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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎

@grahancock.bsky.social
393 followers 524 following 76 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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
Paul Hoskisson 🧫 🦠🐸 @paulhoskisson.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Brilliant #postdoc opportunity on the role of gut microbiomes in bird thermal resilience #HOTGUT project at Lund University (Dept. of Biology)! Supervisor is the awesome @kruthsatz.bsky.social , Andreas Nord as co-supervisor. Please repost Apply here: lu.varbi.com/what:job/job...
lu.varbi.com
Postdoktor inom ekoevolutionär mikrobiomforskning och termobiologi
Ämnesbeskrivning Tjänsten är en del av forskningsprojektet “From Guts to Growth: Unravelling the Gut Microbiome’s Role in Ontogenetic Trajectories toward Climate Stress Resilience” (HOTGUT).
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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
PEC Exeter @pec-exeter.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Funded 3.5 year PhD🎺 The effects of gamebird release and management on the lowland ecosystems of S England Lots of fieldwork. A robust and resilient student is required. Focus on reptiles and ecto-parasites Any Qs, please DM or email me Please RT www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Crazy staring pheasant glares at camera
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Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Fantastic Naked Scientist podcast covering our butterfly study 🦋 Podcast website: www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/nak... MP3 only: www.thenakedscientists.com/sites/defaul...
thenakedscientists.com
Cancer drug gene screen, and world's most powerful rocket
Plus, how butterfly wing patterns dazzle predators into cognitive disarray
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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 05/10/2026
Birds such as nightjars must fly at different speeds during feeding and migration. This study identifies unexpected aerodynamic and kinematic #flight features related to these ecological demands that suggest a link between wing folding and upstroke thrust generation. 🧪 #AcademicSky plos.io/3Tw3Ful
Nightjar vortex wake displays double tip vortices and upstroke thrust. Wake vortices shown as iso-surfaces of total vorticity [s−1] (iso value = 100), color-coded by downwash velocity (vz) of a sample sequence of a European nightjar flying at 9 m/s. Note the double tip vortices during the downstroke (upper inlet) and the reversed vortices at the outer wing during the upstroke (lower inlet). The inlets show in-plane velocity vectors on a background of the streamwise vorticity with blue showing clockwise rotation and yellow/red counterclockwise rotation. Vectors are not scaled the same in the two inlets but are scaled to facilitate interpretation of the flow. Units on the 3D-axes are in m.
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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
Dr Michelle LaRue @drmichellelarue.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Come to University of Canterbury to do a PhD on penguin genetics with Sarah Flanagan and me! Everything you need to know is in the link below, check it out and please spread the word 🧪🦑🌍🦉🐧 www.canterbury.ac.nz/study/uc-gra...
canterbury.ac.nz
Leveraging lessons in international conservation from Antarctica to build adaptive management plans for taonga species in Aotearoa | UC
This project focuses on the conservation of two iconic penguin species, who live in two extremes: emperor penguins, the largest penguins who breed on the extreme cold, isolated ice in Antarctica; and ...
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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
Nick Graham @nickajgraham.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Three marine research positions: Post-Doc - Marine Food Web Rewiring: hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx... Post-Doc - Biodiversity and Recovery Dynamics: hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx... Project coordinator / research assistant - w/@timlamont.bsky.social hr-jobs.lancs.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
youtu.be/joosKZ3HygE?... @jtroscianko.bsky.social Has edited together this video of us explaining our butterfly research. I must admit I didn't quite realise how under the weather I was at the time. So forgive my slightly zombified appearance!
youtu.be
Butterfly wing patterns create powerful motion illusions
YouTube video by Jolyon Troscianko
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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
Leilton Luna @leiltonluna.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
I'm looking for PhD student to join my lab at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (Fall 2027)! If you're interested in evolutionary genomics, conservation genetics, or biogeography, please reach out. I'll also be at #AOS2026 this week talking about sexual selection in small populations.
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Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Here's a video of @grahancock.bsky.social & I discussing our new butterfly motion confusion paper 🦋 www.youtube.com/watch?v=joos...
youtube.com
Butterfly wing patterns create powerful motion illusions
YouTube video by Jolyon Troscianko
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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
International Society for Neuroethology @neuroethology.org · 01/10/2026
Usually, the orientation behaviour of migratory butterfly/moth species are tested when tethered in flight simulators at ground level. In this new study, monarch butterflies are tethered on a balloon to test their orientation behaviour at a height of 30 m. 🦋 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
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 · 01/10/2026
As most attacks will be from above, the ventral markings are less likely to be important, but there is some potential for confusion / deflection from "flashy" colouration that can't be over looked. This likely allows butterflies to focus the ventral patterns towards being cryptic.
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Unfortunately no as it required a 240hz screen. So no online game for this one.
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
youtube.com/shorts/BlO5m...
youtube.com
Video summary of our new Nature paper!
YouTube video by George Hancock
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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Full list of supplementary material videos here www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
Butterfly-Paper - YouTube
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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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
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
A short video summarising the work can be found here! youtube.com/shorts/19-JA...
youtube.com
Vertical video summarising research by the University of Exeter on swordtail fish. #swordtails
YouTube video by George Hancock
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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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
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
You can check out own research on the topic here - academic.oup.com/beheco/artic... - “Biologically inspired warning patterns deter a passerine, Parus major, from digital turbine blades”
academic.oup.com
Validate User
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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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
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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Reposted by Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎
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 @christiandrerup.com · 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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Dr George RA Hancock 🦋🦎 @grahancock.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
What a beauty!!
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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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