Matthew A. Barnes
@drbarnes.org
He/Him/Él; Associate Professor at Texas Tech; environmental DNA, freshwater ecology, biological invasions; BA from Southwestern University; PhD from University of Notre Dame. Posts are mine alone and do not represent my employer or other affiliations.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Almost all of the world’s mammal biomass is humans and our livestock and pets.
We're currently in the age of the Anthropocene, and the impact the dominance of humans is having on the world around is very clear.
We're currently in the age of the Anthropocene, and the impact the dominance of humans is having on the world around is very clear.
January 20, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Almost all of the world’s mammal biomass is humans and our livestock and pets.
We're currently in the age of the Anthropocene, and the impact the dominance of humans is having on the world around is very clear.
We're currently in the age of the Anthropocene, and the impact the dominance of humans is having on the world around is very clear.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Dr. Gladys West, Mathematician Whose Work Made GPS Possible, Dies at 95
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She passed away
thezebra.org
January 19, 2026 at 6:00 PM
Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose work laid the foundation for modern GPS technology, has died. She was 95.
Life update! I'm teaching in Sevilla, Spain this semester. Just arrived today and looking forward to a wonderful five months. If you are or know of any #eDNA researchers on the Iberian peninsula looking to develop new collaborations, please let me know!
January 11, 2026 at 6:52 PM
Life update! I'm teaching in Sevilla, Spain this semester. Just arrived today and looking forward to a wonderful five months. If you are or know of any #eDNA researchers on the Iberian peninsula looking to develop new collaborations, please let me know!
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
I have a very loud speaking voice. It carries very well.
I always use the mic
I always use the mic
Always use the mic at a conference even if you’re loud. People who can’t hear you *can’t hear you * when you ask if you can hear them in the back. Some of us went to one too many hardcore shows in our youth without ear plugs and our hearing ain’t what it used to be 🥺
#SICB2026
#SICB2026
January 6, 2026 at 9:06 PM
I have a very loud speaking voice. It carries very well.
I always use the mic
I always use the mic
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Always use the mic at a conference even if you’re loud. People who can’t hear you *can’t hear you * when you ask if you can hear them in the back. Some of us went to one too many hardcore shows in our youth without ear plugs and our hearing ain’t what it used to be 🥺
#SICB2026
#SICB2026
January 4, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Always use the mic at a conference even if you’re loud. People who can’t hear you *can’t hear you * when you ask if you can hear them in the back. Some of us went to one too many hardcore shows in our youth without ear plugs and our hearing ain’t what it used to be 🥺
#SICB2026
#SICB2026
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Honestly, anyone currently considering applying for an academic job in Texas should be re-considering until things change.
The GOP wants to make the UTexas and UFlorida system a model for their new UberUniversity system.
The GOP wants to make the UTexas and UFlorida system a model for their new UberUniversity system.
From an email to one of our faculty members....
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
Not even Plato can escape censorship at Texas A&M!
January 7, 2026 at 12:25 AM
Honestly, anyone currently considering applying for an academic job in Texas should be re-considering until things change.
The GOP wants to make the UTexas and UFlorida system a model for their new UberUniversity system.
The GOP wants to make the UTexas and UFlorida system a model for their new UberUniversity system.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
No science.
No debate.
No public participation.
This too is the stuff of authoritarian rule.
No debate.
No public participation.
This too is the stuff of authoritarian rule.
The changes announced Monday are effective immediately.
CDC Removes 6 Diseases From Childhood Vaccine Schedule
The changes announced Monday are effective immediately.
www.forbes.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:57 PM
No science.
No debate.
No public participation.
This too is the stuff of authoritarian rule.
No debate.
No public participation.
This too is the stuff of authoritarian rule.
Has a team with a first round bye ever won a College Football Playoff game?
January 1, 2026 at 4:05 AM
Has a team with a first round bye ever won a College Football Playoff game?
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
ALRIGHT! WHERE ARE MY CANADIAN SCIENTISTS?!
December 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
ALRIGHT! WHERE ARE MY CANADIAN SCIENTISTS?!
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Y'all, I just got out of the NSF-BIO webinar where they explained changes to peer review. It's not good. 🧪 scienceforeveryone.science/changes-to-n...
Changes to NSF peer review
They're not good. At all.
scienceforeveryone.science
December 18, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Y'all, I just got out of the NSF-BIO webinar where they explained changes to peer review. It's not good. 🧪 scienceforeveryone.science/changes-to-n...
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Wouldn’t it be kind of wild if someone actually pulled everything we know about what happens to eDNA between shedding and detection?
Decay, transport, microbes, temperature, rivers, oceans, all of it?!
We did that.
📄 Preprint link: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
🧬🔍🌊
#eDNA #MolecularEcology
Decay, transport, microbes, temperature, rivers, oceans, all of it?!
We did that.
📄 Preprint link: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
🧬🔍🌊
#eDNA #MolecularEcology
Fate and transport of environmental DNA: mapping the knowns and unknowns
The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) in routine biomonitoring is transforming our ability to detect and quantify aquatic species. However, translating these indirect molecular detections into ecologica...
www.researchsquare.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Wouldn’t it be kind of wild if someone actually pulled everything we know about what happens to eDNA between shedding and detection?
Decay, transport, microbes, temperature, rivers, oceans, all of it?!
We did that.
📄 Preprint link: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
🧬🔍🌊
#eDNA #MolecularEcology
Decay, transport, microbes, temperature, rivers, oceans, all of it?!
We did that.
📄 Preprint link: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...
🧬🔍🌊
#eDNA #MolecularEcology
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
🧵1/5 Positive Public Health News
Highlighting prior post cuz I need to remember the bigger picture of hope.
Australia is on track to ELIMINATE cervical cancer by 2035.
Eliminate. A whole cancer ❤️🔥
All because a government actually invested in HPV vaccination (prevention)+ cervical cancer screening
Highlighting prior post cuz I need to remember the bigger picture of hope.
Australia is on track to ELIMINATE cervical cancer by 2035.
Eliminate. A whole cancer ❤️🔥
All because a government actually invested in HPV vaccination (prevention)+ cervical cancer screening
December 12, 2025 at 4:05 PM
🧵1/5 Positive Public Health News
Highlighting prior post cuz I need to remember the bigger picture of hope.
Australia is on track to ELIMINATE cervical cancer by 2035.
Eliminate. A whole cancer ❤️🔥
All because a government actually invested in HPV vaccination (prevention)+ cervical cancer screening
Highlighting prior post cuz I need to remember the bigger picture of hope.
Australia is on track to ELIMINATE cervical cancer by 2035.
Eliminate. A whole cancer ❤️🔥
All because a government actually invested in HPV vaccination (prevention)+ cervical cancer screening
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Trump threatened Indiana Republicans that if they didn't do what he wanted, he'd block all federal funds to their state but they ignored his threats and told him to pound sand.
Take notes, college presidents.
Take notes, college presidents.
December 12, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Trump threatened Indiana Republicans that if they didn't do what he wanted, he'd block all federal funds to their state but they ignored his threats and told him to pound sand.
Take notes, college presidents.
Take notes, college presidents.
This is blatantly racist, right? www.cnn.com/2025/12/06/p...
Interior Department overhauls free admission days for national parks to include Trump’s birthday and remove Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth | CNN Politics
Visitors will now have to pay a fee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.
www.cnn.com
December 10, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This is blatantly racist, right? www.cnn.com/2025/12/06/p...
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
¿Sabías que #España es una de las regiones más vulnerables a la #sequía en el #Mediterráneo?
Para entender su magnitud y valorar soluciones, se publica el 📘 informe de la Oficina C de la Oficina de Ciencia y Tecnología del Congreso de los Diputados.
Participan 22 voces científicas, entre ellas 🧵👇
Para entender su magnitud y valorar soluciones, se publica el 📘 informe de la Oficina C de la Oficina de Ciencia y Tecnología del Congreso de los Diputados.
Participan 22 voces científicas, entre ellas 🧵👇
December 9, 2025 at 4:09 PM
¿Sabías que #España es una de las regiones más vulnerables a la #sequía en el #Mediterráneo?
Para entender su magnitud y valorar soluciones, se publica el 📘 informe de la Oficina C de la Oficina de Ciencia y Tecnología del Congreso de los Diputados.
Participan 22 voces científicas, entre ellas 🧵👇
Para entender su magnitud y valorar soluciones, se publica el 📘 informe de la Oficina C de la Oficina de Ciencia y Tecnología del Congreso de los Diputados.
Participan 22 voces científicas, entre ellas 🧵👇
The human element is one aspect that makes sports so interesting, and I admit that I am likely more biased than the CFP committee, but I do think they did Notre Dame dirty this year. At least now I don't have to be torn during a Texas Tech-ND National Championship!
December 8, 2025 at 9:14 AM
The human element is one aspect that makes sports so interesting, and I admit that I am likely more biased than the CFP committee, but I do think they did Notre Dame dirty this year. At least now I don't have to be torn during a Texas Tech-ND National Championship!
Sports are such a fun distraction. Excited to watch TTU in the Big 12 Championship this morning.
December 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Sports are such a fun distraction. Excited to watch TTU in the Big 12 Championship this morning.
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
Make America Hepatitic Again
December 5, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Make America Hepatitic Again
I just got an apple snail tattoo three days ago 😬
Tattoo ink can accumulate in the lymph nodes, where it can induce a prominent and long-term inflammatory response, according to a study in mice. Tattoo ink at injection sites can also modulate immune responses to vaccines in mice. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/meuU50XCZjN
December 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I just got an apple snail tattoo three days ago 😬
1️⃣RFKJ appointees to CDC are now calling themselves “CDC experts” and saying their information is reliable because it’s “CDC data”. Ironic because these are the same people saying that CDC can’t be trusted. These "experts" are infiltrating CDC data systems and misinterpreting it to meet their agenda
December 4, 2025 at 10:19 PM
A great overview on what to expect from the CDC vaccine meeting tomorrow and Friday. Pay special attention to the playbook at the end — every single one of those tactics is likely to be used and is easily recognizable if you know what to look for. yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/what-to-ex...
What to expect from this week's U.S. vaccine meeting
Hep B, routine vaccination schedule, and a firehose of falsehoods
yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Matthew A. Barnes
#eDNA may help hydrologists trace how water moves through landscapes.
Combining eDNA surveys with hydrological data can unlock new insights into ecosystem dynamics, water flow paths & catchment connectivity.
👇
tinyurl.com/4m9dntta
#Hydrology #Biodiversity #Genomics #Biology #DNA
Combining eDNA surveys with hydrological data can unlock new insights into ecosystem dynamics, water flow paths & catchment connectivity.
👇
tinyurl.com/4m9dntta
#Hydrology #Biodiversity #Genomics #Biology #DNA
A new flow path: eDNA connecting hydrology and biology
Genetic material collected in environments such as water is known as environmental DNA (eDNA) and is revolutionizing biodiversity assessment. However, eDNA also has untapped potential to solve hydrol....
tinyurl.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:17 AM
#eDNA may help hydrologists trace how water moves through landscapes.
Combining eDNA surveys with hydrological data can unlock new insights into ecosystem dynamics, water flow paths & catchment connectivity.
👇
tinyurl.com/4m9dntta
#Hydrology #Biodiversity #Genomics #Biology #DNA
Combining eDNA surveys with hydrological data can unlock new insights into ecosystem dynamics, water flow paths & catchment connectivity.
👇
tinyurl.com/4m9dntta
#Hydrology #Biodiversity #Genomics #Biology #DNA