Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Behavioural indicators of negative states include defensive responses reminiscent of fear, danger anticipation akin to anxiety, and learned helplessness. Positive states are less studied, with some exceptions, such as play⚽. (This is of course quick overview, read the review for more details!) 111
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 29/09/2026We discuss the challenges of defining emotions and argue for a multi-component approach. A comparative framework emerges: rather than asking whether a species “has” emotions, we can look for functionally analogous “building blocks” of emotional expression across distant species. 🐝🐁🪰 111
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 29/09/2026We review evidence for basic forms of emotion in invertebrates, especially insects, through three complementary approaches: behaviour 😨, cognition 💭, and neurophysiology 🧠. (illustration by Fosca Mastrandrea) 121
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I had the pleasure to write this review with @lbaciadonna.bsky.social , @davidbaracchi.bsky.social and @martingiurfa.bsky.social , and it's now published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B ! doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2025.0146 Check the thread for a quick break down of the paper 🧵doi.orgExploring emotional expression in invertebrates: mechanisms, functions and phylogenyAbstract. The idea that invertebrates may exhibit basic forms of emotion, and possibly sentience, is gaining traction as evidence of their advanced cogniti 181
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I had the pleasure to write this review with @lbaciadonna.bsky.social , @davidbaracchi.bsky.social and @martingiurfa.bsky.social , and it's now published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B ! doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2025.0146 Check the thread for a quick break down of the paper 🧵doi.orgExploring emotional expression in invertebrates: mechanisms, functions and phylogenyAbstract. The idea that invertebrates may exhibit basic forms of emotion, and possibly sentience, is gaining traction as evidence of their advanced cogniti 181
Reposted by Catherine MacriDavid Baracchi @davidbaracchi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026I'm pleased to share our new review, published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, with L.Baciadonna, C.Macri & M.Giurfa. We discuss evidence for emotions in insects and their possible deep evolutionary roots, while stressing the need for rigor and caution doi.org/10.1098/rstb...doi.orgExploring emotional expression in invertebrates: mechanisms, functions and phylogenyAbstract. The idea that invertebrates may exhibit basic forms of emotion, and possibly sentience, is gaining traction as evidence of their advanced cogniti 0123
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 29/09/2026🐦⬛🗣️ It's today! Discover what ravens can teach us about social cognition, social learning, and the evolution of intelligence in animals. An online seminar by Dr. Thomas Bugnyar 📅 Today, 2:00 PM GMT 📺 Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQoB... #AnimalBehaviour #Ravens #SocialCognition #OnlineSeminaryoutube.comSeminar Series 2026: 3. Dr. Thomas BugnyarYouTube video by Animal Behaviour Live 186
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026🇧🇷 3/ Leonardo Campana is going back to Brazil to finish his PhD, after a 1-year internship in the team. He fell in love with Paris and knows the Louvre better than any of us. 🥖🥐🇫🇷 We will miss him greatly! @martingiurfa.bsky.social @udiptachakraborti.bsky.social 032
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026🪰 2/ celebrating Michel Gho's retirement (although he will keep coming as a volunteer, we're not letting him go that easily!). A drosophilist who fully embraced the bee fever and became a part of the ICON team 🐝 111
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Some news from the ICON team: 📃 1/ Celebrating two new papers ! 🎉 One from Maria Eugenia Villar et al. and one from Rafael Carvalho da Silva et al. Both in Communications biology. (The tradition is to write it on the ceiling, where the cork touched it!) @mischocarvalhus.bsky.social 272
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Some news from the ICON team: 📃 1/ Celebrating two new papers ! 🎉 One from Maria Eugenia Villar et al. and one from Rafael Carvalho da Silva et al. Both in Communications biology. (The tradition is to write it on the ceiling, where the cork touched it!) @mischocarvalhus.bsky.social 272
Reposted by Catherine MacriASAB @asab.org · 25/06/2026Wishing all of our members a happy Pride month!🌈 We here at ASAB strongly value diversity🫶 Speaking of which, did you know that ASAB has a ✨new✨ EDIA award? We seek to recognise an individual or group that has actively promoted inclusivity, equity, and diversity in the field! Nominations due Oct 1.asab.orgEDIA Award — ASAB 0176
Reposted by Catherine MacriASAB @asab.org · 15/09/2026Don't forget that grant applications (attendance, accessibility, childcare) for the joint #ASABWinter2026 meeting with PSGB 🐒 @asabpsgb2026.bsky.social are due in 2 weeks (⏰ October 1!) 🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰🏃💰 More info: www.asab.org/conference-g...asab.orgConference Attendance Grants — ASABConference Attendance Grants help PhD students and others with limited funds to attend ASAB conferences and workshops 0910
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 15/09/2026📣 SEMINAR SERIES 2026 📣 📆 Tuesday 29 September 2026 at 2:00 PM GMT on our YouTube channel: Dr. Thomas Bugnyar (University of Vienna, Austria) will present “Testing social cognition in birds: lessons from ravens” 🐦⬛ 📺 Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQoB... 12315
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 04/09/2026We wrote a commentary with @martingiurfa.bsky.social on the book 'The Edge of Sentience' written by @birchlse.bsky.social, published in Animal Sentience. It was hard to keep it short, this book inspired me a lot during my PhD ! 🐝🧠wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.orgFrom insect cognition to sentience: Exploring the edgeWhat does The Edge of Sentience tell us about insect sentience and consciousness? In this commentary, we reflect on Jonathan Birch’s framework for defining and scientifically investigating sentience i... 0176
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 04/09/2026We wrote a commentary with @martingiurfa.bsky.social on the book 'The Edge of Sentience' written by @birchlse.bsky.social, published in Animal Sentience. It was hard to keep it short, this book inspired me a lot during my PhD ! 🐝🧠wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.orgFrom insect cognition to sentience: Exploring the edgeWhat does The Edge of Sentience tell us about insect sentience and consciousness? In this commentary, we reflect on Jonathan Birch’s framework for defining and scientifically investigating sentience i... 0176
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 03/09/2026⏰ Just 3 days left! The deadline to submit your abstract for #ABL2026 is almost here. Don’t miss this opportunity to present your research ! 📅 Deadline: September 6 📄 Submit now 👉 ablaoc.sciencesconf.org #ethology #animalbehavior #animalbehaviour #onlineconferenceablaoc.sciencesconf.orgAnimal Behaviour Live: Annual Online Conference 2026 - Sciencesconf.org Sciencesconf.org 056
Reposted by Catherine MacriDavid Baracchi @davidbaracchi.bsky.social · 21/08/2026IUSSI2026 is over! It was a great success from every point of view. I’m so grateful to Judith Korb and the organizers for giving me the wonderful opportunity to be one of the plenary speakers. It was truly an honor! Looking forward to attending the next meeting in Africa in four years’ time! 1151
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 20/08/2026What’s the problem with noisy neighbors? 🐦️🔊 Join us on Nov 12 to discover Dr Sue Anne Zollinger’s work on the impacts of anthropogenic noise on wildlife, from sleep and song to offspring and even effects across generations! Register for FREE: https:// ablaoc.sciencesconf.org/ 0116
Reposted by Catherine MacriChelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 19/08/2026@nstroeymeyt.bsky.social is hiring! Collective behavior, disease, and social organization - if you’re looking for a PhD or postdoc! #IUSSI26 148
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 14/08/2026🌟 You’re invited! 🌟 Join us for #ABL2026, a FREE online conference on 12 November, centred on this year’s theme: “Studying Animal Behaviour in a Changing World” 🌍 📅 Submit your abstract by 6 September! 🔗 More info & sign-up: ablaoc.sciencesconf.org #ethology #animalbehavior #onlineconference 0106
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 11/08/2026How do antipredator defences shape colonisation, dispersal, and evolutionary patterns? Join us on Nov 12 to learn Dr Iliana Medina Guzmán work ! Learn more about the conference & register for FREE: ablaoc.sciencesconf.org #ethology #animalbehavior #animalbehaviour #scienceconference 094
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 30/07/2026@viveknityananda.bsky.social explaining the @affect-evo.bsky.social European COST action during the symposium on the neuroscience of emotion at #ICN2026 ! 🐝🐟🦇🦐🐦 Please join the AFFECT-EVO community 😊 0122
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Amazing talk by @avispatica.bsky.social on how parasites hack wasps' brains and behaviour! Your work is fantastic 🐝🧠 052
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Luigi Baciadonna @lbaciadonna.bsky.social on how a stressful experience modulates attention in bumble bees 🐝 at #ICN2026 in Vancouver. Great talk !! 0133
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Luigi Baciadonna @lbaciadonna.bsky.social on how a stressful experience modulates attention in bumble bees 🐝 at #ICN2026 in Vancouver. Great talk !! 0133
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Amazing talk by @avispatica.bsky.social on how parasites hack wasps' brains and behaviour! Your work is fantastic 🐝🧠 052
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Really happy to have given a talk on our project (with @lbaciadonna.bsky.social , @martingiurfa.bsky.social and @davidbaracchi.bsky.social ) on the Fear-like state in honey bees 🐝 at #ICN2026 #ICN2026Vancouver! Grateful for the invitation and the YRI conference grant from @affect-evo.bsky.social 🙌 0102
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 01/08/2026Really happy to have given a talk on our project (with @lbaciadonna.bsky.social , @martingiurfa.bsky.social and @davidbaracchi.bsky.social ) on the Fear-like state in honey bees 🐝 at #ICN2026 #ICN2026Vancouver! Grateful for the invitation and the YRI conference grant from @affect-evo.bsky.social 🙌 0102
Reposted by Catherine MacriFloria Mora-Kepfer Uy @avispatica.bsky.social · 30/07/2026How do parasites reprogram brains so your host becomes a zombie? If you are still at #ICN2026 tomorrow Friday, come to my talk at 3:30 pm (room 2306/2309) #strepsiptera #zombiewasp 1197
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 30/07/2026@viveknityananda.bsky.social explaining the @affect-evo.bsky.social European COST action during the symposium on the neuroscience of emotion at #ICN2026 ! 🐝🐟🦇🦐🐦 Please join the AFFECT-EVO community 😊 0122
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Happy to be at #ICN2026 in Vancouver, Canada ! And if you're interested in bees and emotional states 🐝😨, consider attending my talk on Thursday at 11:20am ! (Symposium #12) And thanks to @viveknityananda.bsky.social and Luigi Baciadonna for inviting me 😊 #ICN2026Vancouver 062
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 28/07/2026Great plenary talk by Joe Parker on the evolution of symbiotic entrenchment at #ICN2026 ! A story on CHC and chemical mimicry, seeking ant hosts and hugging them to not die? 🤯 072
Reposted by Catherine MacriInternational Society for Neuroethology @neuroethology.org · 27/07/2026First awardee is @samjakeengland.bsky.social presenting their research on #ecology of #electrostatics⚡️🌸🦋🐝🐛 #pollination #parasitism #predatorpreyinteractions Congratulations, Sam! 🥳👍 3111
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 13/07/2026Want to present your research at #ABL2026? 🗓 Submit your abstract by 6 September and join researchers from around the world for a day dedicated to "Studying Animal Behaviour in a Changing World." 🎤 Choose between: 🔹 A 15-min live talk 🔹 A 5-min video poster 📄 Submit now ablaoc.sciencesconf.org 0129
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Our latest paper is nicely decrypted in this thread ! ⬇️🐝 062
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 12/07/2026Our latest paper is nicely decrypted in this thread ! ⬇️🐝 062
Reposted by Catherine MacriTay (Antonio J. Osuna Mascaró) @biotay.bsky.social · 11/07/20261/11 The dimensions of animal empathy In this study, the authors attempt to understand the different forms that empathy may take in other species. (paper) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 12011
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 30/06/2026🐙🗣️ It's today! Join us in just a few hours for our seminar "Cephalopods as Biological Image Generators" with Dr. Sam Reiter on YouTube! 🎥 📅 Time: Today, 8:00 AM GMT 📺 Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxAr... #AnimalBehaviour #Cephalopods #OnlineSeminaryoutube.comSeminar Series 2026: 2. Dr. Sam ReiterYouTube video by Animal Behaviour Live 075
Reposted by Catherine MacriAnimal Behaviour Live @animalbehaviour.live · 16/06/2026📣SEMINAR SERIES 2026📣 Join us for our next seminar! 📆 Tuesday 30 June 2026 at 8:00 AM GMT on our YouTube channel: Dr. Sam Reiter (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan) will present “Cephalopods as Biological Image Generators” 🐙 📺 Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxAr...youtube.comSeminar Series 2026: 2. Dr. Sam ReiterYouTube video by Animal Behaviour Live 1176
Reposted by Catherine MacriRoyal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 16/05/2026Can bees be aware? Using a demanding learning task, researchers show that #honeybees behave as if awareness plays a role in their learning doi.org/10.1098/rspb... | #ProcB #Behaviour #Cogniton 094
Reposted by Catherine MacriDavid Baracchi @davidbaracchi.bsky.social · 26/05/2026Do insects feel pain or is it just a reflex? We found that GABAergic signalling modulates bumblebee nocifensive responses. A centrally acting drug reduced these behaviors and altered brain gene expression, suggesting modulation of the central nervous system rather than a simple peripheral reflexauthors.elsevier.comScienceDirect.com | Science, health and medical journals, full text articles and books. 082
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 26/05/2026A very nice and digestible coverage of my latest paper ! 🐝🔀 043
Reposted by Catherine MacriCarolyn Bertozzi @carolynbertozzi.bskyverified.social · 26/05/2026“Academic science is not only about productivity, it is also about deep understanding, exploring creative solutions and training critical thinkers to be the next generation of researchers.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...nature.comThe uncritical adoption of AI in science is alarming — we urgently need guard railsArtificial intelligence is rapidly accelerating scientific output, but risks narrowing inquiry, weakening judgement and undermining how scientists are trained. 114464
Reposted by Catherine MacriNatacha Rossi @natacharossi.bsky.social · 20/05/2026And another paper out, which has just been covered by The Guardian! www.theguardian.com/environment/... original article: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article... @bethbees.bsky.social @nicrodemo.bsky.socialtheguardian.com‘Floral buzzing’ to collect pollen as exhausting for bees as flight take-off, study showsVibrating flowers uses huge amounts of energy, forcing bees to choose which plants to visit and affecting which ones are pollinated 0159
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 26/05/2026A very nice and digestible coverage of my latest paper ! 🐝🔀 043
Reposted by Catherine MacriElisabetta Versace @elisabettaversace.bsky.social · 17/05/2026Attention, awareness and flexibility in honeybees: divergent effects of distraction on delay versus trace reversal learning royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article... 141
Reposted by Catherine MacriHaDi MaBouDi @maboudi.bsky.social · 17/05/2026I am very pleased to announce our upcoming Theo Murphy meeting at the Royal Society: Nature of Intelligence: Bridging Animal and Artificial Intelligence 21–22 September 2026 - Bristol, UK Registration deadline: 1 July Register here: lnkd.in/eGDAux-M #AI #AnimalCognition #Neuroscience 11212
Reposted by Catherine MacriCatherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Our work on trace conditioning x reversal learning in honey bees is now published ! @martingiurfa.bsky.social I especially want to acknowledge Shirel's part in this work, for collecting most of the data during her Bachelor's internship. 🐝✨ Link: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...royalsocietypublishing.orgAttention, awareness and flexibility in honeybees: divergent effects of distraction on delay versus trace reversal learningAbstract. The question of whether awareness is required for trace but not for delay conditioning has recently been explored in the honeybee, a species reno 085
Catherine Macri @catherinemacri.bsky.social · 14/05/2026Our work on trace conditioning x reversal learning in honey bees is now published ! @martingiurfa.bsky.social I especially want to acknowledge Shirel's part in this work, for collecting most of the data during her Bachelor's internship. 🐝✨ Link: royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...royalsocietypublishing.orgAttention, awareness and flexibility in honeybees: divergent effects of distraction on delay versus trace reversal learningAbstract. The question of whether awareness is required for trace but not for delay conditioning has recently been explored in the honeybee, a species reno 085