iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

I had a magical ~2 weeks with a family of barred owls in my Durham, NC backyard. I'd like to introduce you to Henrietta, X-the-Owl, Frazzle and Dazzle. Enter w/ sound, and a 2-min slideshow plays introducing you to the family, then there are lots more photos + sound stuff. Hoot!

the-barred-hours.pages.dev

The Barred Hours

A Barred Owl family in photographs, video, and a night score built from their own calls.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Our neighborhood red-shouldered hawk Leviticus caught mid-launch from a set constructed of winter tulip poplar flower skeletons — ballet meets biomechanics. Talons en pointe, wings at full extension. Choreographed liftoff. #InMotion #BirdOfTheDay #RSHA

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Heckle and Jeckle, Barred Owl siblings raised in our Durham NC yard during the 2024 summer. Branchlings still figuring out the wing thing; one balanced, one workshopping a repositioning maneuver. #Pairs #BirdOfTheDay #BAOW

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

“Here, I got these bugs for you.” Common Grackle with a beak-full of crunchy snacks for #BirdOfTheDay #mouthful.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Carolina Wren, full-throated teakettle-teakettle in the rain. 20 grams of bird, wildly disproportionate volume. SO LOUD. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #TheSongFactor #CARW #birding

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Imagine, you’re finally the star in a movie about your life, or at least how you take a bath, and this diva just walks onto the stage, unannounced, and steals the show with THAT LOOK. #OvenBirdUpstage #birding

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

The backyard bath's informal "two splashers max" policy, strictly enforced by a pair of American Robins. Vigorous bathing realigns feather barbs and flushes ectoparasites; essential upkeep when you're defending turf and feeding babies. Durham, NC. #SplashingAround #AMRO @robcrank68.bsky.social

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, breeding plumes raised, posing beside Iris pseudacorus — beautiful, and unfortunately invasive in NA wetlands. Alas, the heron didn't make the landscaping decisions. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC. #YCNH #PetalsAndPerches #BirdOfTheDay

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Rorschach test, avian edition. Striking Great Egret! The water handled the symmetry. #BirdOfTheDay #Reflections #GREG #birding

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

"Can I help you?" TFW you make eye contact with a Great Egret and realize you're the one being watched. Its neck is a spring-loaded spear, with 20 cervical vertebrae coiled and ready to strike at fish faster than you can blink. #GREG #LongNecks #BirdOfTheDay

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

April's golden ticket just arrived. Prothonotary Warblers migrate from Central and South American mangroves to breed in southeastern bottomland swamps; a very long journey for a bird that weighs less than a AAA battery. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #PROW #warblers

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

Nobody photographs the back of a peacock display, which is exactly why you should. The brown wing coverts, the gray structural rectrices doing all the work, the fluffy white undertail. Every diva has a stage crew. #BirdOfTheDay #Feathers #INPE #IndianPeafowl

Rear view of a male Indian Peafowl in full display, showing the radiating green iridescent upper tail coverts from behind, gray rectrices fanning beneath them for support, warm brown wing coverts flanking the body, and fluffy white undertail feathers. Key Biscayne, FL.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Jewelweed and hummingbirds: a 20-million-year-old handshake. The flower's spur is sized exactly for that bill, and the pollen lands exactly on that forehead. Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #SmallBirdsInFlight #RTHU #NativePlants

Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird hovering mid-flight at an orange jewelweed flower, wings blurred with motion, surrounded by green foliage and dangling jewelweed blooms.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

A Golden-crowned Kinglet picking through snow and oak leaves back in January. Weighs as much as two nickels but spends the whole winter here, burning through its body weight in insects daily just to stay warm. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #weather #GCKI #birding

Golden-crowned Kinglet standing on snow-covered ground among scattered brown oak leaves. Bright yellow-orange crown stripe visible on its small round head. Bird is puffed up against the cold. January, 2025.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Great Blue Heron overhead! Wingspan: 6 ft (1.8m) — wider than most humans are tall. Standing height: 4 ft (1.2m). Weight: about 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg). They're essentially a fishing spear disguised as a kite. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #LargeBirdsInFlight #GBHE

Great Blue Heron photographed from directly below in flight, wings fully extended against a pale blue sky. Backlit feathers show detailed barring patterns. Legs trail behind the body.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

"I'll try the lobster." Yellow-crowned Night-Heron with a specialized crustacean-crushing bill to back it up. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC. #BirdofTheDay #snacks #YCNH #birding

Close-up of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron mid-swallow, tossing a crawfish into the air against a backdrop of green vegetation. The bird's heavy bill, orange eye, and blue-gray plumage are sharply detailed.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Not a goose. Not originally from Egypt. Not native to Florida. But when you have five kids, taxonomy is the last thing on your mind. The Egyptian Goose is a shelduck that escaped captivity and has built a life where it found itself. #BirdOfTheDay #AdultsWithChicks #birding

Adult Egyptian Goose foraging on green grass with five small downy goslings clustered around its feet. Warm brown and chestnut plumage with iridescent green wing patch, dark eye patch, pink legs and bold orange eye. Goslings are fluffy brown and cream. Crandon Park, Key Biscayne, FL. February 1, 2024.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

The Blue Grosbeak: half color, half engineering. "Gros bec" in French is literally "big beak." He is a seed-crushing specialist wrapped in indigo. Don't let the pretty color distract you from the serious hardware. #BirdOfTheDay #Blue #BLGR #birding

Blue Grosbeak perched on bare gray branches, facing right. Vivid deep blue-indigo plumage with russet-brown wing bars, heavy silver-gray conical bill, dark lores. Soft green-yellow bokeh background with a few pine needles visible. North Carolina, July 2025.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

Every waterfowl bath seems to go the same way: dunk, preen, stretch, flap. If you see a Mute Swan working through its ablutions, just wait. The finale is coming. #BirdOfTheDay #WingsOpenNotFlying #MUSW #birding

Mute Swan standing in shallow water with both wings raised and spread behind its body, mid-flap after bathing. White plumage with textured neck feathers, orange bill with black knob. Dark feet visible in calm gray water, green shoreline blurred in background. Cape Island, Cape May, NJ. September, 24, 2024

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

A Fox Sparrow's breast chevrons are (likely) a reaction-diffusion pattern; melanin pulses during feather growth, unfurling into V-shapes as the barb ridges spiral out of the follicle. Same math Turing described in 1952. #BirdOfTheDay #speckled #FOSP #birding

Fox Sparrow perched on a bare branch, facing slightly left. Rich rufous-brown upperparts with bold white breast heavily marked with dark chestnut chevron-shaped streaks and spots. Olive-brown crown, pale lower mandible with yellow base, russet tail. Soft gray-green bokeh background with bare twigs. Durham, NC. February 2026.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Great Blue Heron on a post, mid-yawn, showing off its vivid orange gape that you don't see when the beak is closed. Even dinosaurs need to stretch. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #OpenBeak #GBHE #birding

Great Blue Heron perched on a wooden post, bill open wide revealing a vivid orange-red gape and interior. Blue-gray plumage with shaggy breast feathers, backlit by soft green bokeh with sparkling highlights. Wispy feather filaments visible near the bill.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Turdus migratorius -- for some, but in NC, they never leave. We get these colors year-round: black velvet head, burnt-orange breast, bill like a shard of gold. The beautiful American Robin, so common and so underrated. #BirdOfTheDay #tricolour #YearRound #AMRO

American Robin perched on a pale branch, head tilted up with bright yellow-orange bill. Black head with broken white eye-ring, rich burnt-orange breast with subtle feather scalloping, dark gray-brown-black back and wings. Soft, muted orange, green and gray bokeh background.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Great Egret conducting a full feather audit where every plume is accounted for, inspected, and zipped. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #Preeners&Scratchers #GREG #birding

A Great Egret stands on a tree branch, head tucked under a raised wing as it preens its inspects its feathers. The bright white plumage fans out against a soft green forest background, with the orange/yellow bill visible among the feathers. Durham, NC, July 28, 2025.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

White-throated Sparrows migrate from the spruce forests of Canada to winter across the Southeast USA. They've been in Durham NC since October - but not for much longer. #BirdOfTheDay #Migratory #WTSP

A White-throated Sparrow perched on a thin American bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia) branch with fresh green leaves. The bird shows crisp black and white head stripes, a bright yellow patches between eye and bill, grey breast, white throat, and brown-streaked wings. April, 23 2025 (overstayed its visa a little!).

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Reposted by Peter Repetti

Liz Haswell @ehaswell.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Weeping to see the entire multicellular plant lineage reduced to a guard cells, and those a tiny afterthought in the corner! Nobody puts plants in the corner!!

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

This Barred Owl fledgling dove from a tree to pounce on something in the leaf litter. It missed, but then immediately struck a sunning pose and cooly stared at me, "I meant to do that." Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #Grounded #BAOW #birding

A juvenile Barred Owl sits on the ground among wood chips and leaf litter, wings spread wide to either side. Its round face stares directly at the camera with dark eyes and a yellow beak. Dappled sunlight illuminates the barred wing feathers. Durham, NC. July 28, 2024

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Mourning Dove couple surveying the neighborhood from their mossy rooftop. They mate for life, and seem to have found their forever home. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #MarriedCouples #MODO #birding

Two Mourning Doves stand side by side on the ridge of a mossy shingled roof, both facing the same direction at the camera. Soft green foliage fills the blurred background. Durham, NC.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Purple Sandpiper in its element -- wedged between rockweed and barnacles, right where the tide meets the stone. Barnegat Light, NJ. #BirdOfTheDay #LandMeetsWater #PUSA #birding

A Purple Sandpiper straddles a narrow rocky crevice at the waterline, surrounded by golden-brown rockweed and barnacle-encrusted stone. Water laps at its feet. The bird's mottled brown and grey plumage blends with the rocky intertidal habitat. Barnegat Light State Park, NJ. February 2026.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Very serious bathing commitment from this Canada Goose. Backlit water droplet splash chaos in shaft of light at golden hour. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #Splash #CANG #birding

A Canada Goose bathing vigorously in a pond, backlit by golden light. Thousands of water droplets explode upward and outward, glowing against a dark background. The goose is nearly silhouetted, its reflection rippling below. Durham, NC, November, 2025.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

December truce. These Eastern Bluebirds grew up together and still share the mealworm feeder - for now. A few weeks later, the peace ends and they start claiming territories and nesting sites for spring, and my yard is really only big enough for 2 pairs. Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #Feeders #EABL

Ten Eastern Bluebirds crowd a green platform feeder, jostling for position. Males show vivid blue backs and rusty breasts; females are more muted. One bird arrives mid-flight at upper right, wings spread, and a male/female pair on the right corner are facing each other, beaks open. Durham, NC. December 2022.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 14/03/2026

Can't go wrong for #GreyDay when you've got "gray" right in your name, spelling differences aside. Gray Catbird deep in the summer elderberry stash. July 2025, Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #GRCA #birding

A Gray Catbird peeks out from behind a massive cluster of ripe dark elderberries, a single berry held in its bill. Bright green elderberry leaves frame the scene against a soft grey background.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

"Sorry, no time to sing for you today — gotta go!" This Song Sparrow had other audiences to perform for. #BirdOfTheDay #SongBirds #SOSP

Song Sparrow perched on a lichen-covered branch with wings raised mid-ruffle, backlit by golden October morning light with soft circular bokeh. Sandy Creek Park, Durham NC.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

These three American Crows are always together. Mated pair and a yearling? Three siblings? With corvids, the family politics are real but the loyalty is too. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #Corvidae #AMCR

Three American Crows against a pale blue sky. One perches on a bare, forked snag calling out, while two others are airborne above -- one banking hard with talons extended, the other in level flight with wings spread. The dead tree's bare branches form a stark Y-shape. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC. September 4, 2025.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Barred Owl portrait. Stunning raptor, sure. But zoom in on those eyes. That's a parent of two who hasn't slept since fledging season, and has been up all "night," again. My backyard, Durham, NC. September 2024. #BirdOfTheDay #Photogenic #BAOW #BADO

Close-up portrait of a Barred Owl perched beside a tree trunk, facing directly at the camera. Large dark eyes, yellow beak, and concentric brown-and-white facial disc feathers fill the frame. Soft green bokeh in the background. September, 2024, Durham, NC.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

A Great Egret and its consultant, agreeing on the next move. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #StandingInWater #GREG

A Great Egret wading in shallow water with its long neck curved into an S-shape, yellow bill poised just above the surface. A near-perfect mirror reflection fills the bottom half of the frame. Dense green and brown vegetation lines the bank behind. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC. August 14, 2025.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

Boat-tailed Grackle serving iridescent blue-black on the shoreline runway. No stylist. No agent. Just fierce main character energy, a beach and that swishy tail. Werk it! Sunset Beach, NC. #BirdOfTheDay #SteppingOut #BTGR

A Boat-tailed Grackle photographed head-on at ground level, mid-stride on a sandy beach. Iridescent blue-black plumage, piercing yellow eyes, and long legs caught in a confident strut. Its shadow stretches to the right on the sand. Sunset Beach, NC. November 9, 2024.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Female Prothonotary Warbler, bill stuffed with moss destined for a cozy old woodpecker hole. Most eastern warblers weave open nest cups, but the PROW is the only one that chooses already-excavated cavities, preferably over standing water. #PROW #NestBuilders #BirdOfTheDay alt.

Female prothonotary Warbler clinging to a moss-covered tree trunk with a bill full of green moss for nesting material. Golden-yellow body with olive-tinged darker wings visible. The bird is perched vertically on the trunk, looking slightly upward. The trunk is draped in moss and small vines. Soft green, out-of-focus swamp forest background. April 30, 2022. Great Dismal Swamp.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

A face built for the night shift. Yellow-crowned Night-Herons have rod-dense retinas tuned for low light, a bill heavy enough to crack crab carapaces, and the patience to stand motionless until something moves. #YCNH #BirdOfTheDay #SideView

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

This isn't just a power pose. Turkey Vultures drop body temp overnight to save energy, then spread their wings in the AM to reboot: solar-heating flight muscles, UV-killing feather bacteria, baking off parasites. This "horaltic" pose is maintenance and power. #TUVU #PowerPose #BirdOfTheDay

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Vascular plants and mosses both produce Fibonacci-like spiral phyllotaxis, but diverged 450MYA. One uses auxin transport across a multicellular meristem to get the shape, the other does so via a single cell dividing such that new walls avoid oldest neighbors. Convergent evolution or deep homology?

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

She's not migrating. Cardinals don't use torpor; they depress nighttime body temp ~1.3°C, saving an estimated 10-16% on energy. In winter, diet shifts from insects to seeds. Fat reserves hit 3x summer levels. Puffed plumage traps warm air. Brrrrr. #NOCA #WinterSurvivors #BirdOfTheDay

Female Northern Cardinal perched on a bare branch in falling snow, facing the camera. Plumage puffed for warmth, showing warm buff-orange body, red-tinged crest dusted with snow, red-orange bill, and dark face mask. Snowflakes fill a soft gray background. February 19, 2025. Durham, NC.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

This Barred Owl is still drying off after a successful crayfish hunt. Some apparently eat so many that their underwing feathers can turn pink (!) from the carotenoids, like a flamingo. The most opportunistic owl in North America; 85+ prey taxa documented. #BAOW #portrait #birdOfTheDay

Barred Owl perched in a lichen-covered tree, facing the camera with dark eyes and a pale facial disc. Its breast and belly feathers are visibly soaked and disheveled from hunting crayfish, with one wing draped loosely around a branch. Talons visible. Overcast sky behind. September 7, 2025. Sandy Creek Park, Durham, NC.

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

Hooded Mergansers can change the refractive properties of their eyes to hunt underwater by sight. Built-in goggles via their transparent nictitating membrane. These two males are sizing each other up topside, but the real action is below the surface. #HOME #DivingForFood #BirdOfTheDay

Two male Hooded Mergansers on still water, facing each other with crests fully raised, displaying the striking fan-shaped white patch bordered by black. Both birds show golden-brown flanks, black backs with white striping, and bright yellow eyes. Their reflections ripple in the water below. January 26, 2025. Durham, NC

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Reposted by Peter Repetti

Squatlo Bob @squatlobob.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

My #BirdOfTheDay offering is this male bluebird feeding his mate, a mating ritual seen regularly in the spring in middle Tennessee. #birds #canonbirdphotography #wildlife #BirdOfTheDay #bluebird

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Beak crammed with every squishy invertebrate it could find. Maximizing prey per trip, minimizing flight time to the nest. The bill-loading strategy: efficiency over elegance. Parents of all sorts will recognize this energy math. #AMRO #Birds&Bugs #BirdOfTheDay

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

How do you find a gravity-sensing system nobody knew existed? First, knock out all 4 Arabidopsis LAZY genes so the plants can't stand up. Then, mutagenize thousands of those plants, and look for the one that pops back up! One aa change (S149F in SLQ1), and a whole new pathway emerges. #gravitropism

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Peter Repetti @monstera999.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

The fungal immune system runs on the same protein families as your innate immunity: NLR sensors, TIR signaling, gasdermin pore-formers. The pathways cluster in 2-3 gene operons, echoing bacterial defense islands. Billion-year-old toolkit, still in production.

nature.com

Regulated cell death in fungi from a comparative immunology perspective - Cell Death & Differentiation

Cell Death & Differentiation - Regulated cell death in fungi from a comparative immunology perspective

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