Paul Sutton @zleap@social.cleverlibre.org

Japan's oak trees are confronting a pandemic. But this crisis began long before COVID-19, and the threat comes in the form of a fungus carried by insect pests rather than a virus. The good news is by digitally cataloging the trees, researchers say extensive oak wilt can be prevented.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/01/16/national/oak-tree-wilt-pandemic-naragare/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Mastodon

#science #forestry #nature #Japan

As I am preparing a PhD workshop on Good Research Practices I have been teaching for 11 (!) years, I looked up what I considered Possibly Good Research Practices in 2012. I might add some things, but it's a list I can still get behind a decade later.

The latest episode of Quantitude gives a nice introduction to the idea of equivalence testing: https://quantitudepod.org/s4e15-equivalence/

It is nice this is rapidly becoming a thing we expect all scientists who perform hypothesis tests to know about. Long overdue.

If you want to learn more about equivalence testing, this chapter in my free textbook should get you to a point where you can perform equivalence tests in your own research: https://lakens.github.io/statistical_inferences/equivalencetest.html

Unprecedented strike action will hit 150 UK universities throughout February and March unless university employers make substantially improved offers in disputes over pay, working conditions and pension cuts.

The full dates of strike action are:

Wed 1 February
Thurs 9 & Fri 10 February
Tues 14, Wed 15 & Thurs 16 February
Tues 21, Wed 22 & Thurs 23 February
Mon 27, Tues 28 February and Wed 1 & Thurs 2 March
Thurs 16 & Fri 17 March
Mon 20, Tues 21 & Wed 22 March

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/12759/University-strike-dates-in-February-and-March-confirmed

Postdoctoral Research Scholar in Neural Systems

The Aksay Laboratory of Weill Cornell Medicine is seeking a postdoctoral research scholar to advance our understanding of neural systems.

https://jobrxiv.org/job/weill-cornell-medicine-27778-postdoctoral-research-scholar-in-neural-systems/?feed_id=35238

#ScienceJobs #job
New York City #U...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/weill-cornell-medicine-27778-postdoctoral-research-scholar-in-neural-systems/?feed_id=35238

Most people are familiar with the usual explanation of Aerodynamic Lift

- that air moves faster across the upper surface of a wing than it does across its underside.

But most people don't stop to consider WHY that air's moving, when it WASN'T moving before the wing turned up...

IMO, this puzzle is what prompted the 'Equal Transit Time' explanation of Lift

- a WRONG explanation, but that's totally normal for Lift Explanations...)

#Science
#Aviation
#SciComm
#Aerodynamics

Many folks are saying, "We need to build a federated TikTok clone!"

That can't exactly happen because TikTok's *reason* to exist is surveillance. Its algorithms work because it watches everything you do, and thus collects data on you.

However, what we need to do is build federated platforms for audio and video.

Some already exist, but they're works in progress.

Regardless, we need more.

Twitter has reinstated the account of white nationalist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/nick-fuentes-reinstated-twitter-1234667137/

RIP Third-Party Twitter Clients: In just a few days, Twitter has destroyed over 15 years of fruitful collaboration with third-party developers, and we're all worse off for it. https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/rip-third-party-twitter-clients

Alternative protip: if you ever have writer's block, imagine you're chat-gpt and get a friend to send you the prompt!

There is a free virtual webinar next week on Wednesday, Feb 1st from 4:30-6pm MST called “Truth Before Reconciliation: How to Identify and Confront Residential School Denialism” presented by The Institute for Child & Youth Studies at the University of Lethbridge. Registration required: https://uleth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jQWFo20gT2GMDPEeGv56XA

Yeah there's a new #Wine 8.0 for those of you who have the bad idea of running a #Windows app, on #Linux moreover

› https://www.winehq.org/announce/8.0

I just LOVE that I can give a small indie developer $25/year and not give a dime to a narcissistic billionaire.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is calling for a TikTok ban.

This is a day after another Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio, published an OpEd in Fox News also pushing for a ban.

To be sure, these Republicans care very little about TikTok's surveillance of users.

Their problem is that, unlike Meta or Twitter, TikTok is not an American company.

Nevertheless, I personally think surveillance capitalism should be banned wholesale on all social networks.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/international-business/us-business/article-us-senator-josh-hawley-wants-to-ban-tiktok-nationwide/

@zleap @juddlegum Partners, family, community ties. For many people it's not that easy to pack up and go.

Some might also feel that they would be abandoning their pupils. As long as they are there, they might still be able to do some good.

Milky Way Found to Be More Unique Than Previously Thought

https://ras.ac.uk/news-and-press/news/milky-way-found-be-more-unique-previously-thought

Search over 1,000 astronomy and space news releases at www.stars-n-stuff.com/news-stories

#astronomy #space #science #news #stargazing #MilkyWay #galaxies

Image: Miguel A. Aragon-Calvo

Just learned that the #planetarium in #BuenosAires is publishing an #astronomy magazine: printed and free - if picked up there - or online at https://planetario.buenosaires.gob.ar/revista. The latest issue https://planetario.buenosaires.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2022-11/si%20muove%20reducido.pdf has 52 pages.

@headfirstonly @helenczerski

IIRC, the caption said, "There's coffee in that nebula!"

We’re partnering with @DARPA to demonstrate a nuclear thermal rocket engine in space. This new engine would allow us to do more science and reach destinations faster—key steps for sending the first crewed mission to Mars. https://go.nasa.gov/3DaNirN
#NASA