Monica V
@classyearlgrey.bsky.social
Former scientist, public involvement professional, transforming a failed farm into wildlife habitat and a food forest. Every day is an adventure, bruises and a few scars expected along the way.
Reposted by Monica V
To Mothership: We were wrong. Very wrong. Turn back now!
Ochrolechia frigida #lichen
Approximately 1cm high
#Newfoundland, Canada
#fungi #fungifriends
Ochrolechia frigida #lichen
Approximately 1cm high
#Newfoundland, Canada
#fungi #fungifriends
January 4, 2026 at 7:13 PM
To Mothership: We were wrong. Very wrong. Turn back now!
Ochrolechia frigida #lichen
Approximately 1cm high
#Newfoundland, Canada
#fungi #fungifriends
Ochrolechia frigida #lichen
Approximately 1cm high
#Newfoundland, Canada
#fungi #fungifriends
Reposted by Monica V
Tell me we should trust AI to give us the facts. Tell me it's a future we can put our faith in. Come at me. I'm right here, waiting.
January 4, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Tell me we should trust AI to give us the facts. Tell me it's a future we can put our faith in. Come at me. I'm right here, waiting.
Stand strong and together, all of you. We’ve been a lost cause for at least a decade.
Prime Minister of Greenland: "We decide our own future. Greenland is our country. We have our own democracy, our own decisions, and a strong community that stands firm. Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people, and territorial integrity must be respected."
January 4, 2026 at 10:56 PM
Stand strong and together, all of you. We’ve been a lost cause for at least a decade.
Reposted by Monica V
finally, we're living through precedented times
January 4, 2026 at 6:56 AM
finally, we're living through precedented times
Reposted by Monica V
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
He put his complete trust in a chat bot that turned him into a savage murderer.
Disturbing Messages Show ChatGPT Encouraging a Murder, Lawsuit Alleges
A lawsuit against OpenAI reveals the chilling ChatGPT messages that drove a middle aged man to kill his 83-year-old mother.
trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 PM
For all that the media has spent years freaking out about what social media does to our brains, I don’t understand why there appears to be little effort to grapple with the fact that these chatbots are, for some not insignificant portion of the population, literally psychosis machines
How about some #birds? There are oodles of trumpeter swans in our district now. They have been regular winter visitors since 2015 with their gentle honking and flappy feet slapping on the water as they take off.
January 4, 2026 at 3:12 AM
How about some #birds? There are oodles of trumpeter swans in our district now. They have been regular winter visitors since 2015 with their gentle honking and flappy feet slapping on the water as they take off.
Ouch, managed to be writing a story when this awful press conference started. President is slurring badly and barely stumbling through this horrid exercise in lying and propaganda. Who the heck is running this country? It surely can’t be him in his deteriorated state.
January 3, 2026 at 4:44 PM
Ouch, managed to be writing a story when this awful press conference started. President is slurring badly and barely stumbling through this horrid exercise in lying and propaganda. Who the heck is running this country? It surely can’t be him in his deteriorated state.
How the news about my country finds me this morning.
January 3, 2026 at 3:21 PM
How the news about my country finds me this morning.
And by the way, Copilot is annoying and it sucks at everything. AI is untrustworthy. People turn it off as soon as they can figure out how. That’s why Nadella has to come out and sell it as the inevitable future.
If you thought social media had scrambled America’s CEOs just wait until they’re fully cooked by AI apple.news/AJ_ht7MMyT9G...
January 3, 2026 at 1:55 PM
And by the way, Copilot is annoying and it sucks at everything. AI is untrustworthy. People turn it off as soon as they can figure out how. That’s why Nadella has to come out and sell it as the inevitable future.
Reposted by Monica V
Leavitt: “Venezuela should have known better than to walk through this neighborhood wearing that much oil.“
January 3, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Leavitt: “Venezuela should have known better than to walk through this neighborhood wearing that much oil.“
Reposted by Monica V
Why isn't there more shouting about this? This is the USPS undermining mail-in ballots. They find every opportunity to subvert voting and democracy.
Ballots, tax returns and other important mail may not get postmarked the day you turn it in, USPS warns
www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/p...
Ballots, tax returns and other important mail may not get postmarked the day you turn it in, USPS warns
www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/p...
Ballots, tax returns and other important mail may not get postmarked the day you turn it in, Postal Service warns | CNN Politics
If you rely on postmarks when casting your ballot, filing your taxes or paying bills, a new US Postal Service rule makes it clear that you should plan ahead.
www.cnn.com
January 2, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Why isn't there more shouting about this? This is the USPS undermining mail-in ballots. They find every opportunity to subvert voting and democracy.
Ballots, tax returns and other important mail may not get postmarked the day you turn it in, USPS warns
www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/p...
Ballots, tax returns and other important mail may not get postmarked the day you turn it in, USPS warns
www.cnn.com/2025/12/31/p...
Reposted by Monica V
This could have big repercussions for mail voting in 2026: USPS no longer guarantees when it’ll postmark mail.
More important than ever to be careful about how you vote, including voting as early as possible if you want to do so by mail. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
More important than ever to be careful about how you vote, including voting as early as possible if you want to do so by mail. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Thousands of mail-in ballots could be discounted under new post office policy
The Postal Service is no longer guaranteeing when it will postmark mail, which could jeopardize some ballots that arrive after Election Day.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:20 PM
This could have big repercussions for mail voting in 2026: USPS no longer guarantees when it’ll postmark mail.
More important than ever to be careful about how you vote, including voting as early as possible if you want to do so by mail. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
More important than ever to be careful about how you vote, including voting as early as possible if you want to do so by mail. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Monica V
Congrats to FIFA, who've ensured their name will be brought up every single time Trump commits a war crime.
January 3, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Congrats to FIFA, who've ensured their name will be brought up every single time Trump commits a war crime.
Clouds. Just clouds.
It’s the full #WolfMoon tomorrow at 10:03 UTC on January 3. And it’s a #supermoon. You might see a large-looking #moon low in the sky. It’s the moon illusion that makes the moon look so big. Your brain is playing a trick on you. Has it happened to you? 🌕🔭
buff.ly/Mq4Qu8j
📸 Cecille Kennedy.
buff.ly/Mq4Qu8j
📸 Cecille Kennedy.
January 2, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Clouds. Just clouds.
“Their findings demonstrate that the mortuary and other social behaviors of ancient African foragers were far more complex than previously thought.”
news.yale.edu/2026/01/01/a...
news.yale.edu/2026/01/01/a...
Ancient cremation pyre offers glimpse of tropical hunter gatherers’ mortuary practices
A new study coauthored by Yale paleoanthropologist Jessica Thompson provides evidence of the earliest intentional cremation in ancient Africa.
news.yale.edu
January 2, 2026 at 5:01 PM
“Their findings demonstrate that the mortuary and other social behaviors of ancient African foragers were far more complex than previously thought.”
news.yale.edu/2026/01/01/a...
news.yale.edu/2026/01/01/a...
Reposted by Monica V
Republicans rushed tax cuts for the wealthy but delayed their cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. Why?
So they don't kick in until after the midterms.
Help spread the word.
So they don't kick in until after the midterms.
Help spread the word.
January 2, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Republicans rushed tax cuts for the wealthy but delayed their cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. Why?
So they don't kick in until after the midterms.
Help spread the word.
So they don't kick in until after the midterms.
Help spread the word.
Reposted by Monica V
Bafflingly there are still people out there in the world who think being passionate about nature is “kind of weird”. or “a niche interest”. These people have it all wrong. Nature isn’t some quirky sideline to the main business. It IS the main business. Nature is us.
January 2, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Bafflingly there are still people out there in the world who think being passionate about nature is “kind of weird”. or “a niche interest”. These people have it all wrong. Nature isn’t some quirky sideline to the main business. It IS the main business. Nature is us.
Reposted by Monica V
Jocelyn and I were honoured to have been profiled in the #Nanaimo Magazine this month. ❤️
nanaimomagazine.ca
The Infusion movements really are efforts of entire communities, so while we're happy to be the faces, know that hundreds of people actually make it happen.
nanaimomagazine.ca
The Infusion movements really are efforts of entire communities, so while we're happy to be the faces, know that hundreds of people actually make it happen.
January 2, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Jocelyn and I were honoured to have been profiled in the #Nanaimo Magazine this month. ❤️
nanaimomagazine.ca
The Infusion movements really are efforts of entire communities, so while we're happy to be the faces, know that hundreds of people actually make it happen.
nanaimomagazine.ca
The Infusion movements really are efforts of entire communities, so while we're happy to be the faces, know that hundreds of people actually make it happen.
Reposted by Monica V
Theorists: this shouldn’t happen!
Biology: bet.
Biology: bet.
the worst part about forensic DNA testing is that it relies on biology, and biology is a messy, messy thing
as an aside: it's more common in casework to see chimerism due to a stem-cell transplant. we had an example of that in our lab not very long ago. this type is called tetragametic chimerism
as an aside: it's more common in casework to see chimerism due to a stem-cell transplant. we had an example of that in our lab not very long ago. this type is called tetragametic chimerism
Murder victim discovered to have two sets of DNA due to rare condition: an extremely rare form of chimerism. www.newscientist.com/article/2507...
January 2, 2026 at 4:41 PM
Theorists: this shouldn’t happen!
Biology: bet.
Biology: bet.
Reposted by Monica V
the worst part about forensic DNA testing is that it relies on biology, and biology is a messy, messy thing
as an aside: it's more common in casework to see chimerism due to a stem-cell transplant. we had an example of that in our lab not very long ago. this type is called tetragametic chimerism
as an aside: it's more common in casework to see chimerism due to a stem-cell transplant. we had an example of that in our lab not very long ago. this type is called tetragametic chimerism
Murder victim discovered to have two sets of DNA due to rare condition: an extremely rare form of chimerism. www.newscientist.com/article/2507...
Murder victim discovered to have two sets of DNA due to rare condition
A woman's body has been found to consist of varying proportions of male and female cells because of an extremely rare form of chimerism
www.newscientist.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:30 PM
the worst part about forensic DNA testing is that it relies on biology, and biology is a messy, messy thing
as an aside: it's more common in casework to see chimerism due to a stem-cell transplant. we had an example of that in our lab not very long ago. this type is called tetragametic chimerism
as an aside: it's more common in casework to see chimerism due to a stem-cell transplant. we had an example of that in our lab not very long ago. this type is called tetragametic chimerism
I nagged the district about drainage and they cleaned out the trash rack. Finally we’re getting some of this floodwater out of the district. We have minus tides the next few nights and a chance to get some traction on drainage. 1/2
January 2, 2026 at 1:46 PM
I nagged the district about drainage and they cleaned out the trash rack. Finally we’re getting some of this floodwater out of the district. We have minus tides the next few nights and a chance to get some traction on drainage. 1/2
And here is the swan that for some reason crossed the road (it could fly). Near the Tamarac National wildlife refuge in Minnesota.
Swans were extirpated, then reintroduced after I moved away. Such a good feeling to see them. 🪶
Swans were extirpated, then reintroduced after I moved away. Such a good feeling to see them. 🪶
January 2, 2026 at 12:19 PM
And here is the swan that for some reason crossed the road (it could fly). Near the Tamarac National wildlife refuge in Minnesota.
Swans were extirpated, then reintroduced after I moved away. Such a good feeling to see them. 🪶
Swans were extirpated, then reintroduced after I moved away. Such a good feeling to see them. 🪶
Okay, not a great photo, but it was the first burrowing owl I’ve ever seen in real life, at American Prairie Reserve’s Antelope Camp in Montana. Hopefully more to come this year.
For wonderful burrowing owl photos, see @burrowingowl.bsky.social. 🦉
For wonderful burrowing owl photos, see @burrowingowl.bsky.social. 🦉
January 2, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Okay, not a great photo, but it was the first burrowing owl I’ve ever seen in real life, at American Prairie Reserve’s Antelope Camp in Montana. Hopefully more to come this year.
For wonderful burrowing owl photos, see @burrowingowl.bsky.social. 🦉
For wonderful burrowing owl photos, see @burrowingowl.bsky.social. 🦉
Reposted by Monica V
This is just such a damned disgrace. A crime against knowledge and humanity itself.
January 1, 2026 at 5:38 AM
This is just such a damned disgrace. A crime against knowledge and humanity itself.
@murray.senate.gov how about Washington?
If you are a resident of California, the state now has a portal where you can demand deletion of your personal data from 500+ registered data brokers with a single request form, for free.
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov
January 2, 2026 at 11:53 AM
@murray.senate.gov how about Washington?