Erik Stokstad

Dani, could you add me to the feed? I'm a journalist at Science magazine. Thanks! Recent stories listed here: www.science.org/content/author/erik-stokstad

These scientists saw a future in public service—until Trump’s ‘massacre’ hit Last year’s mass firings of “probationary” federal workers sent researchers’ lives into turmoil

On the anniversary of a dark day for U.S. science, please raise a glass for everyone who has come out stronger and encourage those who are still recovering. Here are five stories. 🧪 🔬 💪 www.science.org/content/arti...

These beetles wear chemical ‘invisibility cloaks’—and will die if they’re removed Coatings used by symbiotic residents of ant colonies may represent an evolutionary dead end

Before you move in permanently with the ants, just be sure about it. #never-look-back #symbiosis 🐜🪲🔬https://www.science.org/content/article/these-beetles-wear-chemical-invisibility-cloaks-and-will-die-if-they-re-removed

Well, loosely speaking hopping freight in the sense that they are incidental bindlestiffs. I would certainly be hopping if I found a cobra under my desk, yikes!

Ever wonder what it’s like to wake up after midnight and rescue a cobra from a train full of panicked passengers?
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Talk about a brain drain. The PhDs who left U.S. federal STEM or health jobs last year had >106,636 years of experience. More grim statistics compiled here: www.science.org/content/arti...

Bee-hunting beetles are the first animals known to fake the smell of flowers Study of parasitic blister beetles reveals a new form of chemical deception

“Totally unexpected.” Blister beetles imitate the smell of flowers to lure bees. www.science.org/content/arti... 🪲🌸 🐝

If you want to learn and see more about the new work on Prototaxites, co-first-author Laura Cooper has a good thread bsky.app/profile/tran...

Bizarre 400-million-year-old fossil was an unknown life form Enigmatic organism known as Prototaxites cannot be fungus, new analysis finds

Whatever Prototaxites was, it wasn't the Godzilla of Fungus. (Or any kind of fungus.) www.science.org/content/arti...

Australia’s unprecedented toxic algal bloom has a surprise culprit A relatively unknown species is producing a notorious neurotoxin, devastating sea life

Don't mess with Karenia cristata. She's bad news, like her sister in Florida. #HAB 🐟 🌊 🔬 🦠 www.science.org/content/arti...

A reminder that @science.org is a learned society journal, owned & published by the non-profit @aaas.org. It's green open access, with no article processing fees for authors - compatible with all major funder mandates. All subscription revenue is reinvested in science, not paid to shareholders.
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These stinkbugs coat their eggs in fungi to protect them from parasitic wasps An unusual relationship could shed light on how insects choose their partners

How to protect your children by covering them in fungus (if you’re a stinkbug) www.science.org/content/arti...

DNA from rum-soaked fishes chronicles century of environmental change Museum specimens collected during a 1907 marine expedition reveal loss of genetic diversity in the Philippines

Yo-ho-ho and many, many bottles of rum.

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Fate of the last female great auk is finally solved DNA and historical sleuthing have traced the extinct bird’s remains to a museum in Ohio

A tragic extinction, a mystery solved. www.science.org/content/arti...

Under Trump, NSF faces worst crisis in its 75-year history Political directives have undermined agency's independence and record of supporting the best basic research

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Ant queen lays eggs that hatch into two species Bizarre discovery of interspecies cloning “almost impossible to believe,” biologists say

Buckle up for a crazy deep-dive into the sex life of Iberian harvester ant queens. They clone and mate with males of another species. www.science.org/content/arti... 🐜🔬🧬

Mysterious killer of sea stars finally identified Discovery of a bacterium could reveal more about massive die-off, perhaps aid recovery

Good news about a ghastly disease in sea stars, those charismatic and ecologically vital marine creatures. www.science.org/content/arti...

A mushroom that escaped from kitchens could be harming North American wildlife The golden oyster mushroom has gone rogue, displacing native fungi that live in dead trees

A cultivated mushroom has gone feral. It seems to outcompete native fungi and might end up harming wildlife habitat. www.science.org/content/arti...

I'm delighted to present this Science special issue on Plants and Heat! Through a series of Reviews and Perspective articles, covering topics from cell signalling to ecology there is something for everyone here. (1/8)

Happy 150th anniversary to the metric system. ⚖️ 📏 www.bipm.org/en/bipm-anni...

Herring had a spawning ‘culture.’ Overfishing obliterated it Younger generations lost their way after older fish were killed

Herring live up to 20 years. Unpredictable things happen when the older generations are overharvested. 🐟 🌊 www.science.org/content/arti...

This week in Science, researchers delve into the #mathematics that shapes growing rose petals. 🌹

Explore our latest issue—featuring a new print design: scim.ag/42DasUT

‘Major breakthrough’: A natural gene variant protects rice from heat waves Discovery could help crop breeders preserve grain quality and harvest size as climate changes

Heat waves hurt rice yields, but they also damage grain quality--making it chalky. This gene could help. 🌾 #PlantBiology #agriculture www.science.org/content/arti...

Exclusive: NSF director to resign amid grant terminations, job cuts, and controversy “I have done all I can,” says Sethuraman Panchanathan, a Trump appointee who has led agency since 2020

NSF director tosses in the towel. www.science.org/content/arti...

Paying fishers to release sharks could backfire Proposed conservation strategy led to more hammerhead shark deaths than usual, study finds

A rare and courageous experiment in conservation. “I was gutted that it didn’t work.” 🌎 🦈 🌊 www.science.org/content/arti...

Massive pea study solves last genetic riddles of famed friar DNA sequencing reveals basis of traits studied by Gregor Mendel—and gives breeders new ways to improve the crop

Remember Mendel? 🌱🧪
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"the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders 🌎🦋🌱♻️🧪

EPA had not targeted research grants for termination—until now.
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“I started hyperventilating,” recalled the squid expert. You might not, but this video may just take your breath away. A young colossal squid really is a beautiful creature. www.science.org/content/arti...

Swell! A chance finding reveals how plants nourish seeds--and a new way to enlarge them. www.science.org/content/arti...