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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES

@stfabian.bsky.social
91 followers 74 following 12 posts

Zoologist and photographer. BBSRC Fellow at the University of Oxford. Tell me about bugs.

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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
you've been training the pigeons well, excellent composition.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Wow! Look at those! Incredible.
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Reposted by Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES
simon laughlin @neuraldesign.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Just out: VoR of our novel cost-benefit analysis of eye design. Applied to simple and compound eyes, discovers that photoreceptor costs shape design of entire eye, explains why diurnal insects have world's longest photoreceptors, and revises scaling of acuity with eye size. doi.org/10.7554/eLif...
doi.org
Investments in photoreceptors compete with investments in optics to determine eye design
Allocating space, materials and energy to an eye's optics and photoreceptor array is a major factor in eye design that explains obvious differences between simple eyes and compound eyes.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Flight overlays from a mass dispersal of what I think are Hylastes sp. bark beetles. I'm always fixated watching when the light catches just right, and you can see how complicated insect airspace is.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Happy #worldrobberflyday to some of the very best flies you can find. Robberflies are wonderfully effective predators, with some even catching dragonflies. They combine remarkable vision, rapid reactions, and fast acting venom. Every #robberfly is a treat to find.
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Reposted by Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES
Oxford Biology @biology.ox.ac.uk · 30/04/2026
Older than the dinosaurs: scientists finally unlock secret of the mayfly’s dance New article in @theguardian.com on research by @stfabian.bsky.social 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Older than the dinosaurs: scientists finally unlock secret of the mayfly’s dance
The bizarre vertical flight pattern has long puzzled experts but new research reveals why it may play a crucial role in the insect’s survival
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
6/6 These wonderful insects, flying for only a few days, are solving complex guidance problems during long summer evenings. Full paper available for free, here: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-...
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
5/6 We also found something unexpected. While tracking pursuit flights, we discovered the interception algorithm males use to chase manoeuvrable targets. Males deploy their tails and hind wings as dynamic air brakes mid-flight to improve performance during tight turns.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
4/6 In a dense swarm, identity is encoded purely by movement. No need for colour, shape, or size, just trajectory. A simple solution to a tricky problem.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
3/6 The secret is in the dance. Males bob vertically in the air by climbing then parachuting down, while females fly horizontally overhead. We used field recordings and computer simulations to show this vertical oscillation is specifically tuned to avoid male-male collisions.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
2/6 Male mayflies form large swarms and chase anything flying overhead, regardless of shape, size, or colour. Yet somehow, males rarely chase each other. How?
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
🧵 1/6 Our new paper is out in Journal of Experimental Biology! We've been studying the curious dancing flight of male mayflies and why they do it. Spoiler: it's not just to impress females. 🪲⬇️ journals.biologists.com/jeb/article-...
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
I've wanted to see one of these for years. Mantispids are glorious, especially in banana yellow.
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Dr. Sam Fabian, FRES @stfabian.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
The remarkable wings of Ryothemis fuliginosa, the butterfly dragonfly. While most of the time they look a dark black, they shimmer with iridescence when viewed from above. Males display this iridescence to eachother by swooping below their rival when fighting.
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