Reposted by Will AllenCurrent Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 17/09/2026New #cat just dropped! 😻 A first in over 100 years, a genomic study in CB by Eduardo Eizirik and team reveals a new species of 'tiger cat'. 👉 www.cell.com/current-biol... Meet the Tilcayo (Leopardus tilcayo)! (photo: Fernando Faciole/National Geographic) #cats 313344
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Yeah, rankings schmankings, but still nice for the metrics to say what my amazing colleagues and students already know - we deliver a pretty super zoology degree. 040
Reposted by Will AllenRichard Merrill @dickmerrill.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Very excited to see this multi-faceted* study, led by Shane Wright and representing years of work on visual evolution and perception in Heliconius as part of our ERC Starting Grant, released into the world! 🦋*pun very much intended www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...biorxiv.org 35222
Reposted by Will AllenIzzie Héjja-B. @izziehb.bsky.social · 27/08/2026🚨New paper out after several years in the making! "Background-matching patterns are attractive: support for a processing bias" with @tamramendelson.bsky.social, @julien-renoult.bsky.social, Innes Cuthill (CamoLab alumni), Michel Raymond (@isemevol.bsky.social) ▶️ doi.org/10.1016/j.an... 📷 Ed Nisley 1189
Reposted by Will AllenAndrew King @shoalgroup.bsky.social · 24/08/2026New opinion paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution on “Evolutionary spandrels in collective animal behaviour”: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nffxcZ3X7...authors.elsevier.comPlease wait whilst we redirect youAll content on this site: Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply. 24022
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Pigeons nesting in a date palm just a couple of meters from my desk. This is the fourth clutch this year and the first to get this far. 050
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026New Paper: Ornaments evolve faster than weapons Combining a new theoretical model of sexually selected trait evolution with comparative analyses across ten clades, we suggest that drift in female preferences accelerates the rate of ornament evolution. royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...royalsocietypublishing.orgOrnaments evolve faster than weaponsAbstract. We investigate the evolutionary dynamics of sexually selected traits using both a mathematical model and comparative analyses, focusing on the re 06026
Reposted by Will AllenJarome Ali 🇹🇹 🏳️🌈 @jarome.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Let me get this straight: * blood is made of iron * some blood cells are made for killing enemies * these defense cells also eat old blood cells, and become 🔮superparamagnetic🔮 et voila, magnetic navigation I love biology so much 😭😭😭 🧪 14615
Reposted by Will AllenCrocus-DLA @crocus-dla.bsky.social · 21/05/2026Together with AI-INTERVENE, Crocus are accepting applications for NERC-funded undergraduate research experience placements. Six exciting projects are available spanning across ecology and biodiversity, climate change, volcanology, and marine sciences: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c...blogs.reading.ac.ukPlacements 2026 – Crocus DLA 002
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026Attenborough’s black-eyed satyr - Euptychia attenboroughi Today I am examining a PhD thesis on animal eyespots because 35 years ago Sir Attenborough spoke to a kid in urban London about the world of nature. Happy 100th birthday! 071
Reposted by Will AllenCrocus-DLA @crocus-dla.bsky.social · 24/04/2026In April the first cohort of Crocus students got together in south Wales to learn learn about effective collaboration and careers with environmental regulators and policy makers. 103
Reposted by Will AllenVivek Nityananda @viveknityananda.bsky.social · 03/02/2026New PhD alert! We'll be applying animal welfare ideas to look at how stress affects bees, looking at the effect on bee brains with @lenariab.bsky.social, and working with @sensibee.bsky.social developing new monitoring methods. Please spread the word! #bees #PhD 🧪 www.findaphd.com/phds/project...findaphd.comThe effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.comPhD Project - The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com 12030
Reposted by Will AllenJames Gilbert @jdjgilbert.bsky.social · 30/01/2026Faculty #job alert - come and join our lovely friendly School! The School of Environmental and Life Sciences @uniofhull.bsky.social are recruiting a #Lecturer in Marine Conservation. Closing date 19 Feb - see details below. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQF022/l...jobs.ac.ukLecturer in Marine Conservation at University of HullAn opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in Marine Conservation is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openings. 016
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 09/01/2026Celebrating a campaigning win today - after months of emails, calls, protests and meetings, Swansea Council backed down and decided to not to cover this beautiful historic bridleway in tarmac. Congrats to everyone who got involved - a victory for people power 🎉. 070
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 08/01/2026Having a final sweep of followers who've moved here from the other place with SkyFollowerBridge before deactivating my account. 030
Reposted by Will AllenYuri Kawaguchi @yurikawaguchi.bsky.social · 06/01/2026I’m thrilled to announce that I’m recruiting a funded PhD student at Nottingham Trent University to study the cognitive mechanisms underlying individual differences in parenting in rhesus macaques! Deadline: 2 February | Start date: April 2026 01820
Reposted by Will AllenAndrew King @shoalgroup.bsky.social · 06/01/2026Our paper is published today in Current Biology and is featured on the cover! We report a neat, and somewhat counter-intuitive, finding: higher-ranking baboons get less and more interrupted night-time rest. 15821
Reposted by Will AllenPável Matos @pavelmatosm.bsky.social · 29/11/2025New PhD position: Butterfly Evolution at High Elevations 🦋⛰️ The project aims to understand the rapid evolution and adaptation of white butterflies at high elevations. DEADLINE: January 11, 2025 More info: pavelmatos.wordpress.com/join-us/pavelmatos.wordpress.comJoin usOpportunities Below are the positions currently open in our lab. Fully-funded PhD position The project aims to understand rapid evolution and adaptation in white butterflies flying at high elevatio… 12114
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 05/01/2026The serenity of rolling over crunchy snow on my commute this morning was shattered when I opened my office door and saw water damage everywhere. All my books, artwork, photos ... feeling pretty devastated right now. 110
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 16/12/2025Matt Sparks presenting his PhD research on fly visual ecology in urban environments #ASABWinter2025 091
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 15/12/2025Currently recruiting PhD students to follow up on this result - please come to have a chat if interested #ASABWinter2025 01615
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 10/12/2025Application portal for 59 Crocus PhD project is now open - deadline 12th Jan. Two studentships also available to BAME candidates. 000
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 09/12/2025More evidence of the benefits of lottery elements in funding. 065
Reposted by Will AllenFabian Salgado-Roa @facasaro.bsky.social · 05/12/2025We decided to put this one out before the end of the year "Gene expression and structural differences underpinning black and white colouration in spiders" ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v... 041
Reposted by Will AllenSam Thompson @smthmpsn.bsky.social · 05/12/2025First publication! 🥳 Very excited that my Master’s research project from @royalholloway.bsky.social is out in @ecol-evol.bsky.social this week. Big thank you to @sjportugal.bsky.social for all the support from start to finish. Please don’t come for me Britney… 2143
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 01/12/2025🚨Two funded PhDs on the evolutionary ecology of antipredator colouration 🦋 with myself and Iliana Medina. One in Swansea tinyurl.com/4thtbph6 deadline Jan 12th @crocus-dla.bsky.social The other in Melbourne - deadline Jan 1st Please share among potential students! 03948
Reposted by Will Allenprimatesocietygb.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social · 28/11/2025Thank you bringing your knowledge, enthusiasm, and hope to this year's Winter Meeting at National Museum Cardiff. We hope to see you all next year! 02110
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Postdoc Caitlin Hawley sharing results from our work on Primate natal colouration at #PSGBCardiff2025 060
Reposted by Will AllenAndrew King @shoalgroup.bsky.social · 20/11/2025PhD opportunity: MOVE Details: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/c... Deadline: 12/01/26 Supervisors: @shoalgroup.bsky.social, @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social, @wlallen.bsky.social, @nhcooper123.bsky.social, @marinapapa.bsky.social Apply: blogs.reading.ac.uk/crocus-dla/p... 03047
Reposted by Will AllenKaterina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 23/10/2025If you like genomics, speciation, and primates, this PhD position is for you! Unraveling the genomic architecture of speciation and gene flow in guenons, a diverse group of African monkeys. Funding through DTP. Do reach out with questions! #genomics #genome_assembly evol.mcmaster.ca/brian/evoldi... 03130
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 25/09/2025📢🦋 Our paper ‘Global selection on insect antipredator coloration’ is out and featured on the cover of @science.org We ran a huge experiment to find out how ecological context favours camouflage and warning colouration as antipredator strategies. 1/6 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... 313253
Reposted by Will AllenMelanie Brien @melbrien.bsky.social · 24/09/2025Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki... 36749
Reposted by Will AllenLauren Brent @ljnbrent.bsky.social · 22/09/2025Postdoc job alert! We are hiring a NYU-based postdoc to work on our project on the social and environmental determinants of aging. The 3 year post will be based in James Higham's lab and will focus on endocrine, immune, and inflammatory aspects of aging. Please share! apply.interfolio.com/173938apply.interfolio.com Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio 0616
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 22/09/2025Matt Sparks, my PhD student, and Roger Santer wrote a very interesting article for The Conversation on fly vision, and why understanding it better can help prevent human disease. theconversation.com/how-a-fly-se...theconversation.comHow a fly sees the world – and why understanding its vision can help prevent diseaseFlies see things differently. 020
Reposted by Will AllenJessica Dobson @jessica-dobson.bsky.social · 17/09/2025Super happy to share the first chapter of my PhD, published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface ✨🐀 royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... Iridescence in mammals is not as rare as we thought, but it’s all created in the same way! 23320
Reposted by Will AllenWayne Maddison @waynemaddison.bsky.social · 05/09/2025Confused writing is usually a symptom of confused thinking. As we struggle to clarify writing, we clarify our thoughts. AI writing aids rob us of that struggle, leaving clean-looking text and thoughts still confused for lack of inspection. Writing is not just a product; it is a diagnostic tool. 7396126
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 05/09/2025Depressing stich-up by the right-wing press. Rayner is an inspiration to everyone trying to get on in life after a difficult childhood, and for helping others to do the same. I hope she is back in Government soon. 000
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 05/09/2025The genomics of discrete polymorphisms maintained by disruptive selection: Trends in Ecology & Evolution www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...cell.comThe genomics of discrete polymorphisms maintained by disruptive selectionDisruptive selection can lead to the evolution of discrete morphs. We show that particular genetic architectures, in terms of dominance, epistasis, and linkage, are likely to evolve to produce discret... 140
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 04/09/2025New paper @biolinvasions.bsky.social led by Sarah-Sophie Weil. Can macroevolution inform contemporary invasion potential? We outline the assumptions of this approach, assess support, then test if dispersal ability can proxy for naturalisation success in several tetrapod groups. rdcu.be/eD9Tt 044
Reposted by Will AllenAnna Hughes @scienceanna.bsky.social · 01/09/2025@riadsala.bsky.social and I have been spending a long time thinking about modelling visual foraging. v2 model glow up: 1) it can account for individual diffs in lots of summary stats 2) it can deal with 'outliers' really nicely and 3) it should be easier to use! osf.io/preprints/ps...osf.ioOSF 161
Reposted by Will AllenJordi Sola @jsola.bsky.social · 01/09/2025📢 New in Ecology Letters: heterogeneity ≠ stability. 🌊🪨 3-yr rocky-shore experiment: 4 cascades canceled the classic heterogeneity–stability link. 📄 doi.org/10.1111/ele.70158 With @thefairchild.bsky.social , @MatthewPerkins, @JamesBull & @jngriffy.bsky.social — thanks to @NERC & @SwanseaUniversity. 1156
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 27/08/2025Sunrise at Refugio Juclar in Andorra. Hiking retreat after ESEB. 150
Reposted by Will AllenJarome Ali 🇹🇹 🏳️🌈 @jarome.bsky.social · 13/08/2025Pick an idiom: "more than meets the eye", "beauty more than skin [feather] deep" etc. In work led by Rosalyn Price-Waldman, we describe a hidden (and ignored!) black or white layer found below the visible surface of bird feathers which helps make bird colours so striking! 🧪 🪶 #colsciscience.orgSongbirds play optical tricks to make their feather colors ‘pop’Concealed black or white bands on feathers boost the vibrancy of bird plumage 29830
Reposted by Will AllenCatalina Pimiento 🆓🇵🇸 @pimientoc.bsky.social · 11/08/2025Check out our perceptive on the Emerging uses of artificial intelligence in deep time biodiversity research www.nature.com/articles/s44... #AI #paleontologynature.comEmerging uses of artificial intelligence in deep time biodiversity research - Nature Reviews BiodiversityThis Perspective explores the existing and potential applications of artificial intelligence in deep time biodiversity research as well as offer guidelines on equitable and ethical use of artificial i... 01514
Reposted by Will AllenNeil Renic @ncrenic.bsky.social · 21/07/2025Important things to consider before we outsource the research and writing process to machine proxies 311528
Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 04/07/2025Haiku from today's bike ride: fast car overtakes oh no sleeping policeman exhaust scrapes down road 010
Reposted by Will AllenDr Christopher Taylor @mimicryin3d.bsky.social · 02/07/2025Why do imperfect mimics (such as many hoverflies) exist? We created 3D printed replicas of flies, wasps and our own custom intermediates and then "asked" various predators what they thought of our 3D stimuli. Read all about it here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...nature.comMapping the adaptive landscape of Batesian mimicry using 3D-printed stimuli - NatureBirds have an excellent ability to learn to discriminate harmless insects from those that they mimic on the basis of subtle differences in appearance. 24017
Reposted by Will AllenMegan Petersdorf @meganpetersdorf.bsky.social · 01/07/2025Do you have field work experience? Do you want more? Our team wants YOU to manage our field site studying Kinda baboons in Kasanka National Park, Zambia! Start date is this August 2025 so apply ASAP! Job ad here: tinyurl.com/KindaBaboon 12528