James Ojascastro
@manila-folder.bsky.social
Papyrologist & ethnobotanist
Field Botany Program Manager, Atlanta Botanical Garden
Field Botany Program Manager, Atlanta Botanical Garden
The genus #Viburnum can be hard to ID to species. This one, northern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), is distinguished by leaves that are nearly hairless, save for tufts in the vein axils on the abaxial side.
#botany #adoxaceae
#botany #adoxaceae
April 28, 2025 at 4:55 AM
The genus #Viburnum can be hard to ID to species. This one, northern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum), is distinguished by leaves that are nearly hairless, save for tufts in the vein axils on the abaxial side.
#botany #adoxaceae
#botany #adoxaceae
Reposted by James Ojascastro
Universities like mine are limiting hiring, travel, and other spending using federal funds because of the fear of things like this. It's basically impossible to do science, whether NSF takes back funding or not.
National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds of Active Research Awards (Gift Article)
The agency targeted grants focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as research on misinformation.
www.nytimes.com
April 23, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Universities like mine are limiting hiring, travel, and other spending using federal funds because of the fear of things like this. It's basically impossible to do science, whether NSF takes back funding or not.
Reposted by James Ojascastro
One of the most disheartening experiences for me over the past 80 days has been the shattering of the illusion I harbored that academia (particularly wealthy private institutions filled with smart people) would uphold and fight for the ideas and values we cherish.
April 11, 2025 at 12:17 AM
One of the most disheartening experiences for me over the past 80 days has been the shattering of the illusion I harbored that academia (particularly wealthy private institutions filled with smart people) would uphold and fight for the ideas and values we cherish.
Florida #staranise (Illicium floridanum) in bloom
Forrest County, Mississippi
#botany #schisandraceae #illiciaceae
Forrest County, Mississippi
#botany #schisandraceae #illiciaceae
April 5, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Florida #staranise (Illicium floridanum) in bloom
Forrest County, Mississippi
#botany #schisandraceae #illiciaceae
Forrest County, Mississippi
#botany #schisandraceae #illiciaceae
Cahaba paintbrush, endemic to Bibb County. One of Alabama's eight Dolomite Denizens.
#castilleja #castillejakraliana #orobanchaceae #botany
#castilleja #castillejakraliana #orobanchaceae #botany
April 5, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Cahaba paintbrush, endemic to Bibb County. One of Alabama's eight Dolomite Denizens.
#castilleja #castillejakraliana #orobanchaceae #botany
#castilleja #castillejakraliana #orobanchaceae #botany
Reposted by James Ojascastro
Amargosa Niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis) waking from its winter slumber.
March 29, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Amargosa Niterwort (Nitrophila mohavensis) waking from its winter slumber.
Flowers of Miccosukee gooseberry (Ribes echinellum), a rare, spiny shrub represented by just two widely disjunct populations in SC and FL.
#grossulariaceae #botany
#grossulariaceae #botany
March 7, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Flowers of Miccosukee gooseberry (Ribes echinellum), a rare, spiny shrub represented by just two widely disjunct populations in SC and FL.
#grossulariaceae #botany
#grossulariaceae #botany
Reposted by James Ojascastro
Post-bac training in rare plant science / conservation at 4 collaborating institutions: The Morton Arboretum, Atlanta Botanical Garden, California Botanic Garden, San Diego Botanic Garden.
Great mentors and projects, competitive pay. Pls share!
** APPLY BY 3/14 ***
atlantabg.org/conservation...
Great mentors and projects, competitive pay. Pls share!
** APPLY BY 3/14 ***
atlantabg.org/conservation...
Atlanta Botanical Garden | RaMP: Post-Baccalaureate Training and Research Program in Rare Plant Science and Conservation
The mission of the Atlanta Botanical Garden is to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment.
atlantabg.org
March 6, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Post-bac training in rare plant science / conservation at 4 collaborating institutions: The Morton Arboretum, Atlanta Botanical Garden, California Botanic Garden, San Diego Botanic Garden.
Great mentors and projects, competitive pay. Pls share!
** APPLY BY 3/14 ***
atlantabg.org/conservation...
Great mentors and projects, competitive pay. Pls share!
** APPLY BY 3/14 ***
atlantabg.org/conservation...
Reposted by James Ojascastro
There’s a google doc trying to keep track of funding/grad school admission/hiring freezes & status please share 🧪 docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Graduate Reductions Across Biomedical Sciences (2025)
docs.google.com
February 23, 2025 at 6:55 PM
There’s a google doc trying to keep track of funding/grad school admission/hiring freezes & status please share 🧪 docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Reposted by James Ojascastro
WYOMING:
“Thank you, Madam chairman.”
“I prefer ‘Mister’ chairman.”
“Well you all voted preferred pronouns cannot be compelled speech.”
“Thank you, Madam chairman.”
“I prefer ‘Mister’ chairman.”
“Well you all voted preferred pronouns cannot be compelled speech.”
February 22, 2025 at 5:18 AM
WYOMING:
“Thank you, Madam chairman.”
“I prefer ‘Mister’ chairman.”
“Well you all voted preferred pronouns cannot be compelled speech.”
“Thank you, Madam chairman.”
“I prefer ‘Mister’ chairman.”
“Well you all voted preferred pronouns cannot be compelled speech.”
February 17, 2025 at 6:00 AM
After 6 years of work, I'm pleased to announce my 1st, 1st-author pub is now in print! Special thanks to coauthors Trần Hồng Nhung, @veronicaypham.bsky.social & @oreotrephes.bsky.social for their contributions! Order @ link ⬇️.
#followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany
ethnobiology.org/publications...
#followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany
ethnobiology.org/publications...
February 14, 2025 at 4:19 AM
After 6 years of work, I'm pleased to announce my 1st, 1st-author pub is now in print! Special thanks to coauthors Trần Hồng Nhung, @veronicaypham.bsky.social & @oreotrephes.bsky.social for their contributions! Order @ link ⬇️.
#followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany
ethnobiology.org/publications...
#followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany
ethnobiology.org/publications...
Wooden mallets used for beating #barkcloth in Hawai'i. Round hohoa made from milo (Thespesia populnea), square i'e kuku from 'ōhi'a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha; middle) and koa (Acacia koa; bottom) woods.
#botany #ethnobotany #hawaii
#botany #ethnobotany #hawaii
February 12, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Wooden mallets used for beating #barkcloth in Hawai'i. Round hohoa made from milo (Thespesia populnea), square i'e kuku from 'ōhi'a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha; middle) and koa (Acacia koa; bottom) woods.
#botany #ethnobotany #hawaii
#botany #ethnobotany #hawaii
Reposted by James Ojascastro
I wrote this bit that is entirely unrelated to current things
Voting for the Mayor Who Promised to Blow Up the City Doesn’t Mean I Approve of the Mayor Blowing Up the City
It’s so easy to label people these days. From the way folks have been talking, you’d think everyone falls into two buckets: those who voted against...
www.mcsweeneys.net
February 10, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I wrote this bit that is entirely unrelated to current things
Reposted by James Ojascastro
Important and also we need to start explaining to people that humans are just one species on the planet and research doesn’t have to be directly applicable them to be interesting, significant, or worth doing.
Whenever you hear someone sneer about scientific research that seems useless to them — “they’re studying the spit of lizards?!” — remind them that’s exactly how we got Ozempic.
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
globalnews.ca/news/9793403...
How a Canadian scientist and a venomous lizard helped pave the way for Ozempic - National | Globalnews.ca
In 1984, Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist from the University of Toronto, discovered a hormone that helped pave the way for popular diabetes drugs such as Ozempic.
globalnews.ca
February 9, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Important and also we need to start explaining to people that humans are just one species on the planet and research doesn’t have to be directly applicable them to be interesting, significant, or worth doing.
Reposted by James Ojascastro
What the NSF is doing this week is damaging *generations* of scientific researchers and American investments in science. Billions of US tax payer dollars in investment, being thrown away, because of a fucking fishing expedition that is intended to terrorize and set the stage for a real witch hunt.
Exclusive: NSF this week began to search through billions of dollars of grants the agency has already awarded for anything touching on topics that President Donald Trump has criticized. And NSF has blocked grantees and trainees from accessing funds while the review is underway. scim.ag/3El0NZh
EXCLUSIVE: NSF starts vetting all grants to comply with Trump’s orders
Grantee accounts remain frozen, while union accuses NSF of ignoring rules governing peer review
scim.ag
January 31, 2025 at 12:14 AM
What the NSF is doing this week is damaging *generations* of scientific researchers and American investments in science. Billions of US tax payer dollars in investment, being thrown away, because of a fucking fishing expedition that is intended to terrorize and set the stage for a real witch hunt.
Papers I made by hand from phloem of select #Moraceae.
L➡️R:
Higuerón (Ficus aurea)
Red mulberry (Morus rubra)
Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)
Cultivated fig (Ficus carica)
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
White mulberry (Morus alba)
Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera)
#papermaking #ethnobotany
L➡️R:
Higuerón (Ficus aurea)
Red mulberry (Morus rubra)
Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)
Cultivated fig (Ficus carica)
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
White mulberry (Morus alba)
Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera)
#papermaking #ethnobotany
January 26, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Papers I made by hand from phloem of select #Moraceae.
L➡️R:
Higuerón (Ficus aurea)
Red mulberry (Morus rubra)
Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)
Cultivated fig (Ficus carica)
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
White mulberry (Morus alba)
Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera)
#papermaking #ethnobotany
L➡️R:
Higuerón (Ficus aurea)
Red mulberry (Morus rubra)
Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera)
Cultivated fig (Ficus carica)
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
White mulberry (Morus alba)
Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera)
#papermaking #ethnobotany
In Tahiti 🇵🇫, #barkcloth textiles are typically printed using pinnae from the pala'ā #fern (Odontosoria chinensis).
From the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, MA, USA
#ethnobotany #botany #fiberarts
From the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, MA, USA
#ethnobotany #botany #fiberarts
January 21, 2025 at 2:05 AM
In Tahiti 🇵🇫, #barkcloth textiles are typically printed using pinnae from the pala'ā #fern (Odontosoria chinensis).
From the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, MA, USA
#ethnobotany #botany #fiberarts
From the collection of the Peabody Essex Museum, MA, USA
#ethnobotany #botany #fiberarts
Curious how the phloem of this performs as artisanal paper.
Phaleria capitata Jack (Thymelaeaceae) in full bloom, cauliflorus fascicles of pure white flowers (a petaloid calyx tube); stamens twice the number of calyx lobes; and a two celled ovary. OCBC Arboretum, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
January 8, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Curious how the phloem of this performs as artisanal paper.
#Amate (🇲🇽 indigenous #paper) art made by Yolanda Jiménez in San Pablito. Although amate traditionally was made from Ficus phloem, these have been depleted to supply the craft tourism industry. Artisans now use alternatives like tule (Typha domingensis, used below) for amate. #ethnobotany #botany
January 7, 2025 at 5:56 AM
#Amate (🇲🇽 indigenous #paper) art made by Yolanda Jiménez in San Pablito. Although amate traditionally was made from Ficus phloem, these have been depleted to supply the craft tourism industry. Artisans now use alternatives like tule (Typha domingensis, used below) for amate. #ethnobotany #botany
#origami Turkey Oak (Quercus laevis), folded from one uncut square of handmade Osage-orange phloem fiber paper
#botany #papermaking #fagaceae #quercus
#botany #papermaking #fagaceae #quercus
January 5, 2025 at 7:49 PM
#origami Turkey Oak (Quercus laevis), folded from one uncut square of handmade Osage-orange phloem fiber paper
#botany #papermaking #fagaceae #quercus
#botany #papermaking #fagaceae #quercus
#Paper I made from #Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera) phloem. Despite the intense yellow-orange color of the xylem, the dye is not conferred to the paper and the brown shade is likely due to the presence of a small amount of tannins.
#papermaking #followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany #moraceae
#papermaking #followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany #moraceae
January 5, 2025 at 12:49 AM
#Paper I made from #Osage-orange (Maclura pomifera) phloem. Despite the intense yellow-orange color of the xylem, the dye is not conferred to the paper and the brown shade is likely due to the presence of a small amount of tannins.
#papermaking #followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany #moraceae
#papermaking #followingthepapertrail #ethnobotany #moraceae
Some phloem fibers in the fibrarium (fiber herbarium) held in the @mobotgarden.bsky.social William L. Brown Center Biocultural Collection. These serve as known references to help identify unknown fibers in paper, textiles, & other ethnobotanical artifacts.
#botany #ethnobotany
#botany #ethnobotany
January 2, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Some phloem fibers in the fibrarium (fiber herbarium) held in the @mobotgarden.bsky.social William L. Brown Center Biocultural Collection. These serve as known references to help identify unknown fibers in paper, textiles, & other ethnobotanical artifacts.
#botany #ethnobotany
#botany #ethnobotany
