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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎

@grahancock.bsky.social
389 followers 522 following 75 posts

Postdoc zoologist interested in how ecology shapes form and function in particular colouration. Creator of the CamoEvo toolbox and professional nerd. Ghancockzoology@gmail.com

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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 16h
Reading through this new paper and I can't help but think of @davehone.bsky.social's older research on claws. The keratin sheaths are ludicrously longer than the ungual bones! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Fig. 2: Norellraptor barsboldi 130108-MHGU-F4281, appendicular elements. | Nature Communications | Nature Communications
figure 2
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Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
🦋 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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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Woohoo, it's now live! We show, using four lines of evidence, that butterfly wings can create illusory motion effects! @esbriolat.bsky.social, @scienceanna.bsky.social, @lauraakelley.bsky.social, @jtroscianko.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Butterfly wing patterns in flight create powerful illusory motion cues - Nature
Butterfly wing patterns and flight dynamics work in tandem to create powerful visual illusions that confuse predators, potentially representing one of the most successful visual defence strategies in ...
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I'm heading to the bristol vision institute!
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Laura Kelley @lauraakelley.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
We used virtual mates and genetic algorithms to ask swordtail fish to design their ideal mate. Males all liked larger females but females did not share a clear preference for male appearance. Led by @kathrynbullough.bsky.social @grahancock.bsky.social in @royalsocietypublishing.org shorturl.at/rCeR2
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
New joint paper out today! Written primarily by @kathrynbullough.bsky.social! We show that swordtail mate choice isn’t as simple as first thought! 💭 royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org
Exploring male and female mate preferences using genetic algorithms and digital phenotypes
Abstract. During mate choice, both males and females can exhibit choosiness when selecting a partner. The expression and measurement of preferences is typi
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's always fun to get to do outreach events at schools!
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James Bullock @jmbecologist.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Oh FFS. Increases in a few species is not a positive from climate change It is a signal that communities & ecosystems are under threat from rapid change Please, BBC, don’t do this simplistic reporting, feeding complacency about climate breakdown www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Hummingbird hawk moths and ivy bees: The insects growing in number as temperatures rise
Hummingbird hawk moths - often mistaken for small birds - are being spotted in the West Midlands.
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Michal Barták @michalbartak.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Excited to see this symposium confirmed, with @jmappes.bsky.social chairing. Looking forward to hearing all the LepiTalks in Brazil next year🦋 See you there✨
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Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Another big potential #FishJob Curator of Fishes (or Mammals, but let it be ichthyology) at the American Museum of Natural History careers.amnh.org/postings/4925
careers.amnh.org
Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor, Vertebrate Zoology
The Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an outstanding tenure-track Assistant Curator/Assistant Professor in either the Department of Ichthyology or M...
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“Efficacy of Painting Wind Turbine Blades as a Mitigation Measure to Reduce Bird Collisions in a Mediterranean Wind Farm” - more evidence that patterning turbine blades reduces collision risk! doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
doi.org
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We've got a really cool paper coming out soon. Watch this space!
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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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Lauren Sumner-Rooney @laurensr.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Two weeks left to apply for our postdoc position on vision in trilobites! Come and explore the exciting world of reconstructing vision in the fossil record, using some of the most iconic extinct animals to grace our oceans! Please reach out + RT! (*Deadline in fact 23.59 BST on the 26th August!*)
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Behavioral Ecology @behavecol.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Biologically inspired warning patterns deter a passerine, Parus major, from digital turbine blades #Aposematism #Birds #TurbineCollisions doi.org/10.1093/behe...
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Behavioral Ecology @behavecol.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Snake markings facilitate diverse anti-predator functions depending on habitat and viewing angle #Camouflage #BackgroundMatching doi.org/10.1093/behe...
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Not a half bad view of it.
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Cornwall Butterfly Conservation @bc-cornwall.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
An exciting find at Penryn Campus today! This Large Tortoiseshell was spotted and filmed by @grahancock.bsky.social 🎥 George Hancock
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Dr Hannah M. Rowland @hannahmrowland.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
We just released a new open resource for studying evolution, ecology, colour, behaviour & biodiversity. OzButterflies 🦋 ✨ 4,000+ individuals 🌈 Visible + UV images 🧬 CO1 barcodes 📈 Spectral reflectance data 🏞️ 125 species doi.org/10.1093/data... @mherberstein.bsky.social @livuni-ives.bsky.social
examples of database images. (B) Disassembled RGB. (C) Disassembled UV. (D) Pinned dorsal RGB. (E) Pinned dorsal UV. (F) Pinned ventral RGB. (G) Pinned ventral UV.
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Tom Ratz @tomratz.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Absolutely fascinating plenary by @roesslerdaniela.bsky.social about the diversity of sleep in spiders, the challenges of fieldwork, and much more! 🕷️💤 #ISBE2026
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JBGarrity Photography @joegarrity.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Watch how this baby cuttlefish exhibits rolling ripple-like waves across its body, known as a "passing cloud display". And wait until the end for the disappearing act. 😆 #marinelifephotography #marinelife #wildlifephotography #wildlife #naturephotography #nature #scuba #eastcoastkin #photography
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Incredible to see the amazing @christiandrerup.com present at ISBE. We both were in @drmartinjhow.bsky.social’s lab for our masters and we are still meeting up 7 years on.
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Butterflies have extraordinary patterns. Come to my talk if you want to see their potential power to confuse predators in flight! 📍Room Londra | 🕓 3:45 pm | Thursday | #ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Butterflies have extraordinary patterns. Come to my talk if you want to see their potential power to confuse predators in flight! 📍Room Londra | 🕓 3:45 pm | Thursday | #ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social
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Christian Drerup @handle.invalid · 23/07/2026
Ever wondered what mosquito pupae do when they get flushed out of their aquatic habitat? The answer surprised us - and might surprise you too. 🦟 📍Room 500 | 🕓 4:45 pm | #ISBE2026 @isbe2026.bsky.social
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Marc Gilles @marcgilles.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
*at 16:15 ✌
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Michal Barták @michalbartak.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
When to feed as a caterpillar? Is the activity timing internally controlled or plastic? I’ll present some of our recent behavioural research at the Uni of @helsinki.fi from the @aplantaginis.bsky.social lab at the #ISBE2026 in Torino. 📍Thursday 23 Jul at 12:00, Room Londra @isbe2026.bsky.social
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Always happy to see some visual ecology and images analysis discussions. Thank you @vancedberg.bsky.social for a great talk!
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Let’s kick off @isbe2026.bsky.social! If anyone wants to chat camouflage, genetic algorithms or motion confusion drop me a message!
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PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Are bowers artwork? 🖼️ Do we (humans) like the same bower designs that the choosy females like? Please fill in this short survey asking you to "RATE MY BOWER" No expertise needed. We just want your aesthetic judgment🎨🖌️ exe.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_... Takes <10 mins
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Hello, fellow evolutionary biologists. I'm someone who frequently uses Genetic Algorithms for research, see CamoEvo etc. A few times now, I've had trouble in peer review for the term "gene" being used to describe the numbers encoding the phenotypes. What is a good alternative?
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Richard Fox @richardfoxbc.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
📣 New paper by Mingrui Li @uniexecec.bsky.social shows systematic differences in butterfly flight period estimates from monitoring vs opportunistic data. @jonbennie.bsky.social, @davidroybrc.bsky.social, @robboyd.bsky.social @ukbms.bsky.social resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Systematic differences in phenology estimates from unstructured and structured biodiversity datasets
Unstructured and structured butterfly records produced similar estimates of temporal trends in phenology. Unstructured records showed earlier mean flight dates, earlier onsets and later ends, result...
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Filming butterflies for research continues to be an absolute delight!
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Xav Harrison @xavh.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
We are now recruiting for a 3 year NERC-funded postdoc to study the transmission dynamics of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in migratory birds. Based in the Wild Microbiome Lab @uniexecec.bsky.social in beautiful Cornwall.
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Dr Sophie Nedelec @sophienedelec.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
🔴 PhD advert alert! Want to do a PhD working on ocean protection and restoration in a vibrant research community @exetermarine.bsky.social? Link here!! DM or email me if you'd like a chat about this opportunity :) Please share University of Exeter website: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
findaphd.com
Passive acoustic monitoring to inform evidence-based policy for coral reefs. PhD (Royal Society Funded) at University of Exeter on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Passive acoustic monitoring to inform evidence-based policy for coral reefs. PhD (Royal Society Funded) at University of Exeter, listed on FindAPhD.com
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Andy Radford @andyradford.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
👏Our new paper uses #long-term data... 📚Over 1,600 daily movement tracks, 16,000 sentinel observations & 2,000 sleeping burrow returns 🙏HUGE thanks to the 83 research assistants, 12 field managers, 13 MSc students & 5 PhD students who contributed to the datasets. #awesome doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Dwarf mongooses climbing over data-collection notebooks at field site in South Africa
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Todd Oakley @ostratodd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
🧵 New paper! We’re excited to release OPTICS: software that immediately predicts color sensitivity from any opsin protein sequence. In other words: give OPTICS any opsin sequence, and it predicts the wavelength of light the pigment is most sensitive to 🌈👁️ academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...
academic.oup.com
Accessible and Robust Machine Learning Approaches to Improve the Opsin Genotype-Phenotype Map
Abstract. Predicting phenotypes from genetic variation is a central challenge in biology. Here, machine learning (ML) offers great promise, but its use is
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Jessica Foley @jessicafoley14.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Very excited to finally have this out in the world! The first paper from my PhD (and my first first-author publication) makes the case for a new entrant to the world of long-lived animal models: Heliconius butterflies. Out now in @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41... (1/10)
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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Caroline Lucas @carolinelucas.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Good news! Ministers have finally given green light to new #NaturalHistory GCSE. We’ve campaigned so long for this! Big hats off to tireless advocate Mary Colwell 🙌 Now our young people will have a chance to get to know & love the natural world, to feel awe & wonder, & gain skills to protect it 🌷🌳🦡
theguardian.com
Natural history GCSE to teach teenagers to plant wildflower-friendly gardens
Long-awaited course to examine human effects on natural world and explore everyday ways to aid biodiversity
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Dom Cram @domcram.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
⚠️ Students looking for experience, opportunities, Masters, PhDs etc in Animal Behaviour: the @asab.org mailing list is an invaluable source with exciting posts every few days. Sign up here: www.asab.org/mailing-list 📩
asab.org
Mailing list — ASAB
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Rishi De-Kayne @rishidekayne.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
🚨 We're hiring computational evolutionary biologists! 🚨 Boosting this - industry evolutionary biology jobs don't come along often, so if you're excited to apply your computational evolutionary biology skills to cutting-edge problems, let's talk! 🧪🧬💻
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Craig Reynolds @craigreynolds.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
I am pleased to announce that my submission to ALIFE 2026 has been accepted as a talk. Part of a larger collaboration on “inverse design” for multi-agent motion models, this EvoFlock side project uses a genetic algorithm to tune simulation parameters to meet a behavioral objective function. #ALife
EvoFlock: evolved inverse design of multi-agent motion

Abstract
This paper describes an automatic method for adjusting or tuning models of multi-agent motion. Simulating the motion of bird flocks, human crowds, vehicle traffic, and other multi-agent systems is a widely used technique. These simulations model the behavior of a single group member (bird, human, or vehicle). The group behaviors (flock, crowd, traffic) emerge from interactions between group members. These models typically have many numerical control parameters. Even if each parameter is intuitive in isolation, their interaction can be complex and nonlinear. It is challenging to determine which parameters to adjust for the desired change in group behavior. Changing one aspect of group behavior often causes other aspects to change, leading to a tedious process of incremental changes. In this work, the desired group behavior is measured with an objective(/fitness/loss) function and optimized with a genetic algorithm. The objective function used here for basic flocking rewards proper spacing with neighbors, flying near a desired speed, and avoiding obstacles. Interestingly, the vivid alignment seen in bird flocks appears to emerge from maintaining proper spacing between flockmates.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kUtEAs9WsHG-mLG4UbsIwxEEnhpsiRYY/view
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Santiago Claramunt @sclaramunt.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
I am recruiting a #postdoc to work on assembling and analyzing #genomes of the amazing Furnariidae. Let’s unlock the secret behind their #evolution. The official application portal will be available soon at www.uno.edu/careers. Feel free to contact me for details at sclaramu@uno.edu
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Laura Kelley @lauraakelley.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Sexier in the city? Urban male great bowerbirds decorate bowers with human-made objects, creating brighter and more varied displays than rural males. Males strongly prefer human-made objects over natural ones, possibly boosting their appeal to females! shorturl.at/lcNY2 @royalsocietypublishing.org
The ground is covered in leaf litter. On the ground are two parallel walls made of sticks that form a corridor. At each entrance there are objects scattered around including grey plastic, green pieces of glass, grey stones, white snail shells and red items.
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Susan Johnston @susanjohnston.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
📣🧬 Postdoc Alert🧬📣 We are hiring a 2+ year NERC-funded postdoc at Edinburgh Uni investigating causes and consequences of sex differences in recombination in house sparrows in Norway. Informal enquiries welcome at Susan.Johnston@ed.ac.uk 🙂 Details here: elxw.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
A female and male sparrow stand on a wooden post. Photo by Peter S. Ranke.
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Camille Troisi @camilletroisi.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
🚨We're hiring again, this time for a research assistant position 🚨 The position is to help with a project looking at learning and social behaviour in birds along an urban gradient Position at @ceec-research.bsky.social 📆28th June deadline More info: shorturl.at/vBxiW #ringing #fieldwork
Great tit standing on a branch. 
Photo credit: Alizée Vernouillet
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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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Selina Brace @selinabrace.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Looking for a postdoc to join my group at the NHM London & work on aDNA of dogs/wolves! jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
jobs.nhm.ac.uk
Postdoctoral Researcher ancient DNA:South Kensington
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PLOS One @plosone.org · 22/05/2026
A new study by @grahancock.bsky.social, Innes Cuthill and @jtroscianko.bsky.social used genetic algorithms to show how lighting and habitat geometry shape the evolution of camouflage, altering optimal colours, patterns and countershading in changing environments. plos.io/4uQG2cZ
journals.plos.org
Shining a light on camouflage evolution: Using genetic algorithms to determine the effects of geometry and lighting on optimal camouflage
Visual camouflage evolution in animals depends on both light’s interaction with its surroundings and the limits of what the natural observers of the camouflage can see. Changes in lighting – such as…
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Sam England @samjakeengland.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org - we show that crab spiders (the ones you usually see ambushing pollinators on flowers 🕷️🌸) get worse at hunting if their eyes are covered!🫣 Sounds obvious? It's actually quite surprising, here's why... 👀 (1/8) royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article...
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