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Ken Welch

@kcwelch.bsky.social
644 followers 412 following 208 posts

Professor-Zoologist at U Toronto Scarborough. Interested in things with high-sugar diets like hummingbirds, bats, bees, and my two daughters. Ecophysiology, ecotoxicology, science communication.

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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Once again, Trump begs Putin to help him win an election.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Can GenAI models commit suicide, and can we convince them to do so? And no, I in no way condone such treatment of real people.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Don't leave 'em hangin'! Whale wants to hi-five!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I should have led with Natalia's beautiful visual abstract! 🦇🧪 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Just published! 🦇wings are big and thin, and likely represent an important route of exposure for sprayed pesticides! Great work led by Dr. Natalia Sandoval-Herrera! @utscbiology.bsky.social @utsc.utoronto.ca 🧪 linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii...
linkinghub.elsevier.com
Redirecting
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
@ccsuoft.bsky.social & U West Indies!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
doi.org/10.1111/1365... Proud to present our newest pub in @animalecology.bsky.social. We find greater 🦇 species diversity in Jamaican caves is associated with dietary isotopic niche packing. @utscbiology.bsky.social @utsc.utoronto.ca @yorkuniversity.bsky.social 🧪
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Journal of Experimental Zoology A @jexpzoo-a.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Immunoglobulin G levels in lesser long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) did not vary among reproductive periods, it was positively related to the bacterial killing ability of plasma in females, and it was lower in young bats than in adult females onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Total Immunoglobulin G Variation Through the Phenological Cycle of Migrant and Resident Lesser Long‐Nosed Bats <i>(Leptonycteris yerbabuenae)</i> in the Drylands of Mexico and Its Relationship With Bacterial Killing‐Ability of Plasma
Bats have unique immunological characteristics among vertebrates. Understanding how the immune system responds during the life cycle of bat populations is crucial for grasping how their defenses agai...
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
First day of lecturing in well over a year. My lecturing muscles are stiff and sore!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Don't worry. Lightning strikes one of the robots and it becomes sentient and peaceful. Then it and Steve Guttenberg have a buddy comedy adventure. No migrants harmed.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
This was a really great 'peer review' process. The students at The Hospital School at Great Ormond Street and UCLH asked some really insightful questions and had great feedback. I'm excited for my daughters to read it!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I'm proud to present our newest publication: "Vampire bats 🦇: Sucking the most out of blood", led by Aryan Ghader from @westernu.ca and including @giuliarossi.bsky.social! @utscbiology.bsky.social @utsc.utoronto.ca @frontiersmedia.bsky.social #SciComm #bats kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10....
kids.frontiersin.org
Vampire Bats: Sucking the Most Out of Blood
Vampire bats are the only mammals that live on nothing but blood. Blood is almost entirely made of water and protein and contains very little sugar or fat, which most animals rely upon for energy. So ...
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Those are some furry sharks!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Submission to Frontiers For Young Minds accepted on Monday. Submission to @animalecology.bsky.social accepted this morning! More coming soon! I'll take it!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Congratulations to @utscbiology.bsky.social, @uoftcellsysbiol.bsky.social, and @utoronto.ca's newest PhD🧪, Dr. Jerrica Jamison! She did a fantastic job during her defense! Stay tuned for publications of her work to understand the evolution of sugar metabolism in 🦇!
Supervisor, Dr. Ken Welch and newly-minted PhD, Dr. Jerrica Jamison pose for a photo in front of her presentation's title slide, reading "The Evolution of Sugar Metabolism in Bats."
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
😐
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Guy is a straight up Bond villain.
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 31/07/2026
The State Department said ​it takes "full responsibility" for "hastily" altering and then presenting a map of Africa at a global AIDS conference that mislabeled every single country it highlighted. An analysis by Reuters found a watermark in the map image that suggests it was made with OpenAI.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
An unwitting endorsement, it seems.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Maybe that's a photo of the first author?
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Are there not times when this might describe both?
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Welp, I'm officially promoted to (full) professor as of today! I am deeply grateful to my mentors, my colleagues, and my trainees. I am here because of them.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Thank you for your work.
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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Bob Odenkirk is a national treasure. Take 44 seconds and watch. www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0rB...
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Is he about to punch you in the groin?! I mean, he is Sir Paul McCartney, so you let him do it, right?
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Antonia 🦋🐞 @antoniag.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
@romtoronto.bsky.social opens today, May 16th, Bees: A story of Survival, an immersive exhibition using art & science to help you imagine life from a 🐝's perspective. From the National Museums of Liverpool & Wolfgang Buttress. I'm bee-side myself that my image was chosen for the ads #bees 🐝1/2
Add for Bees exhibition at the ROM. Bees: A Story of Survival. A large image of a Bicoloured Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens) in flight. Wings down, metallic green thorax and head, black and white stripes on abdomen. Photo by Antonia Guidotti
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Giving you the stinkeye!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
🧪 A stunning photo and a new record of vertebrate predation in Waterhouse's leaf-nosed 🦇! Fantastic work by all involved! What a great natural history note! * Also, should be considered for wildlife photo of year competitions! doi.org/10.18475/cjo...
doi.org
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
RIP Professor Jodie Holt, academic supervisor to many, including my wife @botanist-robin.bsky.social. I am very glad I got to know her a little and can consider her a friend. cnas.ucr.edu/news/2026/05... #FuckCancer
cnas.ucr.edu
In Memoriam: Remembering Jodie Holt, Scholar, Educator, and Campus Leader
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Just heard abou this on @kjzz.org: www.notaweddingcrasher.com What the actual f*ck?!
notaweddingcrasher.com
Not a Wedding Crasher | Attend Real Weddings
Discover weddings with open seats and attend as an approved guest. Not a Wedding Crasher connects couples and guests for unique celebrations.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
"talkative"?! Whatever they are saying would obviously be written in ALL CAPS!!!! 😜
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
If Thanos had said, "I'm going to snap my fingers and the universe will be rid of all tech bros (only)," I would have said, "Avengers, hold on...let's hear him out!"
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Hello old friend! Bring on the #bats
Jaguar temple at Lamanai Archaeological Reserve.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
There is definitely a 3rd person when we do it to take notes, etc. Why your admin isn't doing this is strange!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Happy #BatAppreciationDay!
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Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Understanding how animals perform bouts of physical activity involves integration across scales & physiological systems. In their Commentary the Guest Editors of the Integrative Biology of Exercise SI highlight 5 themes, bridging fields & scales of study doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
Screenshot of PDF of the Special Issue Commentary, 'Comparative and evolutionary perspectives on the integrative biology of exercise', by Monica A. Daley, Erika J. Eliason, Christopher G. Guglielmo and Natalie Holt. The publishing information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb252325. doi:10.1242/jeb.252325. The first sentence reads: 'Understanding how animals achieve movement and athletic performance in varied conditions requires integration across physiological systems and structural scales from molecules to ecosystems'.
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StrictlyChristo 🇺🇦🌻 @strictlychristo.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Kitty is helping 😹
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Also, make sure to check out the Early Career Researcher Spotlight featuring recent PDF in the lab, @giuliarossi.bsky.social! Keep an eye on this up and coming leader in our field! doi.org/10.1242/jeb....
doi.org
ECR Spotlight – Giulia Rossi
ECR Spotlight is a series of interviews with early-career authors from a selection of papers published in Journal of Experimental Biology and aims to promote not only the diversity of early-career res...
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
New review article from the lab! In addition to discussing relatively easily studied hovering animals (hummingbirds, nectar bats), we call for further work studying energetics/fuel use in other nectar and fruit-feeders! With @giuliarossi.bsky.social @utscbiology.bsky.social @utsc.utoronto.ca 🦇🧪
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
As spring slowly arrives, you've undoubtedly walked through slushy, flooded portions of your yard or the local park. Queen bees are burried down in the leaf litter, or just underground, under your soaking feet. How do they make it through that? Now we know some of their secrets!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
What I love about this work, by friend Charles Darveau at U Ottawa and team, is that it came about because of an accident. Condensation caused flooding in a few tubes holding diapaused queens. Researchers feared they were dead....but then they "woke up"!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Overwintering bumble🐝 queens can survive submersion for days and can even breath (a little) under water. @jexpbiol.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/s...
nytimes.com
Bumblebee Queens Can Breathe Underwater
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Great work by Alejo Rico-Guevara and team! Though, even the slender-tongued, specialized nectar 🦇s take insects regularly as part of their diet. Gotta get that protein somehow!
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Opening remarks of the annual meeting of the #ontariobatnetwork from Toronto Zoo CEO Dolf DeJong.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Is "What the f**k" a statement or a question?
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I gotta.
A running vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) runs on a specially-sized treadmill. (C) Price Sewell
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Bethany Brookshire @beebrookshire.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Sunbirds are red. Hummingbirds look like jewels. Birds can eat tons of sugar With the right DNA tools. www.sciencenews.org/article/bird...
sciencenews.org
Here’s how honeyeaters and other birds thrive on sugary diets
Birds that feed on nectar or fruit evolved better mechanisms for managing metabolism, blood pressure and high glucose.
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Ken Welch @kcwelch.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Damn straight they did.
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Dr. Glenn Tattersall @tattersallg.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
New Faculty Positions opening up at Wilfrid Laurier University! Integrative Organismal Zoologist: careers.wlu.ca/job/Waterloo... Microbial Systems: careers.wlu.ca/job/Waterloo... Computational Ecology/Modelling Biologist: careers.wlu.ca/job/Waterloo... Biochemistry: careers.wlu.ca/job/Waterloo...
careers.wlu.ca
Assistant Professor-Department of Biology (Zoologist)
Assistant Professor-Department of Biology (Zoologist)
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