Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by tim brown

Matt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 3d

Spookiest decoration at the "Zoo Goes Boo" event at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids? Giant model of parasitoid wasps hatching from cocoons affixed to their caterpillar host.

Large model of a green caterpillar, the back of which is covered by dozens of white cocoons. Wasps can be seen emerging from some of the cocoons.

12 120 450

Reposted by tim brown

IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 12d

You probably have a general idea of what a tick looks like, but did you know that there are three distinct families of ticks, each with their own appearance, habitat, and adaptations? These families are the Ixodidae (or hard ticks), Argasidae (or soft ticks), and the Nuttalliellidae. (1/4)

1 2 3

Reposted by tim brown

Eline D. Tabak @elinetabak.bsky.social · 13d

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/unsettlin...

No cover yet, but there's a web page. Incredibly pleased to be part of this important - and affordable! - volume on extinction studies. Pre-order now because I promise it will be good

Unsettling Extinction

Featuring contributions from key names in the field alongside some of the most exciting new voices, this collection presents cutting-edge work on species extinc…

www.bloomsbury.com

4 14

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Aug 14

checking a species name with GBIF after not finding it via NCBI feels very much like the asking your Dad after your Mum already told you "No" of taxonomy

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Mar 14

weren't you meant to post this after our paper review meeting this afternoon?

1 1

Reposted by tim brown

IDEA The Ethics Centre @idea-leeds.bsky.social · Mar 11

UK followers under 35, please consider filling in this form to help researchers better understand modern dating.

Ethical dating online @ethicaldating.bsky.social · Mar 11

Help researchers better understand young people’s attitudes towards dating: www.surveymonkey.com/r/VFD7SQZ

A picture of red poster asking people to fill in an anonymous dating survey.

1 2

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Mar 11

...and failing that, hopefully you can find out about some new species of delightful/disgusting worms and ticks

(link to our full research paper which expands on the blog post:
doi.org/10.1111/cobi...)

An interdisciplinary approach to improving conservation outcomes for parasites

Parasites represent a significant proportion of Earth's biodiversity and play important roles in the ecology and biology of ecosystems and hosts, making them an important target for conservation. Des...

doi.org

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Mar 11

We wrote this as a fun introduction to the strange and wonderful world of parasite conservation!

Hopefully it gets you thinking about how there's more than meets the eye with parasites and whether we should bring them into the fold of conservation concern

theconversation.com/parasites-ar...

Parasites are ecological dark matter – and they need protecting

Save the pandas, sure, but what about the worms in their guts?

theconversation.com

1 3

Reposted by tim brown

The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · Mar 10

Save the pandas, sure, but what about the worms in their guts?

Parasites are ecological dark matter – and they need protecting

Save the pandas, sure, but what about the worms in their guts?

tcnv.link

1 10 19

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Mar 7

my extremely nuanced opinion on the woolly mice is that they are very cute (good), but mean basically nothing as far as conservation is concerned (less good) and are really just a PR exercise for a somewhat malevolent profit-making machine (bad)

2 9

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Mar 7

Am I right in thinking that Colossal's (non-)conservation work allows them to patent a lot of genetic technology which they could then make massive profits from if/when those technologies are used for wider applications than woolly mammoth PR?

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · Mar 6

A mammoth circus of macabre fantasy and moral bankruptcy.
I got my views on mammoths down. Enjoy.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Reviving the woolly mammoth isn’t just unethical. It’s impossible | Adam Rutherford

At a time when US scientists are under attack from their own government, the illiteracy around these elephantine fantasies is dangerous, says geneticist Adam Rutherford

www.theguardian.com

1

Reposted by tim brown

Victor Van der Meersch @vvandermeersch.bsky.social · Mar 7

Ever wondered how reliable species distribution models (SDMs) are in the face of climate change compared to more mechanistic approaches? We did too, and our results are now published in Ecology Letters ⏬
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Paleorecords Reveal Biological Mechanisms Crucial for Reliable Species Range Shift Projections Amid Rapid Climate Change

Climate change has created an urgent need for reliable projections of species distributions. By hindcasting forest tree range shifts across Europe over the last 12,000 years, we show that process-exp...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

2 12 21

Reposted by tim brown

JD Roberts @jdroberts.bsky.social · Feb 13

Interdisciplinary research is not only hugely valuable, it's also a hell of a lot easier than people make out - the hard part is fighting the institutions to get them to let you do it

1 1

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Feb 12

In my section, I talk about:
- my own taxonomic biases in the field
- the mighty Manx shearwater flea
- the role of photography in conservation
- and whether photography might boost or buffer parasite conservation

(including a rare opportunity for me to cite the great John Berger...)

2

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Feb 12

Really excited to share this paper which was the result of a big collaborative effort of PhD students @extinctionleeds.bsky.social!

It's full of incredible, original thoughts about how we view and interact with the world around us in a time of massive biodiversity loss 📷🍃

doi.org/10.1017/ext....

Extinction studies in focus: Reflections on photography at a time of ecological decline | Cambridge Prisms: Extinction | Cambridge Core

Extinction studies in focus: Reflections on photography at a time of ecological decline - Volume 3

doi.org

2 4 3

Reposted by tim brown

Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · Feb 10

Huge analysis out as a preprint today! For every 9 years an animal spends in the wildlife trade, it shares an additional pathogen with humans. Clear long-term impacts based on 40 years of global trade data 🧪😷 biorxiv.org/content/earl...

Phylogenetic map of wildlife trade; graphs showing overlap with other traits like synanthropy; path analysis showing impact on zoonotic host status

3 54 160

Reposted by tim brown

Dr Simon Goodman @phoca-sapiens.bsky.social · Jan 29

Hey #WildlifeDisease & #conservation folk, please check out our survey on attitudes to parasite conservation.

Are parasites important for biodiversity, would you remove them to protect host welfare, or something more nuanced? We want to hear all views to improve guidance for practitioners 🪱🧪🌍🧵1/n

3 20 25

Reposted by tim brown

Leverhulme Extinction Studies DTP @extinctionleeds.bsky.social · Jan 27

Come and see some of the work we’ve been doing… SPIRIT: an exhibition of nature photography from the Scottish Small Isles. Parkinson Court, 4-6 Feb.

A poster for an exhibition. Features an animal skull on rocks with orange lichen.

4 12

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Feb 5

Really enjoyed this truly interdisciplinary paper on hookworm in early 20th c. Jamaica!

Jon historicises hookworm infection and extinction, showing how plantations (+ environment & individual factors) created the conditions for hookworm to thrive, but were also key in eradication/extinction efforts

JD Roberts @jdroberts.bsky.social · Jan 26

So! The new paper, what's in it? Firstly, this is about the interactions of hookworm, environment, society and economy. It's also about extinction (1/9)
doi.org/10.1017/ext....

Parasites and plantations: Disease, environment and society in efforts to induce extinction of hookworm in Jamaica, 1919–1936 | Cambridge Prisms: Extinction | Cambridge Core

Parasites and plantations: Disease, environment and society in efforts to induce extinction of hookworm in Jamaica, 1919–1936 - Volume 3

doi.org

1 1 1

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Jan 31

A lot of awesome pictures in the full paper!

Prof Sam Illingworth @samillingworth.com · Jan 31

🕷️🧟‍♂️ Zombie Spiders in British Caves

A new fungus, Gibellula attenboroughii (named for Sir David), manipulates orb-weaving cave spiders, altering their behaviour like zombie ants.

This discovery sheds light on hidden fungal diversity in the UK

🔗 doi.org/10.3114/fuse...

#SciComm #Spiders #Fungi 🧪

The araneopathogenic genus Gibell...iders (Metainae: Tetragnathidae): Ingenta Connect Fast Track Article

doi.org

2

Reposted by tim brown

Dr Simon Goodman @phoca-sapiens.bsky.social · Jan 22

Parasite conservation sounds like a counterintuitive idea, but actually there are lots of reasons why this is important for the long term sustainability of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. #parasitology #ticks #ectoparasite 🪱🧪🌍
therevelator.org/ryukyu-rabbi...

Saving the Ryukyu Rabbit Tick: The Posterchild of Parasite Conservation • The Revelator

This endangered invertebrate is harmless to humans — and rabbits. Saving it from extinction might even benefit both species.

therevelator.org

3 31 82

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Jan 20

We consider:
- The importance of human values and attitudes for conservation
- Unanswered questions over whether parasites merit conservation

Our solution? More interdisciplinary research on parasite conservation will lead to better conservation outcomes for parasites, hosts, and people 🌳🌍🥰

[3/3]

3

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Jan 20

We report on a LARGE gap 🚧 between parasite conservation research and parasite conservation practice.

E.g. Did you know only one animal parasite species, the pygmy hog-sucking louse, has been evaluated and listed on the IUCN Red List?

We then explore why this research-practice gap exists.

[2/3]

1 3

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Jan 20

Ever heard of parasite conservation and thought "Why on earth would we want to do that 😱"?! Read our new paper to find out...

We cover key questions including: Why conserve parasites? How do you conserve parasites? & What parasite conservation is already happening?

doi.org/10.1111/cobi...

[1/3]

A panel showing three images of parasites. From left to right: a bat fly clinging to the face of a Mozambique long-fingered bat, a mass of helminths in the feces of a gray seal, botfly larvae from the stomach of a mountain zebra.

1 8 13

tim brown @parasitetim.bsky.social · Jan 20

How have freshwater fish populations responded to warming temperatures over the past 75 yrs?

We found a characteristic pattern of climate change-induced changes in river fish populations, with differing impact for different species depending on key characteristics.

See our new paper for more info!

Martin Genner @mgenner.bsky.social · Dec 9

The responses of freshwater fish to global warming. Our analyses in @pnas.org @bristolbiosci.bsky.social
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Made possible by #RivFishTIME

3