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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator

@rushstudio.bsky.social
101 followers 120 following 51 posts

Biologist, bicyclist, cartoonist at Rush Studio (rushstudio.ca).

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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
As more people head outdoors to hike, bike, and explore, what does that mean for wildlife sharing those same spaces? Research by @claytontlamb.bsky.social et al in the mountains near Fernie, BC found that animals respond very differently to recreation:
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Reposted by Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator
Clayton T. Lamb @claytontlamb.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The same trail. Different users. New paper examining how wildlife respond to hiking and biking trails near Fernie, BC using camera traps and GPS-collared grizzly bears. Elk, bears, and other species don’t all respond to recreation the same way. Makes mgmt hard. academic.oup.com/jmammal/adva...
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Part 2/2: A “molecular passport” is like a travel document for each seed, recording its origin story—where it came from, who its parent was, and its unique genetic fingerprint. By combining this with location and climate data, scientists can follow each seed’s journey,…
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Part 1/2: A very fun illustration project into the novel (for me!) world of plant genetics. I got to work with the amazing @jillhamilton.bsky.social on this manuscript
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
From 2025! Fruit flies change their pigmentation depending on temperature, becoming lighter in warmer conditions. By studying wild and experimental populations across space (ie: latitude) and time (ie: seasons)…
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Freshwater habitats are in serious decline, and while many projects aim to restore them, it’s often unclear whether they actually work. This paper explains how measuring habitat quality can better show if restoration efforts are truly helping habitats recover.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Temperature sensing Part 3: Physiological processes and ecological conditions can alter thermoTRP channels, affecting temperature perception. Check out the latest from Currie and York! doi.org/10.1242/
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Temperature sensing Part 2: TRP channels across fish from a wide range of thermal habitats show species-specific temperature activation thresholds. In this way, TRP channels are excellent targets for understanding evolutionary adaptation. Check out the latest from Currie and York! doi.org/10.1242/
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Temperature sensing Part 1: Climate change is warming the environment faster than many animals can adapt, and ectotherms, like most fish, are especially at risk because their physiology depend directly on the surrounding temperature.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
This piece was illustrated for Tigist et al.’s recent paper in Molecular Cell. The dynamic regulation and fine-tuning of proteins via phosphorylation can turn metabolism into a coordinated and often improvised rhythm.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Excellent piece by Matz @heatshok.bsky.social and colleagues discussing the dire status of Caribbean reefs, and potential plans and policies that can be implemented if these reefs are to have any chance. Check it out in PNAS!
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Misha Matz @heatshok.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
🧪🌎 All western Atlantic coral reefs are on the same decline trajectory, although Florida is one of the most further along: doi.org/10.1111/cobi... illustration by @rushstudio.bsky.social
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Latest paper from Toews et al @davetoews.bsky.social. Their study into microenvironments within the forest canopy revealed that these warbler species opportunistically feed upon the spiders they encounter in their preferred strata in the canopy. Check it out in Ornithology!!! doi.org/10.1093/orni...
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David Toews @davetoews.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
I could give you a great summary of our new warbler diet paper… but if a picture says a thousand words, this awesome graphical abstract by @rushstudio.bsky.social tells the whole story. 🦉🧪 academic.oup.com/auk/article/...
A comic graphical abstract by illustrator Rush Dhillon showing two wood warblers and their spider prey. The graphs illustrate the read abundance of these spiders in the warbler's fecal samples.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Life stages of Fundulus heteroclitus. Mummichog, killifish, call it what you want, but know it is among the mightiest inhabitants of North America’s east coast estuaries
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
The Waddinton epigenetic landscape… for salmonids! The concept is that cells can roll downhill to their “endpoint” differentiated state. However, the landscape itself can be modified by various factors, “nudging” the ball into different valleys. Figure for Schulte Lab.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Sturgeon #archives #fish
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 20/06/2025
Logo for the Forest Genetics Conference 2025. The logo is a nod to the Western Forest Genetics Association (WFGA), the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Committee (SFTIC), & the Northern Forest Genetics Association (NFGA). June 23-27th, hosted by the Schatz Centre at Penn State, in State College, PA
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
Understanding animal physiology in all its forms necessitates asking hard-to-measure questions. Until his retirement last year, @zoology.ubc.ca was lucky enough to have Bruce Gillespie create custom equipment for over 25 yrs, assisting us in quantifying our research. Here are a few of his creations.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 28/03/2025
Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
From the archives - a little different from my usual projects, but a rewarding one: Van Kam is a Canadian company owned and operating out of Western Canada for almost 70 years. A while back they asked me to help them visualize their core values: Care, Achieve, and Develop.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 14/03/2025
Recent paper from the lab of @tfrasierdna.bsky.social. The endangered North Atlantic right whale suffer from low genetic diversity and high mutation load, which can impact recovery. However, genetic purging has reduced harmful mutations, potentially contributing to future recovery.
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Clayton T. Lamb @claytontlamb.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
Great evening with some @y2y.bsky.social friends discussing wildlife conservation and coexistence in the Elk Valley and beyond. Awesome to have graphics from @rushstudio.bsky.social and Fuse consulting anchoring our discussions. Exciting solutions for highway collisions and bear conflicts brewing.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
New paper by Lamb et al. (@claytontlamb.bsky.social). Southern mountain caribou exhibit both vertical and horizontal migration, but migratory behaviours are under threat due to disturbances, particularly at lower elevations.
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Clayton T. Lamb @claytontlamb.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
NEW PAPER: looking into the erosion of southern mountain caribou migrations. Over 35 years, migration distances shrank 15-25%, and elevational migrations are collapsing. Habitat loss, not weather, likely the main culprit. A major conservation challenge ahead. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 24/12/2024
Happy Holidays! Due to the postal strike this card did not get the distribution it usually does, and those who get one expect it late. But the sentiment remains the same - I hope everyone has a kickass 2025! And on behalf of Kuma and Yider, don’t forget, #adoptdontshop.
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David Toews @davetoews.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Folks, did you know there's a whole bird nerd podcast? It's called "Warblers" by Birds Canada. Not only does have a great name, but it also features some quality content .. e.g. the 20:00 mark on the latest episode someone waxing poetic about bird hybridization 🦉🧪 www.birdscanada.org/warblerspodc...
Cover art illustrating a podcast called "The Warblers" featuring several species of colorful wood warblers
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Jill Hamilton @jillahamilton.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Coming in December: Registration for the first joint conference between WFGA-SFTIC-NFGA June 23-27, 2025 in State College, PA - See you there!! #ForestGenetics2025 #climateadaptation #treebreeding #restoration #seedsourcing #biotechnology #conservation #foresthealth forestgeneticsconference2025.com
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 21/12/2023
Happy Holidays from sunny Vancouver! The number one highlight of 2023 was arranging for the adoption of Yider for my parents (Free Korean Dogs) and Kuma for us (Adopt Korean Rescue). The upgrade to my life has been immeasurable, mostly because these goofballs are a laugh a minute.
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 01/12/2023
Marine snails are vulnerable to climate change, and their limited mobility combined with the rapid rates of summertime warming in the Strait of Georgia increase exposure risk. Fiona Beaty explored this in detail in her recent work, out now in Ecology. It was a treat illustrating this one!
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Dmitri Petrov @petrovadmitri.bsky.social · 24/10/2023
I am beyond proud of this work and can't wait to discuss the results and implications with all of you. And a true tour de force by @markcbitter.bsky.social! Congratulations!
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Mark Bitter @markcbitter.bsky.social · 23/10/2023
I am thrilled to present the first paper out of my postdoc! It is my first contribution to a story I have followed for years and addresses the question that fascinates me most: how finely can populations adaptively track fluctuating environments? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
biorxiv.org
Continuously fluctuating selection reveals extreme granularity and parallelism of adaptive tracking
bioRxiv - the preprint server for biology, operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a research and educational institution
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 27/10/2023
Out now!!! Mark Bitter, Dmitri Petrov, and Paul Schmidt used a high-resolution time series to show finely populations can adaptively track fluctuating environments, and how this fine-scale detects fluctuation that would be missed with coarser sampling time frames. doi.org/10.1101/2023... !!!!
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Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio.bsky.social · 06/10/2023
New paper by Clayton Lamb on the high grizzly bear mortality rates in Elk Valley, British Columbia. Human conflicts (ex: on properties), train, and car collisions are the primary causes of these deaths.
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