Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
@smwadgymar.bsky.social
Evolutionary ecologist, Botanist, Associate Professor at Davidson College (PUI 💪🏼), she/her
🔗smwadgymar.weebly.com
🔗smwadgymar.weebly.com
Pinned
I'm very happy to share with you the results of a collaborative experiment between the Catawba Indian Nation and faculty, staff, and students at Davidson College.
Yield, growth, and labor demands of growing maize, beans, and squash in monoculture versus the Three Sisters🌽🫘🎃
A few take home points:
Yield, growth, and labor demands of growing maize, beans, and squash in monoculture versus the Three Sisters🌽🫘🎃
A few take home points:
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
I had a great time writing this dispatch @currentbiology.bsky.social about Jacob Suissa's recent paper on the link between fern phyllotaxis and vascular architecture. "Evo–devo: Ferns flourished due to developmental covariance between leaves and vasculature"
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
December 15, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I had a great time writing this dispatch @currentbiology.bsky.social about Jacob Suissa's recent paper on the link between fern phyllotaxis and vascular architecture. "Evo–devo: Ferns flourished due to developmental covariance between leaves and vasculature"
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Amid a whole host of other upheaval—their last day in the building is this Friday—NSF is making some changes to its grant review process. I spoke to staff about the potential benefits and drawbacks:
NSF softens grant-review rules to cope with backlog
Agency staff members say that the changes are reasonable, but they are worried about the potential effects on review.
www.nature.com
December 15, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Amid a whole host of other upheaval—their last day in the building is this Friday—NSF is making some changes to its grant review process. I spoke to staff about the potential benefits and drawbacks:
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
What I’ve tried to do here is make a different question askable—not whether LLMs can 'do science' but how they get enrolled within a scientific system whose goals have already been displaced...LLMs didn’t create the dysfunction in scientific publishing; they inherited it, intensified it"
Context Widows
or, of GPUs, LPUs, and Goal Displacement
artificialbureaucracy.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:52 PM
What I’ve tried to do here is make a different question askable—not whether LLMs can 'do science' but how they get enrolled within a scientific system whose goals have already been displaced...LLMs didn’t create the dysfunction in scientific publishing; they inherited it, intensified it"
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
You may have heard a bizarre news item a couple of weeks ago about a young woman who crashed the rare plant market by cloning plants in her basement. I was intrigued enough to go looking for her YouTube channel. Suffice to say I've found a new hero www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dk3...
I accidentally crashed the rare plant market
YouTube video by Plants in Jars
www.youtube.com
December 13, 2025 at 11:25 PM
You may have heard a bizarre news item a couple of weeks ago about a young woman who crashed the rare plant market by cloning plants in her basement. I was intrigued enough to go looking for her YouTube channel. Suffice to say I've found a new hero www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dk3...
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
December 13, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Download our large database of postdoc fellowships in all fields of research.
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
December 13, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Download our large database of postdoc fellowships in all fields of research.
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Database freely available to all; 281 fellowships.
Download here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
The gold trim on a monarch butterfly chrysalis isn’t real gold but proteins arranged in microscopic ridges that reflect and scatter light, producing interference that creates the shiny gold appearance. #PhotonsDoCoolThings #monarchbutterfly
December 13, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The gold trim on a monarch butterfly chrysalis isn’t real gold but proteins arranged in microscopic ridges that reflect and scatter light, producing interference that creates the shiny gold appearance. #PhotonsDoCoolThings #monarchbutterfly
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Congratulations to every House Democrat and 20 Republicans for voting to restore the constitutional right to a union for over a million federal employees. The Senate must pass this bipartisan provision immediately.
All workers, including federal employees, have the right to be in a union.
All workers, including federal employees, have the right to be in a union.
House votes to repeal Trump order ending union rights at federal agencies
Twenty Republicans joined with Democrats to overturn the order, but it faces steep odds in the Senate.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Congratulations to every House Democrat and 20 Republicans for voting to restore the constitutional right to a union for over a million federal employees. The Senate must pass this bipartisan provision immediately.
All workers, including federal employees, have the right to be in a union.
All workers, including federal employees, have the right to be in a union.
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Opuntia phaeacantha, our Tulip Pricklypear cactus, with bee 🐝 going head over heels north of Pueblo #nativeplants
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to June 12 🌿
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to June 12 🌿
December 12, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Opuntia phaeacantha, our Tulip Pricklypear cactus, with bee 🐝 going head over heels north of Pueblo #nativeplants
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to June 12 🌿
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to June 12 🌿
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
It's not just social media. Looks like visitors to the US from Europe and other countries that are part of the visa waiver program will have to submit an enormous amount of data about themselves and their families, including DNA, if proposed new rules are accepted
December 12, 2025 at 12:24 PM
It's not just social media. Looks like visitors to the US from Europe and other countries that are part of the visa waiver program will have to submit an enormous amount of data about themselves and their families, including DNA, if proposed new rules are accepted
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
You can do this right now:
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
December 11, 2025 at 10:08 PM
You can do this right now:
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Think of a person who wrote a paper you love, whose work influenced or helped you, or has made your professional life better.
Search up their email address. Shoot them a quick email of thanks. It means so, so much. This is a rough time of year, share some joy.
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Here's a comparison I mocked up between the new and old organization schemes. Gray rows are old, white rows are new.
December 11, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Here's a comparison I mocked up between the new and old organization schemes. Gray rows are old, white rows are new.
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
🚨The “American Higher Education Restoration Act” would carve out a special pathway to tenure for faculty who teach “American Constitutionalism + Western Civilization,” increase the teaching loads for faculty who work in non-STEM disciplines…+ impose new governing board control over hiring. 👇
December 10, 2025 at 1:38 PM
🚨The “American Higher Education Restoration Act” would carve out a special pathway to tenure for faculty who teach “American Constitutionalism + Western Civilization,” increase the teaching loads for faculty who work in non-STEM disciplines…+ impose new governing board control over hiring. 👇
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
NSF
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
December 11, 2025 at 11:16 AM
NSF
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
- Forced reorg
- POs down ~ 40% (DRP, most rotators not renewed, retirements)
- Forced move (and we have to pack and clean) to a building with no furniture, little to no conference space for panels, inadequate 🛜, …)
I personally love the boxes they gave us for packing.
“Details matter” 🙃
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
A resurrection study of scarlet monkeyflower populations across the species' range finds relatively little adaptive response to a seven-year drought event, showing that evolutionary rescue is not as predictable as we might hope 🌿
buff.ly/L8o4hhr
buff.ly/L8o4hhr
December 10, 2025 at 2:15 PM
A resurrection study of scarlet monkeyflower populations across the species' range finds relatively little adaptive response to a seven-year drought event, showing that evolutionary rescue is not as predictable as we might hope 🌿
buff.ly/L8o4hhr
buff.ly/L8o4hhr
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
December 10, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
🚨 Today, I formally introduced articles of impeachment against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
RFK Jr. has turned his back on science and the safety of the American people. Michiganders cannot take another day of his chaos.
RFK Jr. has turned his back on science and the safety of the American people. Michiganders cannot take another day of his chaos.
December 10, 2025 at 1:10 PM
🚨 Today, I formally introduced articles of impeachment against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
RFK Jr. has turned his back on science and the safety of the American people. Michiganders cannot take another day of his chaos.
RFK Jr. has turned his back on science and the safety of the American people. Michiganders cannot take another day of his chaos.
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
As parents are helping their kids consider colleges, this is my perennial reminder that state schools often have lower price tags, yes, but private schools, including many small liberal arts schools, often have better aid packages, and are thus often cheaper in the end (but may be more competitive).
December 9, 2025 at 10:42 PM
As parents are helping their kids consider colleges, this is my perennial reminder that state schools often have lower price tags, yes, but private schools, including many small liberal arts schools, often have better aid packages, and are thus often cheaper in the end (but may be more competitive).
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
1/28 New preprint up, which I think is the best theoretical idea I've ever had. We asked a simple question: what are the costs of investment into non-reproductive somatic cells? Turns out these costs decrease with the *logarithm* of organism size!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
The fitness costs of reproductive specialization scale inversely with organismal size
The evolution of reproductive specialization represents a fundamental innovation in multicellular life, yet the conditions favoring its evolution remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a populatio...
www.biorxiv.org
December 9, 2025 at 7:44 PM
1/28 New preprint up, which I think is the best theoretical idea I've ever had. We asked a simple question: what are the costs of investment into non-reproductive somatic cells? Turns out these costs decrease with the *logarithm* of organism size!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
In an era marked by rapid climate change and biodiversity loss, it is imperative that we continue to invest in the unique value of natural history collections data
"Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections" 🧪
"Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections" 🧪
Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections - Nature Communications
Natural history collections hold over two billion specimens representing Earth’s biodiversity, but their scientific value depends on continued specimen collection and digitisation. This study demonstr...
www.nature.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:10 AM
In an era marked by rapid climate change and biodiversity loss, it is imperative that we continue to invest in the unique value of natural history collections data
"Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections" 🧪
"Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections" 🧪
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Nearly half of all countries have fewer than ten active plant taxonomists, and in 41% of countries they're all male. Global review by Simões et al. (2025). 🌏🧪🌐 www.cell.com/trends/plant...
December 9, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Nearly half of all countries have fewer than ten active plant taxonomists, and in 41% of countries they're all male. Global review by Simões et al. (2025). 🌏🧪🌐 www.cell.com/trends/plant...
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
A new community-driven lab handbook for reducing conflict and creating more positive and equitable work environments gets strong support from a survey of 200 researchers.
buff.ly/K7CGFLV
buff.ly/K7CGFLV
December 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM
A new community-driven lab handbook for reducing conflict and creating more positive and equitable work environments gets strong support from a survey of 200 researchers.
buff.ly/K7CGFLV
buff.ly/K7CGFLV
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
M 7.6 Japan earthquake recorded across New Zealand from north-to-south. Interesting to note the long-period signal that occurs ~2 hours after the start of the signal. Could be the surface wave travelling the opposite direction around Earth as it looks like it arrives at the southern sites first.🧪
December 8, 2025 at 8:46 PM
M 7.6 Japan earthquake recorded across New Zealand from north-to-south. Interesting to note the long-period signal that occurs ~2 hours after the start of the signal. Could be the surface wave travelling the opposite direction around Earth as it looks like it arrives at the southern sites first.🧪
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
Emily Dickinson's herbarium – a forgotten treasure at the intersection of poetry and science www.themarginalian.org/2017/05/23/e...
Emily Dickinson’s Herbarium: A Forgotten Treasure at the Intersection of Science and Poetry
An elegy for time and the mortality of beauty, composed with passionate patience and a sensuous cadence.
www.themarginalian.org
December 8, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Emily Dickinson's herbarium – a forgotten treasure at the intersection of poetry and science www.themarginalian.org/2017/05/23/e...
Reposted by Susana Wadgymar🌿🔬
More than 70 vultures found dead on athletic fields in Ohio. They most likely died from bird flu.
This isn't going away.
www.wlwt.com/article/dead...
This isn't going away.
www.wlwt.com/article/dead...
Dead vultures removed from Ohio school grounds; bird flu suspected
State wildlife crews removed more than 70 dead vultures from the athletic fields near St. Bernadette School on Friday, days after neighbors expressed concern from the bizarre sight.
www.wlwt.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:15 PM
More than 70 vultures found dead on athletic fields in Ohio. They most likely died from bird flu.
This isn't going away.
www.wlwt.com/article/dead...
This isn't going away.
www.wlwt.com/article/dead...