Kitchen #KitchenDecor #TeaTowels #Sale #Diatoms #Ferns #Nudibranchs #science #scientist #botanist

Hey #botany2025 make sure to check out the Disabled in Botany symposium this afternoon (1:30, Catalina)!!

And the FOMO is real! So many amazing talks! I wanna see them all!

#Botany2025 ! My talk is in Smoketree D/E today (Mon) at 11:45am, but more importantly, these FANTABULOUS @sunycortland undergrads have posters tonight! Come learn about how polyploidy affects Nicotiana flowers! :) 💖

Single biggest clutch performance in my 23 years of Botany meetings. Finds out 20 minutes before the start time that she is stepping in … and KILLS it. Well done, Catrina! #Botany2025

Excited to showcase my new Open Educational Resource for intro college level Botany. It's a hybrid textbook, lab manual, and workbook. Published and ready for anyone to implement! I'll be showcasing it in the Educational section of #Botany2025 today and handing out copies & stickers!

Excited to talk about our work on the relationship between bud depth in the soil and bulb size this morning (8:45, Mojave) at #Botany2025! 🪻😍🧅 If you can’t make it, check out the paper for all the info! Paper: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....

9 years ago I went to my first Botany with Julienne & @robertlaport.bsky.social lab when @willweaver.bsky.social and I were undergrads. All 3 undergrads in that photo now have PhDs and Robs an associate prof! #Botany2016 #Botany2025

Hey #Botany2025! The California Botanic Garden is only a 1 hour drive from the convention center and attendees get free admission when showing their badge at the ticket kiosk. It’s a botanists paradise, the perfect side trip while you are here! Don’t miss the buckwheats in bloom!

Our lab is out in force at #Botany2025 - come check out our talks and posters this week in Palm Springs!

Looking for a #postdoc position in evolutionary biology? Come join the Budke Lab @utknoxville.bsky.social! Read more about the lab jmbudke.github.io & apply here fa-ewlq-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid... Please share widely. Thanks! #Postdocposition #PostdocOpportunity

Almost ready for #Botany2025 - come see the first project of my postdoc with @blackrim.bsky.social on Tuesday at 1:45pm in Mesquite B.