Josh Knecht
@knechtfour.bsky.social
PhD student studying evolutionary genetics at Binghamton University.
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Very much a #proudPI moment when your PhD students @michellezavala.bsky.social and @krlopicc.bsky.social give such lovely presentations of their research. So glad to have the opportunity to join the #EvolTREE meeting and share our ongoing research and learn from diverse systems across Europe.
November 21, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Very much a #proudPI moment when your PhD students @michellezavala.bsky.social and @krlopicc.bsky.social give such lovely presentations of their research. So glad to have the opportunity to join the #EvolTREE meeting and share our ongoing research and learn from diverse systems across Europe.
Reposted by Josh Knecht
I mean, the title says it all: Genetic confirmation of an “uncommon mourningthroat” (Geothlypis philadelphia × G. trichas): A rare but persistent hybrid warbler. Fun stuff with @kevinfpbennett.bsky.social and Kurt Gielow, OA in @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social!
🦉 🧪
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
🦉 🧪
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
November 21, 2025 at 2:34 PM
I mean, the title says it all: Genetic confirmation of an “uncommon mourningthroat” (Geothlypis philadelphia × G. trichas): A rare but persistent hybrid warbler. Fun stuff with @kevinfpbennett.bsky.social and Kurt Gielow, OA in @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social!
🦉 🧪
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
🦉 🧪
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 2:52 PM
Study after study shows that using LLMs is bad for cognition, bad for learning, bad for understanding, bad for mental health. So why are our schools and universities still relentlessly pushing them?
Reposted by Josh Knecht
A student recalled adaptive radiation as “radioactive speciation,” and I love it!
November 21, 2025 at 4:06 AM
A student recalled adaptive radiation as “radioactive speciation,” and I love it!
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Yeah, I've been feeling a similar deep sadness I think, just about like..... how aggressively, how loud our society is shouting at us all that love and kindness don't actually matter
It's not a sophisticated reaction, but my response to both "quiet, piggy" and the Coast Guard okaying swastikas and nooses is a deep sadness that the compassion we're working so hard to foster in our children will not just be challenged by schoolyard bullies but by the highest levels of society.
November 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Yeah, I've been feeling a similar deep sadness I think, just about like..... how aggressively, how loud our society is shouting at us all that love and kindness don't actually matter
Reposted by Josh Knecht
“you want to do a lottery for every high school graduate?”
yes
yes
November 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
“you want to do a lottery for every high school graduate?”
yes
yes
Reposted by Josh Knecht
we also know the sat removes any questions that too many black kids answer right because they have admitted to doing it in the name of normalization
November 20, 2025 at 5:54 PM
we also know the sat removes any questions that too many black kids answer right because they have admitted to doing it in the name of normalization
Reposted by Josh Knecht
I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...
Research Associate-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States
Position Summary
The Lowry Lab at Michigan State University is searching for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct molecular and physiological experiments to understand the causes of genetic va...
careers.msu.edu
November 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Big news: I’m writing a book!!
I’ll be writing & illustrating a beginner’s guide to appreciating wildlife in cities/suburbs, & how all of us can make our neighborhoods better for those animals.
Thank you to my book agent @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social & the folks at Storey for believing in this book!
I’ll be writing & illustrating a beginner’s guide to appreciating wildlife in cities/suburbs, & how all of us can make our neighborhoods better for those animals.
Thank you to my book agent @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social & the folks at Storey for believing in this book!
November 20, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Big news: I’m writing a book!!
I’ll be writing & illustrating a beginner’s guide to appreciating wildlife in cities/suburbs, & how all of us can make our neighborhoods better for those animals.
Thank you to my book agent @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social & the folks at Storey for believing in this book!
I’ll be writing & illustrating a beginner’s guide to appreciating wildlife in cities/suburbs, & how all of us can make our neighborhoods better for those animals.
Thank you to my book agent @ericsmithrocks.bsky.social & the folks at Storey for believing in this book!
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Bill Cassidy should be required to have this shit framed and hung where he can see it every time he sits at his desk
this is the bargain you made, asshole
you knew better and you did this to the rest of us anyway
this is the bargain you made, asshole
you knew better and you did this to the rest of us anyway
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 4:23 AM
Bill Cassidy should be required to have this shit framed and hung where he can see it every time he sits at his desk
this is the bargain you made, asshole
you knew better and you did this to the rest of us anyway
this is the bargain you made, asshole
you knew better and you did this to the rest of us anyway
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Yes, Trump is an extraordinary pathology in American politics. But it’s run-of-the-mill GOP politicians who have empowered RFK Jr to kill innumerable children with his lunacy.
Trump has murdered at least 83 people with extrajudicial military strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats.
He needs to face consequences for this.
His secretary of DHHS, RFK Jr., will kill several orders of magnitude more with this disinformation.
He needs to face consequences for this.
His secretary of DHHS, RFK Jr., will kill several orders of magnitude more with this disinformation.
This is completely disgusting. Today, the CDC updated their vaccine safety page. It now says:
“The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”.
“The claim "vaccines do not cause autism" is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism”.
November 20, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Yes, Trump is an extraordinary pathology in American politics. But it’s run-of-the-mill GOP politicians who have empowered RFK Jr to kill innumerable children with his lunacy.
Reposted by Josh Knecht
the nuzzi story is fun and all but at the center of it is the elevation of a man who has dedicated his life to making children catch preventable diseases to a position where he can enact harm at enormous scale
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 3:19 AM
the nuzzi story is fun and all but at the center of it is the elevation of a man who has dedicated his life to making children catch preventable diseases to a position where he can enact harm at enormous scale
Reposted by Josh Knecht
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 2:26 AM
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Reposted by Josh Knecht
The only way to understand this is to realize that they are eugenicists.
To Survive the Next Pandemic, Walk More, the NIH Says
The agency is picking up Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s argument that a healthy immune system can keep even pandemic germs at bay.
www.theatlantic.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The only way to understand this is to realize that they are eugenicists.
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Climate and hybridization shape #stomatal trait evolution in #Populus
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Zavala-Paez et al.
@WileyPlantSci @michellezavala.bsky.social @jillahamilton.bsky.social
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Zavala-Paez et al.
@WileyPlantSci @michellezavala.bsky.social @jillahamilton.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Climate and hybridization shape #stomatal trait evolution in #Populus
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Zavala-Paez et al.
@WileyPlantSci @michellezavala.bsky.social @jillahamilton.bsky.social
📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Zavala-Paez et al.
@WileyPlantSci @michellezavala.bsky.social @jillahamilton.bsky.social
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Would be nice to see just once in his life John Roberts getting what he deserves rather than what he wants
Texas getting its gerrymander blocked while California and Virginia eliminate 8-9 Republican seats would be a stupendous, comical outcome.
"But when the Trump Administration reframed its request as a demand to redistrict congressional seats based on their racial makeup, Texas lawmakers immediately jumped on board."
— Trump appointee Jeffrey V. Brown, writing for a 3-judge panel storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
— Trump appointee Jeffrey V. Brown, writing for a 3-judge panel storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
November 18, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Would be nice to see just once in his life John Roberts getting what he deserves rather than what he wants
Reposted by Josh Knecht
I mean, look, I'm not a reporter, so who am I to talk?
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
November 18, 2025 at 5:26 PM
I mean, look, I'm not a reporter, so who am I to talk?
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
But on a day where the president both just called a woman reporter "Piggy" and is celebrating someone who had people bone saw apart one of my colleagues, I might just be a little ready to defend my colleagues and profession.
But that's just me
Reposted by Josh Knecht
After much deliberation and a grueling interview process, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a new job and will not need any financial support from my parents to cover the high costs of childcare going forward. #AmericanDream #ThisIsYourCity
November 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
After much deliberation and a grueling interview process, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a new job and will not need any financial support from my parents to cover the high costs of childcare going forward. #AmericanDream #ThisIsYourCity
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Everything that actually made America great is being destroyed
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
Lowell Observatory slashes research funding in the midst of financial struggle
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Everything that actually made America great is being destroyed
Reposted by Josh Knecht
the Post is just fully and utterly cooked, huh
You guys realize that taxing people to pay for services isn't socialism, right? This is just how governments work.
November 17, 2025 at 2:21 PM
the Post is just fully and utterly cooked, huh
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Just because an LLM can give you an output that’s not immediately and obviously wrong doesn’t mean it is a USEFUL or correct output
I think we need to spend a LOT more time thinking about whether the lack of trust/verification of these outputs is a dealbreaker
(I’d guess…it is)
I think we need to spend a LOT more time thinking about whether the lack of trust/verification of these outputs is a dealbreaker
(I’d guess…it is)
a man in a white shirt is standing in front of a pink fence
ALT: a man in a white shirt is standing in front of a pink fence
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:27 AM
Just because an LLM can give you an output that’s not immediately and obviously wrong doesn’t mean it is a USEFUL or correct output
I think we need to spend a LOT more time thinking about whether the lack of trust/verification of these outputs is a dealbreaker
(I’d guess…it is)
I think we need to spend a LOT more time thinking about whether the lack of trust/verification of these outputs is a dealbreaker
(I’d guess…it is)
Reposted by Josh Knecht
THAT INCREASE IN PRECISION OF YOUR ESTIMATE COMES AT THE COST OF MORE ASSUMPTIONS AND/OR OUTSIDE INFORMATION.
MAKE SURE THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ARE GOOD!!!
#pikasShoutStats
MAKE SURE THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ARE GOOD!!!
#pikasShoutStats
a small animal is yawning on a rock
Alt: a small pika is shouting on a rock
media.tenor.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:30 AM
THAT INCREASE IN PRECISION OF YOUR ESTIMATE COMES AT THE COST OF MORE ASSUMPTIONS AND/OR OUTSIDE INFORMATION.
MAKE SURE THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ARE GOOD!!!
#pikasShoutStats
MAKE SURE THOSE ASSUMPTIONS ARE GOOD!!!
#pikasShoutStats
Reposted by Josh Knecht
Congratulations to @michellezavala.bsky.social on the publication of one of her PhD. This research builds on #NSF-funded #PopUpPoplar research using WGS and replicate common gardens to understand how climate and hybridization influence stomata evolution
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Climate and hybridization shape stomatal trait evolution in Populus
Stomata play a critical role in regulating plant responses to climate. Where sister species differ in stomatal traits, interspecific gene flow can influence the evolutionary trajectory of trait vari...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Congratulations to @michellezavala.bsky.social on the publication of one of her PhD. This research builds on #NSF-funded #PopUpPoplar research using WGS and replicate common gardens to understand how climate and hybridization influence stomata evolution
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Josh Knecht
i remain shocked at just how badly elite higher ed admins have stewarded universities. these presidents and chancellors and provosts, supposedly accomplished people, have collectively overseen a staggering nationwide collapse in every respect.
One reason why elite schools (Columbia, Brown, Cornell) caving to Trump’s illegal impoundment and extortion is so galling — a betrayal, really — is that they would have won had they fought. By giving up, they guaranteed every other school will have to fight harder.
Judge bars Trump from immediately cutting funding to the University of California | CNN Politics
The Trump administration cannot immediately cut federal funding to the University of California or issue fines against the school system over claims it allows antisemitism or other forms of discrimina...
www.cnn.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:24 PM
i remain shocked at just how badly elite higher ed admins have stewarded universities. these presidents and chancellors and provosts, supposedly accomplished people, have collectively overseen a staggering nationwide collapse in every respect.