Amanda Melin
@amelinlab.bsky.social
Professor of Biological Anthropology at University of Calgary. Co-director Santa Rosa Primate Project. Primate sensory ecology, molecular genetics and omics, foraging, behaviour, ecology and evolution. She/Her. www.amandamelin.com
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Postdoc position in individual-level incentives, social
learning, and payoff-biased imitation shape group-level accuracy in complex prediction and decision-making tasks in Konstanz
files.newsletter2go.com/l3slzozn/s_i...
learning, and payoff-biased imitation shape group-level accuracy in complex prediction and decision-making tasks in Konstanz
files.newsletter2go.com/l3slzozn/s_i...
files.newsletter2go.com
November 17, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Postdoc position in individual-level incentives, social
learning, and payoff-biased imitation shape group-level accuracy in complex prediction and decision-making tasks in Konstanz
files.newsletter2go.com/l3slzozn/s_i...
learning, and payoff-biased imitation shape group-level accuracy in complex prediction and decision-making tasks in Konstanz
files.newsletter2go.com/l3slzozn/s_i...
Reposted by Amanda Melin
“Experiments revealed that the plant’s odor is a near-perfect chemical match to the distress signals released by injured ants”
#scicomm
#sensoryecology
#mimetism
#mimicry
#chemicalcommunication
www.sciencenews.org/article/flow...
🧪 🌸 🐜 🪰 🐙
#scicomm
#sensoryecology
#mimetism
#mimicry
#chemicalcommunication
www.sciencenews.org/article/flow...
🧪 🌸 🐜 🪰 🐙
This flower smells like injured ants — and flies can’t resist it
A type of Japanese dogsbane releases a scent identical to wounded ants’ distress signal, drawing in scavenging flies that unwittingly pollinate it.
www.sciencenews.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:43 PM
“Experiments revealed that the plant’s odor is a near-perfect chemical match to the distress signals released by injured ants”
#scicomm
#sensoryecology
#mimetism
#mimicry
#chemicalcommunication
www.sciencenews.org/article/flow...
🧪 🌸 🐜 🪰 🐙
#scicomm
#sensoryecology
#mimetism
#mimicry
#chemicalcommunication
www.sciencenews.org/article/flow...
🧪 🌸 🐜 🪰 🐙
dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
Led by PhD Candidate @silviacarboni.bsky.social, our new paper explores the contributions of surface microbes to the production of odours in the scent glands of wild tamarins. A great collaboration with Dr. Alice Poirier and @fieldprojects.org #sensoryecology
Led by PhD Candidate @silviacarboni.bsky.social, our new paper explores the contributions of surface microbes to the production of odours in the scent glands of wild tamarins. A great collaboration with Dr. Alice Poirier and @fieldprojects.org #sensoryecology
The Scent Gland Microbiomes of Wild Tamarins Provide New Insight Into Microbial Contributions to Olfactory Communication
Our study investigated the microbiomes of suprapubic and sternal scent glands in two wild tamarin species to explore their putative roles in odor production and communication. Using metagenomic seque...
dx.doi.org
October 30, 2025 at 4:33 PM
dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3...
Led by PhD Candidate @silviacarboni.bsky.social, our new paper explores the contributions of surface microbes to the production of odours in the scent glands of wild tamarins. A great collaboration with Dr. Alice Poirier and @fieldprojects.org #sensoryecology
Led by PhD Candidate @silviacarboni.bsky.social, our new paper explores the contributions of surface microbes to the production of odours in the scent glands of wild tamarins. A great collaboration with Dr. Alice Poirier and @fieldprojects.org #sensoryecology
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Single antivenom nanobody protects against 17 different snakebites @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@andreaslaustsen.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@andreaslaustsen.bsky.social
Single antivenom protects against 17 different snakebites
Researchers immunized an alpaca and a llama with snake venoms, and combined some of the antibodies produced into a potent cocktail.
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Single antivenom nanobody protects against 17 different snakebites @nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@andreaslaustsen.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
@andreaslaustsen.bsky.social
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Sensory expectations shape neural population dynamics in motor circuits
Nature - Experiments with human volunteers and macaques show that expectations produced by probabilistic cueing of future sensory inputs shape motor circuit dynamics in order to increase the...
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Excited to share our new paper on the #social #structure of Rwenzori #colobus multi-male, multi-female core units! We found 3 different patterns but close #male #relationships in all that were long lasting! Paper is behind a paywall but contact us if you want a pdf. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
October 21, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Excited to share our new paper on the #social #structure of Rwenzori #colobus multi-male, multi-female core units! We found 3 different patterns but close #male #relationships in all that were long lasting! Paper is behind a paywall but contact us if you want a pdf. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Amanda Melin
“There’s nothing more Canadian than the hockey game being interrupted to celebrate the Blue Jays heading to the World Series”
#Canada
#BlueJays
#WorldSeries
#Canada
#BlueJays
#WorldSeries
October 21, 2025 at 1:57 PM
“There’s nothing more Canadian than the hockey game being interrupted to celebrate the Blue Jays heading to the World Series”
#Canada
#BlueJays
#WorldSeries
#Canada
#BlueJays
#WorldSeries
Reposted by Amanda Melin
🚨🚨Job! 🚨🚨Permanent (75% time) job! We are a pretty awesome research group & seek a manager who deals with everything: personnel tasks, organizing retreats, preparing code for teaching / data structures for research... Fluency in German & English essential. stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de#/jgu/job/51527
stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de
October 17, 2025 at 7:38 AM
🚨🚨Job! 🚨🚨Permanent (75% time) job! We are a pretty awesome research group & seek a manager who deals with everything: personnel tasks, organizing retreats, preparing code for teaching / data structures for research... Fluency in German & English essential. stellenboerse.uni-mainz.de#/jgu/job/51527
Great week for Canadian Wildlife! This beauty Great Horned Owl is hanging outside my cabin ❤️
October 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Great week for Canadian Wildlife! This beauty Great Horned Owl is hanging outside my cabin ❤️
Reposted by Amanda Melin
For what seems like forever, I've wanted to know what benefits we get from our friends - or in other words, why these relationships evolved.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
Quality, quantity, and the adaptive function of social relationships
Affiliative social relationships have clear links to fitness in many species, yet
exactly why that is the case remains elusive. We unify theory from socioecology and
network science to set forth testa...
tinyurl.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:43 AM
For what seems like forever, I've wanted to know what benefits we get from our friends - or in other words, why these relationships evolved.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
October 16, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
Reposted by Amanda Melin
ICYMI Notre Dame Anthropology will be hiring a post-doc for 2026-2028. This is part of a university-wide initiative to support early career scholars. Deadline is Oct. 31...sorry for late notice.
apply.interfolio.com/171503
apply.interfolio.com/171503
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
October 14, 2025 at 2:22 PM
ICYMI Notre Dame Anthropology will be hiring a post-doc for 2026-2028. This is part of a university-wide initiative to support early career scholars. Deadline is Oct. 31...sorry for late notice.
apply.interfolio.com/171503
apply.interfolio.com/171503
Reposted by Amanda Melin
✨🔦Research Network Spotlight!🔦✨
@ctestard.bsky.social at Harvard University is the second recipient of a 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award from our Research Network. Check out a description of Dr. Testard's project below.
@bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social @smacklab.bsky.social
@ctestard.bsky.social at Harvard University is the second recipient of a 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award from our Research Network. Check out a description of Dr. Testard's project below.
@bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social @smacklab.bsky.social
October 14, 2025 at 3:27 PM
✨🔦Research Network Spotlight!🔦✨
@ctestard.bsky.social at Harvard University is the second recipient of a 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award from our Research Network. Check out a description of Dr. Testard's project below.
@bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social @smacklab.bsky.social
@ctestard.bsky.social at Harvard University is the second recipient of a 2025-2026 Pilot & Feasibility award from our Research Network. Check out a description of Dr. Testard's project below.
@bartolomuccilab.bsky.social @jennytung.bsky.social @smacklab.bsky.social
Bobcat walked right across the road in front of me on my walk into campus this morning.
Oh, Canada! #urbanwildlife.
Oh, Canada! #urbanwildlife.
October 14, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Bobcat walked right across the road in front of me on my walk into campus this morning.
Oh, Canada! #urbanwildlife.
Oh, Canada! #urbanwildlife.
Reposted by Amanda Melin
“Taste and smell are so intimately connected that a whiff of well-loved foods evokes their taste without any conscious effort.
Now, brain scans and machine learning have for the first time pinpointed the region responsible for this sensory overlap in humans”.
www.sciencenews.org/article/brai...
🧪 🧠
Now, brain scans and machine learning have for the first time pinpointed the region responsible for this sensory overlap in humans”.
www.sciencenews.org/article/brai...
🧪 🧠
Brain scans reveal where taste and smell become flavor
The findings show the insula fuses taste and certain smells into the sensation of flavor.
www.sciencenews.org
October 11, 2025 at 2:17 AM
“Taste and smell are so intimately connected that a whiff of well-loved foods evokes their taste without any conscious effort.
Now, brain scans and machine learning have for the first time pinpointed the region responsible for this sensory overlap in humans”.
www.sciencenews.org/article/brai...
🧪 🧠
Now, brain scans and machine learning have for the first time pinpointed the region responsible for this sensory overlap in humans”.
www.sciencenews.org/article/brai...
🧪 🧠
Reposted by Amanda Melin
🚨 New paper! 🚨
🐒 White-faced capuchins experience high rates of infanticide.
🐒 Infanticide is costly to female reproduction.
🐒 Do females exhibit the Bruce effect (termination of pregnancy) to reduce these costs?
🐒 Spoiler: Nope!
Read more ▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🐒 White-faced capuchins experience high rates of infanticide.
🐒 Infanticide is costly to female reproduction.
🐒 Do females exhibit the Bruce effect (termination of pregnancy) to reduce these costs?
🐒 Spoiler: Nope!
Read more ▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
September 24, 2025 at 5:53 PM
🚨 New paper! 🚨
🐒 White-faced capuchins experience high rates of infanticide.
🐒 Infanticide is costly to female reproduction.
🐒 Do females exhibit the Bruce effect (termination of pregnancy) to reduce these costs?
🐒 Spoiler: Nope!
Read more ▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🐒 White-faced capuchins experience high rates of infanticide.
🐒 Infanticide is costly to female reproduction.
🐒 Do females exhibit the Bruce effect (termination of pregnancy) to reduce these costs?
🐒 Spoiler: Nope!
Read more ▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Survey alert! If you're a social behavioural ecologist, please fill in our survey aimed at gauging interest in, barriers and solutions to, comparative social behaviour research. Thanks! forms.gle/KZJDMtLCJhvY...
August 31, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Survey alert! If you're a social behavioural ecologist, please fill in our survey aimed at gauging interest in, barriers and solutions to, comparative social behaviour research. Thanks! forms.gle/KZJDMtLCJhvY...
In our new paper, led by Joelle Hass & with a wonderful collaborative team, we explore the ocular surface microbiome (OSM) of rhesus macaques. Read on to learn how similar their eye bacteria are to ours, and effects of age, sex & living condition.
animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
The ocular surface microbiome of rhesus macaques - Animal Microbiome
Background The ocular surface microbiota (OSM) is important for eye health, and variations in OSM composition have been associated with multiple diseases in humans. Studies of OSM-disease dynamics in ...
animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com
August 30, 2025 at 9:22 PM
In our new paper, led by Joelle Hass & with a wonderful collaborative team, we explore the ocular surface microbiome (OSM) of rhesus macaques. Read on to learn how similar their eye bacteria are to ours, and effects of age, sex & living condition.
animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
animalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Congrats to Mark Hauber on winning this year's Quest Award for an outstanding seminal contribution! Mark has studied it all but the biggest themes in his work center around understanding brood parasitism and coloration of bird eggs. Richly deserved @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social !
www.cowbirdlab.org
www.cowbirdlab.org
August 27, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Congrats to Mark Hauber on winning this year's Quest Award for an outstanding seminal contribution! Mark has studied it all but the biggest themes in his work center around understanding brood parasitism and coloration of bird eggs. Richly deserved @thecowbirdlab.bsky.social !
www.cowbirdlab.org
www.cowbirdlab.org
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Congrats to newly elected ABS Fellow: @smacklab.bsky.social ! Noah and his team examine how environmental and demographic changes influence physiology and health focusing mostly on primates and our best buds, dogs.
Read more here: smack-lab.com
Read more here: smack-lab.com
August 26, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Congrats to newly elected ABS Fellow: @smacklab.bsky.social ! Noah and his team examine how environmental and demographic changes influence physiology and health focusing mostly on primates and our best buds, dogs.
Read more here: smack-lab.com
Read more here: smack-lab.com
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Our new paper, led by Nicolas Chapoy and Kathy Jack, shows capuchin alpha males have wider faces and bigger balls. Read on for discussion of trait variation with respect to pre- and post- mating competition! Was a large effort by a great team 😍😎🎉
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
August 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Our new paper, led by Nicolas Chapoy and Kathy Jack, shows capuchin alpha males have wider faces and bigger balls. Read on for discussion of trait variation with respect to pre- and post- mating competition! Was a large effort by a great team 😍😎🎉
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/epdf/10....
Reposted by Amanda Melin
“People of a remote Amazonian society who learned Spanish as a second language began to interpret colors in a new way, an MIT study has found.”
#scicomm
#language
#colordiscrimination
news.mit.edu/2023/how-blu...
🧪
#scicomm
#language
#colordiscrimination
news.mit.edu/2023/how-blu...
🧪
How “blue” and “green” appeared in a language that didn’t have words for them
A new study suggests the way a language divides up color space can be influenced by contact with other languages. Tsimane’ people who learned Spanish as a second language began to classify blue and gr...
news.mit.edu
August 19, 2025 at 1:52 AM
“People of a remote Amazonian society who learned Spanish as a second language began to interpret colors in a new way, an MIT study has found.”
#scicomm
#language
#colordiscrimination
news.mit.edu/2023/how-blu...
🧪
#scicomm
#language
#colordiscrimination
news.mit.edu/2023/how-blu...
🧪
Reposted by Amanda Melin
A long-form piece in @science.org covers recent research at Kromdraai, Drimolen, and Swartkrans, South Africa—all adding to the record of Early Pleistocene hominins. The article's lede, “Did they meet” is a bit of a distraction: They certainly met somewhere!
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Three ancient human relatives once shared the same valley. Did they meet—and compete?
The world’s greatest concentration of ancestral human remains, in South Africa, poses a 2-million-year-old riddle of coexistence
www.science.org
July 24, 2025 at 8:44 PM
A long-form piece in @science.org covers recent research at Kromdraai, Drimolen, and Swartkrans, South Africa—all adding to the record of Early Pleistocene hominins. The article's lede, “Did they meet” is a bit of a distraction: They certainly met somewhere!
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Amanda Melin
Visual information in the dark: Bioluminescence and perceptual design through evolution - Oakley - Functional Ecology - Wiley Online Library besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Visual information in the dark: Bioluminescence and perceptual design through evolution
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
July 20, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Visual information in the dark: Bioluminescence and perceptual design through evolution - Oakley - Functional Ecology - Wiley Online Library besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...