Eric Haag
@ericshaag.bsky.social
Evolutionary developmental biologist, etc.
I got to wear the pundit-not-involved-with-the -study hat recently, regarding everyone’s favorite topic: Dollo’s Law. The CNN piece (www.cnn.com/2025/10/30/science/tomatoes-reverse-evolution-galapagos)
is behind a paywall, but the paper it discusses is not: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59290-4
is behind a paywall, but the paper it discusses is not: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59290-4
Enzymatic twists evolved stereo-divergent alkaloids in the Solanaceae family - Nature Communications
Researchers uncover how plants control the stereochemistry of steroidal alkaloids, key compounds in defense. They show that evolution of GAME8 enzymes in Solanum species has shaped alkaloid diversity,...
www.nature.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:33 PM
I got to wear the pundit-not-involved-with-the -study hat recently, regarding everyone’s favorite topic: Dollo’s Law. The CNN piece (www.cnn.com/2025/10/30/science/tomatoes-reverse-evolution-galapagos)
is behind a paywall, but the paper it discusses is not: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59290-4
is behind a paywall, but the paper it discusses is not: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-59290-4
Reposted by Eric Haag
New with MAGA edits: The real reason John Brown went to Harper’s Ferry…
September 16, 2025 at 12:17 PM
New with MAGA edits: The real reason John Brown went to Harper’s Ferry…
Worth a read…
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
A rock icon and a 100-year-old WWII veteran tell America’s story
Kiss front man Gene Simmons paid tribute in D.C. to a man who helped liberate a concentration camp where his mother had been held.
www.washingtonpost.com
May 27, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Worth a read…
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Universities should remind the nation that our core mission is not actually sports, but education, research, and open discourse. No March Madness or bowl games would wake folks up.
April 25, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Universities should remind the nation that our core mission is not actually sports, but education, research, and open discourse. No March Madness or bowl games would wake folks up.
Reposted by Eric Haag
Satire is a right. And sometimes, a duty. 😂🥇
April 21, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Satire is a right. And sometimes, a duty. 😂🥇
Reposted by Eric Haag
Last night’s article in the Washington Post about D.C. police responding to a 911 call by illegally letting DOGE onto private property is unlike any news story I have ever read. Every single person should read this article and think about where our society is going.
March 19, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Last night’s article in the Washington Post about D.C. police responding to a 911 call by illegally letting DOGE onto private property is unlike any news story I have ever read. Every single person should read this article and think about where our society is going.
The illegal takeover of #USIP, which is not even part of the Executive branch, shows DOGE for what it is: Thought-suppressing thugs and lackeys for a would-be dictator. When do we march, and when do we blockade the White House?
March 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The illegal takeover of #USIP, which is not even part of the Executive branch, shows DOGE for what it is: Thought-suppressing thugs and lackeys for a would-be dictator. When do we march, and when do we blockade the White House?
Sounds frighteningly plausible at this moment. theonion.com/dhs-begins-n...
DHS Begins National Registry Of Duolingo Users
WASHINGTON—Warning that the highly suspicious individuals constituted a threat to the country’s safety and cultural unity, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced plans Monday to create a n...
theonion.com
March 11, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Sounds frighteningly plausible at this moment. theonion.com/dhs-begins-n...
Yup, that is the simplest explanation. Some folks miss Jim Crow.
“That is why Trumpists are so focused on “ending DEI” in the federal workforce. They see anti-discrimination and inclusion as a ladder of upward mobility for people they do not believe should have one.”
The Great Resegregation
The Trump administration’s attacks on DEI are aimed at reversing the civil-rights movement.
www.theatlantic.com
February 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Yup, that is the simplest explanation. Some folks miss Jim Crow.
If you suspect the French would have shut down the whole country by now, and wonder why we haven’t yet, check this out: @generalstrikeus.bsky.social
February 18, 2025 at 11:55 AM
If you suspect the French would have shut down the whole country by now, and wonder why we haven’t yet, check this out: @generalstrikeus.bsky.social
It was a real treat to be @busboysandpoets.bsky.social on K St. last night to discuss The Other Big Bang (@columbiaup.bsky.social) with my dear friend and UMD colleague, Rachel Singpurwalla. Many thanks to Kambiz and the dozens of curious members of the Columbia University Club of Washington, DC.
February 14, 2025 at 11:13 PM
It was a real treat to be @busboysandpoets.bsky.social on K St. last night to discuss The Other Big Bang (@columbiaup.bsky.social) with my dear friend and UMD colleague, Rachel Singpurwalla. Many thanks to Kambiz and the dozens of curious members of the Columbia University Club of Washington, DC.
Grant overhead only flows to schools when their researchers present a highly competitive plan. So, it is a largely meritocratic investment that builds institutional capacity. There may be other ways to do that, but I bet none would be as fair.
February 10, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Grant overhead only flows to schools when their researchers present a highly competitive plan. So, it is a largely meritocratic investment that builds institutional capacity. There may be other ways to do that, but I bet none would be as fair.
What is “overhead”? 2/2
Some institutions do have high overhead rates. But no research university’s rate is less than 45%, so cutting it to 15% in one go is unworkably draconian. Labs will close. Highly skilled people who do important work will lose their jobs. The winners: our competitors.
Some institutions do have high overhead rates. But no research university’s rate is less than 45%, so cutting it to 15% in one go is unworkably draconian. Labs will close. Highly skilled people who do important work will lose their jobs. The winners: our competitors.
February 10, 2025 at 1:10 PM
What is “overhead”? 2/2
Some institutions do have high overhead rates. But no research university’s rate is less than 45%, so cutting it to 15% in one go is unworkably draconian. Labs will close. Highly skilled people who do important work will lose their jobs. The winners: our competitors.
Some institutions do have high overhead rates. But no research university’s rate is less than 45%, so cutting it to 15% in one go is unworkably draconian. Labs will close. Highly skilled people who do important work will lose their jobs. The winners: our competitors.
What is “overhead”? 1/2
If you are scratching your head about the NIH cuts, here’s the deal: A grant’s budget only covers researcher salaries (~85%), equipment, & supplies. Maintenance of the lab itself and the staff that support research need to be paid for. Not sexy, but also not “a ripoff.”
If you are scratching your head about the NIH cuts, here’s the deal: A grant’s budget only covers researcher salaries (~85%), equipment, & supplies. Maintenance of the lab itself and the staff that support research need to be paid for. Not sexy, but also not “a ripoff.”
February 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM
What is “overhead”? 1/2
If you are scratching your head about the NIH cuts, here’s the deal: A grant’s budget only covers researcher salaries (~85%), equipment, & supplies. Maintenance of the lab itself and the staff that support research need to be paid for. Not sexy, but also not “a ripoff.”
If you are scratching your head about the NIH cuts, here’s the deal: A grant’s budget only covers researcher salaries (~85%), equipment, & supplies. Maintenance of the lab itself and the staff that support research need to be paid for. Not sexy, but also not “a ripoff.”
We need to get the public to understand that the direct costs in a grant budget only cover salaries, equipment, and supplies. The lab itself and other staff that support research need to be paid for. This isn’t sexy, but neither is it “a ripoff.”
February 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
We need to get the public to understand that the direct costs in a grant budget only cover salaries, equipment, and supplies. The lab itself and other staff that support research need to be paid for. This isn’t sexy, but neither is it “a ripoff.”
Reposted by Eric Haag
And this is why it's so crucial to study the Reconstruction era. There were so many massacres and insurrections that took place purely to stop Black political power and biracial coalitions advocating for Black civil rights. We're living through similar reactionary times.
February 9, 2025 at 3:09 PM
And this is why it's so crucial to study the Reconstruction era. There were so many massacres and insurrections that took place purely to stop Black political power and biracial coalitions advocating for Black civil rights. We're living through similar reactionary times.
Yup, THIS is definitely how we best the PRC and Russia: Fire our best-trained, most-motivated people working to advance STEM.
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
Science funding agency threatened with mass layoffs
National Science Foundation staff heard the plans at a meeting Tuesday.
www.politico.com
February 5, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Yup, THIS is definitely how we best the PRC and Russia: Fire our best-trained, most-motivated people working to advance STEM.
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...
2/2
I am not a constitutional scholar, but my understanding is that once a federal budget has been signed into law, and the appropriated funds transferred, there are no “take-backs” by Presidential fiat. So, my team is going to spend our award to foster a diverse STEM workforce. Sorry!
I am not a constitutional scholar, but my understanding is that once a federal budget has been signed into law, and the appropriated funds transferred, there are no “take-backs” by Presidential fiat. So, my team is going to spend our award to foster a diverse STEM workforce. Sorry!
transferred.here
January 29, 2025 at 3:58 AM
2/2
I am not a constitutional scholar, but my understanding is that once a federal budget has been signed into law, and the appropriated funds transferred, there are no “take-backs” by Presidential fiat. So, my team is going to spend our award to foster a diverse STEM workforce. Sorry!
I am not a constitutional scholar, but my understanding is that once a federal budget has been signed into law, and the appropriated funds transferred, there are no “take-backs” by Presidential fiat. So, my team is going to spend our award to foster a diverse STEM workforce. Sorry!
1/2
Just got an email from NSF Director Panchanathan instructing me and other PIs to cease cease “all non-compliant grant and award activities... In particular…grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks.”
Just got an email from NSF Director Panchanathan instructing me and other PIs to cease cease “all non-compliant grant and award activities... In particular…grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks.”
January 29, 2025 at 3:46 AM
1/2
Just got an email from NSF Director Panchanathan instructing me and other PIs to cease cease “all non-compliant grant and award activities... In particular…grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks.”
Just got an email from NSF Director Panchanathan instructing me and other PIs to cease cease “all non-compliant grant and award activities... In particular…grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks.”
True intersex conditions like these affect tens of thousands of Americans, but >99.9% of us have a clear, consistent sex. That relative rarity may explain the ease with which they are dismissed, but it’s not an excuse to abuse basic human rights.
January 28, 2025 at 5:49 PM
True intersex conditions like these affect tens of thousands of Americans, but >99.9% of us have a clear, consistent sex. That relative rarity may explain the ease with which they are dismissed, but it’s not an excuse to abuse basic human rights.
I love any pretty much any Kent Brockman x karyotype content—sign me up!
A list of the number of chromosomes of ten different organisms…
Fruit fly = 8
Housefly = 12
Snail = 24
Frog = 26
American badger = 32
Red fox = 34
Cat = 38
Dolphin = 44
Human = 46
Pineapple = 50
* I, for one, welcome our future pineapple overlords
Fruit fly = 8
Housefly = 12
Snail = 24
Frog = 26
American badger = 32
Red fox = 34
Cat = 38
Dolphin = 44
Human = 46
Pineapple = 50
* I, for one, welcome our future pineapple overlords
December 20, 2024 at 1:32 PM
I love any pretty much any Kent Brockman x karyotype content—sign me up!
Our local NPR station is giving away AC/DC tickets. No further evidence is needed of impending Gen-X geezerhood…
December 18, 2024 at 10:36 PM
Our local NPR station is giving away AC/DC tickets. No further evidence is needed of impending Gen-X geezerhood…
If you are interested in the intersection of #evolution and #gender, this may interest you.
today.umd.edu/in-new-book-...
today.umd.edu/in-new-book-...
In New Book, Biologist Shares Natural History of ‘The Other Big Bang’
Researcher Explores Why Humans Have Sex—and Sexes—in a World Where Life Requires Neither
today.umd.edu
December 8, 2024 at 10:08 PM
If you are interested in the intersection of #evolution and #gender, this may interest you.
today.umd.edu/in-new-book-...
today.umd.edu/in-new-book-...
Threads might have become a home for science, but didn’t. So, let’s try this. Thanks to @johnlogsdon.bsky.social for the nudge.
December 8, 2024 at 10:02 PM
Threads might have become a home for science, but didn’t. So, let’s try this. Thanks to @johnlogsdon.bsky.social for the nudge.