Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
@drstrangeant.bsky.social
CT microscopist at UIUC's Beckman Institute (@beckmanillinois.bsky.social) 🔬
Entomologist and biomechanist by training 🐜 Sometimes tweet about Pokemon. Furret Aficionado. Opinions my own.
Entomologist and biomechanist by training 🐜 Sometimes tweet about Pokemon. Furret Aficionado. Opinions my own.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
This is the Sunburst Candy Spider from Thailand. Not AI (sucks to have to declare this). Very real and had been on my wish list for a long time.
The taxonomic placement is unclear, so we are leaving it at Cyrtarachninae.
The taxonomic placement is unclear, so we are leaving it at Cyrtarachninae.
November 29, 2025 at 3:15 PM
This is the Sunburst Candy Spider from Thailand. Not AI (sucks to have to declare this). Very real and had been on my wish list for a long time.
The taxonomic placement is unclear, so we are leaving it at Cyrtarachninae.
The taxonomic placement is unclear, so we are leaving it at Cyrtarachninae.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
thinking about... tarantula paw
November 28, 2025 at 2:06 PM
thinking about... tarantula paw
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Attention post-docs (or PDFs to be).... here's an opportunity to work in Japan for a short research stay. As I always say to my PhD students "Get a PhD, see the world". www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-fe...
About the Program (Short-term (PE))｜Postdoctral Fellowships for Research in Japan｜Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Official Website of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)
www.jsps.go.jp
November 24, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Attention post-docs (or PDFs to be).... here's an opportunity to work in Japan for a short research stay. As I always say to my PhD students "Get a PhD, see the world". www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-fe...
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Jumping spiders can recognise one another. This ability to learn, remember and represent images is quite surprising for such a tiny-brained animal!
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
November 23, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Jumping spiders can recognise one another. This ability to learn, remember and represent images is quite surprising for such a tiny-brained animal!
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
buff.ly/dCkwPr0
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
I was crawling around on the astroturf'd porch of our hotel room, ass in the air, trying my level best to get this spider to look as cute as possible. They were a cooperative model 🥰
November 18, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I was crawling around on the astroturf'd porch of our hotel room, ass in the air, trying my level best to get this spider to look as cute as possible. They were a cooperative model 🥰
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Micrargus herbigradus palp, taken using the new 'washer on a slide' method - dab of gel, palp, topped up with alcohol. Much clearer, you can't see the gel, and the 'curly appendage' that makes it herbigradus is visible amongst the curls of the embolus. This is slightly enhanced in GIMP.
November 18, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Micrargus herbigradus palp, taken using the new 'washer on a slide' method - dab of gel, palp, topped up with alcohol. Much clearer, you can't see the gel, and the 'curly appendage' that makes it herbigradus is visible amongst the curls of the embolus. This is slightly enhanced in GIMP.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Not to wade into the Discourse but living abroad (for longer than a semester) is something I wish everyone had the means to do. It’s incredible to see what’s possible in a sane country (gun control, universal health care) and what the US often does better (multiculturalism, friendliness, junk food)
"In 2025, 40% of women aged 15 to 44 say they would move abroad permanently if they had the opportunity. The current figure is four times higher than the 10% who shared this desire in 2014, when it was generally in line with other age and gender groups."
Record Numbers of Younger Women Want to Leave the U.S.
The percentage of younger women in the U.S. who express a desire to migrate permanently has surged in the past decade.
news.gallup.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Not to wade into the Discourse but living abroad (for longer than a semester) is something I wish everyone had the means to do. It’s incredible to see what’s possible in a sane country (gun control, universal health care) and what the US often does better (multiculturalism, friendliness, junk food)
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist. For more information, see www.uni-regensburg.de/universitaet...
We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist
We are looking for 4 PhD Positions and one Scientific Programmer / Ecological Data Scientist to join the AG Hartig (Theoretical Ecology)
www.uni-regensburg.de
November 13, 2025 at 4:14 PM
We are hiring: 4 PhD Positions in Ecology / Data Science and one Ecological Data Scientist. For more information, see www.uni-regensburg.de/universitaet...
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
A biologist at the American Museum of Natural History, Jonathan Coddington, cataloged a new genus of South American spiders in 1986.
Two things about the spider were unique:
they lived in caves & laid cubic eggs.
So he called them genus 'Plato', and that's the nerdiest thing I have read all year.
Two things about the spider were unique:
they lived in caves & laid cubic eggs.
So he called them genus 'Plato', and that's the nerdiest thing I have read all year.
November 11, 2025 at 12:10 PM
A biologist at the American Museum of Natural History, Jonathan Coddington, cataloged a new genus of South American spiders in 1986.
Two things about the spider were unique:
they lived in caves & laid cubic eggs.
So he called them genus 'Plato', and that's the nerdiest thing I have read all year.
Two things about the spider were unique:
they lived in caves & laid cubic eggs.
So he called them genus 'Plato', and that's the nerdiest thing I have read all year.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
I’m recruiting students this upcoming cycle at UIUC! I’m excited about Qs on societal impact of AI, especially human-AI collaboration, multi-agent interactions, incentives in data sharing, and AI policy/regulation (all from both a theoretical and applied lens). Apply through CS & select my name!
November 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
I’m recruiting students this upcoming cycle at UIUC! I’m excited about Qs on societal impact of AI, especially human-AI collaboration, multi-agent interactions, incentives in data sharing, and AI policy/regulation (all from both a theoretical and applied lens). Apply through CS & select my name!
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Tarantula foot-pad. Who knew they could be so pretty?
November 1, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Tarantula foot-pad. Who knew they could be so pretty?
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
North American Hoverflies! 🪰
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
North American Hoverflies! 🪰
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Been looking for a fresh specimen of Leucauge sarawakensis for a long time! Each time we found one, someone walked into its web. Hence, the ex situ shots.
October 30, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Been looking for a fresh specimen of Leucauge sarawakensis for a long time! Each time we found one, someone walked into its web. Hence, the ex situ shots.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Avec 53 000 espèces recensées, elles ont conquis un grande nombre de niches écologiques. Elles sont présentes partout sur la planète, sauf en Antarctique et en très haute altitude. Essentielles aux écosystèmes, elles régulent les populations d’insectes.
Araignées : nées sous une bonne toile
A l’automne, les araignées en pleine saison des amours se font plus visibles dans nos foyers. Si beaucoup d’entre nous redoutent ces rencontres impromptues, les arthropodes ne semblent pas plus émus que ça. Que sait-on vraiment de leur cognition, et de leur rapport au monde ?
Mardi 28 octobre 2025
La science, CQFD
Avec Raphaël Jeanson, ethologue, directeur de recherche au CNRS, directeur adjoint du Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale à Toulouse Christine Rollard, biologiste, spécialisée dans les araignées, maître de conférences au MNHN
Pourtant, contrairement aux abeilles ou aux fourmis, on sait peu de choses sur ces animaux à quatre paires de pattes, qui inspirent l’effroi chez un quart des Européens. Largement inoffensives, pour calmer les inquiétudes, on entend souvent l’argument : "mais ce sont elles qui ont plus peur de nous". Justement, que sait-on de la cognition des araignées ? Elles qui vivent dans un monde de vibration, si difficile à concevoir de notre point de vue humain. Comment les araignées perçoivent et transforment leur milieu ?
(...)
------
Dans la tête d’une araignée, de Raphaël Jeanson (HumenSciences, 2024)
Le cannibalisme des araignées n’apparaît qu’après une phase de tolérance juvénile (Sciences & Avenir, avril 2025)
Comment les araignées sentent-elles ? (Sciences et Avenir, 2025)
La toile de l’araignée est-elle une extension de son cerveau ? (Philomag, 2023)
Comment les araignées chassent-elles « à l’unisson » ? (CNRS, 2022)
Les araignées mangent plus de "viande" que l'humanité (Le Monde, 2017)
sco.lt
October 29, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Avec 53 000 espèces recensées, elles ont conquis un grande nombre de niches écologiques. Elles sont présentes partout sur la planète, sauf en Antarctique et en très haute altitude. Essentielles aux écosystèmes, elles régulent les populations d’insectes.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
intimidating stare of a female Platycryptus undatus 🙇
#arachtober #jumpingspiders #salticidae
in situ, fuji, laowa 65mm
#arachtober #jumpingspiders #salticidae
in situ, fuji, laowa 65mm
October 28, 2025 at 3:32 PM
intimidating stare of a female Platycryptus undatus 🙇
#arachtober #jumpingspiders #salticidae
in situ, fuji, laowa 65mm
#arachtober #jumpingspiders #salticidae
in situ, fuji, laowa 65mm
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
October 27, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Courtship dance of the peacock spider 🕷️
October 27, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Courtship dance of the peacock spider 🕷️
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
📢 We have an open position for a postdoc to join my lab. It's a great position @animecol-uu.bsky.social, fully salaried for 2.5 years with all benefits.
www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
The project is about transmission patterns of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic insects. 🧬🦠 (1/3)
www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
The project is about transmission patterns of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic insects. 🧬🦠 (1/3)
Postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology - Uppsala University
Postdoctoral researcher in molecular ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University
www.uu.se
October 27, 2025 at 7:43 AM
📢 We have an open position for a postdoc to join my lab. It's a great position @animecol-uu.bsky.social, fully salaried for 2.5 years with all benefits.
www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
The project is about transmission patterns of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic insects. 🧬🦠 (1/3)
www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
The project is about transmission patterns of bacteria and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquatic insects. 🧬🦠 (1/3)
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Danarma eurymerus found in Okinawa Island. Watch how he moves the eyes. This species was recorded from Japan just this month.
(ref/参考文献)
u-ryukyu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/20216...
ルリメベンケイガニが目をきょろっとさせるあざとい動画です。沖縄本島にて。本州は先月日本から記録されました。
🦀🦑🧪
#crab #カニ #invertebrate
(ref/参考文献)
u-ryukyu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/20216...
ルリメベンケイガニが目をきょろっとさせるあざとい動画です。沖縄本島にて。本州は先月日本から記録されました。
🦀🦑🧪
#crab #カニ #invertebrate
October 27, 2025 at 10:38 AM
Danarma eurymerus found in Okinawa Island. Watch how he moves the eyes. This species was recorded from Japan just this month.
(ref/参考文献)
u-ryukyu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/20216...
ルリメベンケイガニが目をきょろっとさせるあざとい動画です。沖縄本島にて。本州は先月日本から記録されました。
🦀🦑🧪
#crab #カニ #invertebrate
(ref/参考文献)
u-ryukyu.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/20216...
ルリメベンケイガニが目をきょろっとさせるあざとい動画です。沖縄本島にて。本州は先月日本から記録されました。
🦀🦑🧪
#crab #カニ #invertebrate
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
Getting close to wrapping up a big Paraphidippus aurantius 🍊video featuring courtship behavior, silk production, possible mate-guarding, cannibalism and more 🫡
here's a big female w/ a lot of orange scales - July, 2021, NE Oklahoma
here's a big female w/ a lot of orange scales - July, 2021, NE Oklahoma
October 15, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Getting close to wrapping up a big Paraphidippus aurantius 🍊video featuring courtship behavior, silk production, possible mate-guarding, cannibalism and more 🫡
here's a big female w/ a lot of orange scales - July, 2021, NE Oklahoma
here's a big female w/ a lot of orange scales - July, 2021, NE Oklahoma
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
For anyone applying to grad school in the US this fall, the @aas.org has made a working group to monitor which programs have faced cuts - this spreadsheet contains all the info: 🔭☄️
US Astronomy Graduate Admissions, AY 2025-2026
docs.google.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:48 AM
For anyone applying to grad school in the US this fall, the @aas.org has made a working group to monitor which programs have faced cuts - this spreadsheet contains all the info: 🔭☄️
Reposted by Josh Gibson, Ph.D.
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Collections Study Grants
Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the University of Washington Burke Museum (UWBM).
www.burkemuseum.org
October 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...