Prof. Sharlene Santana
@sesantana.bsky.social
Professor at UW Biology| Mammal Curator at the Burke Museum | Fulbright alumna | Living at the intersections | 🇻🇪🇺🇸 | She/her; Ella | 🦇
Lab: https://faculty.washington.edu/ssantana/wordpress/
Lab: https://faculty.washington.edu/ssantana/wordpress/
🚨🦇New paper alert! We integrate information across fields to highlight key traits associated with the diversification of #bats, their roles as evolutionary drivers, and their importance to global ecosystems:
An Integrative Perspective on Bat Evolution
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
An Integrative Perspective on Bat Evolution
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
An Integrative Perspective on Bat Evolution
Bats are one of the most widespread, species-rich, ecologically and morphologically diverse mammal lineages, and the only mammals capable of powered flight. Due to their evolution within the constrain...
www.annualreviews.org
November 7, 2025 at 5:36 PM
🚨🦇New paper alert! We integrate information across fields to highlight key traits associated with the diversification of #bats, their roles as evolutionary drivers, and their importance to global ecosystems:
An Integrative Perspective on Bat Evolution
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
An Integrative Perspective on Bat Evolution
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
🚨Call for proposals for Collection Study Grants at the @burkemuseum.bsky.social!! Open to grad students and postdocs for collections-based research, including cross-disciplinary projects. Applications are due December 15, 2025. More information:
www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Collections Study Grants
Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (UWBM).
www.burkemuseum.org
October 24, 2025 at 11:01 PM
🚨Call for proposals for Collection Study Grants at the @burkemuseum.bsky.social!! Open to grad students and postdocs for collections-based research, including cross-disciplinary projects. Applications are due December 15, 2025. More information:
www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Probably more than you ever wanted to know about #bat turbinals, in our most recent paper – check it out!
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Functional microanatomy of nasal turbinals in bats
Iodine-enhanced micro-CT (diceCT) scanning allows visualization of whole bat heads (a, showing Anoura geoffroyi) as well as internal structures such as nasal turbinals, including their mucosal coveri...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 8, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Probably more than you ever wanted to know about #bat turbinals, in our most recent paper – check it out!
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
The #DireWolf is the talk of the town right now! But what exactly were these Ice Age predators? Alf Museum curator and dire wolf researcher explains! #FossilFriday
April 12, 2025 at 2:31 AM
The #DireWolf is the talk of the town right now! But what exactly were these Ice Age predators? Alf Museum curator and dire wolf researcher explains! #FossilFriday
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Inside me there are two wolves. One of them has a 15 genome edits the other 20 genome edits. Neither of them is a dire wolf.
April 8, 2025 at 1:56 PM
Inside me there are two wolves. One of them has a 15 genome edits the other 20 genome edits. Neither of them is a dire wolf.
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
🚨This week, many Columbia scientists lost grants that funded over half their annual income. Others will no longer be able to do research that helps treat thousands of sick patients across the US.
"It hurts," they told me.
My story for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"It hurts," they told me.
My story for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘My career is over’: Columbia University scientists hit hard by Trump team’s cuts
The US government has begun slashing US$400 million in research grants at Columbia University over pro-Palestinian campus protests.
www.nature.com
March 14, 2025 at 5:11 PM
🚨This week, many Columbia scientists lost grants that funded over half their annual income. Others will no longer be able to do research that helps treat thousands of sick patients across the US.
"It hurts," they told me.
My story for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"It hurts," they told me.
My story for @nature.com 🧪
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Devastating to hear from disappointed undergrads about all the summer programs being cut. NSF, NIH, and the complete cancelation of Mosaics in Science national park internship program focused on broadening participation. NSF REUs were crucial to my start in science www.science.org/content/arti...
NSF downsizes summer research program for undergraduates
Many participants are from groups underrepresented in science
www.science.org
March 6, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Devastating to hear from disappointed undergrads about all the summer programs being cut. NSF, NIH, and the complete cancelation of Mosaics in Science national park internship program focused on broadening participation. NSF REUs were crucial to my start in science www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Remarkable thread offering guidance to current and prospective NSF grantees about how to navigate the times ahead — from an NSF program officer who was fired in yesterday's DOGE purge (!)
Upon learning that yesterday would be my last day as a program officer at the National Science Foundation, I shared this parting message with my colleagues. The next few months will be frenetic and stressful for them. Here are some things that you can do to help them with the mission ahead. (1)
February 20, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Remarkable thread offering guidance to current and prospective NSF grantees about how to navigate the times ahead — from an NSF program officer who was fired in yesterday's DOGE purge (!)
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Please repost this government led survey to get this into every fired government employees hands! 🧪 democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings
Were you fired by President Trump? | House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology
democrats-science.house.gov
February 19, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Please repost this government led survey to get this into every fired government employees hands! 🧪 democrats-science.house.gov/sciencefirings
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
The National Science Foundation fired 168 workers today.
The NSF was established by Congress to promote science, advance public health and contribute to the national defense.
@bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The NSF was established by Congress to promote science, advance public health and contribute to the national defense.
@bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
National Science Foundation Fires 168 Workers on Trump’s Order
The National Science Foundation fired 168 workers to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order, the latest in a series of layoffs throughout the US government as the Trump administration se...
www.bloomberg.com
February 18, 2025 at 5:24 PM
The National Science Foundation fired 168 workers today.
The NSF was established by Congress to promote science, advance public health and contribute to the national defense.
@bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
The NSF was established by Congress to promote science, advance public health and contribute to the national defense.
@bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Heartbreaking news… Tonight, many of our friends were let go, and tomorrow, even more will follow. Word is that all probationary employees at NPS will be let go. 😭
February 14, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Heartbreaking news… Tonight, many of our friends were let go, and tomorrow, even more will follow. Word is that all probationary employees at NPS will be let go. 😭
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
NIH doesn’t just support infectious disease research—it drives breakthroughs in cancer, childhood diseases, heart disease, diabetes & more.
Thanks to NIH, we have:
💉 Cancer immunotherapy
❤️ Cholesterol-lowering statins
🩸 Insulin for diabetes
Investing in NIH = investing in life-saving discoveries.
Thanks to NIH, we have:
💉 Cancer immunotherapy
❤️ Cholesterol-lowering statins
🩸 Insulin for diabetes
Investing in NIH = investing in life-saving discoveries.
February 8, 2025 at 3:07 PM
NIH doesn’t just support infectious disease research—it drives breakthroughs in cancer, childhood diseases, heart disease, diabetes & more.
Thanks to NIH, we have:
💉 Cancer immunotherapy
❤️ Cholesterol-lowering statins
🩸 Insulin for diabetes
Investing in NIH = investing in life-saving discoveries.
Thanks to NIH, we have:
💉 Cancer immunotherapy
❤️ Cholesterol-lowering statins
🩸 Insulin for diabetes
Investing in NIH = investing in life-saving discoveries.
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Welcome, Dr. Jones, to the University of Washington as our 34rd President.
Robert J. Jones named 34th president of the University of Washington
The University of Washington Board of Regents on Monday announced that Robert J. Jones, who is currently concluding a nine-year tenure as Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has...
www.washington.edu
February 3, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Welcome, Dr. Jones, to the University of Washington as our 34rd President.
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
New, NSF-supported research: Emergent network properties link phenotypic modules to ecomorphological divergence in carnivoran mammals doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
Also, check out the beautiful original artwork made by one of the co-authors for this study:
Also, check out the beautiful original artwork made by one of the co-authors for this study:
February 3, 2025 at 5:49 PM
New, NSF-supported research: Emergent network properties link phenotypic modules to ecomorphological divergence in carnivoran mammals doi.org/10.1016/j.is...
Also, check out the beautiful original artwork made by one of the co-authors for this study:
Also, check out the beautiful original artwork made by one of the co-authors for this study:
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
🚨 FINALLY OUT IN @Nature.
A tour de force effort. 🦇 10 new bat genomes, excess of immune gene adaptations, species specific adaptations in ISG15, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of bat ISG15. @hillermich.bsky.social @batresearch.bsky.social #LZCI #Bat1K
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A tour de force effort. 🦇 10 new bat genomes, excess of immune gene adaptations, species specific adaptations in ISG15, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of bat ISG15. @hillermich.bsky.social @batresearch.bsky.social #LZCI #Bat1K
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Bat genomes illuminate adaptations to viral tolerance and disease resistance - Nature
A systematic analysis of 115 mammalian genomes, including 10 new bat genomes, reveals prevalent positive selection in immune genes in bats and shows key adaptations in the antiviral gene ISG15 that ai...
www.nature.com
January 29, 2025 at 4:14 PM
🚨 FINALLY OUT IN @Nature.
A tour de force effort. 🦇 10 new bat genomes, excess of immune gene adaptations, species specific adaptations in ISG15, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of bat ISG15. @hillermich.bsky.social @batresearch.bsky.social #LZCI #Bat1K
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A tour de force effort. 🦇 10 new bat genomes, excess of immune gene adaptations, species specific adaptations in ISG15, and anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of bat ISG15. @hillermich.bsky.social @batresearch.bsky.social #LZCI #Bat1K
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
IOB now in issue !
The Carnivoran #Adaptive Landscape Reveals Trade-offs among Functional Traits in the Skull, Appendicular, and Axial #Skeleton
Chris J Law, L J Hlusko, Z J Tseng
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
#science #fossils #analysis #carnivores #ecology #topology #locomotor #mammalian
The Carnivoran #Adaptive Landscape Reveals Trade-offs among Functional Traits in the Skull, Appendicular, and Axial #Skeleton
Chris J Law, L J Hlusko, Z J Tseng
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
#science #fossils #analysis #carnivores #ecology #topology #locomotor #mammalian
January 24, 2025 at 1:01 PM
IOB now in issue !
The Carnivoran #Adaptive Landscape Reveals Trade-offs among Functional Traits in the Skull, Appendicular, and Axial #Skeleton
Chris J Law, L J Hlusko, Z J Tseng
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
#science #fossils #analysis #carnivores #ecology #topology #locomotor #mammalian
The Carnivoran #Adaptive Landscape Reveals Trade-offs among Functional Traits in the Skull, Appendicular, and Axial #Skeleton
Chris J Law, L J Hlusko, Z J Tseng
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
#science #fossils #analysis #carnivores #ecology #topology #locomotor #mammalian
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
One of the most important things you can do today is your science. Knowing calculus/physics/genetics/chemistry etc. makes you rare and the world will need you to rebuild tomorrow. Practice your skills and pass them on. Keep the flame alive.
💚🌱🧪
💚🌱🧪
January 23, 2025 at 12:18 PM
One of the most important things you can do today is your science. Knowing calculus/physics/genetics/chemistry etc. makes you rare and the world will need you to rebuild tomorrow. Practice your skills and pass them on. Keep the flame alive.
💚🌱🧪
💚🌱🧪
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
The NIH Is literally prohibited by law from commenting on the new NIH restrictions. The NIH can't fight this fight for you. Scientists who want to help people, this has to be your fight.
Here is a draft you can use to reach out to your Elected Reps about the devastating impact on NIH:
find them here: www.bioniclab.org/news/nihexec...
find them here: www.bioniclab.org/news/nihexec...
B.I.O.N.I.C. Lab - NIHExecutiveOrder2025
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative (use both home and work
www.bioniclab.org
January 23, 2025 at 3:14 PM
The NIH Is literally prohibited by law from commenting on the new NIH restrictions. The NIH can't fight this fight for you. Scientists who want to help people, this has to be your fight.
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
Morning session, Coal Oil Point.
(If anyone knows who was out there on the morning of Saturday 18th, it would be cool to get it to them.)
(If anyone knows who was out there on the morning of Saturday 18th, it would be cool to get it to them.)
January 21, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Morning session, Coal Oil Point.
(If anyone knows who was out there on the morning of Saturday 18th, it would be cool to get it to them.)
(If anyone knows who was out there on the morning of Saturday 18th, it would be cool to get it to them.)
New paper! A long-ignored type of cartilage cells characterized by large lipid vacuoles is found in several mammalian structures (including #bat 🦇 ears) and may impart them with functional biomechanical properties:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Superstable lipid vacuoles endow cartilage with its shape and biomechanics
Conventionally, the size, shape, and biomechanics of cartilages are determined by their voluminous extracellular matrix. By contrast, we found that multiple murine cartilages consist of lipid-filled c...
www.science.org
January 17, 2025 at 8:04 PM
New paper! A long-ignored type of cartilage cells characterized by large lipid vacuoles is found in several mammalian structures (including #bat 🦇 ears) and may impart them with functional biomechanical properties:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
New 🌱🦇 paper!!👇
led by #loloyohe we use #GJAM to show bat🦇traits influence interactions with pepper plants in a megadiverse system (La Selva, 🇨🇷); while bats partition resources by body size and the largest ones avoid fruits the smallest ones eat 👉🏼 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Frugivore Traits Predict Plant–Frugivore Interactions Using Generalized Joint Attribute Modeling
A Carollia perspicillata bat feeding on a fruit of Piper hispidum. Photo by Marco A. R. Mello (https://marcomellolab.wordpress.com), used with permission.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 17, 2025 at 7:45 PM
New 🌱🦇 paper!!👇
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
🚨😷🧪 NEW: A growing body of evidence shows that pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change are part of a broader polycrisis - but there are no simple solutions. A sweeping overview of "Pathogens and planetary change" for the first issue of @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social, out now 🔓 rdcu.be/d6lHl
January 15, 2025 at 2:16 PM
🚨😷🧪 NEW: A growing body of evidence shows that pandemics, biodiversity loss, and climate change are part of a broader polycrisis - but there are no simple solutions. A sweeping overview of "Pathogens and planetary change" for the first issue of @natrevbiodiv.bsky.social, out now 🔓 rdcu.be/d6lHl
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
I guess I hadn't posted this yet and didn't even know it had come out-- I was interviewed for (and co-wrote w/Daniel Rabosky) a Trends in Ecology & Evolution "TrendsTalk" article on "Disability in ecology and evolution" -- www.cell.com/trends/ecolo... #DisabledInSTEM #academicchatter #academia
Disability in ecology and evolution
In this TrendsTalk series ‘Disability in ecology and evolution’ in Trends in Ecology
& Evolution, we will be hearing from people about their experiences being disabled
or having a chronic condition an...
www.cell.com
January 13, 2025 at 1:41 PM
I guess I hadn't posted this yet and didn't even know it had come out-- I was interviewed for (and co-wrote w/Daniel Rabosky) a Trends in Ecology & Evolution "TrendsTalk" article on "Disability in ecology and evolution" -- www.cell.com/trends/ecolo... #DisabledInSTEM #academicchatter #academia
This 👇
1. From morning EST to evening PST, I receive an email roughly once every three minutes. Overnight the pace slows, but not all that much. If I did nothing but read email and reply 12 hours a day I could probably keep up.
A once-wonderful productivity technology is killing any hope of productivity.
A once-wonderful productivity technology is killing any hope of productivity.
January 10, 2025 at 5:25 PM
This 👇
Reposted by Prof. Sharlene Santana
I am a climate scientist and this is correct ⬇️
Occasional reminder that there’s no, “it’s too late, its over” for anthropogenic climate change. Every molecule of CO2 that doesn’t go into the atmosphere makes a difference. Preventing 0.1 degree of warming makes a difference. Every bit of climate resilience we build together makes a difference.
January 9, 2025 at 3:06 AM
I am a climate scientist and this is correct ⬇️