iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

We at Skype a Scientist are deeply troubled by the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences. We urge you to contact Drexel University Leadership and Academy interim leader Trish Wellenbach to urge them to reopen the museum. President Merlo president@Drexel.edu Trish Wellenbach tw958@drexel.edu

a block of text with a statement that reads We at Skype a Scientist are deeply alarmed by the decision of Drexel University leadership and the Academy of Natural Sciences Board to close the Academy’s public museum.

Skype a Scientist is based in Philadelphia with deep roots in our city. Making science accessible, in particular for Philly’s children, is a top priority for our organization. We operate in community centers, at street festivals, and at the intersection of science and art. For the last 10 years, we have worked to engage a broader coalition of Philly residents to care for our local biodiversity.

Our program does not exist in a vacuum. The work that we do, alongside environmental education centers, our museums, classroom teachers, and more, create an ecosystem of connections with science. The loss of any part of this fragile ecosystem is detrimental. The Academy of Natural Sciences grounds biodiversity education in Philadelphia. With grand fossil halls, historical connections, and engaging exhibits, it is a place where many Philadelphians develop a love of science. Loss of access to this space cannot be tolerated.

We are living through an erosion of public education, particularly in the life sciences. Philadelphia cannot afford to lose our flagship biodiversity museum.

We call on the leaders of Drexel University and the Academy board to reverse their decision to close the Academy’s public museum. The children of Philadelphia and future generations of Philly-made scientists are counting on you.

0225115

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

OMG i just got home from trivia with Ellie!!!!

010

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

officially working on WEIRD SEX STUFF!!!

030

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

YES definitely hmu (and likewise)!!!!

010

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Ethan Linck @elinck.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I'm hiring a postdoc to help build tools for inferring complex speciation histories with genomic data. strong computational skills are a must, but this is a training opportunity. 60K$+ salary, 2 years, details flexible. please reach out! (and repost) ad here: jobs.montana.edu/postings/53150

jobs.montana.edu

Postdoctoral Researcher

The Department of Ecology at Montana State University is seeking a Postdoctoral Research Scholar as part of NSF-funded research on speciation under alternating cycles of gene flow and isolation (fundi...

15978

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

new profile pic just dropped because i started a new job!!!! i’m a postdoc fellow at the USDA-ARS facility in Hilo, HI. although i am finally not land-locked in indiana, my research focus will be shifting from marine species to tephritid fruit flies — i will be hitting the beach though

photo of andy standing in front of a colorful bush on their first day at work.

8541

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

got a review today that’s basically like “this paper isn’t useful because i can just ask AI” 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

122

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

woah!! am i… an award winning scientist?????

5190

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

i also yapped with @sarahmackattack.bsky.social for a @skypeascientist.bsky.social live Q and A session where we got to answer a bunch of questions from students across America m.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0uX...

m.youtube.com

Snails and Climate Change with Andy Lee

YouTube video by Skype A Scientist

011

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

beyond doing the science, i also got to share our work broadly!! I worked with @sj4k.bsky.social to “translate” this paper into language accessible to middle school students www.sciencejournalforkids.org/articles/why...

sciencejournalforkids.org

Why are some sea snails moving north? - Science Journal for Kids and Teens

Scientists wanted to find out how sea snails were adapting to new habitats in colder waters. Scientific article for students.

101

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Beyond honored to receive the Harry Smith Prize for my first ever first-author paper!!

1151

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Molecular Ecology @molecology.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Check out Andy Lee's award winning work: Genetic adaptation despite high gene flow in a range-expanding population (buff.ly/hyynGdL). (2/2)

buff.ly

042

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Molecular Ecology @molecology.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Congratulations to Andy Lee @andylee.bsky.social, winner of the 2026 Harry Smith Prize for his work on the genetic basis of adaptation in a range-expanding marine species with high dispersal. Andy recently defended his PhD at Purdue University. Read More: buff.ly/w8GY8u1 (1/2)

1195

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I put a call out for mural walls yesterday and I got a lot of VERY good walls for projects of a variety of scales. Unfortunately I have only sold enough shirts this summer to cover 2 of those walls. This means more people need to buy shirts. Thems the breaks. More shirts more art. SquidFacts.Net

a bunch of people in our shirts, including our biology is bigger than binaries shirt, adam whose poor head got cut off in his montage in our plant native plants shirt, a blonde dude in the shrimp shirt, and Jay in oue firefly squid shirt in the dark forest

9239107

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Ben Allen @evodynamics.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Defining sex based on gamete size is a choice. Perhaps it's the most parsimonious of all binary single-criterion sex definitions. But to claim that gamete size is the "ultimate defining criterion of biological sex" (whatever that means) falls into the naturalistic fallacy the authors warn of.

631456

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

also this all feels...weird. you've got a paper written by grad students and you're saying "hey let's do this weird not-really-blind review" of what appears to be a paper at least headed by someone more senior? idk, that gives me a certain amount of squick.

21075

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Jay @kakapojay.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Really worth a read, and I very much appreciate the closing thoughts in the article. "Most importantly, regardless of scientific debates, no biological definition of sex should be used to dictate human rights."

17736

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 12/07/2026

My coauthor Jay Falk's postdoctoral fellowship was terminated by the Trump administration for documenting the hummingbird example in this paper.

FIGURE 2
Open in figure viewer
PowerPoint
Operational biological sex definitions applied to hummingbirds (Bleiweiss 1992; Bleiweiss 1999; Bleiweiss 2001; Diamant et al. 2021; Falk et al. 2022; Falk et al. 2021) where sex is operationally defined by binary plumage phenotypes in the field. Each row depicts a wild individual hummingbird with morphological traits (beak length, plumage coloration), behavioural traits (territoriality) and their unobserved gamete type. This example illustrates how the same individual can be operationally defined as one sex in the field (based on external phenotypes) but classified as a different sex based on their gametes (which cannot be easily observed in the field), highlighting how definitional choices shape scientific reporting of sex.

9914392

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Colin Wright, for those of you lucky enough to be unaware of him, is a failed evolutionary biologist who first rose to fame by his refusal to submit DEIA statements in faculty job applications, and has since mainly used his credentials to burnish anti-trans, anti-queer, and racist pseudoscience

331730

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

In our Viewpoint (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...) we synthesize the gametic definition (outlined by Janicke et al below) and other definitions of sex (e.g., multivariate definition). We contend that is NO consensus on “biological sex” (maybe a consensus isn’t actually necessary…)

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

There is No Consensus on Biological Sex

At this critical moment when misinformation about sex is being applied to policy globally, scientific clarification on the definition of biological sex is valuable. Here, we evaluate the primary appr...

232286

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

🧐 So that "sex is binary but we swear that won't be used to hurt trans people" paper thanks Jerry Coyne, a notorious transphobe. Nothing to see here!

1628

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

today seems like a good day to repost our Viewpoint!!

04315

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Madeline G. Eppley, PhD @madeline-eppley.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

✨🌈💡kicking off pride month by sharing our new article on using queer perspectives to improve practice in #ecology and #evolution. Bobby Dellinger presented a stellar overview of our work last month at the UCLA Thinking Gender 2026 conference, which you can watch here! #PrideInSTEM 🧪

youtube.com

Where Do We Go from Here? Harnessing Queer Perspectives to Advance Practice in Ecology

YouTube video by Center for the Study of Women Streisand Center

041

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I've been sick like 50% of the days this semester i think...

110

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

I am super excited to meet up with a preschool class for @skypeascientist.bsky.social today!! Not sure what that probabilities are (I am guessing low), but I just found out that out of the thousands of possible pairings, I get to visit my sister's classroom thousands of miles away!!

A slide show with a photo of Andy and his sister titled "Yes, I am Miss Cindy's brother"

0191

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Caroline VanSickle (she/her) @cvansickle.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Surprised to learn scientists can't agree on a definition of sex? Don't be! To be honest, we can't even agree on a definition of species. Many so-called natural categories are hard to define once we look at the evidence. Biology is too complex for simple definitions, which is a feature, not a bug.

0146

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Jeremy Yoder says no war @jbyoder.org · 09/04/2026

"The fact that there is no current consensus of biological sex is not antithetical to science... However, the field urgently needs an ethical and reproducible approach for discussing sex" There is No Consensus on Biological Sex

buff.ly

There is No Consensus on Biological Sex

At this critical moment when misinformation about sex is being applied to policy globally, scientific clarification on the definition of biological sex is valuable. Here, we evaluate the primary…

27528

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

new paper from my phd is now out as a pre-print @biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social!! we leverage a novel gt-seq panel to investigate a marine ecology “black box” — population connectivity! read here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

biorxiv.org

174

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

hit a little scientific milestone today: 50 citations!!!!! sometimes I am still in shock that I am living my childhood dream and get to be a ~scientist~

screenshot of Andy’s google scholar page which shows 52 total citations!

0321

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

biorxiv.org

174

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

bioRxiv Evolutionary Biology @biorxiv-evobio.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Regional connectivity and viability selection in a range-expanding marine species www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/20…

011

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Yung En Chee @yungenchee.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

On this Trans Day of Visibility, please enjoy & learn something from this fascinating & clarifying read from @madeline-eppley.bsky.social, @andylee.bsky.social, Robert Dellinger & @allydefduf.bsky.social Read👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.... (🙏 for this excellent work & actionable recs!)

Screenshot of the title page of an article in Ecology Letters

TITLE: There is No Consensus on Biological Sex

Madeline G. Eppley. A, Andy Lee Robert Dellinger, Ally Swank

First published: 05 March 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70350

Editor: Greg F. Grether
Madeline Eppley and Andy Lee contributed equally and are co-first authors.

ABSTRACT

There is ongoing scientific and societal discourse on the definition of biological sex. At this critical moment when misinformation about sex is being applied to policy globally, scientific clarification is valuable. Here, we evaluate the primary approaches to defining sex and synthesise the active discourse to conclude that there is no current consensus on a definition of sex that is free of assumptions and limitations. While there is no current consensus, we do not advocate for a single definition and contend that a lack of unanimity is not inherently problematic. No matter what definitional choices are used, we provide actionable recommendations to improve accuracy when describing sex. Most importantly, regardless of scientific debates, no biological definition of sex should be used to dictate human rights.

310651

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

ok you’re right i should do it when i get some free time

020

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

no good philosophical reasons, but practically it means more time to grade and apply to jobs (😭)

100

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Mariko Bennett @nachoriko.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

I defended my PhD 10 years ago today. That was the least remarkable thing that happened that day. Sharing something I wrote about it last year. Since then "the horrors persist but so do we." And with dignity.

491706568

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

THANK YOU!!!! and they’re monarchs aka drag QUEENS!!! it was smart!!!!

020

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

John Wares @johnwares.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Always enjoy reading a dissertation - I try to give it time and respect. We are all so rushed, but somebody worked their f**king ass off for this, and I'm so pleased for the person defending their work this week. So, diving in ahead of time.

1162

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Jess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

It finally happened to me: I read this whole paper and was like "hell yeah this is great" and then saw I was thanked in the Acknowledgements, which I had forgotten about lollll Faculty-brain is real

28510

Reposted by Andy Lee, PhD

Karyn Anderson @karynanderson.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

What is the relationship between science and society? How does culture impact the production and dissemination of knowledge? In this new paper, Eppley et al interrogate how systems of oppression bias our research, and how Queer perspectives can address these. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Where We Go From Here: Harnessing Queer Perspectives to Advance Practice in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Science and society continuously shape one another; this relationship determines what science is funded, which inquiries are pursued, and whose voices are included in the production and dissemination...

0138

Andy Lee, PhD @andylee.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

so cool to see examples of this in wild systems!!!

120