@rglueckler
Geographer & Geoecologist π₯ Wildfires & paleofire in boreal forests π² Postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University | Utrecht, Netherlands | Trained voluntary firefighter, videogame enthusiast | More at rameshglueckler.com
The Guardian on our new study, which shows that global heating is significantly gathering speed. Our efforts to overcome our fossil fuel addiction should do the same.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
The original fish doorbell, located here in #Utrecht! ππ
The political effects of X's feed algorithm https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10098-2 Received: 16 December 2024 Accepted: 4 January 2026 Published online: 18 February 2026 Open access β’ Check for updates Germain Gauthier,5, Roland Hodler?5, Philine Widmer35 & Ekaterina Zhuravskaya3,4,5 m Feed algorithms are widely suspected to influence political attitudes. However, previous evidence from switching off the algorithm on Meta platforms found no political effects'. Here we present results from a 2023 field experiment on Elon Musk's platform X shedding light on this puzzle. We assigned active US-based users randomly to either an algorithmic or a chronological feed for 7 weeks, measuring political attitudes and online behaviour. Switching from a chronological to an algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted political opinion towards more conservative positions, particularly regarding policy priorities, perceptions of criminal investigations into Donald Trump and views on the war in Ukraine. In contrast, switching from the algorithmic to the chronological feed had no comparable effects. Neither switching the algorithm on nor switching it off significantly affected affective polarization or self-reported partisanship. To investigate the mechanism, we analysed users' feed content and behaviour. We found that the algorithm promotes conservative content and demotes posts by traditional media. Exposure to algorithmic content leads users to follow conservative political activist accounts, which they continue to follow even after switching off the algorithm, helping explain the asymmetry in effects. These results suggest that initial exposure to X's algorithm has persistent effects on users' current political attitudes and account-following behaviour, even in the absence of a detectable effect on partisanship.
A new paper shows that less than 2 months of exposure to Twitterβs algorithmic feed significantly shifts peopleβs political views to the right.
Moving from chronological feed to the algorithmic feed also increases engagement.
This is one of the most concerning papers Iβve read in awhile.
Human exposure to wildfires in Catalonia has increased markedly over the past 30 yearsβdriven not by more burned area, but by urban expansion into fire-prone landscapes.
Figure below shows the trend clearly.
DOI: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
While the strain on academic #publishing is real, here is a monthly reminder to always respond to invitations for #PeerReview! Ignoring these messages just exacerbates the problem for everyone involved. Let's not do that π§ͺπβοΈ
Photo of a scorched landscape and blackened, leafless branches bearing cone-like clusters of capsules. Many capsules are open and gaping.
Australiaβs Banksia has fruits that are serotinous, opening after fire. Wildfires clear competing vegetation + deposit nutrients in the soil = good conditions for seedling establishment. π·: Banksia ornata by davidsando CCBYNC4. #Proteaceae #serotiny #Botany πΎπ§ͺπ±
Last night RU launched 40 missiles/400 drones, destroying substations, transmission lines, power plants
2 DTEK power stations severely damage. Temperatures expected to fall to β20C/-4F by Mon. Without air-defense and diplomatic support, Ukraineβs energy crisis is becoming humanitarian crisis.
Our recent publication featured in @awi.de news! π₯ Full paper currently available as in press here: www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Will share more on it once the final version is online π§ͺβοΈπ
AWI researchers have found evidence suggesting that humans may have influenced fire activity in eastern Siberia more than 5,000 years ago β earlier than previously assumed. π₯
By analyzing charcoal particles from sediment cores, they were able to reconstruct a 10,000-year history of wildfires.
Erinnere mich noch gut - die Zeit fliegt! GlΓΌckwunsch zu diesem tollen JubilΓ€um und der erfolgreichen Entwicklung des Blogs!
Very thankful for this powerful plea for #renewable energy and #solar power in particular. Long, but worth seeing, especially for folks from the #US! Not going to spoil the twist, see for yourself:
youtu.be/KtQ9nt2ZeGM?...
πβ‘οΈ
Thanks for the comic relief
It's beyond ludicrous to me to equate evidence-guided positions with political bias in this way. What would an "unbiased" manual look like if you can't involve science-backed information? I'd really like to see an example. How can one write such a mail without noticing how absolutely wild it is?
How did the #intensity of #wildfires change throughout the past in one of the coldest regions in the world? π₯βοΈπ
To answer this question, we used #BPCAs from sediment samples from #Yakutia, #Siberia. Find our results, now published open access, here:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
π§ͺπβοΈ
New research - Including carbon emissions from permafrost thaw and fires reduces the remaining carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5C by 25%
#climatecrisis
HT @carbonbrief.org
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
People out on the streets of #Minneapolis are actively defending their country from descending deeper into authoritarianism, and I applaud every single one of them.
The job Cooperating in the field of periglacial vegetation development with other Helmholtz centres, we offer a PhD position (f/m/x) to survey and analyse the development of vegetation and associated microbiomes in glacier forelands of the Alps. Your tasks β’ Collection of vegetation data in glacier forelands and surroundings β’ Collection of soil and root samples β’ Analyses of soil and root associated microbiomes through meta-barcoding β’ Analysis of the link between vegetation and microbiome development as a function of (successional) time β’ Scientific publications We offer A lot of things, but space does not permit. Please see the link for details. Your profile β’ Degree (Master, Diploma) in biology, ecology, geoecology or comparable courses of study β’ Experience in the field of vegetation methods (vegetation surveys) β’ Field work experience in soil and root sampling for microbiome analysis β’ Lab skills to analyse the microbiome like DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing β’ Knowledge of the Northern Alpine flora β’ Experience in high mountains and the ability to hike several hours a day and 1000 metres in altitude with luggage and equipment β’ Orientation skills in the mountains β’ Ability to work independently and solve unexpected problems β’ Statistical skills (preferably in R), knowledge of data storage (databases) desirable β’ Very good knowledge of English (communication in the working group, reading technical literature, writing technical articles)
Interested in pursuing your PhD in Alpine Ecology? How do ecosystems emerge after glacial retreat? Come with us @ufz.de as a PhD researcher on the development of vegetation and microbiome in glacier forelands.
recruitingapp-5128.de.umantis.com/Vacancies/33...
#ecojobs #ecology #Alps #AlpineEcology
Trump has been in office for one year. We at @nature.com did a deep dive looking at the administration's disruption of science in numbers.
Take a lookβthe numbers are staggering. By me, @dangaristo.bsky.social, Jeff Tollefson, @kimay.bsky.social, & help from @noamross.net @scott-delaney.bsky.social
New publication! π₯
Led by Ziru Hao and Kai Li from Zhejiang Normal University, this study in QSR reconstructs #wildfire activity over the past c. 35,000 years at Erhai Lake, #Yunnan, #China, discussing links to spring insolation & Asian Summer #Monsoon:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
π§ͺπβοΈ
My first field expedition as a PhD student taught me that no matter how perfect your βsampling planβ is, the conditions of bog itself is what ultimately determines how many soil measurements you can take.
Hereβs a #Sciku about this, from my lab notebook π§ͺ to Bluesky!
#wetland #peat #phd #scicomm
Photo of a landscape: The sky is light and blue. Forest full of straight, tall, evergreen coniferous trees called Araucaria β or monkey-puzzle trees β which has recovered from fire. The trees hae little foliage below the crown. The image was taken by Jhenkhar Mallikarjun who is the lead researcher. It was taken in the Nahuelbuta National Park, Chile and is an example of a humid temperate ecosystem in the research study.
How fast can a forest recover from wildfire?
Researchers were curious about how the recovery of the soil was affected by different ecosystems. It turns out that different systems recover differently: www.uni-goettingen.de/en/3240.html...
Research in #Catena: doi.org/10.1016/j.ca...
1/ Cultural burning returns to the Sierra foothills β KQED
For the first time in living memory, Maidu tribes are bringing back ancestral fire stewardship to care for the land.
π www.kqed.org/science/1999...
An open letter organized by US-based researchers working in Greenland opposes any takeover of the territory
go.nature.com/3YBbU7d
Exactly my thoughts. He could probably have both defense or resource-related wishes largely fulfilled by just...nicely asking...and making a deal. Especially since everyone involved is (supposed to be) allies. No justification there.
View from a highrise towards a cityscape on a sunny winter day, with mountains along the horizon.
Have a nice transition to -76 BP! Another year in which we'll have to stand up for science, democracy, and a just peace for Ukraine. Greetings from lovely #Ljubljana, #Slovenia - view from the NebotiΔnik towards the Julian #Alps π»
Another thought on the generative AI debate. As more and more AI slop papers come out, it becomes *more* important to actually read the papers and *more* important to gain domain expertise to spot fakes. An AI generated summary of an AI generated paper isn't going to tell you the paper is fake.
π§ͺπ¨PhD opportunity! βΌοΈ interested in #permafrost, #carbon cycling, #uranium #isotopes, #karst and #speleothems? βοΈπ₯Όβ’οΈ Come join our karst research team @northumbriauni.bsky.social ! For questions: DM! Find out more π
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Spread t/ word!
@bgs.ac.uk @annabelwolf.bsky.social
Iβm really concerned about early career scientists using generative AI in writing, because writing is how we think and reflect. Thereβs almost nothing *more* human than that, and to give that gift away to a machine is almost unconscionable to me
Wait...isn't Russia the one fighting a European country since 12 years and then starting a full-out war of aggression 4 years ago?
Birds escaping bush fire at Masai Mara National Park, Kenya. Credit: Marie Lemerle / Alamy Stock Photo
NEW β Guest post: Why carbon emissions from fires are significantly higher than thought | Prof Guido van der Werf
Read here: buff.ly/8xbbdFn