Alexander Schmidt-Lebuhn

We inferred a high-level phylogeny of the grass tribe Andropogoneae in Australia. Not a taxonomic study in this case. Instead, the phylogeny is supporting weed biocontrol research on gamba grass, Andropogon gayanus. doi.org/10.1071/SB26...

Kind of obvious if you consider that (a) it is much more dangerous to life and limb for a cyclist to behave in an unexpected way in traffic than it is for a car driver, and (b) cyclists find it slightly more difficult to exceed 50 km/h speed limits than car drivers.

Fascinating how easy it is to accidentally hang up on a phone call by moving a hand somewhere within 5 cm of my wireless headset, but whenever I deliberately want to trigger the button, it doesn't react at all no matter what I try.

Can we just stop trying to force AI into everything? By definition, an expert peer reviewer should already know where to focus their scientific judgement. The problems, if there are any, are editors not picking competent reviewers, or authors freeloading by refusing to review for others.

People say socialism is the future but I ask you if socialism could foster an innovative tech industry that trapped us all in a suicidal arms race that will collapse our economy while using up all our resources and funnelling billions of dollars into the pockets of 6 people? I think NOT!

Ambitious choice of starting location, but I am rooting for you, buddy.

Research scientist vacancy at the Western Australian Herbarium, in one of the global biodiversity hotspots: search.jobs.wa.gov.au/jobs/researc...

personally I think it's neat that the tech industry persuaded us all to put everything online, and then destroyed the internet

Good to know that outsourcing makes everything better. Why would a country want to maintain control over key strategic assets if those could just as well be handed over to oligar-, sorry, I mean to the ineffably efficient free market that only ever delivers optimal outcomes?

Exciting news!! I'm chairing the search in my department @lsubiosci.bsky.social for an **Endowed Chair in Lichenology**! The candidate should be tenured (or equivalent), and have a documented track record in excellent in collections-based lichen research. lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/jo...

A reminder: 🚗: I hope I find parking. 🚴🏽‍♂️: I hope I don’t die. Our priorities are not the same.

I genuinely don't think that human civilization is compatible with "100 dudes should own everything, make nothing, but get infinitely increasing money forever"

Oh come on now, surely this has to be a deepfake produced by people who want to hurt Microsoft's reputation? Microsoft themselves wouldn't do this, right? Help?

Please share! Our department has two tenure-track job ads up today. Here is the #botany job, with an open mind towards multiple subdisciplines. Fantastic facilities, perfect-sized institution, easy living. Come work here! bsu.wd12.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job... @botsocamerica.bsky.social

Ah, we are back to the Metaverse again, but also, WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING ALL THE TIME?

Instead of searching for the next best way to score biologists after "how many papers", maybe job and grant panels could actually read the work of the candidates and understand if it has value. Inconceivable? Nobody has the time for that, they just want the prestige of serving on the panel? Sigh.

We already have flying cars. They're called helicopters. They're really expensive and there are good reasons you have to have a pilot license and work with air traffic control to fly them. Putting jets on a sedan is not going to result in a better vehicle or transportation experience in any way.

The tragedy of the boom and bust cycle is that you are not allowed to say "this is a boom and bust cycle" during the boom part, even if it is obvious. Meanwhile the people who were saying "this boom will last forever" will now smoothly pivot to "the bubble has popped, like I always said it would"

Cypsela of Brachyscome ciliaris, Asteraceae.

"Ray florets white to mauve; ligule 2.5–7 mm long." Riiight. Kind of annoyed at this specimen, now that I have finally figured out what species it is (I think).

Some faint hope at last?

Cypsela of Brachyscome dentata.

It is worse, because Civ's France or Germany at 1939 equivalent in-game military tech would also lose against Civ's Carthage or Songhai at 2026 equivalent in-game military tech. Despite introducing nation-innate abilities in later versions, Civ is IMO actually a good antidote to that kind of racism.

It's frankly incredible that hitting me with a stick and going " Oh no! The stick has gone out of control!!" fools regulators.

Bit puzzled by a recent experience why scientific journals still take keywords so seriously. When I search for literature, the search tools clearly search in titles and abstracts, so what are keywords even for? If the title mentions the name of the study group, why does it have to be a keyword too?

can't wait to build my Robot That Mag Dumps 14 Rounds of 400 Winchester Magnum in a Random Direction Every Hour. i assume this is legal, since the precise time at which the trigger gets pulled is randomized!

We’ve learned nothing from the Tulip Mania 1634-1637

The warning signs on the harvesting machine in the local visitor center are darkly illustrative.

Mount Kaputar National Park, New South Wales: Euglah Rock. A hoverfly on the flower of a climbing lily. Daisy bush (Olearia) not letting its flowering be stopped by a mere gall.

More native flora of the Warrumbungles National Park, New South Wales. Calotis lappulacea, Vittadinia dissecta, Tritilodiscus pygmaeus, and Scutellaria humilis.

Warrumbungle National Park, New South Wales: View from Fans Horizon lookout. A spider orchid. Twining, parasitic Cassytha. A lizard with a large dead insect in its mouth.

Impressions from Dubbo Botanic Gardens, New South Wales.