iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 16h

ICB - tagging onto yesterday's blog- a throwback share Thermal Sensitivity of #Axolotl Feeding #Behaviors by Caitlin Panessiti , Mateo Rull-Garza , Gabriella Rickards , Nicolai Konow doi.org/10.1093/icb/... #aquatic #vertebrates #amphibians #science

#Musculoskeletal movement results from muscle contractions, recoil of elastic tendons, aponeuroses, and ligaments, or combinations thereof. Muscular and elastic contributions can vary both across behaviors and with changes in temperature. Skeletal muscles reach peak contraction speed at a temperature optimum with performance declining away from that optimum by approximately 50% per 10°C, following the Q10 principle. Elastic recoil action, however, is less temperature sensitive. We subjected Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) to changes from warm (23°C), via medium (14°C), to cold (6°C) temperature across most of their thermal tolerance range, and recorded jaw kinematics during feeding on crickets. We sought to determine if suction feeding strikes and food processing chews involve elastic mechanisms and, specifically, if muscular versus elastic contribution vary with temperature for gape opening and closing. Measurements of peak and mean speed for gape opening and closing during strikes and chews across temperature treatments were compared with Q10-based predictions. We found that strike gape speed decreased significantly from warm and medium to cold treatments, indicating low thermal robustness, and no performance-enhancement due to elastic recoil.

For chews, peak, and mean gape closing speeds, as well as peak gape opening speed, also decreased significantly from warm to cold treatments. However, peak gape opening and closing speeds for chews showed performance-enhancement, consistent with a previously demonstrated presence of elastic action in the Axolotl jaw system. Our results add to a relatively small body of evidence suggesting that elastic recoil plays significant roles in #aquatic #vertebrate feeding systems, and in cyclic food processing mechanisms.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 16h

IOB In this study, cephalofoil #morphology was assessed by sex and maturity for #bonnethead #sharks in Biscayne Bay and Tampa Bay, #Florida." from A Head of the Curve: Bonnethead Shark (Sphyrna tiburo) Cephalofoil Morphology and Trophic #Ecology K Liu et al Kathy L. doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

020

Reposted by SICB journals

Liz Butler @lizlagomorph.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

In one month! #SciArtSeptember returns for a 6th year. Open to all who are curious about the places where art and science connect. Make new work, post works in progress, or share old favourites. Post when and what you like. 🐡 #SciArt #SciComm

A banner image promoting the art challenge Sci Art September. The image features text and a drawing of a trout on an off-white background. The text includes the title, Sci Art September, month-long art challenge. The text also includes a list of weekly categories and daily prompts. The first category is colour. This category covers the first 10 words of the month. The daily words are: Malachite, violet, sanguine, azure, saffron, coral, fawn, ruby, ivory, woad. The second category is shape. It covers the 11th through 20th words. The daily words are: Heart, teardrop, diamond, crescent, honeycomb, scallop, eyelet, almond, star, meander. The third category is medium. This category covers the last 10 words of the month. The daily words are: Kaolin, silk, copper, down, jade, cedar, quill, linen, pelt, carbon. At the bottom of the image there is a description. It reads: Year 6, 2026; from nature; hosted by @LizLagomorph.

011947

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

IOB A Head of the Curve: #Bonnethead #Shark (Sphyrna tiburo) Cephalofoil #Morphology and Trophic #Ecology K Liu⁠, J R Graham, H Ro, S L Kim, T R Wiley, J M Gardiner, L J Baker, C Macdonald doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

ICB From Jurassic to 21st century: #Axolotl’s Journey By Andrea Jivanny Hernandez Ramirez, a #LatinAmericanHeritageMonth piece (Sept 15th- Oct 15th) read in full integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/2026/09/28/f... #amphibians #biology #science

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

ICB's special Sunday #Art in #bio in celebration of @lizlagomorph.bsky.social 's #SciArtSeptember This installment is by PhD, Taylor N. Black-Bergrud integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/fine-art-ame... & see Taylor's darter she donated for use for @sicb.bsky.social student scholarships

0144

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Special Sunday IOB blog by Jacob Goldman (SICB student writer) on Peter Wolleben's The Hidden Life of Trees ( Greystone Books ) read in full iobopen.com/2026/09/27/t... #nonfiction #book #trees #plants #Science

030

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Meet ICB co authors of doi.org/10.1093/icb/... from the Murphy lab www.murphyfluidslab.com/members Evan is interested in experimental fluid mechanics & low Reynolds number #aerodynamics. Ferhat is interested in experimental fluid #mechanics & low Reynolds number flows. #insects #science

000

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

IOB Meet Caroline Sullivan, co author on Orientation of Blacktip #Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) to Underwater Sound doi.org/10.1093/iob/... read more biology.fau.edu/news/marine-... connect Linked in www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-... #acoustics #science #biology

020

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

ICB "In particular, we quantify wing kinematics for hovering and slow upwards swimming.." from Swimming Kinematics and Hydrodynamics of a Subtropical Sea Angel Abdullah Aldaddi , et al's doi.org/10.1093/icb/... #science #biology

Fig. 2 CAD model of sea angel showing the tracked points in body (X’Y’Z’) and global (XYZ) coordinate systems. As shown in (A), the body coordinate system, with point g as the origin, moved with the animal. The body angle θ was calculated by measuring the angle between Z and Z’ as shown in (B).

032

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

IOB "This study quantified the distance that blacktip #sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) oriented to sound stimuli and determined that responses could be consistently initiated from the #acoustic far field..." from doi.org/10.1093/iob/... Sullivan et al #biology #science #marinebiology

Fig. 3

Stimulus waveform (A) and #spectrograms of the three experimental stimuli (B: 100–200 Hz; C: 200–400 Hz; and D: 400–800 Hz), and the control stimulus (E: 10,000 Hz). The spectrograms depict the intensity (red = high intensity, blue = low intensity; dB; z-axis) of frequency (kHz; y-axis) vs. time (s; x-axis).

shark image from

https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/discover-fish/species-profiles/blacktip-shark/

062

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"Swimming is an important but poorly understood behavior for #gymnosomes..." from ICB's Swimming #Kinematics and #Hydrodynamics of a #Subtropical Sea Angel Abdullah Aldaddi , Evan Williams , Ferhat Karakas , Amy Maas , David Murphy doi.org/10.1093/icb/... #Science

Fig. 1 A sequence of images from two perpendicular synchronized high-speed cameras showing one complete cycle in hovering. The cycle starts at the middle of the recovery phase, denoted as t’ = 0, where t’ is the time normalized by cycle period. Each stroke cycle consists of two power and recovery phases. The right wing is outlined in red.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

IOB learn more about Orientation of Blacktip #Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) to Underwater Sound C L Sullivan , & insta @sharkmigration et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... & WATCH youtube that is associated with it youtu.be/lAN5Ra4Er-w?... #research #acoustic #science

Fig. 2

Spatial representation of the experimental set up. The boat is anchored in 2–5 m depth of water with the underwater speaker suspended 1 m below the surface and located ∼13–19 m from the boat. The known length of the boat calibrates the scale to measure the distance at which the shark responds to the sound stimulus.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

ICB now in issue Swimming #Kinematics and #Hydrodynamics of a #Subtropical Sea Angel Abdullah Aldaddi , Evan Williams , Ferhat Karakas , Amy Maas , David Murphy doi.org/10.1093/icb/... "...the kinematics and fluid dynamics of gymnosome swimming are not well understood..." #science

Sea angels (gymnosomatous pteropods) are small #zooplanktonic shell-less marine snails inhabiting the meso- and #epipelagic zones. They swim in an intermediate Reynolds number regime using highly flexible, wing-like parapodia in order to capture prey, avoid predators, and perform diel vertical migration. However, the kinematics and fluid dynamics of gymnosome swimming are not well understood, particularly for species residing in low-viscosity, subtropical waters. Here we use high-speed stereophotogrammetry and dual brightfield particle image velocimetry (PIV) systems to investigate the swimming of the rare subtropical species Pneumoderma atlantica, captured off the coast of Bermuda. In particular, we quantify wing kinematics for hovering and slow upwards swimming and compare our results with morphologically similar temperate and polar species, which can be up to twice as large and swim in water up to twice as viscous. Like tiny insects flying in a similar regime, the chordwise Reynolds number appears to be inversely related to the wing angle of attack and stroke plane. Thus both the small, warm-water and the large polar gymnosomes seem to use their wings more like paddles to generate upward forces while the temperate species seems to use its parapodia more like wings to generate lift. Further, we provide the first flow measurements of a swimming gymnosome, these at somewhat higher swimming speeds, which show that gymnosomes employ an unsteady flow interaction between the wings and body (similar to the clap-and-fling mechanism) twice during each stroke cycle which likely generates additional lift. These findings provide insight into how similar locomotion modes may be adapted to different viscosities and into the widespread use of lift-generating, clap-and-fling-like mechanisms among marine #snails.

023

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

IOB #Sharks respond to low frequency pulsed sounds but are presumed to lack the capacity to detect these sounds beyond the acoustic near field, where particle motion dominates. Orientation of Blacktip Sharks to Underwater #Sound Sullivan et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... #science #marinebiology

Fig. 1
Representation of the acoustic fields. The sound travels from the source in circulating and propagating waves as a hydrodynamic flow dominated by particle motion (near field). As the sound travels beyond three wavelengths from the source, it consists of only propagating waves being dominated by pressure waves (far field). At that distance the sound pressure waves must be transduced, typically by a gas-filled-organ, to stimulate the hair cells of the inner ear to be detected.

020

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

ICB #Art in #Bio celebrating #SciArtSeptember with @lizlagomorph.bsky.social & crew with this latest on Massimiliano Mandas "#Nature ,is not only something I represent, but also something that influences the way I construct an image." integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/fine-art-ame...

061

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

IOB Orientation of Blacktip #Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus) to Underwater #Sound Sullivan et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... This study quantified the distance that blacktip sharks oriented to sound stimuli and determined that responses could be consistently initiated from the acoustic far field.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

ICB Friday Fresh Ink! Small #insects actively respond to updrafts by modulating their wing and body #kinematics Evan J Williams , David Murphy et al doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Murphy www.murphyfluidslab.com #science

Small insects utilize atmospheric flows to facilitate appetitive and migratory behaviors. In the convective and nocturnal boundary layers, these insects may experience high-speed updrafts which can present significant aerodynamic challenges. While it is known from field observations that small insects resist these updrafts, how they do so while maintaining flight stability is unknown. Here we investigate the flight behavior of two insect species, the 3-mm fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the 2-mm fungus gnat (Lycoriella ingenua), while exposed to quiescent air and to a steady 0.433 m s−1 upward flow within a vertical wind tunnel. We used high-speed 3D photogrammetry to capture flight trajectories and wing and body kinematics. Both species maintained a constant vertical flight velocity in quiescent conditions and in the updraft by maintaining a consistent beat frequency while significantly reducing their stroke amplitude (and thus saving energy), though with some size-specific differences. The smaller fungus gnats kept the dorsal portion of their stroke more so than the larger fruit flies, thereby maintaining the lift-generating clap-and-fling mechanism which is generally required at the lower Reynolds numbers at which they operate. Both species also maintained a similar relative flow velocity, which combines wing tangential velocity and animal velocity with respect to the free stream. Finally, the updraft somewhat affected flight stability in the fungus gnat (as seen in its more sinuous flight trajectories) but not in the fruit fly, which did not change the sinuosity of its trajectories in the updraft. These findings provide a bridge between large- and small-scale studies of small insects in the atmosphere.

011

Reposted by SICB journals

Narimane Chatar @narimanechatar.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

New paper out in Integrative and Comparative Biology (@sicbjournals.bsky.social) lead by @morganefo.bsky.social ! 🥳Morgane investigated the shape variation throughout the life cycle of the Alpine newts using GMM on skulls and mandibles🦎 doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

141

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Be sure to read ICB/SICB's S02: #DINOSAURS TO #DRONES: COMPARATIVE APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING #FLIGHT & see their amazing covers doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Lorence et al doi.org/10.1093/icb/... France et al doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Chen et al & more #Biomechanics #science #Aerodynamics

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

IOB "... there are some cases when using an existing concept assessment does not align with the goals of the person administering the assessment...." A E Foltz ,et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... #biology #science #education #pedagogy

Published assessments, which have undergone a substantial development and optimization process, are commonly used to evaluate the impact of curricular and pedagogical innovations. However, there are some cases when using an existing concept assessment does not align with the goals of the person administering the assessment.

010

Reposted by SICB journals

Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology @sicb.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#SICB Members and Friends, We are happy to announce that registration is open #SICB2027's Annual Meeting · Hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning #organismal biology, #physiology, #ecology, #evolution, #biomechanics, & more Register Today! cf23.xcddev.com/sicb/store/i...

043

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

IOB "When an investigator wishes to assess the efficacy of a particular lesson, unit, or course, they have multiple #assessment options..." An adapted process to develop customized assessments to measure the impact of #biology lessons Foltz et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... #science #biology

...There are currently no guidelines for scaling the process for contexts in which existing concept assessments are misaligned and a comprehensive assessment development process is impractical. Here, we describe an adapted assessment development process to generate lesson-customized assessments. We started with five published biology lessons, covering a broad range of biology topics, and created a lesson-customized assessment for each. Our assessment development process consisted of identifying lesson learning objectives, drafting an initial assessment, soliciting expert feedback and student interviews, and conducting several cycles of review and revision. We provide suggestions to help with practicality and make the process more accessible. Though we developed customized assessments for published biology lessons, our approach is broadly applicable to other cases where customized assessments may be beneficial.

000

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

ICB blog Community building with open-source and #DIY monitoring #tools by @stephbilodeau.bsky.social Simply finding the tools that others have already built is often a real challenge... integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/2026/09/14/c... #science #Scientists #technology

011

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

IOB & Society for the Advancement of #Biology #Education #Research "An adapted process to develop customized assessments to measure the impact of #biology lessons" A E Foltz ,et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... #scienceeducation #educators #professors #teachers

When instructors, #curriculum developers, or education researchers implement an innovative lesson or develop a shareable lesson plan, they likely want to know if the lesson is effective at facilitating student learning. Published #assessments, which have undergone a substantial development and optimization process, are commonly used to evaluate the impact of curricular and pedagogical innovations. However, there are some cases when using an existing concept assessment does not align with the goals of the person administering the assessment. Concept assessments usually cover a broad content domain spanning entire units, courses, or majors. If an instructor, curriculum developer, or researcher intends to assess learning associated with a discrete time period (e.g., a lesson), a concept assessment may be too broad and thus lack alignment validity. Consequently, they may decide to develop their own assessment. They can accomplish this by writing original questions, using question banks, using questions provided in open educational resources, or a combination of these approaches. Alternatively, they may pursue a time- and resource-intensive comprehensive assessment development process, typically involving several steps to accrue validity evidence. There are currently no guidelines for scaling the process for contexts in which existing concept assessments are misaligned and a comprehensive assessment development process is impractical. Here, we describe an adapted assessment development process to generate lesson-customized assessments. We started with five published biology lessons, covering a broad range of biology topics, and created a lesson-customized assessment for each. ...

000

Reposted by SICB journals

Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology @sicb.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Thanks so much @oceanfilly.bsky.social for spreading the word about our SICB Fine Art America account fineartamerica.com/profiles/sic... All profits go to student scholarships for SICB www.instagram.com/reel/DdKbQUb...

03211

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Learn more about ICB author Christina Harvey 's work. She is a co author of doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Christina is an engineer and #zoologist who seeks to understand the fundamental principles of #biological #flight. read more birdlab.mae.ucdavis.edu uc-bird-lab.github.io/bird-lab-web...

Christina Harvey is an engineer and zoologist who seeks to understand the fundamental principles of biological flight. Her research combines biomechanics, aerodynamics, flight dynamics, and animal behavior to uncover biological principles and determine which of those principles may benefit engineering designs.
Her background bridges engineering and biology, with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering (McGill University), an MSc in Zoology (University of British Columbia), and a PhD in Aerospace Engineering (University of Michigan). That perspective shapes the BIRD Lab and the Center for Animal Locomotion & Innovation (CALI), where engineers, biologists, veterinarians, and computer scientists work together to answer questions no single discipline could solve alone.
Christina is an Amelia Earhart Fellow and a Packard Fellow. She is passionate about rigorous science, continually refining her mentoring and teaching through evidence and reflection, and building an open, collaborative research environment where curiosity comes first.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

IOB co author Brayan Gutierrez applied µCT imaging and morphometrics approaches to investigate changes to skeletal density and body shape during #fish #evolution. Brayan went on to pursue a Master’s degree at Rice University co author on doi.org/10.1093/iob/... read more www.daanelab.org

behind the author is

Fig. 3

Patterns of bone porosity across the Baikal sculpin radiation. (A) Mean BVF, a measure of porosity, in selected Baikal sculpin species, comparing benthic and pelagic/benthopelagic (Comephorus and Cottocomephorus) groups. (B) Dentary cross-sections (taken at the plane indicated by lines) highlighting differences in porosity between representative species. (C) Mean BVF differences between benthic and pelagic groups, with ANOVA P-values transformed via −log₁₀ for visualization (Table S3). Dashed line indicates a P-value of 0.05.

001

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Meet ICB co author Vikram Baliga of doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Vikram teaches #biostatistics and data #science for the #Biology Program at UBC. He has also used motion capture and virtual reality to investigate flight control strategies in #birds. connect www.linkedin.com/in/vikrambal...

000

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

IOB "These results demonstrate a repeated skeletal lightening and body shape changes accompanying benthic-to- #pelagic transitions..." Parallel Reduction in Skeletal Density During Benthic to Pelagic Transitions in Baikal #Sculpins doi.org/10.1093/iob/... Gutierrez et al #biology #science

Fig. 2 Patterns of skull bone mineral density across the Baikal sculpin radiation. (A) Mean percentage of hydroxyapatite, comparing benthic and pelagic/benthopelagic (Comephorus and Cottocomephorus) groups. (B) Skull density heatmaps of representative Baikal sculpins, including two pelagic species ( C. baikalensis and Cot. grewingkii ) and four benthic species ( Ab. pallidus , Ab. thermalis , Ab. platy- cephalus , and P. knerii ). (C) Mean differences in hydroxyapatite percentage between benthic and pelagic groups, with ANOVA P -values transformed via −log1 0 for visualization ( Table S3). Dashed line indicates a P -value of 0.05.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

ICB Comparative #Biologists and #Aerospace Engineers: Important Allies to Explore the Secrets of Natural Flight Jasmin Wong , Vikram B Baliga , Christina Harvey doi.org/10.1093/icb/... connect with Jasmin www.linkedin.com/in/jasmincmw... #biomechanics #science

To uncover the principles behind the multifaceted topic of animal flight, we must incorporate perspectives on physics, physiology, ecology, and evolution, themes explored in the “Dinosaurs to Drones: Comparative Approaches to Understanding Flight” symposium. Yet these fields often remain siloed by differences in terminology and approaches. By contrasting evolution and engineering optimization, we highlight how differences between seemingly similar concepts can lead to misunderstandings, and how appreciation of those differences can be leveraged to reveal fundamental flight principles such as multifunctional constraints and adaptive versatility. These principles can then be integrated with conventional optimization methodology to both expand the design space for robust aerial systems and deepen insight into how biology achieves adaptable flight. Finally, drawing on the symposium’s panel discussion on how to successfully execute interdisciplinary endeavors, we emphasize the importance of supervisory and institutional support for establishing interdisciplinary training, collaboration, and communication opportunities.

021

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

IOB "While freshwater #sculpins (Cottidae, Perciformes) are usually #benthic, two genera in Lake Baikal, Comephorus and Cottocomephorus, have independently evolved into mid-water niches." from B A Gutierrez et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... #science #pelagic #adaptations

Fig. 1 Benthic-to-pelagic transitions during the Baikal sculpin #adaptive radiation. (A) Bathymetric map of Lake Baikal [data from (De Batist et al. 2006 )]. (B) The adaptive radiation of the Baikal sculpins from a shallow benthic common ancestor into bathybenthic, ben- thopelagic, and #pelagic species. (C) Cladogram and skull reconstructions at optimum brightness for each scan from selected species of Baikal #sculpins. Red indicates pelagic (filled circle, Comephorus ) or benthopelagic (unfilled circle, Cottocomephorus ) species, gray indicates benthic species and black benthopelagic species. Cladogram and habitat associations adapted from ancestral state reconstructions in (Sandel et al. 2025 ). Skeleton brightness optimized for each scan. Scale bars in C represent 10 mm.

044

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

ICB blog A #Book #Review - Allison Pugh 's The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World by Jacob Cummings, independent researcher (SICB writer) (read in full) integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/2026/09/08/a... #career #nonfiction

"When was the last time you felt acknowledged or seen by another person? Perhaps you had an interaction with a close family member, a friend, or peer. These people – close, personal #connections – likely come to mind first when considering your social network. However, as Allison Pugh, a widely published professor and sociologist, points out in The Last Human Job, there are also subtler, less obvious interactions comprising our social world. These are crucial to maintain as we increasingly automate our world.

Through narrative centered around hundreds of interviews, Pugh illustrates exactly what these interactions might look like: chatting with the cashier in a checkout line, discussing blood pressure with a nurse practioner, or solving math problems with a tutor. These are moments that can be seemingly boiled down to singular goals: making your purchase, understanding what medications to take, or learning the ins and outs of long division. However, they can also be the scenes of important human interaction. Difficult to describe or quantify, these rich #interpersonal moments are under threat in workplaces seeking to optimize under the imperatives of efficiency and profit. Despite this, Pugh argues that when we recognize their value and structure practices around this understanding, we create a healthier world. The Last Human Job gives name to an essential and unassuming keystone of our social #networks: “connective labor.” With insights relevant to all types of human #organization and personal work, this is a book for all those who seek a more connected world, with clear pertinence to #science and #scientists alike...

(read in full)

https://integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/2026/09/08/a-book-review-the-last-human-job-the-work-of-connecting-in-a-disconnected-world/

000

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

IOB Parallel Reduction in Skeletal Density During Benthic to #Pelagic Transitions in Baikal #Sculpins Brayan Gutierrez et al doi.org/10.1093/iob/... "Habitat transitions are a major driver of #morphological #evolution..." #science #teleost #fish

While freshwater #sculpins (Cottidae, Perciformes) are usually benthic, two genera in Lake Baikal, Comephorus and Cottocomephorus, have independently evolved into mid-water niches. As sculpins lack a swim bladder, these lineages instead improved buoyancy through reduced skeletal density and increased lipid stores. Using micro-computed #tomography and two-dimensional morphometrics, we characterized skeletal evolution in six benthic, two benthopelagic, and two pelagic species across the Baikal sculpin radiation. Parallel changes to mineral density, porosity, and thickness evolved independently in #pelagic and benthopelagic clades, with mineral density showing the most consistent and significant reductions. Density reductions occurred throughout the skull in pelagic and benthopelagic species. The basibranchials and neurocranium exhibited the lowest overall bone density across all cranial elements. While the jaws maintained the highest absolute density values among the bones we measured, they also showed the greatest proportional reduction in density associated with pelagic habitat use, with a 56.86% decrease in percentage hydroxyapatite and a 21.39% increase in porosity. #Morphometric analyses further identified parallel evolution toward an elongate body shape, reduced and posteriorly shifted eyes, and elevated fin insertion in pelagic and benthopelagic taxa. These results demonstrate a repeated skeletal lightening and body shape changes accompanying benthic-to-pelagic transitions. This pattern mirrors other benthic-to-pelagic transitions in teleosts that lack swim bladders, highlighting shared biomechanical and microstructural solutions to life in the open water.

010

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Check out more on the work of Wiswell mae.princeton.edu/news/2026/gr... and Wissa mae.princeton.edu/people/aimy-... authors of ICB's #Aerodynamic Mechanisms and Flow Physics of #Bioinspired Slotted Wingtips doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

020

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Learn more about Becca Price (IOB / SABER ) author's work faculty.washington.edu/beccap/ & be sure to read Using the #Paleobiology Database to #Teach Scientific Practices: an Approach Aligned to Relational Culture Theory Rebecca M Price doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

"This teaching innovations article explains how to develop a course-based undergraduate research experience built upon data from the #Paleobiology Database with the principles of relational culture theory. The approach integrates psychosocial skills associated with research, like persistence through frustration, with scientific skills, such as observation, statistical analysis, locating and reading primary literature, and writing a #scientific paper. Specifically, this course was designed to align with The Five Good Things in relational culture theory: to develop positive learning ethos, to create knowledge, development of self-worth, action or movement toward deeper learning, and a desire for continued learning. To achieve these aspects of relational culture theory, the course uses a survey—issued on the first day of class and revisited throughout the term—to establish a connection between the instructor and students; weekly observations of photos of fossils to make data from the Paleobiology #Database less abstract; and an alternative grading scheme that emphasizes spiral feedback. This course meets once a week, with extra homework in lieu of additional class time. The first part of the course teaches paleobiology content through interactive lectures, carefully selected readings, and short videos. Students use collaborative note-taking software to discuss readings and videos that inspire research topics. The second part of the course is about analyzing #paleobiological data, and students learn different statistical tests they can apply; simultaneously, they formulate their research hypotheses and download their data. This section of the course concludes with students analyzing their own data. In the third part of the course, students use primary literature to both justify the study and interpret the results they obtained..."

000

Reposted by SICB journals

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Attention Philadelphia! We're hosting a rally to demand that Drexel University maintain The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum open to the public. Join us on Tuesday morning at 10am in front of the academy. Please spread the word, we need all hands on deck! RSVP here: luma.com/1qwnrqz2

A dinosaur on a white background with the text SAve the academy of Natural sciences museum rally Tuesday Sept 8 10am in front of the academy 1900 ben Franklin Parkway. "Tell Drexel University "Keep the museum open!" with the logos for Philly Science Action, Skype a Scientist, and Green Philly

171410893

Reposted by SICB journals

BTO | British Trust for Ornithology @btobirds.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

We're seeking a Research Ecologist to develop & apply methods for analysing large-scale passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) datasets & to lead work on the collection/analysis of restoration & rewilding data. Apply via www.bto.org/jobs Closing date: 22 September. #Ornithology #bioacoustics

The heads of two Puffins appear above a bank. Wording above reads: We're hiring! Senior Research Ecologist: Landscape Restoration & Monitoring Science.

03462

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

ICB "Slotted wingtips vary in #morphology across the avian clade, raising questions about the relationship between their form and function, particularly with regard to their #aerodynamic role." from Hannah Wiswell , Aimy Wissa doi.org/10.1093/icb/... #birds #biomechanics

Fig. 2
An overview of the experimental setup used for evaluation. (A) A render of the test sections of the subsonic wind tunnel facility at Princeton University which shows the wing attached in the third test section. (B) The wing’s attachment to the six-axis ATI Gamma force/torque transducer and Velmex B48 rotary table, with the four PIV plane locations shown on the suction side of the wing. The axis of measurement for the ATI Gamma is shown with arrows corresponding to x and -y. (C) Each wingtip configuration: baseline (i), slotted (ii), flexible (iii), and composite (iv), with associated testing metrics denoted on the suction surfaces of the wingtip configurations. (D) Normalized flexural stiffness as a function of the percentage length from the rachis root, where 40 represents the root of the manufactured wingtips. The orange line corresponds to the flexible wingtips, and the dark teal corresponds to data from the fifth primary of a barn owl (Tyto alba) (adapted from Bachmann et al. 2012).

011

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

IOB " The final project is a scientific paper, which some students choose to submit to the campus #research journal. Relational culture theory adds value to the research experience, and the strategies that build it into this course can be adopted to other contexts." Price , doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

000

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

ICB "This study expands the current understanding of the functional #morphology of slotted wingtips by systematically studying slots, bending, and twist using various engineered wingtip configurations..." doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Wiswell & Wissa #biomechanics #birds

Fig. 1
(A) The semi-span of a Harris’s hawk wing with the primary feathers circled and the three primaries of interest, P7, P8, and P9, highlighted. The three feather degrees of freedom (DoFs) are isolated to the following: (B) Slots, formed by an emargination and a notch. Here, the solid outlines at the emarginated section of primaries 7, 8, and 9 show the tracings used to create the slotted wingtip configuration. (C) Flexion, indicated by solid curved lines. (D) Twist, indicated by curved arrows. Image credit: Pixabay.

081

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

IOB "This course meets once a week, with extra homework in lieu of additional class time. The first part of the course teaches #paleobiology content through interactive lectures, carefully selected readings, and short videos..." from doi.org/10.1093/iob/... Price #science #database #education

021

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

ICB #Aerodynamic Mechanisms and Flow #Physics of #Bioinspired Slotted Wingtips Hannah Wiswell , Aimy Wissa doi.org/10.1093/icb/... #Bird wings contain several feather groups, some of which contribute to their aerodynamic performance during flight... #science #biology

...One of these groups is the emarginated primary feathers, which exhibit slots, bending, and twisting in flight. Slotted wingtips vary in morphology across the avian clade, raising questions about the relationship between their form and function, particularly with regard to their aerodynamic role. This study expands the current understanding of the functional morphology of slotted wingtips by systematically studying slots, bending, and twist using various engineered wingtip configurations: one that captures the slotting only, another that has both slotting and bending, and a third that combines slots, bending, and twist. Force, moment, and PIV data acquired during wind tunnel testing reveal that the bioinspired wingtips have both global and local aerodynamic effects. The wingtips’ global aerodynamic effect is to delay spanwise stall propagation, thereby altering the lift distribution over the wing. Local aerodynamic effects include the reduction of aerodynamic load over the wingtips as well as changes to the separated shear layer location and the breakdown of tip vorticity. The results show that while global aerodynamic effects are universal across all configurations, local effects are sensitive to wingtip design. Nonetheless, both the global and local effects enable structural resilience and effective roll and yaw control authority. These results demonstrate that the emarginated primary feathers may have multiple aerodynamic functions, offering new insights into their role in bird flight and showcasing their potential as flow- and flight-control devices for engineered aerial vehicles.

040

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

IOB Using the #Paleobiology Database to #Teach Scientific Practices: an Approach Aligned to Relational Culture Theory by Becca Price doi.org/10.1093/iob/... "I developed a CURE based on the #Paleobiology #Database (paleobiodb.org). See the image description ... #education #fossils

The learning goals of this course, Science Methods and Practice, are to

1. conduct #scientific #esearch and assume a scientific identity.

2. use statistics to analyze quantitative #data, and present the results of the analyses in graphs and in words.

3. locate, read, and understand primary literature about a research topic.

4. adopt a collaborative approach to doing science, including conducting peer review by working with classmates to exchange ideas, share resources, and review each other’s work.

5. write a scientific paper that presents the results of original, scientific research and that places that work in the context of primary literature from that discipline.

011

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This month for ICB's #Art in #Biology, we teamed up with Brianna Longo of @bigbiology.bsky.social "... it wasn’t until my graphic design class my senior year until I realized how much of an impact a drawing can have on people.." integrativeandcomparativebiology.wordpress.com/fine-art-ame...

080

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Out now in IOB ! Using the #Paleobiology #Database to Teach #Scientific Practices: an Approach Aligned to Relational Culture Theory doi.org/10.1093/iob/... by Becca Price of SABER Society for the Advancement of #Biology #Education #Research saberbio.wildapricot.org

020

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

ICB "We explored spatial variation in sex-biased #parasitism in #mangrove rivulus, an androdioecious #fish in which simultaneous hermaphrodites can facultatively transition to male." doi.org/10.1093/icb/... Fitzwater et al & subscribe @oceanfilly.bsky.social YouTube www.youtube.com/channel/UCqg...

074

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

IOB Meet lead author Cassie Shriver, a 5th year #Ph.D. candidate co-advised by Dr. Young-Hui Chang and Dr. @drdavidhu.bsky.social read Bridging #Science Across Species: A #Biomechanics Outreach Event at the #Zoo doi.org/10.1093/iob/...

Cassie completed her undergraduate education at Duke University and graduated in May of 2021, earning a B.S.E. in Mechanical #Engineering with a Minor in Biology and a Certificate in Marine #Science and Conservation Leadership. As a member of the Rachel Carson Scholars Program at Duke University, she earned Graduation with Distinction after successful completion of her Honor's Thesis, "Material Preferences and Adhesive Properties in Diopatra cuprea Tube Construction”, advised by Dr. Daniel Rittschof.

Cassie's recent and intended future research focuses on comparative biomechanics, with an emphasis on conservation applications. She's interested in using engineering and #physics to understand how natural systems work, providing inspiration for #robotics and other engineered tools, while advocating for conservation of #species in order to continue to learn from them. Her thesis work seeks to understand the locomotor principles of #mammalian climbers, particularly how scaling relationships affect climbing strategies. Previous research includes analyzing how substrate dampening affects grasshopper jump #mechanics and developing an agent-based model to understand and characterize sea turtle navigation via #magnetoreception.

000

Reposted by SICB journals

Aramati Casper @aramaticasper.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

In "Synthesizing Sex/es Across Scales and Lineages" we name how "specialized" concepts can be broadly useful in countering our mammalian biases and introduce a graphical system for mapping anisogamete-production strategy across levels of modularity. doi.org/10.1093/icb/... @sicbjournals.bsky.social

Fig. 1 The top row of the figure is the key. A box on the left describes the five levels of organization shown in the figure. The first three levels can be independent or semi-independent and are, from the top: genetic individual (G),
connected colony (C), and individual body (B). The last two levels
are not independent: body subunit (L2) and body subunit (L1). The rest
of the key describes the drawing system used. A single line connecting
circles at different levels of organization shows that the higher level
includes the lower level, a double line shows that the higher level
equals the lower level. Different types of conspecific organization
are encompassed within rounded rectangles. Numbers within circles at
the same level of organization (e.g., 1, 2) indicate sequence. Gamete
production type is indicated by circles with the following characteristics:
female only is white; male only is black; sequential has two black
quarters and two white quarters; simultaneous is grey; and unknown
is a dotted circle with a question mark. Organisms depicted in the
middle row, below the key, have up to three levels of organization
and do not have body subunits. Organisms in the bottom row have up
to five levels of organization and have at least one type of body subunit.
Information about each organism depicted is provided in the caption.

053

SICB journals @sicbjournals.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

ICB Learn more about #parasites in a unique environment! Spatial Variation in Sex-biased #Parasitism of an Androdioecious Mangrove #Fish Brooke M Fitzwater , (image by) et al doi.org/10.1093/icb/... #science #biology #Belize

010