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Simon Maddock

@simonmaddock.bsky.social
1.4K followers 1.9K following 48 posts

Ecology, evolution and conservation of reptiles and amphibians • Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution at Newcastle University • Scientific Associate at Natural History Museum, London • He/Him

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Reposted by Simon Maddock
Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge (CROAK) 2026 @croak-conference.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Early bird tickets are now on sale to everyone! Head to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/croak-2026... to register and to www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub... if you want to present. Abstract submission closes soon! We already have some amazing talks and posters lined up, can't wait to see everyone there!
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Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge (CROAK) 2026 @croak-conference.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Abstract submissions for CROAK are now open! We welcome submissions for talks and posters on amphibians and reptiles from any sector and career stage 🦎🐸 Link & further details here: www.croakconference.org/abstract-sub... [ 📸: Malayodracon robinsonii, @saunakpal.bsky.social ]
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Aaron Griffing @aaronhgriffing.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Awesome new pre-print: @brennian.bsky.social and company back at it with the most glorious figures about glorious limb-reduced geckos. doi.org/10.64898/202...
a figure from Brennan et al. illustrating tail evolution across squamates
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Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge (CROAK) 2026 @croak-conference.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Save the date! We are very happy to announce the first CROAK - Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge - to be held at the Rigg and Furrow Brewery in Northumberland on 15 –16 September 2026. We welcome delegates from all backgrounds and will soon open abstract submissions and registration. +
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Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge (CROAK) 2026 @croak-conference.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We are very happy to announce that the first plenary speaker for CROAK 2026 will be Richard Griffiths, Emeritus Professor of Biological Conservation at Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent (www.kent.ac.uk/.../research...). Stay tuned for more information!
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Conference on Reptile and Amphibian Knowledge (CROAK) 2026 @croak-conference.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
We are very happy to announce that the second plenary speaker for CROAK 2026 will be Wolfgang Wüster, Professor of Zoology (Molecular Ecology) at Bangor University (www.bangor.ac.uk/.../sens/wol...). Follow this page to stay up to date with CROAK news!
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Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Interesting new tool to extract phylogenies from images (Tremble). It is crazy that this is still something we have to do. doi.org/10.1093/bioi...
doi.org
Treemble: a graphical tool to generate Newick strings from phylogenetic tree images
AbstractSummary. Phylogenetic trees are ubiquitous and central to biology, but most published trees are available only as visual diagrams and not in the ma
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Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
As a geoscientist with lots of biology in my background, training, & interests, I love these examples of how plate tectonics intersects with evolution: in this case, frog diversification driven by tectonic processes, with the latter also influencing climate. 🧪🪨⚒️🐸🌋
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
I am very happy to see Becci Morris' first ever paper published 🥳 In this study we find that the New Guinea frog genus Mantophryne diversified due to a combination of tectonic activity and climate reorganisation in the Late Pliocene – Early Pleistocene doi.org/10.1002/ece3... 🧪🐸
Phylogenetic tree of MantophryneSampling locality map of New Guinea
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Amazing first full day of our Newcastle University undergraduate Biology/Zoology Scotland fieldcourse. This year we have come to the shore of Loch Lomond. My group have been doing reptile and amphibian ecological surveys and we found adders, slow worms, frogs, toads, and palmate newts 🐍🐸🧪
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Our new paper (led by Rémi Martin) found that British toads have low genetic diversity and low geographic structuring. Most of the genetic differences were driven by isolation-by-distance. Levels of genetic diversity decreased the further north the population tinyurl.com/43wxrfuk 🧪🐸🌎🐍#consgen
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Putter Tiatragul @puttert.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
Adios *Anilios*! Glad our phylogeny was somewhat helpful in synonymising @simonmaddock.bsky.social! mapress.com/zt/article/v...
mapress.com
No justification for recognition of the blindsnake genera Anilios and Sundatyphlops (Squamata: Typhlopidae) | Zootaxa
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Wolfgang Wüster @wolfgangwuster.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Workshop on #ConservationGenetics at #HWM2026 led by Axel Barlow and @simonmaddock.bsky.social of @bangoruniversity.bsky.social and Newcastle University -assessing participant knowledge and solving scenarios.
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Ellen Sharkey @ellensharkey.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
The most exciting find of my recent fieldwork: the Montane Mahé Caecilian. Only found on the highest peak in Seychelles, this Critically Endangered amphibian had not been observed since 2015. 📷: @simonmaddock.bsky.social
Ellen Sharkey looks very excited while holding a Montane Mahé Caecilian (Hypogeophis montanus).A close up of a Montane Mahé Caecilian (Hypogeophis montanus).
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Lukas Musher @lukemusher.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
I have a new preprint demonstrating a genome-architecture-aware approach to inferring species trees and introgression landscapes from a small number of genomes. If you are interested in phylogenomics, birds, or hybridization, this is for you! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
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Dr Tiffany Kosch 👩‍🔬 🤿🐸🧬 @tiffanykosch.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Over 41% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction. The challenges they face are huge—but so are the successes. I'm honored to contribute to this new paper offering a rare optimistic look at amphibian conservation. 👉rdcu.be/eQPL7
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Tommaso Jucker @tommaso-jucker.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
🚨Job opportunity🚨 We are hiring a 3yr research technician. If you love fieldwork, are passionate about forests & mountains, and want to up-skill in remote sensing, sensor networks and running field experiments this could be the dream job for you! 🧪🌳⛰️🛰️🌡️🍄 www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
bristol.ac.uk
Details | Working at Bristol | University of Bristol
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Darren Irwin (he / him) @darrenirwin.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
New and improved! (as of today, now with page numbers and an issue number ;) "Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers" Led by Dr. Libby Natola: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
doi.org
Evidence for ancient selective sweeps followed by differentiation among three species of Sphyrapicus sapsuckers
Abstract. Genomic differentiation usually accompanies speciation, but that differentiation is often highly heterogeneous across the genome. Understanding w
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PythonMaps @pythonmaps.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Day three of the #30DayMapChallenge - Polygons. This map shows the earths tectonic plates. I have overlayed all of the earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 4.0 over the last 20 years, coloured according to their magnitude (blue (smallest) - red (largest).
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Deepak Veerappan🐢🦎🐍🐸🔬🧬🌳⛰️ 🐕🏃‍♂️✌️ @deepakveerappan.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Here is the link to the open access article academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
academic.oup.com
Island-hopping anurans: diversification dynamics in a widespread frog family
Abstract. Examining diversification patterns associated with dispersal, vicariance, and local adaptation is critical in elucidating drivers of speciation.
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Awesome work by @deepakveerappan.bsky.social on this paper. Here we explore "Island-hopping anurans: diversification dynamics in a widespread frog family". The article is Open Access so go and check it out!
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Katia Bougiouri @katiabou.bsky.social · 19/08/2025
📢 We're excited to launch our AaRCademy Workshop Series kicking off October 7th online! 🧬Our first session, "aDNA Data Processing", will be led by Nikolay Oskolkov from Lund University. 📅 Registration closes September 7th! Sign up via the QR code or link below. #aDNA @aarc-community.bsky.social
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Evelyn Jensen @eljensen.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Thrilled that Rachel Gray had a successful viva today! 🐢🐢🧬🧬 My first PhD student #ProudPI Major thanks to @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Axel Barlow for being examiners @sciencesncl.bsky.social
Rachel and Evelyn posing for a picture together
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John Nguyễn @johnv-nguyen.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
I'm not procrastinating.... making #Pride caecilian DNA stickers is a requirement of my dissertation. Schistometopum thomense and S. ephele, the iconic duo of my PhD work.
Two caecilians in the shape of a double helix.
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Evelyn Jensen @eljensen.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Returning from another amazing field course hosted at Leshiba Wilderness in South Africa. Wonderful students, great colleagues @simonmaddock.bsky.social and Marion! Highlight was the honey badger on the camera trap! @sciencesncl.bsky.social
Night time camera trap image of a honey badger Photo of cute giraffe on a dirt road in the scrub forest Photo of a group of students crowded around a rock wall looking at ancient rock artStudents on a field in sunny South Africa surveying tick populations
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Bob Smith @anotherbobsmith.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
DICE is advertising an additional four PhD studentships through our Leverhulme ‘Space for Nature’ Doctoral Scholars programme. All have a deadline of Deadline 23/04/25. www.kent.ac.uk/durrell-inst...
kent.ac.uk
Leverhulme Scholars
Leverhulme Scholars
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Markus Eichhorn @markuseichhorn.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Online map of non-woodland trees in England published by @forestresearchuk.bsky.social
forestresearch.gov.uk
England’s non-woodland trees mapped and available freely for the first time - Forest Research
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
New paper led by Miranda Sherlock on "Submerged Corridors of Ancient Gene Flow in an Island Amphibian". In this paper we found that populations of the Seychelles #caecilian Hypogeophis rostratus would have been connected by palaeo-islands across Seychelles onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.... 🧪🐸🐍
(A) Island connectivity with sea level change. Present-day emergent land is coloured for cluster membership inferred with DAPC (see B), and islands unsampled in this study are shown in white. Sampling localities are shown by green dots. Elevation (above sea level) is shown by contour lines (200 m spacing). Smaller islands (Ste. Anne and Curieuse) are circled for clarity. The grey shaded area represents exposed land, with the shade of grey in the key indicating metres below current sea level. Bathymetry data from the GEBCO 2024 repository. Inset map shows position of the Seychelles (indicated with a green loop) relative to Africa. Latitude and longitude given in decimal degrees. (B) DAPC of K = 4, with eight PCs and two eigenvalues. (C) Hypogeophis rostratus, photographed by STM.Structure plot with 10 runs permuted in CLUMPAK and plotted in distruct for K = 2 and K = 3. Vertical bars represent individuals (n = 77). Labels above the plots correspond to the major genetic clusters. Colour codes as in (1B).
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Alex Gunderson @agunderson.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
We made the cover www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cover of the journal "Nature" showing a long-nosed horned frog on leaf litter and the words "Heat Stress: How vulnerable are the worlds amphibians to rising temperatures?"
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Dr Emma Shuttleworth @em-shuttleworth.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
JOB ALERT Exciting opportunity for a Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor) in #PhysicalGeography specialising in #peatland science to join our #Geography department at @uniofmanchester.bsky.social. Full details for the job can be found here: www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
jobs.manchester.ac.uk
Lecturer in Physical Geography :Oxford Road
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
An awesome evening for the launch of the new Adder Pilsner label from Allendale Brewery. Beer and adder talks (the work going on in the North Pennines). What is not to like?! Lucy and Samuel did a fantastic job presenting the work we have been doing on Conservation Genomics of adders in the region.
Andy LeesSamuel BettsLucy StruthersAdder beer label
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Pedro Brandão-Dias F Pinto @pedrobd.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
New paper alert! 🚨- My final PhD chapter is finally out! What happens to different eDNA components in water? 🌊💧 We tested particle size (small vs. large) and DNA molecule length (86 vs. 387 bp) in recirculating streams—and what we found might surprise you! 🧵👇 #eDNA #MolecularEcology 🔗 Read more:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Comparing the Fate of eDNA by Particle Sizes and Molecule Lengths in Recirculating Streams
The detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) has revolutionized aquatic species monitoring, yet interpreting eDNA data remains challenging due to gaps in our understanding of eDNA ecology (i.e., origin,...
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Martine Maron @martinemaron.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Looking for a PhD in birds and woodlands? We have a funded project available to those eligible to apply as a domestic student (in Australia) @uq-cbcs.bsky.social - message me if interested!
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Alistair Boxall @alistairboxall.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
If you missed the webinar on progress on the NERC ECOMIX project then you can now view it online. In the presentation, the team provide an update on the monitoring, modelling and ecotoxicology work being done on Yorkshire's rivers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSXB...
youtube.com
UK Freshwater Quality Programme Webinar, January 2025: A project update from ECOMIX.
YouTube video by wateratleeds
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
The IUCN Red List and Green Status workshops are going fantastically. Tonight we had a break from the computer and found several of the #amphibians that we have been assessing. Here is a beautiful Gardiner's Seychelles #frog (Sechellophryne gardineri), one of the smallest frogs in the World. 🧪🐍🐸🔬
Gardiner's Seychelles frog (Sechellophryne gardineri) Gardiner's Seychelles frog (Sechellophryne gardineri)
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
The first day of the joint IUCN Red List and Green Status of Species workshop (the first time they have ever run concurrently) was a great success, focussing on the #frogs of the Seychelles. On to the #caecilians tomorrow
Frog workshop
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Today's "SEYCHELLES ENDEMIC AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND NEXT STEPS FOR CONSERVATION" symposium was a great success, with many fascinating talks. There have been lots of updates since the last time we ran a Seychelles amphibian symposium in 2019.
Delegates of the SEYCHELLES ENDEMIC AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND NEXT STEPS FOR CONSERVATIONJessica ConstanceMarkus Roesch
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Markus Roesch @markusroesch.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
It was a great pleasure to present Seychelles reptile diversity and my research on the endemic bronze geckos today at the "Seychelles Endemic #Amphibian & #Reptile Symposium". 🦎🐍 @jimlabisko.bsky.social @simonmaddock.bsky.social
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
Happening now! Don't miss it!
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
Proud supervisor alert 🚨 @ellensharkey.bsky.social is looking at the impacts of climate change on Seychelles caecilians for her PhD. Today she encountered her first ever #caecilian and it was a beauty ... a large female Stejneger's Caecilian (Hypogeophis alternans) @seychellesherps.bsky.social 🧪🐸
Ellen Sharkey with Hypogeophis alternansThree amphibian biologists under a rock
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Wieland Heim @wielandheim.bsky.social · 08/01/2025
Finally published: migration routes and adult survival of the critically endangered Yellow-breasted Bunting doi.org/10.1038/s415... -moderate survival in E but no returning birds in W -long autumn (moult) stopovers in China Many thanks to all collaborators in 🇷🇺🇩🇪🇲🇳🇹🇭🇲🇲 #animalmigration #ornithology
Possible migrations routes and survival estimates for eastern and western populations of Yellow-breasted Bunting.Yellow-breasted Bunting with coloured leg rings and tracking device (geolocator) on its back
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Earth BioGenome Project 🌍 @ebpgenome.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
Leap into amphibian genomics 🐸 with this new year read. The Amphibian Genomics Consortium (AGC) is advancing global efforts to sequence high-quality genomes and bridge the gap in amphibian research.
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Society for the Study of Evolution @sse-evolution.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
Are you or do you know an undergrad interested in evolution? The SSE Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution program provides funding, mentoring, and a presentation opportunity at #Evol2025. Applications due Monday! buff.ly/4eExoFL
Text: Society for the Study of Evolution Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution Program. Applications due January 20, 2025. Background is a blue and orange abstract painting.
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
There is a symposium happening on Monday 20th Jan, titled "SEYCHELLES ENDEMIC #AMPHIBIANS AND #REPTILES: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND NEXT STEPS FOR #CONSERVATION". We will be streaming the talks if you can't be here: Link tinyurl.com/Seychelleshe... or use QR code. Nb. Schedule is Seychelles time. 🧪🐍🐸🔬
09:30 – 10:00	Welcome refreshments
10:00 – 10:15	Introduction from IBC/UniSey - Gérard Rocamora, Jérôme Harlay
10:15 – 11:10	Current research status of amphibians and reptiles from UK IBC affiliates - Jim Labisko,
                        Simon Maddock, Ellen Sharkey, David Gower
11:10 – 11:30	Refreshment break
11:30 – 11:45	EDGE Sooglossids (title TBC) - James Mougal (independant)
11:45 – 12:00	A scientific approach from the field observations to the conservation actions: explicit, 
                        transparent, replicable, verifiable and falsifiable - Bruno Senterre (independent consultant)
12:00 – 12:15	Fundraising, facilitating partnerships, collaborations, and investment for Seychelles
                        EDGE amphibians - Rachel Bristol (independant)
12:15 – 12:30	Reptile diversity and bronze gecko research in Seychelles - Markus Roesch (Uni of Porto)
12:30 – 13:30	Lunch break
13:30 – 13:45	The Biodiversity Conservation Section - MACCE: Biodiversity Conservation (Kevin Moumou)
13:45 – 14:00	An overview of conservation work on herpetofauna in Vallee de Mai - Seychelles Islands 
                        Foundation (Jessica Constance)
13:30 – 14:45	Aldabra giant tortoise conservation, management, and ecological research in Seychelles 
                        - Indian Ocean Tortoise Alliance (Rich Baxter)
13:30 – 14:45	The population status of freshwater terrapins in the Story Resort wetland - Marine 
                        Conservation Society Seychelles (Chris Mason-Parker)
13:30 – 14:45	The work of Gaea Seychelles (title TBC) - Gaea Seychelles (Mersiah Rose)
14:45 – 15:05	Refreshment break
15:05 – 15:20	An introduction to the IUCN Red List - Louise Hobin (IUCN)
15:20 – 15:35	An introduction to the IUCN Green Status of Species - Magdalena Cygan (IUCN)
15:35 – 16:00	Closing remarksQR code for symposium
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 03/01/2025
This is a reminder that the closing date for applications for this PhD is today at 12 midday (GMT)
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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 20/12/2024
🎉Here we go agaaaaaaain🎉 Another year, another new species round up! Over the last 12 months @nhm-london.bsky.social scientists have described ✨190 new species✨, including everything from bats to bees. Although my favourite from this year is probably the caecillian 🥰🧪 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...
nhm.ac.uk
DiCaprio’s snake and Sauron’s piranha: Natural History Museum describes 190 new species in 2024
Over the last 12 months our scientists have been describing a dizzying array of new species.
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Dax Kellie @daxkellie.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
✅ Do you use R or Python? ✅ Are you an ecologist/biologist? Then you might find our website ALA Labs useful! ALA Labs is full of how-to articles to visualise or analyse biodiversity data. Some are for beginners, others are advanced/experimental 😀 labs.ala.org.au 🧪🌏 #rstats #python #quartopub
ALA Labs frontpage & text logo. ALA LABS text is in white, formatted as off-centre stacked text. Underneath is smaller text, "Experiments in code, data analysis & visualisation from the Atlas of Living Australia." The background is green grass with a Southern Brown Tree Frog in the middle, hanging onto the grass. It has a darker brown top and lighter brown underside. The frog's eye is a rich dark yellow, with a black pupil in the shape of an oval, stretching from the left to right side of the eyeAn animated scroll through an ALA Labs post, showing code, text and visuals to make a data visualisation in R. The article is on how to make a hexagon map of Australia, where each hexagon is an area of Australia, and each point in the hexagon is positioned and coloured to represent a species.Examples of dataviz that ALA Labs posts show how to make in R. They are colourful and fun. One of them is even 3D!
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
This is also a reminder that we are looking for a PhD student to work on adder conservation in the UK. Get in touch if you want to know more!
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Simon Maddock @simonmaddock.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
We are looking for a PhD student to work on "Faunal diversity dynamics of the Seychelles using environmental DNA". Your primary supervisors would be David Gower (NHM, London) and Julia Day (UCL). For more details of the project and funding see trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/fau... 🐍🧪🐸🔬
Hypogeophis alternansMorne Blanc, MahéCongo Rouge, MahéSilhouette Island
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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Friends don't let friends make bad graphs repo has been updated! Friends don't let friends use boxplot for binomial (bimodal) data. Is your box plot hiding something from you? #DataVisualization github.com/cxli233/Frie...
A figure comparing box plot and showing all data points. 
Group1: normally distributed data.
Group2: bimodal data.
Group3: Data with 3 modes.
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