Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Krista Koeller

@kristalerista.bsky.social

4.3K followers 810 following 5.8K posts

Researching why legless lizards and snakes don't have feet. (She/her) 😷 convergent evolution, paleontology, ADHD, disability rights, grants, whatever my hyperfixation is this week. kkoeller3115.wixsite.com/kristakoeller https://twitter.com/KristaLerista

twitter.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Krista Koeller

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · Oct 9

Because I still find people who don't know how the story ends:

Christopher Columbus was returned to Spain in chains in 1500 AD, convicted of barbaric torture of colonists, but released 6 weeks later by order of King Ferdinand II.

Neither he nor his brothers ever governed a Spanish holding again.

Christopher Columbus awaits sentencing in jail.

1 65 170

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 10m

Yes!!! Icons!

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Preacher from the Black Lagoon @revpoppop.bsky.social · 7h

“Why are they upset about the frog?”

Because the frog has power. As silly as it sounds. The frog is not just a good idea. It’s our greatest weapon.

And I’m going to explain why…

🧵

6 77 250

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 50m

Tank guy’s identity and fate have never been confirmed!

Obviously Im hoping there are some aspects of the tank guy situation that are not repeated here. I just think the image of the frog protester captures the moment and has the potential to go down in history in a similar way.

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Faine Greenwood @faineg.bsky.social · 9h

Mods are asleep post brassicas

You either die a brassica or you live long enough to see yourself become a crab.

CAP'N
CRUNCH'S
DOPSIAll
NATURALLY &
ARTIFICIALLY
Brassica oleracea
otened
cer

What vegetable are you?
I'm brassica oleracea
Do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?

Brassica oleracea

Ladies, get you a fella who can do it all

Selection for terminal buds
Selection for lateral buds
Selection for stem
Selection for leaves
Selection for stems and flowers
Selection for flower clusters
Cabbage
Brussels sprouts
Kohlrabi
Kale
Broccoli
Cauliflower

32 390 1.3K

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 9h

Yes frog protester is unserious and that’s the point.

And because of people like tank guy, we in America know to take action and protest before they start killing people.

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 9h

But I see a lot of parallels.

I also love the frog protester taking things a step further and using mockery as a tactic. The narrative of Portland as a violent hellhole breaks down when what the troops are up against is a hip thrusting frog. It’s hard to justify the use of a militarized force.

1 2

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 9h

Not even. Both images show a protester, who is part of a larger movement taking a bold stand as an individual against an occupying military force. Both count on the eyes of the world to keep them safe and make their point, nonviolently.

Sure things haven’t gotten nearly as deadly as 1989,

1 1

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 9h

In terms of iconic images that will be in textbooks in 25 years, I hope it’s the frog.

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Molly Knight @mollyknight.bsky.social · 19h

Whistling when ICE is about to kidnap someone for no reason is incredibly effective. They know what they are doing is wrong and will scatter in the wind when too many witnesses gather.

FORM A CROWD
STAY LOUD
PROTECT EACH OTHER
CODE I:
ICE NEARBY
BLOW QUICKLY IN A BROKEN RHYTHM:
PRE-PRE-PRE!
→ ALERTS THE COMMUNITY THAT ICE AGENTS ARE IN THE AREA.
ROGERS PARK WHISTLE PROTOCOLS
WHY A WHISTLE? ON THE STREETS
• A SIMPLE TOOL FOR FAST ALERTS.
• LOUD.
RECOGNIZABLE.
IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE.
• OUR VOICES ARE
STRONGER TOGETHER.
WHISTLES GUIDE
PEOPLE TO:
• FOLLOW ICE CARAVANS
• CATCH UP WITH THE CROWD
• ALERT NEIGHBORS
TO JOIN IN
NOISE = VISIBILITY.
CODE 2:
CODE RED
BLOW THREE LONG BLASTS:
PREEEE-PREEEE-PREEEE!
→ ICE IS DETAINING SOMEONE.
FORM A CROWD, STAY LOUD.
DON'T STAY SILENT. STAY NONVIOLENT.
WHY IT WORKS
• INSTANT ALERT
SYSTEM
• FASTER THAN SOCIAL MEDIA
• TURNS SILENCE INTO COMMUNITY
ACTION
ORIGINAL FLYER CREATED BY:
WHAT YOU CAN DO
• WEAR YOUR WHISTLE AROUND YOUR NECK
TEACH FAMILY
EIGHBORS TH
CODES
• USE IT WHEN ICE IS
SPOTTED
• PROTECT EACH OTHER, ALWAYS
TOGETHER, WE KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.
FORM A CROWD, STAY LOUD.
THIS FLYER DISTRIBUTED BY:
PROTECT RP
• @PROTECTRP_

76 2.7K 5.3K

Reposted by Krista Koeller

derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 15h

This two-parter below is exactly why it's hard to make clothes in the United States.

Let's look at how much it costs to produce a button-up shirt in the US. 🧵

Someone on Twitter replies to me: "meh. buy american or stfu."

Two hours later, in a separate thread, the write: "$30 for a single button-up is ridiculous unless it is decent quality silk."

220 2.4K 12K

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 15h

I love the internet so much.

1 1

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 15h

Hey that has never been confirmed!

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 15h

This is so perfect!

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 15h

This is what I’ve needed and I didn’t even realize it until now!

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Ghost Dansing ☠️ 👻👽 @ghostdansing.bsky.social · 17h

2 16 78

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 21h

Formalin is my least favorite scientific invention.

1 2

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 21h

The Portland frog protester is our Tiananmen Square tank guy.

20 100 630

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Grant @syncingsinking.bsky.social · 22h

One thing (of many things) I admire about Link is the periodic threads about digital accessibility. What accessibility tools do you use regularly?

Automated captions are getting steadily better. I always want to manually check captions on videos I make, and this takes less time nowadays.

1 3 6

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 21h

I have the computer read scientific articles to me as I read them with my eyes. Helps me stay focused.

1 1

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Henry Thomas 🦤🏳️‍🌈 @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social · 2d

Random unprompted reminder that there are a whole bunch of different anatomical structures in tetrapods that are colloquially referred to as "scales", and the properties of one don't necessarily apply to all of them

1 7 24

Krista Koeller @kristalerista.bsky.social · 1d

Went to a wedding. There was one other masked person there. We never spoke, but we did the nod as we passed each other.

1 14

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Silvia Pineda-Munoz, PhD - Climate Ages @climateages.bsky.social · 2d

A 126,000-year-old butt-drag just made fossil history.
A tiny rock hyrax scooted across the sand of ancient South Africa, and that moment was preserved in stone.

Even the smallest acts can echo through time.
🧪 #SciComm
buff.ly/dcGWTR4

The 126,000-Year-Old Butt-Drag That Rewrote What Counts as a Fossil

How a small animal’s odd habit turned into one of the most unexpected stories ever preserved in stone Some discoveries make headlines because they’re dramatic: new...

climateages.com

6 56 170

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 2d

"...regional extinction rate of between 75 and 84% for squamates in the Western Interior of North America and suggests this group was more severely impacted across the K/Pg boundary than other small-bodied vertebrates."
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio #Geology

Diversity of North American squamates across the K/Pg boundary.

Late Cretaceous squamates from DMNH Loc.3648 (a–aa) and early Palaeocene squamates from DMNH Loc.2560 (bb–dd).

11 37

Reposted by Krista Koeller

Nancy Choudhary @nancy-choudhary.bsky.social · 3d

Have you ever wondered why pumpkins are never purple or blue like other plants? 🎃🌈

While most plants can produce pink, blue, and purple pigments (thanks to anthocyanins), the Cucurbitaceae family 🍈 🍉 🥒have lost all the pathway genes to produce these pigments.
🔗 doi.org/10.1101/2025...

6 20 50