Mónica Medina

@momedinamunoz.bsky.social

4.2K followers 1.3K following 290 posts

Mom. Coral reef scientist and environmentalist. Host-microbe interactions. Anthropocene coral holobionts. Diversity in STEM advocate. Former fencer. Diver. Sailor wannabe. medinalab.org, redcientificacol.org 🇨🇴, diversifyoceansciences.org, spawnwatch.org .. more

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Mónica Medina is a professor of organismal biology at the Pennsylvania State University. She is known for environmental activism, such as fighting to protect Varadero Reef, and her research on the ecology and evolution of symbiosis by studying the relationships between cnidarian, endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, and other microbes. .. more

Environmental science 47%

Biology 19%

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Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 7d

A last reminder that the deadline (Dec 1) for abstract submissions is fast approaching for our session on Art as Catalyst in Coral Conservation, at the International Coral Reef Symposium to be held in Auckland, New Zealand July 19-24, 2026🧪🪸🌎🌊🧬🌐🐙🌿🦠🌿

Reefs reimagined: Art as a catalyst in coral conservation session at ICRS. Call for abstracts. Deadline December 1, 2025

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 2d

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Reposted by Mónica Medina

Raúl González-Pech (he/him) @raulgoch.bsky.social · 2d

🚨Last week to submit your #ICRS2026 abstract!
Consider submitting to session 124:

🪸Reefs through time⌛
Leveraging today's interdisciplinary tools to better understand the past of reef organisms and ecosystems.

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 5d

🧪🌎🌊🪸

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Dr. Diana Beltrán @drdianabeltranr.bsky.social · 6d

Opsin genes drive speciation in corals. New paper by Matias Gómez and Carlos Prada shows divergence in G-Protein coupled Receptors such as Opsins drive the formation of new species across depths. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Speciation across depth gradients in reef corals

Nature Communications - Here, the authors explore mechanisms associated with common depth distributions in sister lineages of corals. They document sequence divergence for proteins related to...

www.nature.com

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 6d

🧪🌎🧬🪸🌊

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Jaweed Kaleem @jaweedkaleem.bsky.social · 11d

In a major win for UC faculty groups and unions that sued, a federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump from imposing a $1.2-billion fine on UCLA along with stipulations for deep campus changes in exchange for being eligible for federal grants: www.latimes.com/california/s...

Judge blocks Trump administration push to fine UCLA $1.2 billion for alleged antisemitism

A federal judge late Friday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from imposing a $1.2-billion fine on UCLA for alleged civil rights violations over antisemitism, its recog...

www.latimes.com

Reposted by Gavin A. Schmidt, Mónica Medina

David Weiskopf believes in you @dave.bzky.team · 12d

"With the US government’s stance on climate change best summed up as “Make it worse, faster,” somebody’s got to fill the void."

@clicabedu.bsky.social walks state and local policymakers through the many tools they have.

Today in @bloomberglp.bsky.social by @markgongloff.bsky.social (Gift link)

How to Fill the Climate Void Left by the White House

Regardless of your party affiliation, it was hard to feel too jazzed about California Governor Gavin Newsom representing the US at the COP30 climate talks in Belem, Brazil. Democrats will grouse that ...

www.bloomberg.com

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 17d

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Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 17d

The trip was a beam of sunshine that re-energized me to keep going through these rough times!! Thanks for the invite!!

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 19d

Visited U. of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 and learned about all the research possibilities it provides! We can do long term controlled experiments in multiple biomes, possibly including bringing our beloved Upside-down Jellies to their coral reef and mangrove habitats for manipulation!! 🌎🧪🪼🪸🦠🧬

View of Biosphere 2’s ocean biome from the original kitchen

View of Biosphere 2 from the modern housing quarters

Reposted by Mónica Medina, Rebecca Tushnet, Juanjo Medina

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 19d

Did you know a former White House climate advisor flipped a GOP stronghold in Virginia by running entirely on putting a stop to more AI data centers?

For @heatmap.news I profiled John McAuliff and a campaign that will be a roadmap for all future anti-AI politicians moving forward.

This Virginia Election Was a Warning for Data Centers

John McAuliff ran his campaign almost entirely on data centers — and won.

heatmap.news

Reposted by Mónica Medina

John Hawks @johnhawks.net · 19d

A nice story in @science.org this week about the collaboration between archaeologists and Kuikuro people in Brazil, which has been central to uncovering evidence of social complexity in the Amazon region more than 600 years ago.

www.science.org/content/arti...

To unearth their past, Amazonian people turn to ‘a language white men understand’

A model partnership between archaeologists and the Kuikuro people has helped rewrite the history of early Amazonian societies

www.science.org

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 20d

A reminder that abstract submissions for the Reefs Reimagined session at the International Coral Reef Symposium (July 19-24, 2026) in New Zealand is coming up December 1st, 2025.
🧪🪸🌎🌐🐙🐡🌊

A reminder that abstract submissions for the Reefs Reimagine session for the Reefs Reimagined session at ICRS (July 19-24, 2026) in New Zealand is coming up December 1st, 2025.

Reposted by Mónica Medina

We Don't Have Time @wedonthavetime.bsky.social · 23d

Donald Trump just thanked Bill Gates for “admitting he was wrong about the climate crisis.” — should we listen to the tech bros or the scientists? Watch👇 and judge for yourself!

Share this video
if you think it’s time
to listen to the scientists
instead of the tech bros.

youtu.be/NLM0oaPXmBQ

Should we listen to the tech bros or the scientists?

YouTube video by We Don't Have Time

youtu.be

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · 26d

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Reposted by Mónica Medina

Lorenzo Alvarez-Filip @lalvarezfilip.bsky.social · Oct 27

The 2023 marine heatwave was devastating for Caribbean reefs; in this study, we report full mortality of over 5,000 Acropora palmata colonies across a reef scale. What is worrisome is that nearly 70% of reef crests across the Caribbean faced equal or higher levels of stress doi.org/10.1016/j.is...

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · Oct 27

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Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · Oct 27

THANK YOU for making us feel at home!! it was such a wonderful meeting! I hope we do this again!!

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · Oct 27

Please join us in this uplifting and inspiring session bringing Art and Science together at the upcoming International Coral Reef Symposium in Auckland, New Zealand, July 19-24 2026. See you all there! Fighting to save reefs through Art!🧪🪸🧬🌎🌊🐙🦠🌿

Advert for Art and Science session at upcoming ICRS in Auckland New Zealand. July 19-24 2026. Abstract deadline December 1, 2025.

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Sensory Ecology Lab @sensoryecology.bsky.social · Oct 26

“… fermentation in the civet’s innards does add a little something extra to the coffee’s flavor, including amping up the fat content and the concentrations of certain aromatic compounds”.

#scicomm

www.sciencenews.org/article/coff...
🧪 🦊

Coffee beans pooped out by civets really are tastier. Here's why

Pricey civet coffee gets its cred from its journey through the mammal’s gut, which changes the content of fat, protein, fatty acids — and even caffeine.

www.sciencenews.org

Reposted by Rob Marchant, Gavin L. Foster, Mónica Medina

Ian Hall @ianhall.bsky.social · Oct 25

🌊 Marine heatwave leaves critical Florida corals "functionally extinct"

Following the record-breaking 2023 marine heatwave and the ninth mass coral bleaching, staghorn and elkhorn corals have dwindled to populations too small to reproduce

oceanographicmagazine.com/news/marine-...

Marine heatwave leaves critical Florida corals "functionally extinct" - Oceanographic

Following a record-breaking marine heatwave in 2023 Florida's critical staghorn and elkhorn corals have been left 'functionally extinct.'

oceanographicmagazine.com

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · Oct 17

Pandas, snow leopards...and bacteria. A newly formed team of scientists is setting out to conserve the world's diversity of microbes. Here's my story: nyti.ms/47vEfRC

Photo of Grand Prismatic Springs, Yellowstone (home of thermophilic bacteria) Photo by Mike Goad https://flic.kr/p/Gm8fZc

Reposted by Mónica Medina

mpfrancino.bsky.social @mpfrancino.bsky.social · Oct 14

Dear friends,

I'd like to share with you that there is still time to register for the exciting congress on Microbial Pangenomes in One Health we are oganizing in Valencia this 4-5 of December!

Don't miss it!! Check out our webpage below for all the details.
www.alocongress.com/pangenome2025

PANGENOME2025

The biology of prokaryotic cells is directly dependent on the differential gene pools that characterize each cell or strain. This has been a fundamental aspect of epidemiology for delimiting outbreaks...

www.alocongress.com

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Peter Kenny @pwk2024.bsky.social · Oct 14

Opportunity for staff scientist in genomics at EMBL-EBI (Hinxton Cambridgeshire UK) ref: JR2425 | duration: 3 years renewable to maximum of 9 years | closing: 08-Nov-2025 #bioinformatics #CompBiol #ML 🧪
embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/EMBL/j...

Staff Scientist

About EMBL-EBI EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute is a data powerhouse, utilised on a global scale to advance scientific discovery through bioinformatics and solutions to some of the world’s mos...

embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com

Reposted by Jesse R. Lasky

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · Oct 14

Join our session to discuss the role of art in coral reef conservation at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Auckland, New Zealand July 19-24, 2026. Abstract deadline Dec 1, 2025. 🧪🪸🌎🌊🧬🌐🌿🐡🐙

Call for abstracts Reefs Reimagined: Art and Reefs. International Coral Reef Symposium July 19-24, 2026. Submission deadline Dec 1, 2025.

Reposted by Mónica Medina

eLife @elife.bsky.social · Oct 13

🧪 September’s most-read #Biochemistry paper uncovers a novel way that opsins in coral use a chloride ion to fine-tune light sensing: buff.ly/vqT3Yl9

Have a paper people should see? See what our Editors look for: buff.ly/MPF8zs9

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Colette Delawalla @cdelawalla.bsky.social · Oct 11

I’m a mom.
I’m a scientist.
I’m an activist.

I’m not going to stand by while unqualified, Quack, fringe-ass conspiracy theorists make decisions about my family’s health that is going to kill people.

Join me outside of HHS on 10/16 at 3pm.
@standupforscience.bsky.social

Reposted by Mónica Medina

Liz Neeley @lizneeley.bsky.social · Oct 11

Each Friday, I summarize what is happening to American science & higher ed. 🧪
This was Week 38:
- MIT declines loyalty oath/compact & I review latest at other 8 universities
- Newest RIFs gutting CDC
- “Payroll pirates” targeting university HR

& so much more buttondown.com/liminalcreat...

Week 38

Oct 4-10, 2025 - failure state

buttondown.com

Mónica Medina @momedinamunoz.bsky.social · Oct 7

We examined Oxford Nanopore 16S amplicon sequencing as a tool for recovering marine microbial communities and we are pleased with the results! Check out our preprint 🌎🧪🧬🌊🖥️🦠https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.20.676612v2.abstract

Evaluation of full-length 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing using Oxford Nanopore Technologies for diversity surveys of understudied microbiomes

1. The use of long-read sequencing using portable Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) is becoming increasingly popular in the study of host-associated microbiomes. However, its application has not yet...

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