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Stephen Montgomery

@ebablab.bsky.social
2.7K followers 1.5K following 588 posts

Prince Philip Professor of Ecology & Evolution @camzoology.bsky.social I like brains. www.shmontgomery.co.uk

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Reposted by Stephen Montgomery
Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · 3h
🦋 Butterfly wing patterns create motion illusions that protect them from predators! Our new study (8 years in the making) is out in Nature today doi.org/10.1038/s415... @grahancock.bsky.social @esbriolat.bsky.social @scienceanna.bsky.social @lauraakelley.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social
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Daniela Rößler @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🚨New paper🚨 Garden #spiders are everywhere right now—big, beautiful ladies, still in the hub of their 🕸️ But they are not just waiting, at night they also 💤! We found behavioral signatures of sleep in the wild. Out in #AnimalBehaviour w/ @mherberstein.bsky.social tinyurl.com/uznvv58y 🧵1/5
Adult female garden spider (Araneus diadematus) sitting at the center of her orb web, with orange‑brown legs and a patterned abdomen. The web’s radial and spiral threads are sharply visible, catching the light. The background is blurred green foliage with soft circular highlights, making the spider and web stand out in clear focus.
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Congrats to all the bat people for this delightfully batty paper, it really is batastic 🦇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Reference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - Nature
An updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families.
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Are you a #NewPI in Ecology & Evolution? Would you like to meet with peers to chat about work, the future and life as a new PI? 🍪☕️ Then I have the form for you! 📋 Help us gauge interest in a new network/event by filling in this short survey: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/K4wUiuLuFn Please RT! 🙏
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FishEvo Zuzana Musilova @fishevo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Hot off the preprint: visual adaptations in crater-lake #cichlids revealed by single-cell RNA-seq of the retina. Deep-water species have mainly green cones that however differ from both green and red cones of the shallow-water species. Quite unexpected in such young adaptive radiation!😍
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Giorgio Gilestro @giorgio.gilest.ro · 20/09/2026
Academia has seen inflation in the past 30 years but it is now entering Republic of Weimar territory, with value of knowledge moving from "paper to land". In all this, Open hardware is an act of armed resistance to Technofeudalism. giorgio.gilest.ro/the-weimar-o...
giorgio.gilest.ro
The Weimar of knowledge – la bottega
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Jon Simons @jonsimons.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The School of Biological Sciences at @cam.ac.uk is seeking a new Director for our Microscopy Bioscience Platform, which brings researchers together through open access to advanced imaging expertise and technology. Please share! www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/directo...
cam.ac.uk
Director of the School of the Biological Sciences Microscopy Bioscience Platform (Associate Research Professor (G10)/Research Professor (G11))
We are seeking a new Director for the Microscopy Bioscience Platform (https://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/microscopy-platform), based within the School of the Biological Sciences city centre campus. This strate...
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Anil Seth @anilseth.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
1/6 An extraordinary @nature.com paper has just landed from the lab of @sergiuppasca.bsky.social. They found a way to create "xenocortical mice" which have ~92% of their cortex occupied by a cortical organoid derived from human stem cells.
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Andrew Lin @andrewclin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
We're hiring! Join us as a postdoc to study how the brain is optimised for sensory coding and memory Please spread the word! Apply at jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research... Deadline: 5 October 2026 Learn more at: www.aclinlab.org
jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk
Research Associate: Neuroscience (2 Posts)
Research Associate: Neuroscience (2 Posts)
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Are you a #NewPI in Ecology & Evolution? Would you like to meet with peers to chat about work, the future and life as a new PI? 🍪☕️ Then I have the form for you! 📋 Help us gauge interest in a new network/event by filling in this short survey: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/K4wUiuLuFn Please RT! 🙏
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Tomás Ryan @tjryan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
"MIT wants to rebuild education around the things AI can't replace. That means oral exams, semester portfolios, in-person project work, and a required social component in every subject. The report even floats the idea of rethinking grades entirely..." This is the way forward @tcddublin.bsky.social
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Richard Merrill @dickmerrill.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Very excited to see this multi-faceted* study, led by Shane Wright and representing years of work on visual evolution and perception in Heliconius as part of our ERC Starting Grant, released into the world! 🦋*pun very much intended www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
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Harry Siviter @harrysiviter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Come and join us! 🐝
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Extremely topical PhD project on the effects of heatwaves on cognition, with @harrysiviter.bsky.social at @bristolbiosci.bsky.social, with @gaynorasmith.bsky.social and me as sidekicks 🐝🥵 gw4biomed.ac.uk/quantifying-...
gw4biomed.ac.uk
Quantifying the impact of heatwaves on cognition, neuroanatomy, and mitochondrial function - GW4 BioMed MRC DTP
Project Code NMH27Br Siviter Project Type Wet lab Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves. I...
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Extremely topical PhD project on the effects of heatwaves on cognition, with @harrysiviter.bsky.social at @bristolbiosci.bsky.social, with @gaynorasmith.bsky.social and me as sidekicks 🐝🥵 gw4biomed.ac.uk/quantifying-...
gw4biomed.ac.uk
Quantifying the impact of heatwaves on cognition, neuroanatomy, and mitochondrial function - GW4 BioMed MRC DTP
Project Code NMH27Br Siviter Project Type Wet lab Research Theme Neuroscience and Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of heatwaves. I...
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Reposted by Stephen Montgomery
Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Fish with electrical senses have unique brain cells specifically to process that information. The real trick they pull is separating the electricity they emit from the ones they sense. 🧪 Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-…
a, Schematic of the interference problem facing the passive electrosensory system of weakly electric fish. Responses of EAFs to prey are masked by responses to the EOD of the fish, which vary depending on factors such as water conductivity. b, Schematic of prediction and cancellation of responses to the EOD. Predictions are based on electric organ corollary discharge signals conveyed by GCs (granule cell basis) and require specific patterns of synaptic connectivity. c, Summary diagram of the synaptic connectivity patterns revealed in the present study. Only connections comprising >10% of the total synapses to a given cell type are shown in the diagram. d, Two example Output cells (blue and red) are shown along with EAF (pink) and GC (magenta) inputs overlaid on a cutout of the EM volume (424 × 427 × 45 µm; all EM connectomic data are from a single biological specimen). The dorsal–ventral and anterior–posterior dimensions of the skin surface are mapped onto the x- and z-dimensions of the volume, respectively. The top inset shows example excitatory GC synapses (magenta fill and star) onto apical dendritic spines of the ON cell (red fill). The magenta fill marks the example GC axon visualized in the volume; the magenta star marks another GC axon. The white star marks an inhibitory molecular layer interneuron synapse onto the dendritic shaft of the same ON cell. The bottom inset shows an example excitatory EAF synapse (pink fill) onto the ON cell basal dendrite (red fill). mol, molecular layer; ggl, ganglion layer; plex, plexiform layer; gran, granular layer. e–h, Example reconstructions of major ELL cell types. Axons are shown in black. ON/OFF, Output (h); MG+/MG−, medium ganglion (f); SG+/SG−, small ganglion (g); Gr+, granular; SP−, small plexiform (h). The inset in f shows an example inhibitory synapse between an MG+ cell (orange) and an OFF cell soma (blue).
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The Blueprint of Life @lifeblueprint.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Excited to share our new paper in Science Advances: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... A fascinating glimpse into how genomes begin to diverge and species begin to form. #Evolution #EvoDevo #Genomics #Epigenetics #Pangenomics #Heliconius
science.org
Multilocus basis of incipient reproductive isolation in hybridizing populations is revealed by pangenomic and epigenetic divergence
Incipient reproductive isolation in the presence of gene flow has traditionally been attributed to a small number of major-effect loci under strong selection. Here, using the Heliconius erato adaptive...
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Includes a nice article covering of @borreroja.bsky.social and @dickmerrill.bsky.social’s work in #Heliconius!
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Andrew Straw @andrewstraw.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
We are hiring! Come join us in the Straw Lab at the @biologyunifreiburg.bsky.social . Seeking a scientist to work on the neural and computational mechanisms of visual navigation in honey bees. uni-freiburg.de/en/job/00005...
Bee trajectories in agricultural landscape and two photon microscope for in-vivo calcium activity imaging.
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Amazing www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
How a fly brain may help explain the secrets of human behaviour
Comparing the brains of male and female flies may transform our understanding of how genes shape behaviour, including ours.
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Pável Matos @pavelmatosm.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Please share: Only 10 days left to apply for a PhD position on comparative and population genomics in our lab 🦋
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Max Farnworth @maxfarnworth.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
🚨 I AM HIRING a 3-year postdoc & 4-year PhD student 🚨 [PLEASE SHARE WIDELY] My Emmy Noether @dfg.de funded Neural Circuit & Systems Evolution lab (🌟) at the @unimainz.bsky.socialÍ wants to start existing. So..., what do we need? WELL... we need you! APPLY UNTIL 21 SEPTEMBER.
static.klipy.com
ALT:
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Neuroverse @neuroversepod.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
New episode out today! We were joined by Prof. Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social to learn about how evolution contributes to the generation of new behaviours and cognitive solutions🍃🧠, using neotropical butterflies🦋 as a fascinating case study🔬. Listen here: open.spotify.com/episode/4d7T...
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Jon Simons @jonsimons.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
The advert for the newly-endowed Hatton Professorship of Sustainability is now out! www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/hatton-...
cam.ac.uk
Hatton Professorship of Sustainability
The Board of Electors to the Hatton Professorship of Sustainability invite applications for this Professorship from persons whose work falls within the general field of the Professorship (combining be...
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Francesco Cicconardi @fcicconardi.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
It must be Christmas and nobody told me! Here's a beautiful work by Angelo, one of Riccardo Papa’s PhD students. It was a real pleasure to be part of it and to contribute, even in a small way. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Multilocus basis of incipient reproductive isolation in hybridizing populations is revealed by pangenomic and epigenetic divergence
Incipient reproductive isolation in the presence of gene flow has traditionally been attributed to a small number of major-effect loci under strong selection. Here, using the Heliconius erato adaptive...
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Molecular Biology and Evolution @molbioevol.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Pinheiro de Castro et al. trace the evolution of cyanogenic glucosides biosynthesis in Heliconiini butterflies, providing evidence for the genetic basis of this phenotype and empirical evidence for plasticity-first evolution. 🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe/article/... #societyjournal #evobio #molbio
MBE | Plasticity-first evolution via CYP405 loss shaped chemical defenses in butterflies
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Andy Brown @andybrown1951.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
If much of the methane trapped beneath permafrost gets released into the atmosphere then this summer's heat waves will look like a very minor early stage of chaos. Humanity is taking huge risks in order to line the pockets of fossil fuel companies. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
The threatening thaw: climate professor on heatwave risks to tipping point of permafrost
Prof Gustaf Hugelius warns wildfires could accelerate release of methane and carbon as vast regions approach irreversible thresholds
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Emilie Ellis @e-ellis1.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
🦋 I’m recruiting a fully funded PhD student at the University of Helsinki: understanding how butterflies respond to climate change across Europe. Apply by 30 Sept: Full details: jobs.helsinki.fi/job-invite/5... Please share! #ecology #job #phd
jobs.helsinki.fi
Doctoral Researcher (PhD student) in Butterfly Ecology and Climate Change across Europe
Doctoral Researcher (PhD student) in Butterfly Ecology and Climate Change across Europe
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Clear, succinct, balanced and evidence based; apparently too much to ask from many journalists
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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 15/08/2026
We are writing to the Prime Minister, and the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, calling for an immediate public inquiry into the British press, following the tragic death of Jason Arday. Sign here 👇
goodlaw.social
Jason Arday Letter | Good Law Project
Commission an immediate public inquiry into how to ensure a responsible press given its contribution to Dr Arday’s tragic death.
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Jose Pina-Sánchez 🇪🇺 @jpinasanchez.eurosky.social · 14/08/2026
"Recent analysis shows that the decline in international students means the UK has lost out on a net economic benefit of nearly £3bn." Best part, this is all completely deliberate.
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Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
How did cognition evolve? 🧠 On the sandy bottom of Lake Tanganyika, scientists asked wild fish how they make decisions, revealing how two closely related species diverge in surprising ways. Paper ▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Story ▶️ www.ab.mpg.de/1452608/news...
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Alex von Tunzelmann @alexvont.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Stop considering it. Just ban them. Do it now. Disposable barbecues are (a) useless as BBQs, take ages, food often still raw in middle, (b) environmentally horrible, (c) incredibly good at starting massive fires. There is no good argument for them. Bin them off www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
Burnham to consider ban on disposable barbecues as wildfires rage in UK
PM to look at imposing restriction in public spaces, though campaigners fear it does not go far enough
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Joe Keating @evopalaeo.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
⚠️Please repost!⚠️ Over 99% of species that ever lived are extinct. Without palaeontology, the new Natural History GCSE will only cover a snapshot of life's history. We're making the case for fossils in the new GCSE 🦴🐚🌿 teach.ocr.org.uk/palaeontolog... The consultation is open now! Have your say👇
teach.ocr.org.uk
GCSE Natural History - Palaeontology - Joseph Keating
Joseph Keating puts forward a case for including palaeontology in the new GCSE Natural History curriculum due to its unique deep-time perspective.
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howbrainsevolve.bsky.social @howbrainsevolve.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The Visual Brain Hypothesis: my Perspective article in Science on a new paper by Richard Kay et al. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/.... DM me for access if required
science.org
The visual brain hypothesis
Virtual models of primate crania support visual system influence on brain size
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Marcus Stensmyr @marcusstensmyr.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
How crazy is this!? A plant mimicking the smell of ants injured by spiders to fool kleptoparastic flies into performing pollination 🤯 Plant shenanigans is an endless source of wonderful biology! www.cell.com/current-biol...
cell.com
Olfactory floral mimicry of injured ants mediates the attraction of kleptoparasitic fly pollinators
Mochizuki reports a plant that lures pollinating flies by imitating the scent of ants injured by predators. This study reveals the first known case of ant mimicry in flowers and uncovers previously un...
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Isabel Almudi @isabelalmudi.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
What happens when evolution adds an extra pair of eyes? Male mayflies evolve an extra pair of dorsal compound eyes, the Turbanate eyes, thought to help males detect females during mating swarms. we have investigate how this remarkable evolutionary novelty develops. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Alex de Mendoza @alexdemendoza.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The #LondonEvoDevo goes to Cambridge! Kindly hosted by @emiliapsantos.bsky.social, mark on your calendars *October 2nd* at the Main Theatre in the Department of Zoology (Cambridge). Registration (£0.00): docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F.... All welcome to present: #PI #PhD #PostDocs, submit abstracts!
docs.google.com
LondonEvoDevo meeting - October 2026
This event will take place on Friday October 2nd, 2026, at the Department of Zoology (Main Lecture Theatre), University of Cambridge, Downing Street CB2 3EJ, 12:30 - 18:30. There will be no posters, ...
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Adria LeBoeuf @adriatica.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Come join the @socialfluids.bsky.social lab in Cambridge to study the evolution of Socially Transferred Materials! Fun new HFSP project btwn UK, NL and Costa Rica! Deadline September 7th #Postdoc #JobAlert #Evolution #Bioinformatics #STM #socialfluids www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc... leboeuflab.com
cam.ac.uk
Research Associate (Fixed Term)
A Research Associate position is available in the Social Fluids Lab, led by Dr. Adria LeBoeuf, in the Department of Zoology. The post is funded by a new 3-year international Human Frontier Science Pro...
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Tom Collett’s new book “Insects and How They Navigate Their World” is out and seemingly the pdf is free 👀 (for me anyway) link.springer.com/book/10.1007...
link.springer.com
Insects and How They Navigate Their World
Discover how insects navigate using vision, memory and cues from nature. A clear, engaging look at ants, bees, and the remarkable abilities of tiny brains.
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Steve IS trying his best 😭
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Excited to be back in the mothership @camzoology.bsky.social
An old brown wooden door surrender by a thick cut pillar and arch, with ‘Zoological Laboratory’ written above the door
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Nature Communications @natcomms.nature.com · 02/08/2026
This study reveals long #lifespans and slowed #ageing in #Heliconius butterflies, identifying them as a valuable new model for #ageing biology. www.nature.com/articles/s41... @jessicafoley14.bsky.social @ebablab.bsky.social
nature.com
Evolution of increased longevity and slowed ageing in a genus of tropical butterfly - Nature Communications
Studying long-lived species across the animal kingdom could provide insights into healthy ageing in humans. This study reveals long lifespans and slowed ageing in Heliconius butterflies, identifying t...
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Pável Matos @pavelmatosm.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Please share: Full-time PhD position on Butterfly Evolution at High Elevations 🦋⛰️ The project aims to understand the evolution and adaptation of Andean white butterflies using genomics. DEADLINE: September 11, 2026 More info: pavelmatos.wordpress.com/join-us/
pavelmatos.wordpress.com
Join us
Opportunities Below are the positions currently open in our lab. Open PhD position (full time) Comparative and Population Genomics of Butterflies at High Elevations. The project aims to understand …
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RobertoFeuda @robertofeuda.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
We're hiring 4 postdocs at @unibo.it to study nervous system evolution. Seeking expertise in single-cell genomics, molecular or developmental biology in ctenophores, cnidarians, echinoderms, flies or human stem cells. 2+2 yrs contract. Deadline: 26 Aug. Please share! bandi.unibo.it/s/apos7/proc...
bandi.unibo.it
Procedura di valutazione comparativa per titoli e colloquio per il conferimento di n. 4 contratti di ricerca presso il Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - SSD BIOS-04/A - GSD...
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Brooke Fitzwater, PhD (she/her) 🐟🪱🏳️‍🌈♾️ @oceanfilly.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I am beyond excited to share that our paper, "Neurodivergent Perceptions, Experiences, and Perspectives in Academic Biological Sciences Spaces" has been published! A 🧵incoming because this paper is so special to me and the co-authors. doi.org/10.1093/icb/...
doi.org
Neurodivergent Perceptions, Experiences, and Perspectives in Academic Biological Sciences Spaces
Abstract. Neurodiversity has received considerable attention recently from the general population and academic researchers, coinciding with an increase in
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Stanley Heinze @stanley-heinze.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
New preprint! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Nearly a decade after starting the project, the first major results from our comparative connectomics work is online! Comparing the head direction circuits of the central complex in bees, ants and flies, recapitulating >300million years of evolution.
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
End of my Bristol era. Only 7 years, and much shorter than expected, but so much packed in it feels much longer. Thanks to the wonderful @bristolbiosci.bsky.social team, it’s been great - I will miss you! Too many big feelings for a middle aged man to handle so I’m running away now…
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Lauren Sumner-Rooney @laurensr.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
📢 JOB ALERT! 📢 I am recruiting a 30-month postdoc to work on modelling the vision of trilobites @hfspo.bsky.social ! If you like 3D data, fossils, and functional morphology, this is the one for you! 📆Deadline 27. Aug Pls contact me with any Qs and share widely! www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
bristol.ac.uk
Details | Working at Bristol | University of Bristol
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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Rocks were my gateway to evolutionary biology. Understanding rocks means understanding the timescale of earth, and therefore the possibilities of life. #GeologyRocks
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