iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Brian J. Enquist @bjenquist.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Please pass along: I’m recruiting PhD students to join our Macroecology Lab. We study physical ecology, macroecology, and biodiversity — spanning scaling, trait-based ecology, theory, comparative biology & ecoinformatics. Several avenues for funding. Please reach out if interested 🧪🌐🌾

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Very proud of Matilda and was honoured to be able to dress up as a neanderthal for the acceptance speech with fellow troglodyte @asgriffin.bsky.social 😎

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Matilda Brindle @matildabrindle.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Over the moon 🌝 to be awarded an Ig Nobel for our work on the evolution of kissing 💋, with dream team @stuwest.bsky.social & Kate Talbot! Here's our *very serious* acceptance speech. Come for the science, stay for the human-Neanderthal snogging action: tinyurl.com/34k9773v (~34 mins).

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Prof Lisa Schipper 🌍🍉💪 @lisaschipper.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Fascinating about possible bias in peer review.

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Max Reuter @maxreuter.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

We are advertising a PhD studentship to study the effects of mitochondrial function on cell motility in flies. The project is supervised by myself, Nick Lane and @fcamus.bsky.social, in collaboration with Anna Franz at UCL, @stramerlab.bsky.social at KCL and Michael Sixt at ISTA. Please repost!

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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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Elli Leadbeater @ellileadbeater.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

We've designed a short UCL summer course for students who are interested in future-facing ecological careers and want to learn more about them. If that's you, come and join us in September! www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...

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Matilda Brindle @matildabrindle.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Our shiny new study shows birds love wing-shandy as much as the next animal – even more so in the wild than in captivity! 💦🦜🦆🐦‍⬛🦃💦 Yet another nail in the coffin for the tired idea that animals only have sex to procreate. Our piece for The Conversation here: theconversation.com/birds-mastur...

theconversation.com

Birds masturbate, and that’s perfectly normal

Some bird keepers have tried to drug their animals to stop them engaging in solo sex.

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Laurie Belcher @lauriebelch.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

We’re hiring for OrthoFinder! Great role for someone who enjoys scientific software development: Python, data analysis, workflows, Git, scalability, and making tools nicer to use. Comparative genomics or open-source bioinformatics experience would be a lovely bonus. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

my.corehr.com

Job Details

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martinswarren.bsky.social @martinswarren.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Ydy I found several more Lulworth Skipper larvae on Brachypodium sylvaticum instead of usual B pinnatum. This may be first recorded use in UK? They use it abroad and it may allow the species to spread inland if climate warming continues. @dorsetbutterflies.bsky.social @richardfoxbc.bsky.social

Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon) larval feeding tube on Wood False-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) on Portland.

Probable final instar larva of Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon) feeding on Wood False-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) on Portland.

Third instar Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon) larva feeding on Wood False-brome (Brachypodium sylvaticum) on Portland.

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Stephen Montgomery @ebablab.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

🚨Job claxon🚨 4-year #Postdoc available in our lab in @camzoology.bsky.social developing molecular and anatomical approaches to mapping evolutionary changes in the brain, using #Heliconiini butterflies. Come join us, we are nice. 🧪 www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...

An immunostaining section through a Heliconius brain. Staining and imaging by Dr Max Farnworth.

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Elva Robinson @elvarobinson.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Interested in ant ecology? Have molecular and bioinformatics experience? Come and join the team! 18-month post-doc position at University of York now live: jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/post...

jobs.york.ac.uk

Jobs - The University of York

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Anon Opin @anonopin.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Maybe the reason why there are so many potholes isn't because the council aren't doing their job, but because so many of you selfish pricks are driving round in 3 ton SUVs

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Leonid Schneider @forbetterscience.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Oh nothing, just a peer reviewed paper my colleagues found... doi.org/10.1016/j.ma... "1 mL of the mass killing of an ethnic group was opposed to 20 mL of the skin sample and unprotected to light for 7 min." Even AI knows what's wrong here, but @elsevierconnect.bsky.social doesn't.

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Two sets of revisions back in the space of 59 minutes! Busy weeks ahead but cool science very much on the horizon 😎🦋🔥

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

HUGE paper alert. 🚨Lowland tropical insects likely at their thermal limits 🚨 Big congrats to Kim and colleagues on this. Protein stability matches up with thermal limits across families too. 🧬🔥

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Mike Kaspari @mikekaspari.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Anybody who has tried to take photos in the perpetual twilight of the tropical forest understory knows how frustrating it can be. This is where you need an artist. Debby Cotter Kaspari is a whiz with pen and ink. And this is one of her understory drawings from Isla Barro Colorado, Panama, 2001.

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Carmen da Silva @saltydasilva.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

We found support for the Rapoport effect in butterflies 🦋 species that live in more variable climates have broader thermal tolerances and larger range sizes. A collaboration with Aaron Yilmaz and @sarahdiamond.bsky.social 🔬 academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...

academic.oup.com

Climatic variability drives greater thermal tolerance breadth and enables larger range size in butterflies

Abstract. Although climatic variability has been proposed to shape physiological tolerances, and in turn, species distributions, relatively few studies hav

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Matilda Brindle @matildabrindle.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

My interview with @manymindspod.bsky.social! Come for a deep dive into the evolution of kissing 💋, stay for the earth-shattering insights 🤯 "fish don't run" 🐠🏃 "monkeys tend to loll around quite a lot" 🙈 "chimps have moved on to grass-in-bumhole behaviour" 🍑🌱 disi.org/origins-of-t...

disi.org

Origins of the kiss - DISI

Exploring our world's diverse forms of mind—human, animal, machine—from diverse perspectives.

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Rob Knell @robknell.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Job reminder: lectureship in Marine Conservation available at Hull. Deadline is the 19th. We're friendly and you can still buy a house on an academic salary here. 🧪 www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQF022/l...

jobs.ac.uk

Lecturer in Marine Conservation at University of Hull

Discover Lecturer in Marine Conservation jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

🚨NEW PAPER🚨 It doesn't take much canopy disturbance in tropical forests to push surface temperatures above the thermal limits of many invertebrate groups. 🦋+🪲💩+🪱🧛‍♂️+ 🐜 Led by the wonderful Mike Boyle! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Narrow thresholds of canopy disturbance determine the microclimate buffering potential of tropical forests

The importance of protecting logged and recovering tropical forests has gained much attention. Disturbed forests can, however, have hotter microclimat…

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Reposted by Joseph Williamson

Matilda Brindle @matildabrindle.bsky.social · 10/02/2026

This is a *great* opportunity for early career researchers to get their work out into the public domain! I had a fab time talking to Laura about my research on the evolution of masturbation 🐒👋🍆💦🦧🌮👈: open.spotify.com/episode/3Xy9...

open.spotify.com

Episode 25: Masturbation: An Evolutionary Perspective

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Stu West @stuwest.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Strange discovery that an email about inclusive fitness was forwarded to Jeffrey Epstein, with the emailer quoting Jerusalem and comparing themself to Einstein. Are you one of the >100 evolutionary biologists now in the Epstein files? www.justice.gov/epstein/file...

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Marcus Hicks @marcushicks.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Very excited to share that my first first-author pre-print is out today! Many thanks go out to all of our collaborators, especially those who helped with the fieldwork in Peru - it really wouldn't have been possible without you! 🦋

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Laura Cooper @transitionalform.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below! Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage

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Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

New paper alert! Microclimate temperatures are more extreme than we previously thought! Near-ground temperatures are amplified in hot weather, cool refugia is lost and replaced with heat traps ☀️🔥🥵 escape from heat will be very hard for small ground-dwelling organisms doi.org/10.21425/fob...

doi.org

Local microclimates can both amplify and mitigate extreme temperatures associated with climate change

Climate change is a threat to global biodiversity, with changes to mean temperatures and increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Heatwaves in particular pose a threat to species’...

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Leo Fordham @leofordham.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Had an absolutely fantastic time at #BES2025 and a massive well done to all speakers and presenters. Really enjoyed displaying my poster and research, representing two great unis, and meeting so many great people and potential collaborators. Glad my title brought as much joy to others as it did me!!

Me standing by my poster detailing research from my first chapter, titled 'Bees sir, can I have some more? Post-spring resource supplementation increases farmland bumblebee colony survival'

Group photo of postgrads from UCL East at the BES2025 poster session

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Jeff Clements 🦪 @biolumijeffence.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

In my first Editorial as Associate Editor for @conphysjournal.bsky.social, we help combat this lack of training by providing some "tips and tricks" for writing constructive peer reviews, based on our collective experiences as editors for multiple scientific journals.

academic.oup.com

Tips and tricks for writing constructive peer reviews

Peer review has been the cornerstone of scientific inquiry for centuries and is considered the backbone of scientific quality and rigour (Spier, 2002). Des

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Flo Camus @fcamus.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

We are looking for PhD applicants! ‼️Interested in genomics, ecophysiology and adaptation? Look at our TREES DLA project: www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/und... We also offer more projects via ROUTE2. Get in touch and let’s have a chat 💬

trees-dla.ac.uk

Understanding the role of metabolism in adaptation & evolution | TREES DLA

In an era of rapid environmental change, understanding how species adapt to shifting conditions is critical for conservation biology. At the heart of adaptation lies metabolism, the process that fuels...

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

Great to be a part of this study quantifying the potential negative effects of conservation work to protect one taxon on others! Turns out studying eels did not negatively affect water birds in this case🦆🦢👍

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Mike Williamson @mjw-marine.bsky.social · 24/11/2025

New paper out! 📢 We tested whether boat activity from an eel telemetry study disturbed protected waterbirds in a UK reservoir. 🦆 No evidence of disturbance. 🌦️ Bird numbers varied with weather + season. conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The impact of boat activities associated with an acoustic fish telemetry study on waterbird populations in a Special Protection Area

It is widely recognized that the research techniques used to monitor and study wildlife have the potential to disturb and alter the behavior of the study species. However, other impacts on sensitive,...

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Rosie Williams @rosiewilliams.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

📣New paper out today! We’ve found concentrations of mercury in UK-harbour porpoises is increasing. 📈🐬 We also found concentrations of mercury were associated with an increased risk of dying from infectious disease.☠️ pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

pubs.acs.org

Temporal Increases in Mercury Concentrations are Associated with Increased Risk of Death by Infectious Disease in Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena Phocoena)

Trace elements, particularly heavy metals like mercury, pose significant risks to marine ecosystems due to their toxic and bioaccumulative properties. Concentrations in some marine species show concer...

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Stu West @stuwest.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Kissing evolved at least 21 million years ago. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @matildabrindle.bsky.social

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Tommaso Jucker @tommaso-jucker.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

🚨Job opportunity🚨 We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you! 🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄 www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...

bristol.ac.uk

Details | Working at Bristol | University of Bristol

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Fredrik Jutfelt 🐠 @jutfelt.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Interested in thermal biology? Please join our new and growing grass roots initiative, the Thermal Ecology Alliance, initiated by @patricepottier.bsky.social. 🧪🐟🦑🌡️ Sign up here: www.thermalecologyalliance.org#participation Check who already signed up: www.thermalecologyalliance.org#community

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Idris Adams @idrisadams.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

Have had a very exciting and unexpected start to this week, travelling to Salford for an interview with BBC Breakfast talking all things #wasps! Many thanks to @waspwoman.bsky.social for trusting me with this opportunity, and the fantastic #WorldOfWasps at @uclgrantmuseum.bsky.social for the props!

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Elli Leadbeater @ellileadbeater.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

We are recruiting for a Research Technician to support our lab's experimental evolution work with Drosophila melanogaster at UCL. Do you have recent insect husbandry experience and want to be a key part of an academic research environment? We'd love to hear from you www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

ucl.ac.uk

UCL – University College London

UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

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dr. thrasher, an american writer in ex(archia)(xile) @thrasherxy.bsky.social · 30/06/2025

Seeing a lot of racist pinkwashing bullshit about Muslims and homosexuality and it’s a good time to share how I was on the gay marriage beat for a decade and racist gays never believed me when I shared how US Muslims favored equal LGBT rights (52%) over Christian evangelicals (34%)!

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

🚨 Important paper for understanding limits on range expansions under climate change. 🚨 Wall Brown's shift their life history to expand polewards, but are ultimately limited by winter tolerance. Perhaps physiological tolerances just can't evolve at the same pace as other traits... 🦋❄️

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Mats Ittonen @matsittonen.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

New paper in @pnas.org — and this is my favourite one out of my PhD thesis! Field transplants of wall brown butterflies show life history evolution during climate change-driven range expansion, BUT non-evolving winter tolerance still sets the range limit.🧵1/12. doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

doi.org

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Do you know a young person with an interest in insects? 🦋 The Douglas Boyes Fund aims to provide people aged 14-18 with access to entomology equipment, fostering their passion for insects and inspiring them to engage and share their interest with other young individuals 🔽

buff.ly

Douglas Boyes Fund - Royal Entomological Society

The Douglas Boyes Fund has been established in honour of Douglas Boyes (1996-2021), an esteemed entomologist specialising in Lepidoptera. The Fund aims to provide young people aged 14-18 with access…

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Elli Leadbeater @ellileadbeater.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Biology/Geography/Earth Sciences colleagues: can anyone recommend a field centre or similar field course location that works well for students who are wheelchair users? This is a no-fly course so we're trying to find somewhere in the UK or Western Europe

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Joseph Williamson @josephwilliamson.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Black panther successfully hunting a dikdik last night. 🐈‍⬛ Definitely the best wildlife sighting of my life. 🥹 Incredibly lucky, and quite the cherry on top of a fantastic UCL undergraduate field course to Kenya! 🇰🇪 Recorded by student Aidan McAvoy.

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Kate Parr @funkyant.bsky.social · 20/05/2025

Closing tomorrow! Last chance to apply for postdoc to explore the role of animals in savanna ecosystem productivity & nutrient cycling! Link to job: tinyurl.com/53dy4584 #savanna #termites #largemammals

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Alberto Comoretto @albertocomoretto.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Autonomous locomotion simply with tubes as limbs, and no brain? 🎈🤖 Yes, through physical synchronization! Our article is out today in Science (@science.org) Article: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... Authors: @albertocomoretto.bsky.social, H.A.H. Schomaker, J.T.B. Overvelde More below 🧪 ⚛️ (1/6)

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