Amanda Moehring
@flybehaviour.bsky.social
Behavior genetics, speciation, neuroscience. Prof @WesternU. Interested in social justice, painting, nature. Pro offspring wrangler. Canerican she/her
The Republicans just passed a bill in the House that bans federal funding of anyone collaborating or co-authoring with Chinese scientists, and it’s retroactive to ban funding for anyone who has had collaborations in the past 5 years. This is insane. Call your reps.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
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 5:46 PM
The Republicans just passed a bill in the House that bans federal funding of anyone collaborating or co-authoring with Chinese scientists, and it’s retroactive to ban funding for anyone who has had collaborations in the past 5 years. This is insane. Call your reps.
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
A really good thread on adjusting your bsky filter settings, which you might not know are set to be fully on by default!
Wondering why no one likes your posts anymore, even among your friends? It's because @jay.bsky.team and team have decided to hide a huge amount of content from all of our feeds by default.
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
Here's how to turn it off.
First go to the hamburger menu in the upper left corner
November 7, 2025 at 2:35 PM
A really good thread on adjusting your bsky filter settings, which you might not know are set to be fully on by default!
With my first kid, in the US, I was entitled to zero days of maternity leave. Zero. Because I hadn’t been in my current postdoc position for a full year yet. When I had a kid in Canada I took a 6 month leave, and the only ‘feedback’ I got from my colleagues was “oh, you’re taking a short leave!”
A couple weeks ago a friend was telling me about someone she knew who had been on maternity leave, and said she had taken "the full year." I said, "A whole year? Wow, what kind of fancy job does she have that gives her a YEAR of leave?" and my friend looked surprised & said, "... welcome to Canada?"
November 7, 2025 at 1:13 PM
With my first kid, in the US, I was entitled to zero days of maternity leave. Zero. Because I hadn’t been in my current postdoc position for a full year yet. When I had a kid in Canada I took a 6 month leave, and the only ‘feedback’ I got from my colleagues was “oh, you’re taking a short leave!”
Are you f*ing kidding me @nytimes.com??
November 6, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Are you f*ing kidding me @nytimes.com??
This is incredible. Truly a breakthrough in cancer research.
GOOD NEWS! Researchers have developed a cancer vaccine that has shown STUNNING results, PREVENTING up to 88% of MULTIPLE aggressive cancers by harnessing dual-pathway nanoparticles that train the immune system to recognize and destroy tumor cells. In some cases, it COMPLETELY prevented metastasis.
November 6, 2025 at 12:44 AM
This is incredible. Truly a breakthrough in cancer research.
Good job everyone - the 🇨🇦 Trucouncil data will stay aggregated and anonymized.
The 🇨🇦 Standing Committee on Science and Research passed a modified resolution this afternoon that the requested ricouncil applicant and reviewer data can be aggregated and anonymized. Thanks to the many researchers who signed letters pointing out legitimate data privacy concerns. 👏👏
November 6, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Good job everyone - the 🇨🇦 Trucouncil data will stay aggregated and anonymized.
There’s a (now retired) prof who I discovered had students in their genetics lab class sequence three ‘mystery genes’ from the STUDENTS OWN CHEEK SWAB and the three genes were all for SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MENTAL DISORDERS. I reported it, bc wtaf that’s wrong on so many levels.
Just for an example in my field- we generally don't have students do Punnett squares for traits they have these days. First off, not all students will know that info for their birth parents, and secondly, it's not going to be infrequent that someone looks at the data and says...
November 2, 2025 at 5:34 PM
There’s a (now retired) prof who I discovered had students in their genetics lab class sequence three ‘mystery genes’ from the STUDENTS OWN CHEEK SWAB and the three genes were all for SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MENTAL DISORDERS. I reported it, bc wtaf that’s wrong on so many levels.
This is the prettiest cupcake I’ve ever had 😍
November 1, 2025 at 10:44 PM
This is the prettiest cupcake I’ve ever had 😍
This would be a huge breach of privacy. Contact your MPs, and/or sign the petition, linked in the thread.
Canadian researchers should be aware the there is a motion before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Research to force Tricouncils to hand over disaggregated peer review data on all applications:
Applicant names, profiles, demographics
Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores
Applicant names, profiles, demographics
Reviewers names, profiles, comments, and scores
October 31, 2025 at 3:34 PM
This would be a huge breach of privacy. Contact your MPs, and/or sign the petition, linked in the thread.
There are two types of people. Those who are mad if some people are on SNAP and not working, and those who are mad because working people still have to be on SNAP to afford food.
October 28, 2025 at 12:57 AM
There are two types of people. Those who are mad if some people are on SNAP and not working, and those who are mad because working people still have to be on SNAP to afford food.
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
UPDATE: The 2025-2026 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
ecoevojobs.net 2025-26
docs.google.com
September 19, 2025 at 9:47 PM
UPDATE: The 2025-2026 list of faculty and postdoc positions in ecology and evolutionary biology is out! Be sure to check out this active and helpful community run resources! docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
nyti.ms
October 8, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Today my @nytimes.com colleagues and I are launching a new series called Lost Science. We interview US scientists who can no longer discover something new about our world, thanks to this year‘s cuts. Here is my first interview with a scientist who studied bees and fires. Gift link: nyti.ms/3IWXbiE
If you see this, quote with the energy you bring to bluesky
September 16, 2025 at 11:01 PM
If you see this, quote with the energy you bring to bluesky
Biologically accurate.
September 14, 2025 at 9:50 PM
Biologically accurate.
A thorough article with lots of data on who more often perpetrates, and who is more often a victim of, hate crime violence.
In spite of how you feel about Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump or politics in general, what does the data say about the rise in hate crimes & political violence?
We checked.
We checked.
Are Leftists Coming For You? Here's What the Data Says About Political Violence
Who's responsible for the rise in hate, division and political violence? The data is clear.
dlvr.it
September 12, 2025 at 1:42 AM
A thorough article with lots of data on who more often perpetrates, and who is more often a victim of, hate crime violence.
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 10:09 PM
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!
This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
13/There is a tonne of robust data to back the effectiveness of COVID vaccines. I don't think any other vaccines have been more studied in my lifetime. It took me about an hour of pubmed searches to put this thread together. So no, a lack of data is not the reason why CDC is being dismantled.
September 1, 2025 at 10:38 PM
13/There is a tonne of robust data to back the effectiveness of COVID vaccines. I don't think any other vaccines have been more studied in my lifetime. It took me about an hour of pubmed searches to put this thread together. So no, a lack of data is not the reason why CDC is being dismantled.
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
I would read an academic murder book in which the murder was solved by reading the syllabus
I love this idea and also want a list of academic murder books. Please reply with recs
Hear me out: a dark academia murder book that opens at a department beginning-of-the-year celebration on a boat (I know a department that does this) and a professor goes overboard. The intrepid department chair must figure out who did it. Everyone is a suspect, including the chair herself.
August 29, 2025 at 10:12 PM
I would read an academic murder book in which the murder was solved by reading the syllabus
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
If you are a researcher whose lab uses FlyBase, consider a tax-deductible personal contribution. A lot of $100 contributions would help bridge the gap until we can set up a user fee system, and even $10 donations send the folks there the message we're behind them. Please share
August 27, 2025 at 12:27 AM
If you are a researcher whose lab uses FlyBase, consider a tax-deductible personal contribution. A lot of $100 contributions would help bridge the gap until we can set up a user fee system, and even $10 donations send the folks there the message we're behind them. Please share
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
August 21, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Neuronal diversity is written in transcriptional codes 🧬. But what is the logic of these codes that define cell types and wiring patterns?
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
To find out we built a #scRNAseq developmental atlas of the Drosophila nerve cord and linked it to the #connectome 🪰🧠
#preprint thread ⬇️1/8
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
FlyBase needs your help! Visit the link below for more information, and please consider donating to help save this amazing resource. wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
FlyBase:Contribute to FlyBase - FlyBase Wiki
wiki.flybase.org
August 15, 2025 at 7:44 PM
FlyBase needs your help! Visit the link below for more information, and please consider donating to help save this amazing resource. wiki.flybase.org/wiki/FlyBase...
I can’t believe it. I’m on my flight to #ESEB2025 in Barcelona on #AirCanada about to depart. All other AC flights have been cancelled but mine is a go. 🤯
August 15, 2025 at 11:42 PM
I can’t believe it. I’m on my flight to #ESEB2025 in Barcelona on #AirCanada about to depart. All other AC flights have been cancelled but mine is a go. 🤯
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
So hey. I'm reading through some of the public comments, and there aren't that many, tbh.. And some of them are in *support* of repealing regulations/making everyone choke on their big-truck air. Your voice *definitely* matters here.
US folks: Did you know the EPA (currently run by someone more concerned with businesses than the environment) has a public-comment period right now?
This is our opportunity to tell them why we think they should not repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
www.epa.gov/regulations-...
This is our opportunity to tell them why we think they should not repeal the 2009 Endangerment Finding.
www.epa.gov/regulations-...
Proposed Rule: Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards | US EPA
The proposed rule on the reconsideration of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding and motor vehicle rule
www.epa.gov
August 15, 2025 at 12:11 PM
So hey. I'm reading through some of the public comments, and there aren't that many, tbh.. And some of them are in *support* of repealing regulations/making everyone choke on their big-truck air. Your voice *definitely* matters here.
Reposted by Amanda Moehring
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
Harvard University lays off fly database team
The layoffs jeopardize this resource, which has served more than 4,000 labs for about three decades.
www.thetransmitter.org
August 13, 2025 at 7:32 PM
FlyBase, a Drosophila database, will lose a third of its team in early October because the Harvard grant that covered the employees’ salaries was canceled. Scientists warn that losing FlyBase could devastate fly research.
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...
By @claudia-lopez.bsky.social
www.thetransmitter.org/community/ha...