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Catherine Williams

@cjaw.bsky.social
777 followers 2.3K following 81 posts

Vet, Assistant Prof, Artist, Mum. Comparative physiologist with interests in anaesthesia, analgesia ❤️ 🫁 🧠 and bone. Currently studying these in the context of 🐔 keel bone fracture.

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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Early-career researchers can apply for a FUNDED PLACE at the @biologists.bsky.social Workshop, Integrating Physiology and Behaviour in Assessment of Ectotherm Heat Tolerance, 7-10 March 2027 Organisers: Michael Ørsted and Johannes Overgaard Application deadline: FRIDAY 11 Sept tinyurl.com/23rm6z69
Graphic saying: Workshop
Integrating Physiology and Behaviour in Assessment of Ectotherm Heat Tolerance 
Organisers: Michael Ørsted and Johannes Overgaard
Early-career researchers apply for funded places
7-1- March 2027
Buxted Park, East Sussex, UK
Bottom left: The Company of Biologists logo
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
#Sciart on the nature cover from Richard Tibbets @natureportfolio.nature.com
A scientific illustration of a beetle by Richard Tinbetts on the cover of Nature
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
And here are the sketches from the Bidder lecture, animal presidents talk, Young scientist awards talks for the animal section and some of the other great sessions @sebiology.bsky.social #SEB2026 #sciart
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
@europexn.bsky.social Sketches of the speakers from todays @sebiology.bsky.social Florence meeting thanks for the great talks!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
1st session, the legacy of Hume as the founder of UFAW, the future of #SciFAW - old and new blindspots, fruitful doubt, sympathy with but with minimal sentimentality, 3Rs, research responsibilty and regulation, a history of care and a future of engagement. #SciArt #AnimalWelfare @scifaw.bsky.social
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
#SciFAW100 Huw Golledge kicks off the conference, in London dealing with the centinary of the university federation of animal welfare - which is now Science for Animal Welfare. #welfare #sciart
A sketch of Huw Golledge from Science for Animal Welfare kicking off the UFAW conference
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 16/05/2026
The retina is one of the most energetically expensive tissues known to science. And yet, birds’ retinas manage without a key energy-saving tool: oxygen. New research explores how.
quantamagazine.org
How the Bird Eye Was Pushed to an Evolutionary Extreme | Quanta Magazine
The bird retina is one of the most energetically expensive tissues in the animal kingdom, yet it doesn’t use the energy advantage of oxygen. New research finally explains how this is possible.
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 27/05/2026
“Evolution is not really like an inventor; it acts more like a tinkerer. . . . It takes parts that have existed long before, and it recombines, reinvents, and reshapes.”— Karthik Shekhar, biologist at UC Berkeley
quantamagazine.org
How the Bird Eye Was Pushed to an Evolutionary Extreme | Quanta Magazine
The bird retina is one of the most energetically expensive tissues in the animal kingdom, yet it doesn’t use the energy advantage of oxygen. New research finally explains how this is possible.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
#BluSci #heart #lizard ❤️🦎 🧪👩🏽‍🔬
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
This finding of regeneration in an adult amniote cardiac ventricle has also been independantly come to using different techniques in this paper also out in 2026 doi.org/10.1113/EP09...
doi.org
Regeneration of the lizard heart after cryoinjury
Lizards are renowned for their tremendous potential to heal tissues and organs after injury, but little is known about myocardial regeneration in reptiles generally. Here, we study cardiac regenerati....
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Gecko hearts (here the ventricle) can regenerate! Proud to have been part of this @vickaryouslab.bsky.social study led by Kathy, which looked at function: ultrasound for all and pressure volume loops at final time point, and structure: histology, and transcription over 100d after cryo injury
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Guo Huang Lab @UCSF #Recruiting postdocs @guohuanglab.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
We know many fish and amphibians can regenerate the heart. How about reptiles? A landmark paper from @vickaryouslab.bsky.social to fill this gap. Glad to be a part of this study. @isrbio.bsky.social @evodevopanam.bsky.social @socdevbio.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Heart ventricle regeneration in the lizard Eublepharis macularius, the leopard gecko - npj Regenerative Medicine
npj Regenerative Medicine - Heart ventricle regeneration in the lizard Eublepharis macularius, the leopard gecko
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
What is the primary stress hormone in the axolotl? Well turns out they do both cortisol (like fish) and cortocosterone (like most amphibians). And use them under different stressor and with different dynamics. Paper #blusci #axolotl rdcu.be/e6pzr
rdcu.be
The adrenal stress response involves distinct dynamics of both cortisol and corticosterone in the axolotl salamander
Lab Animal - This study examines adrenal stress responses and injury signals in axolotl, showing that corticosterone dominates after amputation, while cortisol, which rises with handling stress, is...
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Bird's eye view: How do birds' inner retinae work engergetically if they don't have pre-retinal blood vessels? What does the pecten do? If some of these words/concepts sound interesting to you - read www.nature.com/articles/s41... Led by Christian Damsgaard & others @au.dk & beyond #BlueSci #SciArt
A digital drawing made from an oil painting by the poster, showing pigeons taking off. The eyes of two birds one on the ground, one in flight, are highlighted. The paper discusses the function of the bird eye - with its inner retina able to sustain high metabolism in anoxia, thanks partially to the action of the pecten - a structure suspended in the back chamber of the eye
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalenday days 13,14,15 #SciArt cross over, sketches of chickens who I study to look at the the condition of keel bone fracture, which occurs very commonly in laying hens in husbandry (~80%). We are looking at the acute consequences to breathing, activity and the potential for pain @au.dk
A sketch of a white laying hen from the sideA sketch of a hen pecking the ground. She wears a research backpack made from a baby gro.A sketch of a watchfull white laying hen.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 12 a running irish wolfhound in linoprint
A black ink linocut of a dog running, specifically an irish wolfhound.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 11, a puppy Lino print on watercolpur paper
Lino print of a labrador puppy in black on a white card
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 10, a wild boar, inspired by the Celts exhibition at #MoesgaardMuseum where there was also a beautiful stag rising sculpture in iron.
A lino cut of a wild boar in black ink
Sketch of two small iron sculptures at the Celts exhibition at Moesgaard Museum, one of a boar and one of a stag rising.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 9, the leaping hare, with a nod to #TerryPrachett s 'the hare runs into the fire'
The surface of a lino print with an incised hare in white, the lines in black and the background a grey from the last print
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 8. Boris Andrianov plays the Schumann cello concert with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Painted from the second row on a tiny sketckbook.
A live watercolour sketch of a cellist performing Schumanns cello concerto with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 7 the elephant
A lino cut of an elephant in black
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
This is gorgeous!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 06/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 6. The bull's head
A lino cet print of a bull's head in black
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 5: Cow and calf
A linocut print of a cow's head reaching down to sniff a newborn calf
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Of course! No fish sharing required for the puffin party!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar :)
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar day 4, a Puffin.
A linocut print of a puffin
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar Day 3, the December cat
A lino print in black of a cat curled up.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Thank you!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Thank you!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar. Day 2 Chickens in the rain.
A small watercolour sketch of two wet chickens with rain splatting the paint.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Thank you!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
#ArtAdventCalendar
Two lino prints of a runner duck witha a curl in its tail and a stocky chicken.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
doi.org/10.1002/adfm... the image crop above didnt do justice to Adrian's graphical abstract showing MicroCT and xray diffraction derived data highlighting the different nanocrystalline structures accross different osteoderms. #BluSci #SciArt
A better image of microCT and xray diffrqction data from osteoderms! From https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202526169
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Made possible by strong collaboration within @au.dk & internationally @vickaryouslab.bsky.social @anthony-herrel.bsky.social @mmoazen.bsky.social, and funding from @hfspo.bsky.social and @novonordisk.bsky.social via AXIA and enabled by DanMAX @maxivlaboratory.bsky.social. #BluSci #lizard #osteoderm
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Then we show that the capping tissue of (very) distantly taxa can be also mechanically impressive but with an entirely opposite nano structure (small crystals highly ordered e.g. in Tiliqua in comparison with the large and disordered crystals of Heloderma).
6 species of lizard and their osteoderms, shown in microCT and xray diffraction data. Two different patterns emerge - the capping tissue is highly mineralised and superficial, but can be highly ordered, or highly disordered and with small or large crystallite volume respectively!
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Stiff and different - Lizard osteoderm papers from a collaboration with @henrikbirkedal.bsky.social's group led by Adrian. We show a capping tissue from Heloderma that is enamel-like in mechanical properties but highly disordered in crystal pattern doi.org/10.1016/j.ac... doi.org/10.1002/adfm...
A microCT of a Heloderma osteroderm paired with xray diffraction and xray  fluorescence data showing the superficial capping tissue and underlying transition zone and bone.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
With talks on topics from blood cell cancers, light and the 👁 , how to teach physiology, gas exchange, metabolism, lungs 🫁 and their differences between sexes and the effect of gender via different risk exposures. And 🦈 🐦 🐁 🐀 🐖 🐟 🦎
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
What is #IUPS2025 ? - the conference bringing physiologists from across the world,with @physoc.bsky.social , SPS and DPG, - The 2 Nobel prize lectures, on low oxygen and high resolution respectively from Peter Radcliffe and Stefan Hell. 🔬
Peter Radcliffe discussing hypoxia sensing, oxygen from history, publishing and future perspectives Stefan Hell discussing limits and non limits to light microscopy
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
Congratulations on a great talk, blue tits and avian malaria and it's effects on blood metabolism.
A sketch of a presenting scientist talking to a conference presenting work on the links between age, infection status and blood metabolism.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 06/09/2025
Congratulations @aiasdk.bsky.social and all the new fellows, was a pleasure to see 3 minutes of each of their research presented in week one.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
@jackashby.bsky.social
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
6 (!!!!) tenure track or Associate Prof jobs across fields in #veterinary medicine at my current workplace @au.dk Denmark. Come join! Deadline August details in link.... anivet.au.dk/en/about-the... #Blusci #VetSci
anivet.au.dk
Tenure track assistant professor/Associate professors positions in veterinary medicine - Vacancy at Aarhus University
Vacancy at Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Aarhus University
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Maybe the upright forelimb posture reminiscent of Mini frogs of @markscherz.bsky.social
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
If you're a new PI within 5 years of your first faculty position, here are two fantastic grants to help develop your research: the Kickstart Travel Grant and ECR Visiting Fellowships Find out more at biologists.com/grants/#jeb The next application deadline is 6 June Please repost
Social media postcard that says: Are you an early-career researcher within five years of your first appointment to a faculty position? You could be eligible for our new grants for junior faculty staff

The Journal of Experimental Biology logo is in the bottom left corner. The Kickstart grant logo, two hands shaking, is in the bottom right corner.
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
If you're a new PI within 5 years of your first faculty position, here are two fantastic grants to help develop your research: the Kickstart Travel Grant & ECR Visiting Fellowships Find out more at biologists.com/grants/#jeb The next application deadline is 6 June Please repost to spread the word
Social media postcard that says: Are you an early-career researcher within five years of your first appointment to a faculty position? You could be eligible for our new grants for junior faculty staff

The Journal of Experimental Biology logo is in the bottom left corner. The Kickstart grant logo, two hands shaking, is in the bottom right corner.
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
Fun game
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Skype a Scientist @skypeascientist.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Hi! We're Skype a Scientist! We're a free program that matches scientists with classrooms, scout troops, libraries, & other groups for Q&As all about science. Get matched with a scientist for a virtual conversation! We have 30+ types of scientist & match weekly. www.skypeascientist.com/sign-up.html
A blue infographic gives a step by step guide on how to Skype a scientist. The steps are: 1) sign up on skypeascientist.com 2) pick a category of science your group would like to talk about (e.g. marine biology, chemistry, astronomy) 3) get a match via email 4) connect with your scientist, discuss your ur group’s needs and pick a time to chat 5) talk to your scientist!
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Reposted by Catherine Williams
Vincent Arel-Bundock @vincentab.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
📚😅🎉 Yay!! I just submitted the complete manuscript of my upcoming book to the publisher! Learn to easily and clearly interpret (almost) any stats model w/ R or Python. Simple ideas, consistent workflow, powerful tools, detailed case studies. Read it for free @ marginaleffects.com #RStats #PyData
Model to Meaning: How to interpret statistical models with marginaleffects for R and Python
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Catherine Williams @cjaw.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
@markscherz.bsky.social talking miniaturisation in 🐸 🦎 🐦 and mammals, in terms of the potential for evolutionary novelty as well as constraints... to the Zoophysiology Friday seminar @au.dk #Frog #Sciart from his @erc.europa.eu funded project
Sketch of a scientist and two frogs... one much bigger than the other. And notes on cell number vs cell size, with the latter constrained by genome size and the former potentially by organ functionThe same scientist and this time a tiny frog (Mini mum?) Facing forwards and walking in a way favoured by the very smallThe physical limits of miniaturisation?
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