iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County @nhm.org · 18/09/2026

The strongest El Niño in more than a century is already bringing far-flung species into Southern California, with more expected in the coming months. Studying these specimens will help NHM researchers better understand the impacts of the tremendous climate event. go.nhm.org/el-nino

go.nhm.org

Natural History Museum Scientists Ready for Unlikely Visitors and Strange Creatures as Super El Niño Comes to Southern California

The strongest El Niño in more than a century is already bringing far-flung species into Southern California, with more expected in the coming months. Studying these specimens will help NHM…

0119

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Todd Clardy @realfishdoc.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

An important role of natural history museums is to record biodiversity on the planet. Because of El Niño, fish are showing up in Southern California that don't normally occur here. We are trying to document all the weird critters that visit CA during this El Niño. If you see something, let us know!

0116

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Andres Bendesky @bendeskylab.com · 11/09/2026

We have a tenure-track faculty position in Evolutionary Biology in Columbia's E3B Department. Application deadline is October 15. Come be our colleague. Please RT! apply.interfolio.com/193016

apply.interfolio.com

Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio

082105

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

D. Allan Drummond @dadrummond.art · 04/09/2026

Night eyes 😎 Finally got proper pictures of this amazing phenomenon! Mantises change their eye color (and light sensitivity) at night by transporting pigments from the surface of each compound eye unit toward the deeper eye region. Same female Tenodera sinensis, two different times. #bugsky

A female Tenodera sinensis mantis with dark black eyes against a light background, seen from very close up.

A female Tenodera sinensis mantis with green/brown eyes against a light background, seen from very close up to show the details of her face. The pseudopupil is clearly visible on her left eye, facing the camera.

271583426

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Eric Schuettpelz @ferncurator.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP) is now accepting applications, with a deadline of 15 October. This includes the Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

fellowships.si.edu

Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP)

node:field_teaser]

01920

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Dr. Earyn McGee @afroherper.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A few Gila monster shot glasses fresh out the kiln. I’m obsessed with this concept! #lizard #pottery #ceramics #art

31816152

Samantha L. Rutledge @slrutledge.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Reposting this beauty as it comes across my timeline again 🪶🪶🪶

030

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I feel like I’m going to throw up

Screen shot of an Instagram post that says the academy of natural sciences is closing its museum after nearly two centuries

13834681031

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Megan Barkdull @meganbarkdull.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The Natural History Museum of LA is hiring a Curator of Marine Invertebrates! Come join an amazing team and contribute to stewarding the largest marine invert collection in the Western US. 🐙🪼🦐 workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

An image of several sea anemones under water.

16348

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Hannah E. Marx, PhD @hannahmarx.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I’m excited to announce that we are looking for a Curatorial Associate to join our team and help lead the L. H. Bailey Hortorium Herbarium at Cornell University 🌿 Please help share with interested botanists! jobs.hr.cornell.edu/us/en/job/WD...

jobs.hr.cornell.edu

Curatorial Associate in Ithaca, New York, United States of America | Library & Museum at Cornell University

Apply for Curatorial Associate job with Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, United States of America. Library & Museum at Cornell University

12938

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

The Institute for Bird Populations @instbirdpop.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

🪶Want to band cool birds on an island in the western Pacific?IBP is hiring 2 banders to help re-establish & operate bird banding stations on the island of Rota, in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. PROJECT DATES: Oct. 10 thru Dec. 20, 2026. More info here: birdpop.org/docs/jobs/Ro...

Photo of a bander's hands holding a Mariana Fruit Dove by Kristin Attinger. Text on graphic says: We're hiring experienced bird banders.

07049

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Dr Alex Bond @thelabandfield.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

New paper in @bou.org.uk's Ibis: there is still no comprehensive database of bird type specimens. Many major collections have no published type catalogue at all. Where they exist, they're often print-only, partial, or decades out of date. 🧵

16527

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Ran Blekhman @blekhman.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Huge faculty recruitment effort at the University of Chicago -- a division-wide, open-rank search looking to hire about 20 faculty across 5 research areas in biology. Come be our colleague! Full announcement: uchicago.app.box.com/s/ckih9zv3rj...

3222232

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Jessica Budke 🌱🥼🔬 @mossplants.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Are you passionate about #naturalhistory #collections? Apply for our open position for the Herbarium Collections Manager @utkherbarium.bsky.social. We will start evaluating applications on Aug 17, so get your application in now. #Botany2026 #herbarium #jobs

15449

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Mark Phillips @maphillips.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Oregon State University's Department of Integrative Biology is currently hiring up to three tenure-track faculty members, with an emphasis on organismal biology. Note: Previous links are no longer active due to a change in our hiring system. oregonstate.wd501.myworkdayjobs.com/OSU_Careers_...

oregonstate.wd501.myworkdayjobs.com

Assistant Professor

Department: Special Instructions to Applicants: To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 10/1/26. Applications will continue to be accepted after the full consideration date, unt...

176107

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Y'all - the Smithsonian is hiring three new curators - herpetology, ichthyology, and ornithology! Notably, this is a 2nd fish curator position - i.e., not the same as the one advertised last month. So if you applied for that one apply again. www.usajobs.gov/job/873849000

Curator of Vertebrates

Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History currently has openings for three early-career Research Curators in Vertebrate Zoology, one each from the disciplines of ornithology, herpetology and ichthyology. The Department of Vertebrate Zoology seeks candidates with demonstrated expertise in, and a commitment to, collections-based research centered on systematics and evolution of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. This includes the ability to pursue an original approach to systematics and comparative analyses using, for example, morphology, development, and/or molecular data, and showing evidence of broader impacts or applications in evolutionary biology and/or collections-based ecology, as demonstrated by a record of peer-reviewed publications.

Candidates must have demonstrated the ability to establish an externally funded research program and to contribute to the growth and curation of the collections. Research in the Department is supported by the Museum’s shared laboratories, including the Laboratory of Analytic Biology and the Scientific Imaging facility, among others. The Department’s scientific collections are the largest in the world for fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, and the third largest for birds.

These federal positions will be filled at the GS-12 level, with a starting salary of $102,415, and excellent benefits. The positions are permanent and require a one-year probationary period.

The official announcement is posted on USAJOBS, where applications must be submitted.
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/873849000

Please be sure to read the announcement and instructions carefully, as the process of applying via USAJOBS is stringent and differs from applying for an academic position. This website offers helpful advice: https://serc.si.edu/careers/tips-applying-federal-jobs

Please contact the Search Committee Chair, Michael McGowen (mcgowenm@si.edu) or the Department Chair, Helen James (jamesh@si.edu) with any questions.

4164150

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Todd Oakley @ostratodd.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

🧵 New paper! We’re excited to release OPTICS: software that immediately predicts color sensitivity from any opsin protein sequence. In other words: give OPTICS any opsin sequence, and it predicts the wavelength of light the pigment is most sensitive to 🌈👁️ academic.oup.com/mbe/advance-...

academic.oup.com

Accessible and Robust Machine Learning Approaches to Improve the Opsin Genotype-Phenotype Map

Abstract. Predicting phenotypes from genetic variation is a central challenge in biology. Here, machine learning (ML) offers great promise, but its use is

27029

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Birds of the World | The Cornell Lab @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

AVIAN PHYLOGENY researchers! A call for new data!

01710

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Dr. Carly Kenkel @drcarl.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

Aspiring Eco-Evo PhD students - check out the Simons Graduate Fellowships! it's a full ride!! 🧪https://www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons-graduate-fellowships-in-ecology-and-evolution/

simonsfoundation.org

Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution

The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecolo...

11729

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Stable ecology jobs are few and far between at the moment, but the team I'm on is actually hiring! Come coordinate the third Ohio Bird Atlas! This'll be a 5+ year role, based at Ohio State. Bachelor's degree required (Master's preferred). Please share! osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/OSUCareers/j...

osu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

Ohio Bird Atlas 3 Outreach Specialist

Screen reader users may encounter difficulty with this site. For assistance with applying, please contact hr-accessibleapplication@osu.edu. If you have questions while submitting an application, pleas...

24638

Samantha L. Rutledge @slrutledge.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Ooo such a hard one! I'll never say no to a good quality Scottish Breakfast or a well-steeped jasmine though 🍵🫖

000

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

lsumns.bsky.social @lsumns.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Today is the Big Day! Four LSUMNS Ornithology students are traveling across the state of Louisiana today to see how many species they can see in a single day. They're taking over our social media, so expect updates throughout the day! give.lsufoundation.org/campaigns/77...

153

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

A new paper I'm on is out today! Led by Stanley Somogyi, we suggest that ancestrally variable characters stabilized independently in different bird lineages, causing distantly related groups to retain similar traits and creating headaches for bird systematists. www.cell.com/current-biol... 🪶🧪

A diagram showing the evolutionary relationships among modern birds. The branches are color coded by the estimated likelihood of retaining ancestral character variability, with higher likelihoods in red.

16225

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Wilson Ornithological Society @wilsonornithsoc.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Researchers have demonstrated that sunbirds suck up nectar using only their tongues, the first example of a vertebrate drinking through suction generated by the tongue alone. (Yes, hummingbirds do something else.) #ornithology

science.org

These birds suck—literally

Scientists spot first example of vertebrate drinking with suction from the tongue alone

072

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Birds of a Feather Talk Together Podcast @birdsofafeatherpod.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

This week on Birds of a Feather Talk Together, we’re joined by Dr. Nick Mason, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences and Curator of Birds at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, for an in-depth and engaging conversation all about the fascinating Horned Lark. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

Birds of a Feather Talk Together cover page with a picture of Horned Lark. Interview with Nick Mason.

052

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Jessica Dobson @jessica-dobson.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Back again with more cool mammal updates, this time in maybe the coolest mammal - the platypus! Thrilled to share the second chapter of my PhD, out today in Biology Letters. We found spherical hollow melanosomes in the fur of the platypus, maybe a total vertebrate first! doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...

167

Samantha L. Rutledge @slrutledge.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

That's my advisor 🙌!!! Give it a listen if you've got a second

172

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 12/02/2026

Ominous bird valentines.

2336101591

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Emily V Griffith @e-v-griffith.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Job Posting: San Diego Natural History Museum Curator of Ornithology workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/defau...

workforcenow.adp.com

Recruitment

011

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Birds of the World | The Cornell Lab @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

MAJOR NEWS! We just launched an awesome new tool! The illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button. SHARE and EXPLORE! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/phy...

IMAGE SHOWS GRAPHIC OF CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY PHYLOGENY EXPLORER TOOL.

7408168

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Laura Kelley @lauraakelley.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

New bowerbird paper out, we asked whether male great bowerbirds care about the light environment around the bower where they display to females. Short answer: not really. What they do care about is having a display arena with strong visual contrast on the ground. 🐦 tinyurl.com/2v7rycdz

A u shaped structure made out of sticks called a bower, built under a small tree. In front of the bower is a pile of grey, white and green objects that make up the display court. The whole scene is in dappled sunlight and shade created by the tree above.

04719

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Andrés Cuervo @amcuervo.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

Cassie Stoddard'a talk was really insightful and colorful: "sure, we're living exciting times to study the genome, but also to study the phenome, the birds' phenotypes using collections" #BOUasm25 #ornithology #evolution @bou.org.uk

0175

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

American Museum of Natural History @amnh.org · 14/11/2025

☄️The Museum’s newest exhibition Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs opens on Monday, November 17! Explore the before-and-after story of the asteroid impact that led to the extinction of non-bird dinosaurs and the majority of animal and plant species 66 mil years ago. 📸: A.Keding & D. Kim/© AMNH

Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs, a special exhibition opening November 17 at the American Museum of Natural History, explores the major asteroid impact 66 million years ago that reshaped life on Earth. Featuring life-size models, fossils and fossil casts, dramatic dioramas, an immersive panoramic video experience that visualizes the moment the asteroid struck, and engaging interactives, Impact reveals the latest scientific understanding of this transformative event.

Exhibition visitors will encounter life-size models of a 27-foot-long mosasaur—among the most fearsome and widespread marine reptiles of the time—attacking a long-necked plesiosaur measuring 30 feet.

Impact features a stunning diorama that depicts a scene based on fossils from the Hell Creek Formation, an ancient rock layer that dates to the end of the Age of Dinosaurs. The scene includes intricate life-size models of a Triceratops and a recently discovered hook-handed dinosaur called Trierarchuncus prairiensis, as well as other members of their ecosystem including turtles, birds, frogs, and even a predatory mammal— Didelphodon—that might have eaten small dinosaurs and other animals.

1264

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Florida Museum of Natural History @floridamuseum.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Work with us! 👉 Invertebrate Paleontology Collection Manager Position will manage the extensive collections, conduct fieldwork, participate in public outreach, & pursue external funding. 🔸 Full info: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/nhdept/inver... 🔸 Apply @ufl.edu: explore.jobs.ufl.edu/en-us/job/53...

a group of people in matching t-shirts are standing at a table while a man holds up one of several trays of shallow boxes with different types of shells sorted neatly into them

close up of a museum display of many large fossil shells mounted carefully on a black background with small info labels

there is a person in outdoors clothing kneeling at the top of a long sandy slope covered in many small dark shells with a cloudy sky overhead

053

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

BTO Shropshire @btoshropshire.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

Fascinating ABA podcast this week, reviewing the life of Roxie Laybourne, an amazing female scientist who “may be the most influential ornithologist you've never heard of”. #Ornithology

0159

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

NSF is open again! A few comments: *Please be patient. During a shutdown NSF employees cannot open computers or respond to emails. *Merit review will continue. However panels won’t resume until after Dec 8th. *POs remain excited and committed to advancing science and the scientific workforce.

7328120

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · 05/11/2025

A paper in Scientific Reports presents the origins of vivid colours within the gemstone ammolite — a rare type of brightly coloured fossilised ammonite shell. go.nature.com/48OT5DX #Paleosky ⚒️ 🧪

The vivid colours of the gemstone ammolite (Placenticeras meeki), perfectly preserved in its original form. Credit: Hiroaki Imai.

310732

Reposted by Samantha L. Rutledge

Ana Bedoya @botana-bedoya.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

The deadline to apply to the Assistant Curator in Mycology or Cryptogamic Botany position we are advertising at NBYG is THIS Friday! Happy to chat about my experience at NYBG and the cool science going on here. Come be our colleague!! jobs.jobvite.com/nybg/job/o8I...

jobs.jobvite.com

New York Botanical Garden is looking for Assistant Curator, Mycology or Cryptogamic Botany.

New York Botanical Garden is looking for Assistant Curator, Mycology or Cryptogamic Botany. Learn more or Jobvite a friend.

084