iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Calling all phylogeneticists! With the untimely demise of CIPRES, where are y’all going for running #phylogenetic analyses?? Any other similar public servers out there with GUI submission interface??

121

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

You have what it takes to be a dad

110

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Possibly the coolest insect I have collected *inside* my house. It was very pleasing indeed.

030

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Josh Gibson, Ph.D. @drstrangeant.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Playing around with better ways to render this flea CT scan in Amira this week!

1349

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

naturepoker @binomicalabs.org · 04/06/2026

Hey IQTree3 paper is out. Bread and butter for tree building anything in my workflow. They have a pretty standout documentation too. 🖥️🧬 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

academic.oup.com

IQ-TREE 3: phylogenomic inference software using complex evolutionary models

Abstract. IQ-TREE (https://iqtree.github.io/) is a widely used open-source software tool for efficiently inferring phylogenetic trees under maximum likelih

02915

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Any mimicking spider (sans a leg) got the ant!

010

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

I have this man to thank for sparking my interest in biodiversity at a young age which led to a lifelong passion for and career in biodiversity science. Happy birthday #sirdavidattenborough

000

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

chuck 🐦💐 @chuckdrawsthings.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

some previews of an abc zine i'm working on! 🐦✨

a drawing of a pigeon flying and looking determined, carrying a scroll. they think "lives are depending on me!" a small red circle giving a preview of the scroll's contents says "send nudes lol". text above the pigeon says "h is for homing" and underneath that "Homing pigeons are bred to be able to find home over long distances. Before phones, they were used as messengers, even during wars to deliver crucial intel."

a drawing of two pigeons kissing. the one on the right looks suspicious and asks "did you have garlic today?" the one on the left sheepishly says "uhh...no..." text above says "k is for kissing" and underneath that "a courtship ritual where pigeons lock their beaks together and regurgitate food. so romantic!"

a drawing of a baby pigeon with its eyes shut going 'wehhh'. text above says "s is for squab" and underneath that "a baby pigeon! they stay hidden in their nests until they are fully feathered. a face only a mother could love..."

422651

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

This planet — with all its troubles — is worth caring for. That should be our single purpose, as a species: To be stewards of this magnificent world, ensuring it thrives long into the future.

18547841069

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

BREAKING: In response to huge cuts in Trump's budget request, NSF is shuttering its SBE directorate. Staff will be transferred to other parts of the agency and "grants that align with Administration priorities" will be maintained. That & more w/ @maxkozlov.bsky.social & @edwrdchen.bsky.social

nature.com

Massive budget cuts for US science proposed again by Trump administration

Budget proposal would also curb federal payments for scientific publishing.

26407315

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

No one does Easter eggs quite like stick and leaf insects do www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco...

316840

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Dia VanGunten / Writer @pinkzombierose.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

You’re welcome. Happy day! 😆

Scientists discovered a caterpillar that murders insects and stitches their dismembered body parts onto its back as armor

3023488601

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

An amazing new species of Cordyceps-mimicking spider has just been described from the Ecuadorian Amazon - Taczanowskia waska www.mapress.com/zt/article/v...

mapress.com

“The Cordyceps spider”: Taczanowskia waska sp. nov. (Araneae: Araneidae), a new spider species and a novel case of mimicry of an araneopathogenic fungus (Cordycipitaceae: Gibellula ) | ...

89735

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

91147788501

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Screen cap of the xkcd cartoon, "Welcome to the Biology Department. It has been three days since we discovered something existentially horrifying about bugs that makes you question your whole reality."

7666230

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Absolutely delightful!! Save me one pls!

110

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 02/10/2025

Haha! Not only am I an entomologist, I specialize in the evolution of Phasmatodea. Must be a friends issue 😆

140

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 24/09/2025

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA 10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

715294729899

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

The buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) has mastered a very particular kind of camouflage. When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig. Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?

7247151448

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Having RFK Jr as Health Secretary is like having a flat-earther direct Google Earth

030

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 06/09/2025

Molecular evolution of dietary shifts in ladybirds 🐞 expansions of digestive & detoxifying #gene families in the herbivorous ladybirds, & absence of most plant cell wall-degrading enzymes in the ladybirds from the transition to carnivory link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.com

Molecular evolution of dietary shifts in ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): from fungivory to carnivory and herbivory - BMC Biology

Background Dietary shifts are major evolutionary steps that shape ecological niches and biodiversity. The beetle family Coccinellidae, commonly known as ladybirds, first transitioned from a fungivorou...

02613

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Yun S. Song @yun-s-song.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

SINGER, our ARG inference method, is finally published and freely available online: doi.org/10.1038/s415... It was a long journey – 16 months from initial submission to acceptance. Is it just me, or has peer review gotten more arduous lately? 4+ rounds of review isn't so unusual these days...

doi.org

Robust and accurate Bayesian inference of genome-wide genealogies for hundreds of genomes - Nature Genetics

SINGER is a method for creating ancestral recombination graphs to understand the genealogical history of genomes. The method has increased speed, and thus scalability, without sacrificing accuracy.

110252

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Unparalleled aerial agility and control

040

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Dr. Lucky Tran @luckytran.com · 08/07/2025

BREAKING: Scientists are staging a “science fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.

10684008311217

Reposted by James Robertson, PhD

Devon @waasp08.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Pelecinus gothyturator. She's attending the Hymenoptera ball. 👗 #Pelecinuspolyturator

Pelecinus polyturator in an elegant black dress...because why not!

1275

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

Superficially resembles (strikingly so) some Neotropical Endomychidae

110

James Robertson, PhD @2elytra.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Guess I’ll need to call in sick today.

010