Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kirsty MacLeod @kjmacleod.bsky.social · 1d

Seeing interesting papers during term time

Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Michelle A. Rodrigues 🐒 @marspidermonkey.bsky.social · 12d

As a primatologist, Jane Goodall was a huge inspiration to me. I admired the way she describes chimpanzee behavior with such detail and empathy, and she’s inspired so many people and advocated for chimpanzee conservation and welfare.

However, I'm dismayed at what her narrative leaves out (1/10)

Photo of Jane Goodall in the center, signing a book, with three women standing slightly hunched behind her. A very young Michelle is to the right, smiling.

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Kirsty MacLeod @kjmacleod.bsky.social · 6d

Hi Liisa!

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Emily Troyer @fishfetisher.bsky.social · 10d

Happy Anatomically Incorrect Invertebrate season to all who celebrate

A fake snail with a skull for a shell and bony body

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 11d

@romanzug.bsky.social and @socialinsectlab.bsky.social thinking about colony dynamics! Resource variation can mask tradeoffs, but here we show that even if that *doesn't* vary, lucky starts in colony life can lead to better trajectories and if so, a tradeoff is often undetectable despite being real.

Journal of Evolutionary Biology @jevbio.bsky.social · 12d

Why is it so hard to detect fecundity-longevity #trade-offs in social insects? And what does this have to do with the Gospel of #Matthew??
Find out in our new paper with @kokkonut.bsky.social and Susanne Foitzik @mainzuniversity.bsky.social!

doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

Luck can explain the positive link between fecundity and longevity: the Matthew effect in social insects and beyond

Abstract. The universality of the trade-off between fecundity and longevity in life-history theory is sometimes contested. Social insects present the argua

doi.org

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Doudna Lab @doudna-lab.bsky.social · 12d

"Jane Goodall showed us what a life in science could look like: rigorous discovery paired with fierce advocacy for what you study. She gave the world six decades of groundbreaking research on chimpanzees and their habitats, then turned that knowledge into a global movement for conservation." (1/2)

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Kirsty MacLeod @kjmacleod.bsky.social · 13d

New from me and wonderful collabs!

Journal of Animal Ecology @animalecology.bsky.social · 15d

🦎 Maternal glucocorticoids have persistent effects on offspring social phenotype irrespective of opportunity for social buffering ➡️ buff.ly/i2B2Fkw

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Ryan Marino, MD @ryanmarino.bsky.social · 13d

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Leah 🐸 McElrath @leahmcelrath.bsky.social · 15d

⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.

The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.

interestingengineering.com/science/chin...

China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes

A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.

interestingengineering.com

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 14d

Watch #BiologyLetters author Avery Maune talk about new research revealing that urbanization can reshape social behaviour in the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis): cassyni.com/events/3Hp2U... #AnimalBehaviour #ethology

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

David Berger @dbergerbiol.bsky.social · 14d

How do insects respond to changing climates? Our new review and analysis in @annualreviews.bsky.social suggests that phenological adaptation trumps thermal adaptation.

www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Life-History Evolution of Insects in Response to Climate Variation: Seasonal Timing Versus Thermal Physiology | Annual Reviews

Climate adaptation in insects can proceed via responses in life-history traits and their thermal plasticity and through phenological shifts mediated by responses to photoperiodic cues (photoperiodism)...

www.annualreviews.org

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Michaël Nicolaï @michaelnicolai.bsky.social · 15d

I'm not comparing myself to Darwin "But I am very poorly today & very stupid & hate everybody & everything."

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 15d

Here's an image that requires a second look.

It looks like a creature with big dark eyes is peering at you: it's not. You're looking at a FROG'S BUTT (you pervert).

Let's meet the Cuyaba dwarf frog (Physalaemus nattereri). Maybe we should start with seeing the front of it?

(📷: George Grall)

Stolen from a NatGeo article: dark eyes on the rump of a frog look remarkably like big black eyes on a snake. The rest of the animal is mottled brown, almost wood-like in texture, and it's on a red sand bed with blades of grass visible.
"A Cuyaba dwarf frog bloats its rump to frighten predators with false eyes."
Photograph by George Grall, Nat Geo Image Collection

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · Sep 10

Water anoles take a bubble of air down when they submerge, which they breathe like a tiny scuba tank, and now @lindseyswierk.bsky.social & co reveal that the reptiles may also be using the bubble like a gill, to breathe oxygen directly from the water

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

A submerged water anole (Anolis aquaticus) with a bubble of air held on its head. Photo credit: Lindsey Swierk.

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Dan Chamberlain @danc-eco.bsky.social · 15d

We are seeking an ornithologist/modeller for a 2-year POST-DOC in Turin. Using archaeological remains, we will reconstruct past avian communities to understand the impacts of climate change and human pressure on birds through time. For details see cutt.ly/irN76QDZ PLEASE RT. #ornithology #AviArch

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Edward Elderman @elderman.bsky.social · 18d

This only happens to you once

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Christos C. Ioannou @ccioannou.bsky.social · 17d

ASAB @asab.org conference grants for the Winter meeting in Edinburgh, up to £500, close 1st October!

@asab-meetings.bsky.social #ASABWinter2025

All the details needed are here:
www.asab.org/conference-g...
Don't forget I also need a referee statement emailed direct by the same deadline!

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

SEBiology @sebiology.bsky.social · 18d

🚀 Calling early-career biologists!

The @biologists.bsky.social Travel Grant gives you up to £800 to attend conferences, workshops, or lab visits.

🗓️ This round closes 30 September — don’t miss it!

✅ Apply here:
www.sebiology.org/grants/grant...

#ScienceFunding #TravelGrant #Biology

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Kirsty MacLeod @kjmacleod.bsky.social · 19d

Looking for examples of a very simple mathematical model interactive exercise to help students understand reproductive trade offs, e.g. using offspring number vs survival, working through a basic equation. Has anyone done anything like this in a workshop that they'd be willing to share?

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Dr Hannah M. Rowland @hannahmrowland.bsky.social · 19d

🌍🦋 Across 6 continents, 21 sites & 15,000 paper moths, we joined a worldwide experiment led by @wlallen.bsky.social & Iliana Medina, showing how ecological context shapes the evolution of animal colouration.

Proud to be part of this global team effort: doi.org/10.1126/scie...

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MothProf @mothprof.bsky.social · 19d

I have a job opening in my lab. If you are interested in bird behaviour and predator prey interactions please take a look! werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...

Vacancy — Postdoc Position in Decision Making in Birds

Are you an expert in animal behavior? Do you have experience working with birds? The Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) is looking for a motivated researcher to investigate the ro...

werkenbij.uva.nl

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Kirsty MacLeod @kjmacleod.bsky.social · 19d

Looking for examples of a very simple mathematical model interactive exercise to help students understand reproductive trade offs, e.g. using offspring number vs survival, working through a basic equation. Has anyone done anything like this in a workshop that they'd be willing to share?

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Tom Wenseleers @twenseleers.bsky.social · 21d

Very happy to see our new study on the evolution of eusociality come out in Evolution Letters! Our study is the first to experimentally manipulate the proportion of females that stay and help to simulate incipient sociality & assess fitness impact of helping. 🧵

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Elizabeth Hobson @elizabethhobson.bsky.social · 21d

**PhD POSITIONS** I am recruiting 1-2 PhD students to work on sociality and cognition in Monk Parakeets, starting Fall 2026. Full ad is here: hobsonresearch.com/index.php/20... (please help spread the word!)

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Kirsty MacLeod @kjmacleod.bsky.social · 21d

This is a great seminar series - highly recommend following the programme!

Frontiers in Social Evolution Seminar FINE @fine-seminar.bsky.social · 21d

DONT miss todays FINE

23rd September, James Tumulty, Rhodes College, USA

Title: Evidence of a selective link between cooperation and individual recognition in a paper wasp.

Live on YoutTube 11:00 New York / 17:00 Paris
www.youtube.com/channel/UClX...

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Reposted by Kirsty MacLeod

Carsten Schradin @carsten-schradin.bsky.social · Sep 11

Ultrasonic signals support a large-scale communication landscape in wild mice: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...

Ultrasonic signals support a large-scale communication landscape in wild mice

Perrier et al. show that wild African striped mice (R. pumilio) use short-range ultrasonic signals for large-scale communication. By vocalizing at key territorial locations, they extend the functional...

www.cell.com

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