Jessica E Beyer
@jessicabeyer.bsky.social
Aquatic ecologist, data junkie, microbiome researcher
Research Assistant Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at University of Oklahoma
(she/her)
https://www.jessicabeyer.org
Research Assistant Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at University of Oklahoma
(she/her)
https://www.jessicabeyer.org
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 1:03 AM
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory
An intensive international study was coordinated by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and led by the BBC
www.bbc.co.uk
October 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Largest study of its kind shows AI assistants misrepresent news content 45% of the time – regardless of language or territory. www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/...
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Folks need to stop believing that computers think. They do maths. They regurgitate.
In about three years the entire university pivot to AI curricula and schools and programs is going to be so deeply embarrassing. We will all pretend it never happened and I will be standing there, looking at people with a mirror in my eyes. This is all so embarrassing.
October 17, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Folks need to stop believing that computers think. They do maths. They regurgitate.
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
An Open Letter to U.S. STEM Leadership on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
An Open Letter to U.S. STEM Leadership on the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io
September 25, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Please share with anyone who cares about NSF support for graduate students and take 30 seconds to sign and leave a comment.
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
The deadline for the 2025 Graduate Research Fellowship Program is about one month away and literally no one can apply. #NSFGRFP
jasonjwilliamsny.github.io/grfp2025/
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Your local library is full of media that the president hates but can't use his regulatory power to get rid of.
September 18, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Your local library is full of media that the president hates but can't use his regulatory power to get rid of.
Some garden friends from the past week
September 15, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Some garden friends from the past week
There's some fantastic data visualization in here. I'm looking forward to using it in my Water and Ecological Sustainability class!
Nearly 6 billion people live in the 101 countries that a recent study has identified as confronting a net decline in water supply — signaling enormous challenges for food production and a heightening risk of conflict and instability.
By @abrahm.bsky.social, w/ graphics by @lucaswaldron.bsky.social
By @abrahm.bsky.social, w/ graphics by @lucaswaldron.bsky.social
“Staggering” Water Loss Driven by Groundwater Mining Poses Global Threat
A new study finds that freshwater resources are rapidly disappearing, creating arid “mega” regions and causing sea levels to rise.
www.propublica.org
September 8, 2025 at 5:43 PM
There's some fantastic data visualization in here. I'm looking forward to using it in my Water and Ecological Sustainability class!
In related news: I was able to get a COVID shot in Oklahoma by only checking a box stating that I had one of the allowed conditions. This is a great time to do it.
Meet the new vaccine panel advisors RFK Jr. is considering
Two urged removal of mRNA coronavirus vaccines. One said physicians “blindly believed” in them. Another said covid isn’t “scary” noting Jesus touched lepers
W @lenasun.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
Two urged removal of mRNA coronavirus vaccines. One said physicians “blindly believed” in them. Another said covid isn’t “scary” noting Jesus touched lepers
W @lenasun.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
RFK Jr. considers critics of coronavirus shots to join key vaccine panel
Two urged removal of mRNA coronavirus vaccines. One said physicians “blindly believed” in them. Another said covid isn’t “scary,” noting Jesus touched lepers.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 8, 2025 at 5:41 PM
In related news: I was able to get a COVID shot in Oklahoma by only checking a box stating that I had one of the allowed conditions. This is a great time to do it.
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Microsoft drops a crappy AI function into Excel and then warns people NOT to use it for anything that involves math or anything they consider pretty important. Excel is for doing math and organizing important information. www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
August 20, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Microsoft drops a crappy AI function into Excel and then warns people NOT to use it for anything that involves math or anything they consider pretty important. Excel is for doing math and organizing important information. www.theverge.com/news/761338/...
Just donated to fill up a bubble in Oklahoma!
It’s that time again! Time for @skypeascientist.bsky.social’s 7th annual United States of Science Challenge!
Each bubble on this map represents classrooms we marched w/scientists this year.
$10 donations fill bubbles!
The first region to fill in all of their bubbles wins!
givebutter.com/USS2025
Each bubble on this map represents classrooms we marched w/scientists this year.
$10 donations fill bubbles!
The first region to fill in all of their bubbles wins!
givebutter.com/USS2025
June 30, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Just donated to fill up a bubble in Oklahoma!
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Tribal college leaders said they were stunned by the Trump administration's proposed cuts to their already insufficient funding and had more questions than answers.
“It’s a dagger, and I don’t know how we can survive these types of cuts,” one college president said.
“It’s a dagger, and I don’t know how we can survive these types of cuts,” one college president said.
Trump Wants to Cut Tribal College Funding by Nearly 90%, Putting Them at Risk of Closing
ProPublica found that Congress was underfunding tribal colleges by a quarter-billion dollars per year. Rather than fixing the problem, proposed federal funding cuts unveiled this week would devastate…
www.propublica.org
June 23, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Tribal college leaders said they were stunned by the Trump administration's proposed cuts to their already insufficient funding and had more questions than answers.
“It’s a dagger, and I don’t know how we can survive these types of cuts,” one college president said.
“It’s a dagger, and I don’t know how we can survive these types of cuts,” one college president said.
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
All right, friends, let's dream-cast "Muppets: Jaws".
First of all, the only human is Quint, everyone else is a muppet.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is Hooper.
Sam Eagle is the Mayor.
Who else?
First of all, the only human is Quint, everyone else is a muppet.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is Hooper.
Sam Eagle is the Mayor.
Who else?
a man drinking from a can on a boat
ALT: a man drinking from a can on a boat
media.tenor.com
June 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
All right, friends, let's dream-cast "Muppets: Jaws".
First of all, the only human is Quint, everyone else is a muppet.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is Hooper.
Sam Eagle is the Mayor.
Who else?
First of all, the only human is Quint, everyone else is a muppet.
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew is Hooper.
Sam Eagle is the Mayor.
Who else?
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
I gave in! After students asking for it, I now made a simple figure design checklist.
To help all scientists w/o graphic skills create clear, accessible, and truthful charts!
-> Out in @nature Cell Biology: rdcu.be/erwl4
#DataVisualization #PhD #SciComm
Thx for review @bethcimini.bsky.social + 2
To help all scientists w/o graphic skills create clear, accessible, and truthful charts!
-> Out in @nature Cell Biology: rdcu.be/erwl4
#DataVisualization #PhD #SciComm
Thx for review @bethcimini.bsky.social + 2
A checklist for designing and improving the visualization of scientific data
Nature Cell Biology - Creating clear and engaging scientific figures is crucial to communicate complex data. In this Comment, I condense principles from design, visual perception and data...
rdcu.be
June 18, 2025 at 8:33 AM
I gave in! After students asking for it, I now made a simple figure design checklist.
To help all scientists w/o graphic skills create clear, accessible, and truthful charts!
-> Out in @nature Cell Biology: rdcu.be/erwl4
#DataVisualization #PhD #SciComm
Thx for review @bethcimini.bsky.social + 2
To help all scientists w/o graphic skills create clear, accessible, and truthful charts!
-> Out in @nature Cell Biology: rdcu.be/erwl4
#DataVisualization #PhD #SciComm
Thx for review @bethcimini.bsky.social + 2
Looking up some gene functions using a kegg orthology number- this doesn't seem like the right answer...
For reference, this is what I'm looking for: "ferredoxin--NADP+ reductase"
For reference, this is what I'm looking for: "ferredoxin--NADP+ reductase"
June 3, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Looking up some gene functions using a kegg orthology number- this doesn't seem like the right answer...
For reference, this is what I'm looking for: "ferredoxin--NADP+ reductase"
For reference, this is what I'm looking for: "ferredoxin--NADP+ reductase"
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades
The lag in funding extends far beyond D.E.I. initiatives, affecting almost every area of science: chemistry, computing, engineering, materials and more.
www.nytimes.com
May 22, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Trump Has Cut Science Funding to Its Lowest Level in Decades www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
I've seen this in my students' papers and I'm horrified (but not surprised) that the same trademarks of AI are showing up in published lit. This read is 100% worth some of your Friday time.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Science sleuths flag hundreds of papers that use AI without disclosing it
Telltale signs of chatbot use are scattered through the scholarly literature — and, in some cases, have disappeared without a trace.
www.nature.com
May 16, 2025 at 1:21 PM
I've seen this in my students' papers and I'm horrified (but not surprised) that the same trademarks of AI are showing up in published lit. This read is 100% worth some of your Friday time.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Here’s what the wettest April in Oklahoma looks like- field sites under huge amount of water at Lake Thunderbird. For reference, there’s supposed to be a long pier in the second photo…
May 13, 2025 at 8:03 PM
Here’s what the wettest April in Oklahoma looks like- field sites under huge amount of water at Lake Thunderbird. For reference, there’s supposed to be a long pier in the second photo…
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Cutbacks have gutted the staff at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, who work to protect the public from toxic algal blooms.
Severe spending limits have made it difficult to purchase ordinary equipment for processing samples, such as filters and containers.
Severe spending limits have made it difficult to purchase ordinary equipment for processing samples, such as filters and containers.
Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.
The Trump administration’s slashing of budgets and staff have Great Lakes scientists concerned that they have lost the ability to protect the public from toxic algal blooms, which can kill animals…
www.propublica.org
May 12, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Cutbacks have gutted the staff at NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, who work to protect the public from toxic algal blooms.
Severe spending limits have made it difficult to purchase ordinary equipment for processing samples, such as filters and containers.
Severe spending limits have made it difficult to purchase ordinary equipment for processing samples, such as filters and containers.
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Each time you ask an AI chatbot a question, it sends a request to a data center and strains an increasingly scarce resource: water.
A 🧵on our investigation into how the data centers that power AI are increasingly being built in highly water-stressed places:
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
A 🧵on our investigation into how the data centers that power AI are increasingly being built in highly water-stressed places:
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
The AI Boom Is Draining Water From the Areas That Need It Most
A Bloomberg News analysis finds that roughly two thirds of new data centers built or in development in the US since 2022 are in places with high levels of water stress.
www.bloomberg.com
May 8, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Each time you ask an AI chatbot a question, it sends a request to a data center and strains an increasingly scarce resource: water.
A 🧵on our investigation into how the data centers that power AI are increasingly being built in highly water-stressed places:
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
A 🧵on our investigation into how the data centers that power AI are increasingly being built in highly water-stressed places:
www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
The average American has three friends.
(+ Acanthocephalans too, I guess...)
(+ Acanthocephalans too, I guess...)
May 2, 2025 at 2:16 PM
The average American has three friends.
(+ Acanthocephalans too, I guess...)
(+ Acanthocephalans too, I guess...)
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
BREAKING:The National Science Foundation (NSF) has put a cork in its grantmaking pipeline after billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) set up shop at the agency this week. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF halts grant awards while staff do second review
Action comes after DOGE team arrives at science agency
www.science.org
April 16, 2025 at 9:12 PM
BREAKING:The National Science Foundation (NSF) has put a cork in its grantmaking pipeline after billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) set up shop at the agency this week. | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Jessica E Beyer
Trump’s showerhead executive order will have virtually no effect because manufacturers have little interest in making showerheads that exceed the current limits, according to the executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
By @peterelkind.bsky.social
By @peterelkind.bsky.social
Beyond Showerheads: Trump’s Attempts to Kill Appliance Regulations Cause Chaos
Donald Trump has long railed against everything from low-flow showerheads to LED lightbulbs. After failed attempts to undo appliance regulations in his first term, he may have found a new end-run to…
www.propublica.org
April 15, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Trump’s showerhead executive order will have virtually no effect because manufacturers have little interest in making showerheads that exceed the current limits, according to the executive director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.
By @peterelkind.bsky.social
By @peterelkind.bsky.social