iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Matt Olm @mattolm.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

My final postdoc project is out today in Nature! We show microbes co-migrated with humans out of Africa; three independent methods agree, and timing matches archaeological / genetic evidence (Fig. 4c). Seeing Fig. 4c for 1st time was one of my most memorable "eureka" moments! doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.org

Prehistoric global migration of vanishing gut microbes with humans - Nature

Microbial species disappearing from industrialized populations have evolved with humans over millennia and migrated worldwide with them—this may have consequences for human health.

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

1/9 Ethnozoology of medicinal plants used by elephants on Mount Elgon (Kenya) The researchers interviewed 8 local experts on elephant behavior, all with more than 20 years of experience, and what they learned is astonishing. (paper) www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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T Revathe @revathe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Thrilled that our research is featured on the cover! There is also a perspective piece. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Observation and exploration widen the menu

Orangutans expand their foraging skills by combining observation with trial-and-error learning

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Behaviour 2027 @behaviour2027.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Spread the word! Behaviour 2027 will be taking place in Vienna, Austria, from August 23-27.

Galapagos short-eared owl with text "Who is excited about behaviour 2027? Join us in Vienna August 23-27"

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Dr. Aurelia Strauß @aureliastrauss.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

🦠 Working on gut microbiomes and going to Behaviour 2027? 🦆 I’m looking for co-chairs and presenters to contribute to a symposium on how gut microbes affect behaviour, from lab models to wildlife. Interested in factors and pathways shaping microbiome-behaviour interactions? Please get in touch!

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Ammon Perkes @alltheperkes.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

🐟🚨 Fish paper alert! 🚨🐟 You might already know that individuals are unique, even when they’re genetically identical clones raised in identical environments. But what about groups? Groups of clones are distinct from birth, but (unlike individuals) those differences do not predict later behavior!

authors.elsevier.com

Group-level phenotypes are idiosyncratic yet unpredictable over development in a clonal fish

Behavioral differences among groups can have profound impacts on individual fitness,1 yet how group-level phenotypes arise and change during developme…

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Erin Siracusa @erinsiracusa.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Why do some animals have many social partners while others invest in a few strong relationships? Our new @royalsocietypublishing.org paper suggests the answer may be: it depends on the weather ☀️🌧️ 🐑 tinyurl.com/mry3mtpf

Soay sheep grazing on the island of Hirta, St Kilda, with dramatic misty cliffs and rough seas in the background

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Jocelyn Poissant @jocelynpoissant.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

🦌💩🦠 PhD opportunity! I am recruiting a fully-funded PhD student at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine to study the causes and consequences of gut microbiome variation in caribou. Start date is flexible. Please share!

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Ben Moran @ben-moran.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Hybrid zones are increasingly common; to what extent are human impacts on the environment the cause? We used pop gen, water chemistry, GIS, and ecotoxicology to explore the causes of hybridization in swordtails. With @mollyschumer.bsky.social, now out in Current Biology! www.cell.com/current-biol...

cell.com

Increased rates of hybridization in swordtails are associated with water pollution

Anthropogenic disturbance can drive hybridization by altering pre-mating reproductive barriers. Moran et al. pair population genomic surveys with water chemistry and GIS data to show that human develo...

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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 25/08/2026

This girl I used to waitress with in Austin, we moved to New York together in 2003 on a literal Greyhound bus. Shared a fifth floor walk-up studio that, when it rained, had more leaks in the ceiling than we had pots and pans. We used to get drunk and smoke off the fire escape and do “sad-offs.”

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Mirjam Knörnschild @berlinbatlab.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

What would it take for AI to decode animal communication? In our new opinion piece, we argue that animal signals should not be understood only by how similar they sound, but by how the receiver perceives them. 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

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Charles Mullon @charlesmullon.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Looking for an Associate Prof position? Interested in behavioural ecology & cultural evolution? Come join us at the Dpt of Ecology and Evolution in Lausanne🇨🇭 @dee-unil.bsky.social @unil.bsky.social! Great department & great place to live. Pls RP. Apply here: wwwfbm.unil.ch/releve/appli...

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Alex Courtiol 🐘🦇🦅👨‍💻 @datazoogang.de · 24/07/2026

@marta-mosna.bsky.social presented this week at @isbe2026.bsky.social her great work "The legacy of privilege: Social inheritance reverses sex differences in reproductive inequality in the spotted hyena". The paper came out today in Science Advances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Do check it out!

science.org

The legacy of privilege: Social inheritance reverses sex differences in reproductive inequality in the spotted hyena

The social transmission of privilege from mother to daughters reverses typical male-biased reproductive inequality.

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Quentin Bacquelé @quentinbacquele.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

1/ The world's songbirds sing in just 8 basic sounds. And where a bird lives decides which ones it uses. My first PhD paper is out now in @science.org (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aee6239) Here is what we found:

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Pranav Minasandra @pminasandra.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

🚨 Out this week in @pnas.org 🚨 The flagship paper from my PhD @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social @livingingroups.bsky.social - We show surprising statistical similarities in animal behaviour across states, individuals, and even species. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (🧵 1/10)

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Danai Papageorgiou @danaipapageorgiou.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

We are looking for a motivated and collaborative MSc student to join us @humboldtuni.bsky.social for their thesis on body mass inequality in Arabian babblers. Preferably based in Berlin. Co-supervised with brilliant @benmocha.bsky.social Call: danaipapageorgiou.weebly.com/join-us.html

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Ricard Solé @ricardsole.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

How do social networks become adaptive? From self-organisation and phase transitions to cultural learning, social networks are shaped by feedback between individual interactions and collective dynamics. Check my new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Danai Papageorgiou @danaipapageorgiou.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

In our new TREE paper, with M. Borgerhoff Mulder, S. Brosnan and E. Strauss we show that power in animal societies can be subject to control. When high-powered individuals use aggression to gain better access to resources, other group members can respond with "levelling". doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...

doi.org

Redirecting

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Paul Smaldino @psmaldino.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I'm teaching an online workshop on ABM and model-based thinking through ICPSR next month. Details linked below in case you or someone you know is interested.

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

We (me and @njdowdy.bsky.social) are hiring a PhD student! Come work with us! We seek a PhD student to investigate the evolution of acoustic behavior in Lepidoptera within a comparative evolutionary framework... Job closes this week! Apply ASAP! njdowdy.gitlab.io/balogh-fello...

njdowdy.gitlab.io

Kenneth F. Balogh Graduate Student Fellowship

A PhD position investigating the evolution of acoustic behavior in Lepidoptera, co-advised by Dr. Nicolas J. Dowdy (Milwaukee Public Museum) and Dr. Chelsea Cook (Marquette University). Apply by June ...

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TK (Takashi DY) Kozai @bioniclab.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

🪼 Your tax dollars paid a scientist to squeeze jellyfish through cheesecloth. Osamu Shimomura processed tens of thousands on an NSF grant to understand why they glow. He found a protein that glowed green under UV light. Called it "green protein." Nobody cared. For decades.

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Amiyaal Ilany @amiyaal.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Do you happen to have a recording?

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

You might be asking: Why does this Dramatic Groundhog have FANGS? Because it's a rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) and those aren't fangs, they're TUSKS, because this furry potato at the San Antonio Zoo is one of the closest living relatives of elephants. Let's learn about them.

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Amiyaal Ilany @amiyaal.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

These were probably tree hyraxes.

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Blair Costelloe @blaircostelloe.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

We are offering a PhD position with the WildBotics project @uni-konstanz.de! Want to join an interdisciplinary research network and use drones and computer vision to study animal behavior, ecology and conservation in Kenya? 🇰🇪🐘 Please apply! Deadline June 21 🧪🌍🌿 Full details: tinyurl.com/yn8jkzcf

tinyurl.com

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The Moyen Bafing Chimp Project @mbchimp.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

We’re hiring Research Assistants with the Moyen Bafing Chimpanzee Project! Help contribute to a growing wild chimpanzee research & conservation project in West Africa 🐵 Apply now (open until filled, starting dates from July). More info👇or dm for Qs #conservation #science #fieldwork #primates 🧪

We are seeking motivated field assistants for chimpanzee research and ecological surveying at the savanna-mosaic environment of the Moyen-Bafing National Park (MBNP), Guinea. The candidate will be responsible for the installation and maintenance of camera traps in the home ranges of several chimpanzee groups, chimpanzee habituation and behavioral data collection, and ecological surveying and sampling in the region. Together with an international and local team, the candidate will be responsible for the management of research data, and the day-to-day maintenance and running of the research site.

Essential requirements:
(1) previous field experience in remote areas (preference for arid zones/tropics)
(2) proficiency in both English and French (written and spoken)
(3) physically and mentally fit, able to spend long periods of time away from developed areas and be comfortable with minimal living conditions (no plumbing or electricity) in remote and ecologically challenging locations
(4) the capacity to live and work together with a small team of international and local assistants for extended periods of time
(5) good communication skills with other team members and (remotely) with project managers
(6) strong motivation to be active and flexible while managing multiple simultaneous responsibilities
(7) demonstrate tolerance to customs and practices of local communities

* Monthly stipend to offset living expenses
* Reimbursement of up to $1100 USD towards an international round trip flight after completion of a 9-month term

Minimum 9 months starting in July 2026.

Applications should be sent via email to Drs. Catherine Hobaiter, Erin Wessling, and Liran Samuni at mbchimp@gmail.com. We will start evaluating the applications on June 1 2026, and continue until the position is filled. Please include in your application your CV, a 1-page cover letter highlighting your interest and qualifications, and the names and contact information of at least two references

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Julia Penndorf @julia-penndorf.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

🎉New paper alert 🥳 Does proximity of breeding hollows influence foraging associations in wild cockatoos? doi.org/10.1098/rsbl... (🧵—1/2) With @lucymaplin.bsky.social , A. Csak

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Eamonn Wooster @predator-smarts.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Our recent paper on human-induced trait shifts and predator–prey interactions is on the cover of the May issue of Trends in Ecology & Evolution 😭😵‍💫 The paper is available open access here -> www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

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Ecology of Animal Societies @livingingroups.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Is bigger always better? For social animals, group size is a dilemma: big groups face more internal competition, yet hold an edge over smaller neighbors. 33 years of data on 12 wild capuchin groups reveals how these forces shape behavior. Out today in *Nat Eco & Evo*: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Tay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Lynxes that soak food for their cubs First time documented in predators. females Lynxes (Toledo, Spain) submerge their prey for up to 60 seconds. They do this in the summer; it helps them transport water, and seems to be a cultural practice (paper) bigcatrescue.org/conservation...

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Charles Mullon @charlesmullon.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Applications now open for the UNIL Summer School on Modelling for Evolutionary Biology (31 Aug–5 Sep 2026, Lausanne)! For PhD & postdocs interested in formal approaches to evolutionary ecology (incl. social evo, life-history, species interactions). Scholarships available, Pls RP! shorturl.at/fo1GA

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Gregory Kohn @kohngregory.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Desmond Morris passed away yesterday. He was one of the last living links to classical ethology. While most famous for his book "The Naked Ape" (I wasn't a fan), his work in bird behavior was foundational for both ethology and the behavioral sciences broadly. www.bbc.com/news/article...

bbc.com

Zoologist and author Desmond Morris dies aged 98

Morris, who was also a surrealist painter and broadcaster, was best known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape.

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Amiyaal Ilany @amiyaal.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

Our rock hyrax field site in the Judean Desert is so beautiful this spring

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EU Science, Research & Innovation @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu · 13/04/2026

€399M in EU funding is available to support around 1,600 researchers in their postdoctoral journey. You can choose your path: 🧪 European fellowships: 12-24 months in Europe 🧪 Global fellowships: 12-24 months abroad + return Deadline: 9 September (17:00 CEST) More info: link.europa.eu/t6jYb3

Visual with the text: Postdoctoral Fellowships call 2026

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Amiyaal Ilany @amiyaal.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

The Azrieli Visiting PhD Fellowship enables outstanding international PhD candidates to conduct short-term research in Israel, fostering collaboration with leading researchers. azrielifoundation.org/fellows/visi...

azrielifoundation.org

International Visiting PhD Fellowship - The Azrieli Foundation

The Azrieli Fellows Program is an elite group of academics who cultivate a network of leading professionals in Israel and around the world.

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Andres Bendesky @bendeskylab.com · 17/04/2026

Many wild populations are fragmenting and declining, leading to inbreeding. We are studying how animals avoid inbreeding and the consequences of inbreeding an in a >20 year study of >20,000 wild mice with whole genomes. We are recruiting a postdoc at Columbia and two PhD students in U Zurich.

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Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 30/03/2026

New research from #BiologyLetters: How do infections impact social relationships? royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... | #Behaviour #Ecology #Evolution #Epidemiology

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Amiyaal Ilany @amiyaal.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

I got to the humiliating stage where the agent is AIsplaining me why the pipeline I asked for doesn't fit my goal, and proving it using the paper I shared with it...

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Amiyaal Ilany @amiyaal.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

A bachelor male rock hyrax enjoying spring time

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Ecology of Animal Societies @livingingroups.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

3-year Independent Post-doc in Animal Behavior based at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama! Three positions, each including salary & a research budget. Applications due April, 15th. DM if you are interesting in developing a project with us! stri.si.edu/academic-pro...

stri.si.edu

3 Year Postdoctoral Fellowships in Animal Behavior

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Elodie Mandel-Briefer @ebriefer.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Registrations are now open for the renowned PhD Summer school in acoustic communication organised by SDU from 2-15.8 Denmark. Deadline 15.4. More info in picture below. 🦜🐳🦗🦇

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Fichtel-Kappeler-Lab @kirindy.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Fully funded PhD position on primate parochialism! Study how cooperation within groups and conflict between groups evolve in red-fronted lemurs at our long-term field site in Kirindy Forest, Madagascar. @kirindy.bsky.social & @primatenzentrum.bsky.social. Apply here: www.dpz.eu

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Matthias Loretto @handle.invalid · 13/03/2026

For decades biologists assumed ravens follow wolves to their kills. Our paper @science.org shows something different: ravens rarely follow wolves far. Instead they remember areas where wolf kills are common and return to them—sometimes from >150 km away. doi.org/10.1126/science.adz9467 📷Dan Stahler

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Chris Simms @chrisnsimms.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

This is an awesome discovery: A single-celled organism with no brain called Stentor seems capable of Pavlovian learning. Yes, it can actually learn to associate two things despite having no neurons. My latest for @newscientist.com. 🧪 #science #memory #learning www.newscientist.com/article/2519...

newscientist.com

Single-celled organism with no brain is capable of Pavlovian learning

A trumpet-shaped, single-celled organism seems able to predict one thing will follow another, hinting that such associative learning emerged long before multicellular nervous systems

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