Donald E. Matthieu III
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Donald E. Matthieu III
@donaldmatthieu.bsky.social
850 followers 1.1K following 170 posts
soil, water, & environmental science; remediation; soil & groundwater pollution dynamics; subsurface hydrology. Personal opinions.
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Are the optics bad here? Should judge have ordered jury 2 only consume soup for lunch & no sandwich? "The jury, which feasted on sandwiches for lunch Thursday, according 2 a person familiar with jury lunches, deliberated the charges 4 several hours Wednesday & Thursday before delivering the verdict"
November 7, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Well, the verdict has been rendered. The jury decided that the prosecutors threw them a bologna sandwich of charges and declined to find the defendant guilty of alleged footlong felonies. There was no meat in the prosecutors' sandwich accusations. It was only a tomato sandwich.
November 7, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Article Quote: "The jury — which feasted on sandwiches for lunch Thursday, according to a person familiar with jury lunches—deliberated the charges for several hours Wednesday and Thursday before delivering the verdict." May I suggest a conspiracy theory that these sandwiches corrupted the jury? lol
November 7, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
katzish.bsky.social
If the sandwich don’t split, you must acquit
ryanjreilly.com Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 5d
Defense says that the officer's testimony was "very questionable" because he said the sandwich both exploded in spray of mustard and onions and also landed in its wrapper on the ground.
November 5, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Ladies & gentlemen of the jury: don't let the fact that the sandwich had turkey on it distract you from the fact that beef, or the having of beef, is the core issue in this case. The sandwich thrower might have had beef but really the officer did not. In the absence of beef the charges cannot stand
ryanjreilly.com Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” @ryanjreilly.com · 5d
Defense says that the officer's testimony was "very questionable" because he said the sandwich both exploded in spray of mustard and onions and also landed in its wrapper on the ground.
November 6, 2025 at 1:20 AM
TCE is still a concern in the USA. "Epidemiologic studies suggest that occupational exposure to TCE and TCE-contaminated drinking water may increase the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD)." TCE has been banned for sale and use in the USA, but other places have not. www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
Ambient Trichloroethylene Exposure and Parkinson Disease Risk in Medicare Beneficiaries | Neurology
Background and ObjectivesTrichloroethylene (TCE) is an important environmental contaminant in the United States due to widespread use industrially. Epidemiologic studies suggest that occupational expo...
www.neurology.org
November 5, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
lkirchner.bsky.social
Extremely 2025 coded - Firefighters are donating their plasma to reduce the forever chemicals in their blood. "If a firefighter donates plasma six times a year, the PFAS in their blood could be reduced by up to 60%." (The plasma is "cleaned" before being used.) www.yourvalley.net/glendale-ind...
Glendale firefighters donate plasma to change out PFAS - Glendale Independent
Across Arizona and the United States, firefighters are facing a cancer epidemic. One cause of this spike in cancer is the record high amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also …
www.yourvalley.net
November 4, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
kinarnicholas.bsky.social
Hydrology Paper of the Day @abhilashsingh.bsky.social suggested by @mlearthsciences.bsky.social on obtaining subsurface soil moisture from surface soil moisture observations: conditional generative modeling in the context of Fickian diffusion, and a reverse diffusion process from a neural network.
abhilashsingh.bsky.social Abhilash Singh @abhilashsingh.bsky.social · 24d
Can weak physics improve machine-learning generalization to new (or any) sites compared to hard-constraint physics-informed machine learning that requires site-specific details?

We address this question in our new paper in GRL.

doi.org/10.1029/2025...

#soilmoisture #machinelearning
October 19, 2025 at 2:13 AM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
ecoboffin.bsky.social
@efsa.europa.eu just released a literature review of >1,700 publications reporting #microplastics occurrence in food contact materials. Unfortunately, methodological shortcomings and inadequate reporting prevents reliable exposure estimation.

#LiteratureReview
www.efsa.europa.eu/en/supportin...
October 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
erictopol.bsky.social
Evidence keeps accumulating for the environmental toxin exposure link to Parkinson's disease, beyond pesticides. Today on trichloroethylene (TCE), used in dry cleaning
www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/...
October 1, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
tlowepower.bsky.social
Please repost:

What are the current costs of kit-based RNA extractions per sample? Qiagen quoted my grad student a "discount" that came to $10/sample. That seemed /way/ too high
October 22, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
germusthermophilus.bsky.social
This! 👇! 🧪🔬🔭
harmitmalik.bsky.social Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 25d
I think people adjacent to science (but who now find themselves deciding the fate of US science somehow) undervalue humility, valuing braggadocios hubris instead.
Yes it’s true that some scientific discoveries are complete paradigm changers, and we celebrate these. 1/
October 16, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
The war zone in Portland is out of control.
October 18, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
bielleogy.bsky.social
Portland doing as Portland does
thedailyshow.com The Daily Show @thedailyshow.com · Oct 9
The following is REAL footage from Portland, 2025. Viewer discretion is advised.
October 9, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
tlowepower.bsky.social
Please repost -- The Univ. California Davis dept of Plant Pathology is hiring a Fungal biologist / Mycologist

Applications due Dec 1

Application portal: recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07339

Screenshot shows part of the job posting (with alt-text of the same text)
he Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California, Davis is seeking applications for a fulltime, tenure-track Assistant Professor position in Mycology, with a focus on plant pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi and fungal-like organisms (e.g., oomycetes). We are looking for a highly motivated and creative scientist with a strong background in mycology and/or the biology of fungi and fungal-like organisms that interact with plants. The successful candidate will be expected to develop a world-class, externally funded research program that integrates both fundamental and applied aspects of fungal biology within the context of plant pathology. We welcome applicants pursuing a wide range of research topics related to plant-associated fungi, including but not limited to mechanisms of fungal pathogenesis or symbiosis with plants, population genomics and evolution of fungal plant pathogens, plant-associated fungal microbiomes and plant-microbe interactions, and/or one health approaches to fungal diseases and antifungal resistance. Applicants working in other relevant research areas involving pathogenic, symbiotic, or mycotoxigenic fungi or fungal-like organisms that affect plant health are also encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have significant opportunities for collaboration with faculty in plant pathology, microbiology, genomics, and agricultural sciences, and to contribute to addressing issues of importance to California’s agricultural and natural ecosystems. The appointee primary teaching responsibilities will be teaching Introductory Mycology, an upperdivision lab class, and SAS 30, Mushroom, Molds & Society, a general education class for non-majors. Additional graduate and undergraduate teaching responsibilities may be assigned based on departmental needs and the candidate’s expertise. The department offers modern instructional facilities, including a newly renovated teaching laboratory.
September 22, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
stevemullis.net
"hand-to-hand combat with antifa every night"
a guy in a frog costume standing facing a line of police and ICE agents in Portland
October 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM
www.zmescience.com/ecology/japa...
Japan Just Switched on Asia’s First Osmotic Power Plant, Which Runs 24/7 on Nothing But Fresh Water and Seawater
A renewable energy source that runs day and night, powered by salt and fresh water.
www.zmescience.com
October 6, 2025 at 3:12 AM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
radleybalko.bsky.social
Jesus. You think it can’t get any worse, then you read these stories. US citizens and legal residents illegally arrested and held for days. **Native Americans** getting detained and held for days because ICE agents are too stupid/racist to know about tribal IDs.
October 4, 2025 at 11:26 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
tlowepower.bsky.social
Advice: download PDFs of any documents you might need from government websites. The NIFA website went offline during the government shutdown during my PhD
davidimiller.bsky.social Dr. David Miller 🏳️‍🌈 @davidimiller.bsky.social · Sep 30
In that vein, NSF's shutdown plans just went public: nsf-gov-resources.nsf.gov/files/nsf-sh...

Already-funded projects can continue. And proposals can be submitted. But don't expect a response from a program officer during the shutdown.
Brief Summary of significant agency activities that will continue during a lapse: National Science Foundation (NSF) will use available carryover balances to continue daily operations. Once those balances are exhausted, electronic systems for proposal preparation and submission will remain available for use during a lapse in appropriations, (i.e., Research.gov, and Grants.gov). The Awards Cash Management Service (ACM$) and the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) will remain available for the submission and processing of valid payments for recipients and contractors. Recipients may continue performance under their NSF awards during a lapse in appropriations, to the extent funds are available, and the period of performance of the grant or cooperative agreement has not expired. In the event of a lapse, more detailed information on NSF operations for recipients, panelists, and employees will be posted at www.NSF.gov, and will be updated as necessary during a lapse. 2 Brief Summary of significant agency activities that will cease during a lapse: In general, no new grants, continuing grant increments, cooperative agreements, or contracts will be awarded. No new funding opportunities (program descriptions, announcements, solicitations or Dear Colleague Letters) will be issued. Responses to any inquiries received regarding upcoming deadlines will be deferred until normal operations resume. All panels (including virtual panels) scheduled to occur during a lapse in appropriations will be cancelled and will likely be rescheduled to a later date.
September 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social
Absorptive fine #roots drive substantial #forest #soil carbon accumulation over the long term: Substantial forest soil carbon accrual from absorptive fine roots over decadal timescales - Nature Geoscience
Substantial forest soil carbon accrual from absorptive fine roots over decadal timescales - Nature Geoscience
The accrual of soil carbon from absorptive fine roots exceeds that of leaf litter in forests despite lower productivity, according to an analysis of field observations from Northern Hemisphere forest sites.
www.nature.com
September 23, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
astropierre.com
Suite à la migration de scientifiques et d'universitaires de X, Bluesky est devenue une l'une des alternatives.

Afin d'évaluer sa viabilité/pertinence pour la communication scientifique, cette étude présente une analyse à grande échelle de la diffusion d'articles scientifiques sur Bluesky.

1/5
Image d'un téléphone sur lequel se trouve le logo et le nom de Bluesky. En arrière-plan, un papillon blanc sur fond bleu
September 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
thomasnhale.bsky.social
China's astounding ability to build and deploy renewables, batteries, and EVs is perhaps the brightest spark in the global fight against climate change.

But @yixiansun.bsky.social and I ask what would it really take for China to lead www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/02/07/2...
What Would It Take for China to Be a Global Environmental Leader?
Thomas Hale and Yixian Sun call for serious research and dialogue to make China to a global environmental leader. What would it take for China to be an international environmental leader? The question...
www.globalpolicyjournal.com
July 4, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Article quote: "Results show that for every reported professional benefit that scientists once gained from Twitter, scientists can now gain that benefit more effectively on Bluesky than on Twitter." .... seems totally logical to me.
September 29, 2025 at 3:49 AM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
minagriseu.bsky.social
Do you want to help us by doing some citizen science?

We launched the SoilPlastic app to help us track plastic sightings in soils, and we hope to tell a story about the extent of plastic waste in our soils.

Download the app now - buff.ly/0OZT8Zu - and make a difference. See how it works 👇
September 25, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Reposted by Donald E. Matthieu III
cznews.bsky.social
In calcareous soils, CO₂ isn’t static—it rises with respiration, reshaping P cycling. Hydroxyapatite always forms, but more CO₂ brings more calcite and carbonate phosphates. Subsoil chemistry reveals how carbon quietly steers phosphorus fate. 🌐🧪
Effects of pCO2 on hydroxyapatite formation: X‐ray diffraction study
Effects of carbon dioxide concentration on the P cycle in calcareous soils were rarely studied. An elevated partial pressure of carbon dioxide reduced the formation of hydroxyapatite. Calcium carbon.....
acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:21 PM