Stuart McDaniel
@stuartmcdaniel.bsky.social
Professor of Biology at UF; evolutionary genetics, mostly of bryophytes, with a side of tundra ecology
Florida’s population grew last year, over 196k, but ~88% came from abroad.
Fewer Americans are moving to #Florida, which means our Ponzi-like economy is sputtering. www.axios.com/local/tampa-... via @axios.com
Fewer Americans moved to Florida in 2025
The pandemic-era migration boom that transformed Florida's politics and housing market has cratered.
www.axios.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Florida’s population grew last year, over 196k, but ~88% came from abroad.
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
Disturbingly detailed analysis of my first rewatch incoming
February 9, 2026 at 2:30 AM
Disturbingly detailed analysis of my first rewatch incoming
This is a great thread on feeding yourself
Now comes the first resource:
Good and Cheap.
A book that's designed for incredibly tight budgets, and time constraints.
It's not just recipes, but how to shop, how to portion, and how to turn leftovers into new meals. It's a lifesaver. And it's free if you sign up for the author's newsletter.
Good and Cheap.
A book that's designed for incredibly tight budgets, and time constraints.
It's not just recipes, but how to shop, how to portion, and how to turn leftovers into new meals. It's a lifesaver. And it's free if you sign up for the author's newsletter.
Good and Cheap
All About Good and Cheap
Good and Cheap is a cookbook for people with very tight budgets, particularly those on SNAP/Food Stamps benefits. The PDF is free (ahora en Español!) when you sign up for my...
leannebrown.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:50 PM
This is a great thread on feeding yourself
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
Reposting again because according to Reddit threads, another round of RWR emails went out today.
NSF GRFP applicants (and mentors): Was your application Returned Without Review and deemed ineligible despite fitting in the allowed topics?
1) Write NSF
2) Write your Congressperson
3) CC us at grfp@grant-witness.us so we can compile + follow up
Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter
1) Write NSF
2) Write your Congressperson
3) CC us at grfp@grant-witness.us so we can compile + follow up
Details and template at grant-witness.us/grfp-letter
February 4, 2026 at 10:39 PM
Reposting again because according to Reddit threads, another round of RWR emails went out today.
Prob 20% of my feed used to be academics stressed about writing, but 100% of them would endorse this sentiment.
They just don’t get it - they’re trying to replace the part of our job we like the *most*.
If they could make an AI tool to vibe-complete travel, reimbursement, and annual reporting paperwork they would make a fucking FORTUNE
If they could make an AI tool to vibe-complete travel, reimbursement, and annual reporting paperwork they would make a fucking FORTUNE
January 27, 2026 at 11:52 PM
Prob 20% of my feed used to be academics stressed about writing, but 100% of them would endorse this sentiment.
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
They just don’t get it - they’re trying to replace the part of our job we like the *most*.
If they could make an AI tool to vibe-complete travel, reimbursement, and annual reporting paperwork they would make a fucking FORTUNE
If they could make an AI tool to vibe-complete travel, reimbursement, and annual reporting paperwork they would make a fucking FORTUNE
January 27, 2026 at 11:46 PM
They just don’t get it - they’re trying to replace the part of our job we like the *most*.
If they could make an AI tool to vibe-complete travel, reimbursement, and annual reporting paperwork they would make a fucking FORTUNE
If they could make an AI tool to vibe-complete travel, reimbursement, and annual reporting paperwork they would make a fucking FORTUNE
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
“At NSF, the net reduction of 205 STEM Ph.D.s between 1 January and 30 November constituted 40% of its total pre-Trump Ph.D. workforce of 517, by far the largest percentage at any agency. STEM Ph.D.s also make up a larger percentage of the total workforce at NSF than at any other agency…”.
The US government lost more than 10,000 STEM PhDs last year, according to an analysis by Science of newly released OPM data, with 11 departures for every hire. And many OPM calls "voluntary" separations were probably pushed. www.science.org/content/arti...
U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office
A Science analysis reveals how many were fired, retired, or quit across 14 agencies
www.science.org
January 27, 2026 at 11:37 AM
“At NSF, the net reduction of 205 STEM Ph.D.s between 1 January and 30 November constituted 40% of its total pre-Trump Ph.D. workforce of 517, by far the largest percentage at any agency. STEM Ph.D.s also make up a larger percentage of the total workforce at NSF than at any other agency…”.
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
January 18, 2026 at 2:00 AM
The National Science Foundation sign on our Eisenhower Av building is now gone.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
The NSF mural in the foyer is removed and torn off in sheets.
We were supposed to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the agency in May 2025. That never happened.
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
Come work with us! We are seeking a tenure-track botanist, preferably in the areas of non-vascular, systematics, physiology or cell. Happy to answer questions.
unbc.njoyn.com/CL/xweb/xweb...
🧪🌱 #botany
unbc.njoyn.com/CL/xweb/xweb...
🧪🌱 #botany
January 16, 2026 at 11:30 PM
Come work with us! We are seeking a tenure-track botanist, preferably in the areas of non-vascular, systematics, physiology or cell. Happy to answer questions.
unbc.njoyn.com/CL/xweb/xweb...
🧪🌱 #botany
unbc.njoyn.com/CL/xweb/xweb...
🧪🌱 #botany
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
Applications for 2026 Botany Travel Awards to support the resident study of collections in the United States National Herbarium are due on 15 February. This year, awards will
be for six weeks, with a stipend of $6,000! For more information, please visit: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...
be for six weeks, with a stipend of $6,000! For more information, please visit: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...
Opportunities
naturalhistory.si.edu
January 16, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Applications for 2026 Botany Travel Awards to support the resident study of collections in the United States National Herbarium are due on 15 February. This year, awards will
be for six weeks, with a stipend of $6,000! For more information, please visit: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...
be for six weeks, with a stipend of $6,000! For more information, please visit: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...
This whole thread on the enormous influence of the wellness industry is eye opening, but the links to eugenics really struck a chord with me
This industry has been essential to the rise of American fascism. It helped rewrite the history of COVID after Biden’s election and it’s fully enmeshed itself in MAGA with Kennedy’s MAHA movement.
Its promise of hackable health fits neatly into the eugenicist worldview. Call it a modern iteration.
Its promise of hackable health fits neatly into the eugenicist worldview. Call it a modern iteration.
January 14, 2026 at 12:38 PM
This whole thread on the enormous influence of the wellness industry is eye opening, but the links to eugenics really struck a chord with me
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
Read more about this story on Botany One: botany.one/2026/01/we-h...
5/6
5/6
We Have 3,500 Plant Collections But Isolation Holds Them Back
Behind every plant label in a botanic garden lies a hidden data crisis, one that could determine which species survive the twenty-first century.
botany.one
January 12, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Read more about this story on Botany One: botany.one/2026/01/we-h...
5/6
5/6
Cool thread on the early evolution of land plant vascular tissue
✨ Paper spotlight ✨
(🧵 1/7) Transfer cells in Horneophyton lignieri illuminate the origin of vascular tissues in land plants.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
(🧵 1/7) Transfer cells in Horneophyton lignieri illuminate the origin of vascular tissues in land plants.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
January 5, 2026 at 1:57 PM
Cool thread on the early evolution of land plant vascular tissue
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
You can be forgiven when you overlook moss as a clue to solve a crime. Over the last 150 years researchers found only elven in the scientific literature reported cases. But these tiny plants can give you important clues about where somebody or somewhat has been. 🧵1/5
Image credit: Field Museum
Image credit: Field Museum
January 5, 2026 at 1:06 PM
You can be forgiven when you overlook moss as a clue to solve a crime. Over the last 150 years researchers found only elven in the scientific literature reported cases. But these tiny plants can give you important clues about where somebody or somewhat has been. 🧵1/5
Image credit: Field Museum
Image credit: Field Museum
I scrolled straight to the end to find Florida
California sober: No alcohol or drugs except marijuana
New York sober: No alcohol or drugs except cocaine
Maine sober: No addictive drugs except lobster rolls
New York sober: No alcohol or drugs except cocaine
Maine sober: No addictive drugs except lobster rolls
Local Alternatives to “California Sober”
California sober: No alcohol or drugs except marijuana New York sober: No alcohol or drugs except cocaine Kentucky sober: No alcohol or drugs excep...
buff.ly
January 4, 2026 at 4:08 PM
I scrolled straight to the end to find Florida
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Opinion | One of America’s Most Successful Experiments Is Coming to a Shuddering Halt
www.nytimes.com
December 31, 2025 at 5:07 AM
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/29/o...
Hector and Harold enjoying some Christmas Eve grapes and lettuce
December 24, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Hector and Harold enjoying some Christmas Eve grapes and lettuce
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
There are some magic little lands out there in the world.
December 24, 2025 at 12:02 AM
There are some magic little lands out there in the world.
This exercise has some great questions to ask students in class that expose some very common misconceptions
I also use cards, but start with random mating (to show how starting from an unshuffled deck ->HWE), then start with non-random mating, then drift/migration, and finally selection (last, because otherwise everyone forgets the other forces)
thelonglab.blogspot.com/2018/01/teac...
thelonglab.blogspot.com/2018/01/teac...
Teaching Hardy-Weinberg & Population Genetics using playing cards
In-Class Population Genetics Exercise (note that this exercise will take more than one class to complete: at the end of 1 st class...
thelonglab.blogspot.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:39 PM
This exercise has some great questions to ask students in class that expose some very common misconceptions
This is a pretty digestible assessment of where EVs are great and their future in the US
"The Prius is never going to look threatening"
The Bizarre Logic of the F-150 Lightning
YouTube video by Hank Green
www.youtube.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
This is a pretty digestible assessment of where EVs are great and their future in the US
Great thread on ret-conning obamas energy strategy and data on fossil fuel economics over the past two decades
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Great thread on ret-conning obamas energy strategy and data on fossil fuel economics over the past two decades
The one that works for me:
- a million seconds is ~11.5 days
- a billion seconds is ~31.7 years
- a trillion seconds is ~31,700 years
Big difference
- a million seconds is ~11.5 days
- a billion seconds is ~31.7 years
- a trillion seconds is ~31,700 years
Big difference
If people could just intuitively understand the difference between a million, a billion, and a trillion, we’d all be better off.
That applies to dollars. To tons of carbon. And so on.
Math. It matters.
That applies to dollars. To tons of carbon. And so on.
Math. It matters.
December 19, 2025 at 10:22 PM
The one that works for me:
- a million seconds is ~11.5 days
- a billion seconds is ~31.7 years
- a trillion seconds is ~31,700 years
Big difference
- a million seconds is ~11.5 days
- a billion seconds is ~31.7 years
- a trillion seconds is ~31,700 years
Big difference
Reposted by Stuart McDaniel
everything about this image is a marvel.
December 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
everything about this image is a marvel.