Trevor A. Branch
@trevorabranch.bsky.social
Professor at Univ of Washington @uwsafs.bsky.social I run models and synthesize data, love R graphics, and do research on the status of marine fisheries, fishing quotas, and blue whales @bluewhalenews.bsky.social
Pinned
Published! Our huge effort to obtain catch series for each of five overlapping populations of pygmy blue whales. Big collaboration with 30+ coauthors using spatial patterns of blue whale song (unique to each population) to figure out where each resides 1/n
Sorting out the history of whaling pressure on five populations of blue whales in the Indian Ocean and SW Pacific. So many years of work went into this monumental collaboration with many many coauthors. So pleased to see this paper finally published.
doi.org/10.1111/mms....
doi.org/10.1111/mms....
My talk is tomorrow! FEAR: the impact of killer whales on baleen whales.
Streaming: hmsc.oregonstate.edu/main/science...
Streaming: hmsc.oregonstate.edu/main/science...
FEAR: the impact of killer whales on baleen whales
Talk on 19 November by yours truly!
Talk on 19 November by yours truly!
November 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
My talk is tomorrow! FEAR: the impact of killer whales on baleen whales.
Streaming: hmsc.oregonstate.edu/main/science...
Streaming: hmsc.oregonstate.edu/main/science...
What's the easiest way to change the color of a solid shape? E.g. how to make the shapes below gray or blue.
November 18, 2025 at 7:19 PM
What's the easiest way to change the color of a solid shape? E.g. how to make the shapes below gray or blue.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Way back in 1947, Alan Turing had thoughts on how AI would influence the demand for skilled labor.
(via Matteo Pasquinelli 2023 _The Eye of the Master_)
(via Matteo Pasquinelli 2023 _The Eye of the Master_)
![Roughly speaking those who work in connection with the [automatic computing engine] will be divided into its masters and its servants. Its masters will plan out instruction tables for it, thinking up deeper and deeper ways of using it...The masters are liable to get replaced because as soon as any technique becomes at all stereotyped it becomes possible to devise a system of instruction tables which will enable the electronic computer to do it for itself. It may happen however that the masters will refuse to do this. They may be unwilling to let their jobs be stolen from them in this way. In that case they would surround the whole of their work with mystery and make excuses, couched in well chosen gibberish, whenever any dangerous suggestions were made.
— Alan Turing (1947) Lecture on the Automatic Computing Engine](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tbqqvyv6pjjww44glrmycaxl/bafkreiajgzfaixqslnz2oftyxfcz2htgwbfisxfeyoospb5o6f3arqwfgu@jpeg)
November 18, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Way back in 1947, Alan Turing had thoughts on how AI would influence the demand for skilled labor.
(via Matteo Pasquinelli 2023 _The Eye of the Master_)
(via Matteo Pasquinelli 2023 _The Eye of the Master_)
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
NSF is open again!
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
A few comments:
*Please be patient.
During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails.
*Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th.
*POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.
November 13, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Opportunity to join our team. Open to African students at Masters or PhD level.
October 14, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Opportunity to join our team. Open to African students at Masters or PhD level.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Happy Exploding Whale Day to all who celebrate!🐳💥☔️
55 years ago today, the Oregon State Highway Division had a whale of a problem on its hands. How it solved it is the stuff of legends.
In other words: Happy Exploding Whale Day!
In other words: Happy Exploding Whale Day!
The Exploding Whale: An infamous moment in Oregon history creates a strangely beloved icon
YouTube video by KATU News
youtu.be
November 12, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Happy Exploding Whale Day to all who celebrate!🐳💥☔️
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Scientific writing and writing for the public are very different. As I do both, is that difference eroding for me? And if it is, is that good or bad?
Are my academic and non-academic writing styles converging? And would that be good?
I spent the first 25 years of my academic career writing scientific papers (and the grant proposals to fund them, of course). I never found that easy – although it got easier through time (and it c…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:22 PM
Scientific writing and writing for the public are very different. As I do both, is that difference eroding for me? And if it is, is that good or bad?
This is so cool!
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science 😜 ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
November 11, 2025 at 7:21 PM
This is so cool!
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Specifically, it was the National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring, begun in the 70s, which completely overhauled how we predict and respond to rapid weather events.
vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heri...
vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heri...
The NWS Modernization and Associated Restructuring - A Retrospective (Part 1) - National Weather Service Heritage - Virtual Lab
Planned in the 1980s and implemented in the 1990s, the NWS Modernization and Associated Restructuring modernized the agency’s organization and technology to ensure more rapid detection of storms and d...
vlab.noaa.gov
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Specifically, it was the National Weather Service Modernization and Associated Restructuring, begun in the 70s, which completely overhauled how we predict and respond to rapid weather events.
vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heri...
vlab.noaa.gov/web/nws-heri...
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.
November 10, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Oh, I love this. A new species of sea anemone was discovered recently that parks itself on top of a hermit crab shell like a hat. It seems to feed partly off the crab's faeces, but it also excretes a hard shell that extends the crab's home. In return, it's carried around the seafloor like a king.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
NEW data | Less than 50% of Australia's electricity generation came from fossil fuels in October 🇦🇺⚡️
This was the first month ever where renewables have overtaken fossil fuels in Australia's electricity mix.
10 years ago, in October 2015, fossil fuels made up 86%.
This was the first month ever where renewables have overtaken fossil fuels in Australia's electricity mix.
10 years ago, in October 2015, fossil fuels made up 86%.
November 10, 2025 at 11:08 AM
NEW data | Less than 50% of Australia's electricity generation came from fossil fuels in October 🇦🇺⚡️
This was the first month ever where renewables have overtaken fossil fuels in Australia's electricity mix.
10 years ago, in October 2015, fossil fuels made up 86%.
This was the first month ever where renewables have overtaken fossil fuels in Australia's electricity mix.
10 years ago, in October 2015, fossil fuels made up 86%.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
An amazing success story: the recovery of humpback whales 50-60 years after we stopped whaling on them.
Another species no longer on the global Endangered list:
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
a man with a mustache says there be whales here in a dark room
Alt: Scotty from Star Trek Original Series (played by Jimmy Doohan) says there be whales here in a Klingon vessel's cargo hold.
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:11 AM
An amazing success story: the recovery of humpback whales 50-60 years after we stopped whaling on them.
An amazing success story: the recovery of humpback whales 50-60 years after we stopped whaling on them.
Another species no longer on the global Endangered list:
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
a man with a mustache says there be whales here in a dark room
Alt: Scotty from Star Trek Original Series (played by Jimmy Doohan) says there be whales here in a Klingon vessel's cargo hold.
media.tenor.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:11 AM
An amazing success story: the recovery of humpback whales 50-60 years after we stopped whaling on them.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Another species no longer on the global Endangered list:
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
a man with a mustache says there be whales here in a dark room
Alt: Scotty from Star Trek Original Series (played by Jimmy Doohan) says there be whales here in a Klingon vessel's cargo hold.
media.tenor.com
November 9, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Another species no longer on the global Endangered list:
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).
A few decades after a Star Trek movie where the central conflict was the total extinction of the humpback, their numbers are rising fast enough to put them at "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
I like this piece a lot about Rosalind Franklin’s role in solving the structure of DNA. It really respects her as a full scientist - what she saw, what she didn’t appreciate, what could have been if she’d had true peers to support her, or had not died so young.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:00 AM
I like this piece a lot about Rosalind Franklin’s role in solving the structure of DNA. It really respects her as a full scientist - what she saw, what she didn’t appreciate, what could have been if she’d had true peers to support her, or had not died so young.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
I’m stuck in bed between chemo treatments for metastatic coloncancer, wearing a take-home chemo pump attached to my chest.
I wanted to share my advice that you can benefit from ‘Letting Your Colleagues In’ don’t need to struggle alone
@insidehighered.com
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
I wanted to share my advice that you can benefit from ‘Letting Your Colleagues In’ don’t need to struggle alone
@insidehighered.com
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
Consider Sharing Health Challenges With Colleagues (opinion)
Being open with my colleagues about my cancer diagnosis has allowed me to access an enormous source of support and comfort.
www.insidehighered.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:15 PM
I’m stuck in bed between chemo treatments for metastatic coloncancer, wearing a take-home chemo pump attached to my chest.
I wanted to share my advice that you can benefit from ‘Letting Your Colleagues In’ don’t need to struggle alone
@insidehighered.com
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
I wanted to share my advice that you can benefit from ‘Letting Your Colleagues In’ don’t need to struggle alone
@insidehighered.com
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/care...
Bipartisan laws for fisheries resulted in greater sustainability and profits in the US. Successes due to fishers, NGOs, and of course the many dedicated NOAA and state scientists collecting data, assessing status, and setting catch levels.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
How America's fisheries rebounded from collapse and over-regulation
An unlikely alliance saved U.S. fisheries from collapse - and made them more profitable.
www.usatoday.com
November 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Bipartisan laws for fisheries resulted in greater sustainability and profits in the US. Successes due to fishers, NGOs, and of course the many dedicated NOAA and state scientists collecting data, assessing status, and setting catch levels.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
New map shows Roman roads led everywhere not just Rome
Article: www.nbcnews.com/world/italy/...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Article: www.nbcnews.com/world/italy/...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM
New map shows Roman roads led everywhere not just Rome
Article: www.nbcnews.com/world/italy/...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Article: www.nbcnews.com/world/italy/...
Paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
I hadnt seen this particular take on this story till now. A minimalist apology. Not impressed.
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
Shamed Scientist Apologises For The First Time About The Academic Scandal That Destroyed His Career And Shocked The World
An ecologist who shot to fame after discovering that spiders have human-like personalities has made an emotional apology after being
nationalnews.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 8:31 PM
I hadnt seen this particular take on this story till now. A minimalist apology. Not impressed.
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
A reminder that if you are called to be part of a jury in a political prosecution you have a right to refuse to convict on the grounds the prosecution is unjust. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Trump’s Politicized Prosecutions May Hit a Roadblock
When the president puts his political enemies on trial on pretextual grounds, jurors have the option of refusing to convict.
www.theatlantic.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
A reminder that if you are called to be part of a jury in a political prosecution you have a right to refuse to convict on the grounds the prosecution is unjust. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Hello. You are now aware that the Chesapeake Bay is the largest impact crater in the continental US.
Please enjoy your evening.
Please enjoy your evening.
November 7, 2025 at 12:37 AM
Hello. You are now aware that the Chesapeake Bay is the largest impact crater in the continental US.
Please enjoy your evening.
Please enjoy your evening.
Reposted by Trevor A. Branch
Amazingly, there’s a research paper on why Gerlach’s wave generator didn’t produce 440 kW as designed; they estimate it could harness about 125kW, which apparently is not enough to budge the big flywheel. 🧪 www.academia.edu/35151979/The...
November 7, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Amazingly, there’s a research paper on why Gerlach’s wave generator didn’t produce 440 kW as designed; they estimate it could harness about 125kW, which apparently is not enough to budge the big flywheel. 🧪 www.academia.edu/35151979/The...