Quercus
@quercusbottoms.bsky.social
Ecologist, ISA Certified Arborist, Prescription Pruning and Tree Risk Assessment Qualified.
Wildlife/native habitat consultant
Native plant / plants-for-birds / host plant obsessive.
Restoring ecological functionality to rural, MS Hill Country
Wildlife/native habitat consultant
Native plant / plants-for-birds / host plant obsessive.
Restoring ecological functionality to rural, MS Hill Country
Reposted by Quercus
it is extremely easy to draw a through line from university admins calling riot police in to beat their students, ordering expulsions, detaining and brutalizing journalists, and firing faculty to the on-the-ground reality of federal repression. and we should draw this line as frequently as possible.
January 23, 2026 at 4:41 PM
it is extremely easy to draw a through line from university admins calling riot police in to beat their students, ordering expulsions, detaining and brutalizing journalists, and firing faculty to the on-the-ground reality of federal repression. and we should draw this line as frequently as possible.
Reposted by Quercus
I’m sharing this video again because people don’t really get what these data centers and ai are doing to our planet and our communities. Especially Black communities because they were strategically placed there.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
January 20, 2026 at 11:16 PM
I’m sharing this video again because people don’t really get what these data centers and ai are doing to our planet and our communities. Especially Black communities because they were strategically placed there.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
I need you to listen to these people.
STOP USING AI. STOP SUPPORTING AI.
Reposted by Quercus
Having diverse trees in playgrounds helps young children feel good https://relationalthinkingblog.com/2025/12/10/plain-language-summary-having-diverse-trees-in-playgrounds-helps-young-children-feel-good/
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
relationalthinkingblog.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Having diverse trees in playgrounds helps young children feel good https://relationalthinkingblog.com/2025/12/10/plain-language-summary-having-diverse-trees-in-playgrounds-helps-young-children-feel-good/
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
Read the full paper here https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.70227
Reposted by Quercus
“If Americans increased their protein intake by just 25%…it would require about 100 million acres of additional ag land each year — an area larger than Michigan, Ohio & Pennsylvania combined — & increase annual emissions by 100s of millions of tons of CO2e, according to @worldresources.bsky.social.”
Opinion | The New Food Pyramid, Brought to You by Big Meat
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 6:06 PM
“If Americans increased their protein intake by just 25%…it would require about 100 million acres of additional ag land each year — an area larger than Michigan, Ohio & Pennsylvania combined — & increase annual emissions by 100s of millions of tons of CO2e, according to @worldresources.bsky.social.”
Reposted by Quercus
Reposted by Quercus
T. rex is more closely related to this little dinosaur (a hummingbird) than T. rex is to Allosaurus. Also, a hummingbird's humerus is way smaller than it's eyeball. Go home, evolution, you're drunk! 🦖
January 9, 2026 at 8:54 PM
T. rex is more closely related to this little dinosaur (a hummingbird) than T. rex is to Allosaurus. Also, a hummingbird's humerus is way smaller than it's eyeball. Go home, evolution, you're drunk! 🦖
Reposted by Quercus
Tired: Everything evolves to be a crab.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Mammals have evolved into ant eaters 12 times since the dinosaur age, study finds
Mammals have developed some unusual eating habits over the past 100 million years, but a new study has uncovered the surprising lengths to which some have gone to satisfy one of the more peculiar—a ta...
phys.org
January 7, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Tired: Everything evolves to be a crab.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Wired: Everything evolves to eat ants.
Reposted by Quercus
You probably heard the US admin is threatening to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research: but did you know they already froze funding for the 9 regional Climate Science Adaptation Centers? From tracking invasives to helping tribes with drought, here's why the CASCs matter ⬇️
From invasive species tracking to water security – what’s lost with federal funding cuts at US Climate Adaptation Science Centers
The people who manage America’s aquifers, wetlands, shorelines and recreation areas rely on federal science as they face new and rising risks in a changing climate.
theconversation.com
December 29, 2025 at 12:02 PM
You probably heard the US admin is threatening to break up the National Center for Atmospheric Research: but did you know they already froze funding for the 9 regional Climate Science Adaptation Centers? From tracking invasives to helping tribes with drought, here's why the CASCs matter ⬇️
Reposted by Quercus
“Car bloat”—increasingly oversized automobiles—worsens road safety, affordability and the environment.
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Gigantic SUVs are a public health threat. Why don’t we treat them like one?
The anti-tobacco playbook could help turn the US public against their beloved oversized cars.
www.vox.com
December 28, 2025 at 1:08 PM
“Car bloat”—increasingly oversized automobiles—worsens road safety, affordability and the environment.
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Here are some of the stories I wrote in 2025 examining the trend and proposing solutions. 🧵
In @vox.com, I likened car bloat to secondhand smoke (which helped bring down the US tobacco industry).
Reposted by Quercus
that alluvial fan coming out of the san gabriels near wrightwood really is something: visible from the pelona schist that just comes pouring down wildhorse canyon when 10" of rain falls like it just did, spreading out 15+ miles into the mojave
December 27, 2025 at 5:03 PM
that alluvial fan coming out of the san gabriels near wrightwood really is something: visible from the pelona schist that just comes pouring down wildhorse canyon when 10" of rain falls like it just did, spreading out 15+ miles into the mojave
Reposted by Quercus
"By the mid-21st century, flood events are expected to be more frequent predominantly in the eastern United States"
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
Changes in the Frequency of Flood Events Across the United States Detectable by the Middle of This Century
Climate-informed Poisson regression models are developed to predict and project the changes in the frequency of flood events By the mid-21st century, flood events are expected to be more frequent...
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 27, 2025 at 4:25 PM
"By the mid-21st century, flood events are expected to be more frequent predominantly in the eastern United States"
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
"urgent need for flood mitigation measures"
tl.dr --> Floods in the East. Drought in the West
Reposted by Quercus
On average, Christmas Day was 15.4F above the 1991-2020 normal. Seems warm. Seems bad.
December 26, 2025 at 3:56 PM
On average, Christmas Day was 15.4F above the 1991-2020 normal. Seems warm. Seems bad.
Reposted by Quercus
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
December 26, 2025 at 3:39 PM
🚨🔥 Warmest Christmas on record for the Contiguous U.S.! The average high of 57.9F and the average low of 36.6F each broke the Christmas record by a full 3F. 🔥🚨
Reposted by Quercus
A state-funded survey across California has uncovered hundreds of fungi new to science, part of a first-of-its-kind biodiversity effort.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Statewide survey aims to put California’s fungi on the conservation map
Getting to The Cedars, an ecological preserve in California’s Sonoma county, is a slog. Multiple rivers and creeks must be crossed, and it can be tough going on an often storm-destroyed road. But…
news.mongabay.com
December 25, 2025 at 10:21 PM
A state-funded survey across California has uncovered hundreds of fungi new to science, part of a first-of-its-kind biodiversity effort.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Often overlooked, fungi support plant growth and store carbon — knowledge that could guide conservation and forest restoration as wildfires intensify.
Reposted by Quercus
“This year, renewables surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide, and solar and wind energy grew fast enough to cover the entire increase in global electricity use from January to June, according to energy think tank Ember” www.science.org/content/arti...
Science’s 2025 Breakthrough of the Year: The unstoppable rise of renewable energy
Clean energy infrastructure is being deployed with unmatched scale and speed—and China is leading the way
www.science.org
December 26, 2025 at 1:29 AM
“This year, renewables surpassed coal as a source of electricity worldwide, and solar and wind energy grew fast enough to cover the entire increase in global electricity use from January to June, according to energy think tank Ember” www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Quercus
Compounding risks of climate change: the authors "assess European birds’ historical exposure to multiple extreme events and identify where and how the risk of compound events will change under different emissions scenarios". doi.org/10.1111/con4...
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Compounding Impacts of Extreme Climate Events on European Birds Under Climate Change
When multiple simultaneous or successive extreme climatic events occur, compound impacts can follow, where the effects of one event worsen the impacts of another. Surprisingly, the risks that these c...
doi.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Compounding risks of climate change: the authors "assess European birds’ historical exposure to multiple extreme events and identify where and how the risk of compound events will change under different emissions scenarios". doi.org/10.1111/con4...
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Spoiler alert: compounding increases risk ☹️
Reposted by Quercus
The Green Book Project catalogues this history of segregation in public accommodations, documenting local businesses that defied the norm of racial segregation. Explore the papers, methods, download data, and share your story 3/3 greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap
#EconSky
#EconSky
December 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The Green Book Project catalogues this history of segregation in public accommodations, documenting local businesses that defied the norm of racial segregation. Explore the papers, methods, download data, and share your story 3/3 greenbookproject.osu.edu #GreenBookProject #CommunityMap
#EconSky
#EconSky
Reposted by Quercus
Segregation in public accommodations was the major venue for protests during the Civil Rights Movement. Economists have not spent much time considering how discrimination in public accommodations affected economic activity. This is now a major focus of my work. 2/3 www.nber.org/system/files...
www.nber.org
December 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Segregation in public accommodations was the major venue for protests during the Civil Rights Movement. Economists have not spent much time considering how discrimination in public accommodations affected economic activity. This is now a major focus of my work. 2/3 www.nber.org/system/files...
Reposted by Quercus
70 years ago today, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. Days after Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for violating the ordinance requiring Black residents of Montgomery to accept second class treatment, the Black community organized and boycotted the city’s buses for over one year. 1/3
December 5, 2025 at 2:34 PM
70 years ago today, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began. Days after Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for violating the ordinance requiring Black residents of Montgomery to accept second class treatment, the Black community organized and boycotted the city’s buses for over one year. 1/3
Reposted by Quercus
Close to 1 full goddamn gigawatt of gas (open-cycle, so the most inefficient kind) for the "Project Jupiter" site in New Mexico.
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
November 28, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Close to 1 full goddamn gigawatt of gas (open-cycle, so the most inefficient kind) for the "Project Jupiter" site in New Mexico.
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
This whole article is a stunning illustration of how data centres are incentivising new fossil infrastructure:
eastdaley.com/daley-note/p...
Reposted by Quercus
Archeologists in Wisconsin found an ancient canoe that is over 5,000 years old!! The discovery was in a canoe “parking lot” along a popular waterway and trail system.
Wisconsin archaeologists identify 16 ancient canoes in a prehistoric lake 'parking lot'
Archaeologists have identified more than a dozen ancient canoes that Indigenous people apparently left behind in a prehistoric parking lot along a Wisconsin lakeshore.
apnews.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Archeologists in Wisconsin found an ancient canoe that is over 5,000 years old!! The discovery was in a canoe “parking lot” along a popular waterway and trail system.
Reposted by Quercus
You know what, I'm just gonna re-up this post
November 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
You know what, I'm just gonna re-up this post
Reposted by Quercus
Amid a deepening ecological crisis and acute water shortage, Tehran can no longer remain the capital of Iran, the country’s president has said. www.scientificamerican.com/article/iran...
Iran’s Capital Is Moving. The Reason Is an Ecological Catastrophe
The decision to move Iran’s capital is partly driven by climate change, but experts say decades of human error and action are also to blame
www.scientificamerican.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:42 AM
Amid a deepening ecological crisis and acute water shortage, Tehran can no longer remain the capital of Iran, the country’s president has said. www.scientificamerican.com/article/iran...
Reposted by Quercus
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
November 21, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We spent a year investigating billionaires for @washingtonpost.com.
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
We found: the wealthiest 100 Americans gave $1.1 billion to influence the 2024 elections — 140x more than they did in 2000. And almost all of that giving boosted Republicans.
washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Reposted by Quercus
According to the 2025 Freedom on the Net report, global internet freedom declined for the 15th consecutive year. Of 72 countries assessed, conditions deteriorated in 28, while 17 registered overall gains. The US was among the countries that experienced the most significant declines.
Global Internet Freedom Declines for 15th Consecutive Year | TechPolicy.Press
Despite funding cuts, Freedom House delivered its annual report on how countries are performing on measures of digital rights and internet freedom.
www.techpolicy.press
November 13, 2025 at 11:39 PM
According to the 2025 Freedom on the Net report, global internet freedom declined for the 15th consecutive year. Of 72 countries assessed, conditions deteriorated in 28, while 17 registered overall gains. The US was among the countries that experienced the most significant declines.