Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them)

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Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them)

@jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social

Evolutionary biologist and professional nerd. Current: postdoc UMass Amherst, instructor Mission College. Fall 2024: Asst Prof, University of Alaska Anchorage.

queer af, they/them. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️✡️

jfmclaughlin.org
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I am unspeakable jealous
Finally, as we climbed out of the creek canyon and set off back down through the dripping forest, I offhandedly said “this looks like a nice night for a caecilian.” And not three minutes later!!! Two different worm-shaped, tentacle-mouthed amphibians appeared in a trail-side seep
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Finally, as we climbed out of the creek canyon and set off back down through the dripping forest, I offhandedly said “this looks like a nice night for a caecilian.” And not three minutes later!!! Two different worm-shaped, tentacle-mouthed amphibians appeared in a trail-side seep
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Does anyone have recommendations for kid-friendly metal detectors? We're going to the beach next month and I think my kids (5 and 7) will get a kick out of it.
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The number of times I have received a text about bird ID from a random number is higher than you would expect
Getting a text from a neighbor "Can I ask a very random marine bio question that may or may not be in your realm lol" is the marine biologist equivalent of seeing the bat symbol projected onto the clouds.
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Hello! It's me again, your friendly neighborhood starving artist. This hasn't moved in a while & we still need help. I have a call scheduled to the collection agency on Monday, but their last offer was still more than six thousand. We have a little over a thousand. Any amount helps! Thank you
Get My Family Housed, organized by Stephanie Browngofund.me My family of five has been living in a motel room for fifteen months. We can’t rent a new place u… Stephanie Brown needs your support for Get My Family Housed
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project 2025 has come up in my celiac groups. they are attacking food & safety labels
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I found the most amazing bedrock pothole. It is in a shady spot connected to a seep so the walls are wet and completely covered in moss and miniature plants and the rocks inside are so smooth and the water is so clear. I'm confident it's a fairy swimming pool. #hydrology #nativeplants
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Lovelace the sand boa gave me a heart attack earlier today when she decided she'd rather hang out behind some boxes in my bedroom 🙃 Luckily she was recovered within 10 minutes of my realizing her tank was empty, but once again, never underestimate the escape artist potential of a sand boa
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THIS. 10000X THIS. Just spitballing outta the top of my head, and idk if they accept donations directly, but the Rice U queer student org does amazing work and offered honorary membership to all TX public uni school students after Abott and the legislature banned DEI.
Pointing again at my US Blue State Challenge. If you live in a "blue state", pick the red state you hate the most and the issue you care about the most and find a group in that state working on that issue and support them.
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You had me at “exceedingly dry in-jokes for recherché subcultures”
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Shout-out to Freedom Oklahoma, who have been fighting hard for 2SLGBTQ+ folks in OK and are my go-to rec when people ask about red-state groups to support:
And if you're doing the Blue State Challenge, feel free to talk up any Red State groups you're supporting that want that kind of exposure. On any/all your platforms. It can make a difference in a lot of ways.
Freedom Oklahomawww.freedomoklahoma.org Freedom Oklahoma
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I usually give tons of in-person recs, but it's been awhile since I did it on here. So let me hype some of my recent reads!
We’ve returned to the olden days, when word-of-mouth was the only real way to advertise. As an author, if you enjoy a book, please: tell your friends. Your group chat, your sewing circle, your family WhatsApp, your work Slack, the voice channel of your MMORPG guild, anything.
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The pics here are what EHS includes in their "what the fuck are you trying to kill us all" lab safety presentations If this was *after* Apple had time to clean up after being tipped off, God knows what it looked like before 😬
🧵 In 2020, I nearly died from mysterious industrial chemical exposure at my apartment. Later, I discovered my employer was dumping toxic waste into our windows from their Skunkworks semiconductor fab next-door. I tipped off US EPA, who then raided them in 2023. EPA sent me the report on Friday. 💀 ⬇️
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I don't have time for a thread, but #NativesInSTEM students: something I wish I had done in undergrad is to minor in Indigenous Studies. You may think it has nothing to do with your science degree, but being Indigenous will forever be intertwined with your identity as a scientist. Learn why.
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The next goal is to get medical evacuation for Sarah for her lupus. @akramabdelwahed.bsky.social is only €1800 away from this goal! Remember a *small donation combined with a share* goes a long way - longer than the occasional large donation with no share! Donate: tiny.cc/HelpAkram
💚 Help the family of @akramabdelwahed.bsky.social! You can read more about them below. ANY amount helps. 🪨 Match me to win my illustrated book of poems about the sediments & soils of Palestine! I research Mars sedimentology and wrote this while reading papers by Gazan geologists🧪 tiny.cc/HelpAkram
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Yard sale has been going for an hour and a half. I have sold a houseplant and a bundle of hangers, thus funding 75% of a coffee break on the roadtrip 🙃
It is not even 8 AM and my eyelids are sweating, I hate summer so much
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It is not even 8 AM and my eyelids are sweating, I hate summer so much
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Saw this on mastodon and it is fantastic. AI in medicine
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It is two days late and pouring down rain, WHY is someone setting off a bus load of fireworks right now??
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Libro.fm is rad. 100 percent recommend. I have not looked back.
I want more folks to know about libro.fm as an alternative to Audible or Spotify or other shady corps. It’s 100% employee-owned and works like Audible, except your credits support an indie bookstore of your choosing instead of Amazon. Go listen to a disabled author for Disability Pride Month! 💙📚
Same audiobooks. Different story.libro.fm Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through local bookstores.
Same audiobooks. Different story.libro.fm Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through local bookstores.
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reminded of a scene from Terry Pratchett's Going Postal
A hill I will die on: all white-collar crimes are violent crimes. It's just that the violence is removed from the perpetrator because the perpetrator is wealthy.
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More evidence that the weather is fucking with me: at 6 AM, it was raining and forecast to continue all day. Thus I decided to cancel for today. By 9 AM, it had cleared off, and has been sunny and pleasant since. I am LIVID lol
The weather knows I'm trying to have a yard sale and is at this point just purposely fucking with me I swear, it's supposed to somehow thunderstorm literally all day tomorrow?
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I've at last listed my beloved car-top carrier and portable washing machine on FB marketplace, please allow me a moment of silence...
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My friend Tracy is in an emergency. You might know her from writer Twitter. Sweet, decent person. Already disabled, she began getting sicker in October, lost her job 2 months ago. Single parent. Rent now more than disability payments. She’s just gotten a liver disease DX. Please spread the word
Support a Family in Need During Health Crisis, organized by Tracy Spanglergofund.me Hi! I'm sorry to ask, but I really need help. I'm disabled and have … Tracy Spangler needs your support for Support a Family in Need During Health Crisis
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Someone is not a fan of the thunderstorms and has decided cuddles are the only way to deal with it.
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Writing the intro to the Backerkit page and some of you might find it uh...relevant.