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.
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?
Reposted by Monica V
“So it was, on that misty morning, that Brenda set off for the capital. She knew not what she would find there, only that the time had come to move on - away from small-minded rural attitudes and people who called her ‘Oreo’ and ‘the wide panda’ - to seek a more fulfilling life.”
November 11, 2025 at 9:36 AM
“So it was, on that misty morning, that Brenda set off for the capital. She knew not what she would find there, only that the time had come to move on - away from small-minded rural attitudes and people who called her ‘Oreo’ and ‘the wide panda’ - to seek a more fulfilling life.”
Reposted by Monica V
Case in point: heard this story on the radio and thought I was going to get sick. Between this and the story about right wing streamers, I feel like something is really broken in modern society.
It’s beyond being just online- it’s techbros as puppet master.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/p...
It’s beyond being just online- it’s techbros as puppet master.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/p...
January 2, 2026 at 11:07 AM
Case in point: heard this story on the radio and thought I was going to get sick. Between this and the story about right wing streamers, I feel like something is really broken in modern society.
It’s beyond being just online- it’s techbros as puppet master.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/p...
It’s beyond being just online- it’s techbros as puppet master.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/p...
Just got our new “prescription manager program” letter.
I did not even know we were joining one.
And it’s bone chilling. You have to go to their web & see if your pharmacy and scrip are covered. They suggest looking at generics or lifestyle change. They claim to be “evidence based medicine”. 😬
I did not even know we were joining one.
And it’s bone chilling. You have to go to their web & see if your pharmacy and scrip are covered. They suggest looking at generics or lifestyle change. They claim to be “evidence based medicine”. 😬
a young boy standing in front of blue lockers that say young scholars
ALT: a young boy standing in front of blue lockers that say young scholars
media.tenor.com
January 2, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Just got our new “prescription manager program” letter.
I did not even know we were joining one.
And it’s bone chilling. You have to go to their web & see if your pharmacy and scrip are covered. They suggest looking at generics or lifestyle change. They claim to be “evidence based medicine”. 😬
I did not even know we were joining one.
And it’s bone chilling. You have to go to their web & see if your pharmacy and scrip are covered. They suggest looking at generics or lifestyle change. They claim to be “evidence based medicine”. 😬
Hahahaha not likely with the AI bubble and our 🤡 show.
January 1, 2026 at 6:43 PM
Hahahaha not likely with the AI bubble and our 🤡 show.
Reposted by Monica V
Reposted by Monica V
In honor of @everyheron.bsky.social and everyone dedicated to a bit on this website, here's a quick heron highlight reel from this year, set to Blind Guardian's "Otherland," because that's what the song is about. 🪶
December 31, 2025 at 8:29 PM
In honor of @everyheron.bsky.social and everyone dedicated to a bit on this website, here's a quick heron highlight reel from this year, set to Blind Guardian's "Otherland," because that's what the song is about. 🪶
Happy New Year, everyone. Nothing profound to say as I watch my dogs eat the same breakfast at the same time with the same enthusiasm they show every day. Gregorian calendar be damned, they say.
I finally got to see owls yesterday, albeit as the light was falling. 🪶 1/3
I finally got to see owls yesterday, albeit as the light was falling. 🪶 1/3
January 1, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Happy New Year, everyone. Nothing profound to say as I watch my dogs eat the same breakfast at the same time with the same enthusiasm they show every day. Gregorian calendar be damned, they say.
I finally got to see owls yesterday, albeit as the light was falling. 🪶 1/3
I finally got to see owls yesterday, albeit as the light was falling. 🪶 1/3
Really good read, especially for those of us working to untie the knots that bind us to everyday work.
I've taken the paywall off this piece I wrote about the wonderful art my mum and dad have been making in their 60s and 70s, which is also about the general (underacknowledged) concept of late-blooming creativity. I hope a few of you might find a moment to read it: www.tom-cox.com/the-magic-ro...
THE MAGIC ROOM
Subscribe now
This is a free post, but if you'd like to support my writing with a subscription, you can do so here and get access to everything I post, including this week's upcoming paying-subsc...
www.tom-cox.com
January 1, 2026 at 11:27 AM
Really good read, especially for those of us working to untie the knots that bind us to everyday work.
January 1, 2026 at 11:16 AM
Light was falling fast when suddenly two herons zoomed toward me. The older one with the crooked neck was chasing the younger one. The younger one was almost too close to capture. @everyheron.bsky.social how do herons eat with such crooked necks?
Nice way to spend New Year’s Eve, anyway.
Nice way to spend New Year’s Eve, anyway.
January 1, 2026 at 4:06 AM
Light was falling fast when suddenly two herons zoomed toward me. The older one with the crooked neck was chasing the younger one. The younger one was almost too close to capture. @everyheron.bsky.social how do herons eat with such crooked necks?
Nice way to spend New Year’s Eve, anyway.
Nice way to spend New Year’s Eve, anyway.
Reposted by Monica V
Every said: You won't believe your eyes... You'll suspect it's another planet... It's an island of wonders
bsky.app/profile/mik...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
bsky.app/profile/mik...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
December 31, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Every said: You won't believe your eyes... You'll suspect it's another planet... It's an island of wonders
bsky.app/profile/mik...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
bsky.app/profile/mik...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
Reposted by Monica V
Every Said: We've always said if there was more #HeronArt on the streets then the world would be a better place.
bsky.app/profile/rad...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
bsky.app/profile/rad...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
Spotted this very impressive yarn bombing in Hertford yesterday.
@everyheron.bsky.social
@worldbollardassoc.bsky.social
@everyheron.bsky.social
@worldbollardassoc.bsky.social
December 31, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Every Said: We've always said if there was more #HeronArt on the streets then the world would be a better place.
bsky.app/profile/rad...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025
bsky.app/profile/rad...
#EveryHeronBestOf2025