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Will Allen

@wlallen.bsky.social
604 followers 687 following 88 posts

Associate Professor in Evolutionary and Sensory Ecology - Swansea University, Wales www.easelab.uk co-Director @crocus-dla.bsky.social Senior Editor @ecol-evol.bsky.social

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Reposted by Will Allen
Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New #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
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Yeah, 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.
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Richard Merrill @dickmerrill.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Very 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
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Izzie 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
Gray tree frog on concrete. It is well camouflaged and not so easy to see.
Photo credit: Ed Nisley’s Blog [https://softsolder.com/] ©2025 by Ed Nisley is licensed under CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
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Andrew King @shoalgroup.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
New opinion paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution on “Evolutionary spandrels in collective animal behaviour”: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nffxcZ3X7...
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All 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Pigeons 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
New 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.org
Ornaments evolve faster than weapons
Abstract. We investigate the evolutionary dynamics of sexually selected traits using both a mathematical model and comparative analyses, focusing on the re
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Jarome Ali 🇹🇹 🏳️‍🌈 @jarome.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Let 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 😭😭😭 🧪
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Crocus-DLA @crocus-dla.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Together 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.uk
Placements 2026 – Crocus DLA
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Attenborough’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!
Attenborough’s black-eyed satyr - Euptychia attenboroughi
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Crocus-DLA @crocus-dla.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
In 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.
Cohort photo at the Temple of Peace, Cardiff
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Vivek Nityananda @viveknityananda.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
New 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.com
The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com
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James Gilbert @jdjgilbert.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Faculty #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.uk
Lecturer in Marine Conservation at University of Hull
An 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
Urban camouflage.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Celebrating 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 🎉.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Having a final sweep of followers who've moved here from the other place with SkyFollowerBridge before deactivating my account.
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Yuri Kawaguchi @yurikawaguchi.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
I’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
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Andrew King @shoalgroup.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Our 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.
Cover image with sleeping baboon
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Pável Matos @pavelmatosm.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
New 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.com
Join us
Opportunities 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…
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
The 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Matt Sparks presenting his PhD research on fly visual ecology in urban environments #ASABWinter2025
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Currently recruiting PhD students to follow up on this result - please come to have a chat if interested #ASABWinter2025
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Application portal for 59 Crocus PhD project is now open - deadline 12th Jan. Two studentships also available to BAME candidates.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
More evidence of the benefits of lottery elements in funding.
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Reposted by Will Allen
Fabian Salgado-Roa @facasaro.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
We 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...
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Sam Thompson @smthmpsn.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
First 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…
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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!
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primatesocietygb.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Thank 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!
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Postdoc Caitlin Hawley sharing results from our work on Primate natal colouration at #PSGBCardiff2025
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Andrew King @shoalgroup.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
PhD 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...
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Katerina Guschanski @kguschan.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
If 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...
Faces of different guenon species to show their morphological differences
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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/...
A white-fronted bee-eater (Merops bullockoides) decides whether to consume a warningly colored white-barred acraea butterfly (Telchinia encedon). Photo (c) Mike Rowe
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Melanie Brien @melbrien.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Funded 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...
Wood tiger moth on leaf. Photo: Juhani Maamela.
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Lauren Brent @ljnbrent.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Postdoc 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/173938
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Matt 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.com
How a fly sees the world – and why understanding its vision can help prevent disease
Flies see things differently.
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Jessica Dobson @jessica-dobson.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Super 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!
Rainbow-like colours in the fur of a tropical rat (Otomys tropicalis)
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Wayne Maddison @waynemaddison.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Confused 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Depressing 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
The genomics of discrete polymorphisms maintained by disruptive selection: Trends in Ecology & Evolution www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...
cell.com
The genomics of discrete polymorphisms maintained by disruptive selection
Disruptive 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...
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
New 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
Schematic figure indicating scientific support for the assumptions underlying the relationship between diversification rate and current naturalisation potential.
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Anna 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.io
OSF
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Jordi 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.
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Sunrise at Refugio Juclar in Andorra. Hiking retreat after ESEB.
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Jarome Ali 🇹🇹 🏳️‍🌈 @jarome.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
Pick 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! 🧪 🪶 #colsci
science.org
Songbirds play optical tricks to make their feather colors ‘pop’
Concealed black or white bands on feathers boost the vibrancy of bird plumage
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Catalina Pimiento 🆓🇵🇸 @pimientoc.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
Check out our perceptive on the Emerging uses of artificial intelligence in deep time biodiversity research www.nature.com/articles/s44... #AI #paleontology
nature.com
Emerging uses of artificial intelligence in deep time biodiversity research - Nature Reviews Biodiversity
This 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...
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Neil Renic @ncrenic.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Important things to consider before we outsource the research and writing process to machine proxies
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
Haiku from today's bike ride: fast car overtakes oh no sleeping policeman exhaust scrapes down road
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Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Hot cats, cool linoleum floor.
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Dr Christopher Taylor @mimicryin3d.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Why 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.com
Mapping the adaptive landscape of Batesian mimicry using 3D-printed stimuli - Nature
Birds have an excellent ability to learn to discriminate harmless insects from those that they mimic on the basis of subtle differences in appearance.
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Megan Petersdorf @meganpetersdorf.bsky.social · 01/07/2025
Do 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
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