Alex Champagne
@champagnelab.bsky.social
Associate Professor of Biology. Birder, physiologist, and reluctant lipid biochemist. Views are my own.
🐦🦇🐕🐊 he/him
🐦🦇🐕🐊 he/him
My ornithology students came up with descriptive names for birds with eponymous names today. Everyone was super creative, and I can’t wait to see the names @amornith.bsky.social has in store!
PS: The alt text has all the names transcribed.
PS: The alt text has all the names transcribed.
January 22, 2026 at 6:35 PM
My ornithology students came up with descriptive names for birds with eponymous names today. Everyone was super creative, and I can’t wait to see the names @amornith.bsky.social has in store!
PS: The alt text has all the names transcribed.
PS: The alt text has all the names transcribed.
Imagine getting made fun of for your short arms all your life, and finally, after 4 decades, you can exact your vengeance. 🦖
A new analysis of T. rex’s leg bones finds it was a late bloomer, taking 4 decades to reach full size.
As a result, the slow-growing dinosaur would have been forced to spend much of its life competing for food against smaller predators. https://scim.ag/3YJo9Pa
As a result, the slow-growing dinosaur would have been forced to spend much of its life competing for food against smaller predators. https://scim.ag/3YJo9Pa
Slow grower: Tyrannosaurus rex didn’t reach full size until age 40
Famed dino likely spent much of its life competing for food against smaller predators
scim.ag
January 19, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Imagine getting made fun of for your short arms all your life, and finally, after 4 decades, you can exact your vengeance. 🦖
The Far Side is coming to life! I’m now eagerly awaiting the invasion of human hand-shaped aliens!
Meet Veronika, the tool-using cow
Veronika uses sticks to scratch herself, suggesting scientists have underestimated cow cognition...
arstechnica.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:56 PM
The Far Side is coming to life! I’m now eagerly awaiting the invasion of human hand-shaped aliens!
The Horned Lark was my first study species in graduate school, so I’m taking this as a good omen!
The 2026 ABA Bird of the Year is the Horned Lark! Get ready for a great year of celebrating Horned Larks!
www.aba.org/the-2026-aba...
www.aba.org/the-2026-aba...
The 2026 ABA Bird of the Year: Horned Lark! - American Birding Association
The 2026 Bird of the Year is the Horned Lark: a widespread, resilient, and fascinating species uniting birders through art, storytelling, and conservation all year long.
www.aba.org
January 5, 2026 at 9:49 PM
The Horned Lark was my first study species in graduate school, so I’m taking this as a good omen!
Reading this in Gonzo’s voice makes it even better.
And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, was present at the end of the universe, having witnessed every black hole evaporate and every proton decay. Even so, Death would not come.
December 24, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reading this in Gonzo’s voice makes it even better.
Next up: A follow-up study on silly runs
December 24, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Next up: A follow-up study on silly runs
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Given all the recent buzz about how great ChatGPT has gotten, including its prowess with images, I figured I'd check in on its anatomical skills. Nope.
December 19, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Given all the recent buzz about how great ChatGPT has gotten, including its prowess with images, I figured I'd check in on its anatomical skills. Nope.
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Earth's largest land animals are limited by salt.
Sodium availability constrains the density and distribution of elephants, giraffes and rhinos across Africa, and offers a new explanation for the so-called 'missing megaherbivores'.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free access: rdcu.be/eTPY2
Sodium availability constrains the density and distribution of elephants, giraffes and rhinos across Africa, and offers a new explanation for the so-called 'missing megaherbivores'.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free access: rdcu.be/eTPY2
December 9, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Earth's largest land animals are limited by salt.
Sodium availability constrains the density and distribution of elephants, giraffes and rhinos across Africa, and offers a new explanation for the so-called 'missing megaherbivores'.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free access: rdcu.be/eTPY2
Sodium availability constrains the density and distribution of elephants, giraffes and rhinos across Africa, and offers a new explanation for the so-called 'missing megaherbivores'.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Free access: rdcu.be/eTPY2
Very excited to see Yellow-bellied Sapsucker holes on this tree during season 5, episode 1 of Stranger Things. Will this tree’s counterpart in the Upside Down still have sapsucker holes? 🤔
November 27, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Very excited to see Yellow-bellied Sapsucker holes on this tree during season 5, episode 1 of Stranger Things. Will this tree’s counterpart in the Upside Down still have sapsucker holes? 🤔
LOTR would have ended very differently if Frodo had encountered one of these spiders.
Blind cave spiders~
This occurs due to the process of regressive evolution. In an environment without light, vision provides no advantage in finding prey or avoiding predators. The loss of their eyes means that energy and resources once used for eyes are instead allocated to other traits.
This occurs due to the process of regressive evolution. In an environment without light, vision provides no advantage in finding prey or avoiding predators. The loss of their eyes means that energy and resources once used for eyes are instead allocated to other traits.
November 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
LOTR would have ended very differently if Frodo had encountered one of these spiders.
I sent a calendar invite for a “TLC Marathon” to my research student today. We’re either running thin layer chromatography plates or binge-watching “My 600 lb Life”.
November 14, 2025 at 12:51 AM
I sent a calendar invite for a “TLC Marathon” to my research student today. We’re either running thin layer chromatography plates or binge-watching “My 600 lb Life”.
Reposted by Alex Champagne
If birds were actually government drones, then there wouldn't have been any birds during the shutdown.
It's over.
It's over.
November 13, 2025 at 8:55 PM
If birds were actually government drones, then there wouldn't have been any birds during the shutdown.
It's over.
It's over.
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Scientists point to a long list of findings that emerged out of fundamental research, the type of studies the US government is cutting, and went on to change the world. Nature lists a few of their examples. 🧪
7 basic science discoveries that changed the world
Ozempic, MRI machines and flat screen televisions all emerged out of fundamental research decades earlier — the very types of study being slashed by the US government.
go.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Scientists point to a long list of findings that emerged out of fundamental research, the type of studies the US government is cutting, and went on to change the world. Nature lists a few of their examples. 🧪
Reposted by Alex Champagne
It’s that time of year when this meme becomes relevant again… 🫣
October 28, 2025 at 3:02 PM
It’s that time of year when this meme becomes relevant again… 🫣
Humans vs. the machine! 💪>🦾
The latest on Wing Beat: "Humans outperform Merlin Sound ID in field-based point-count surveys" by Brooke Goodman
americanornithology.org/humans-outpe...
Related paper: doi.org/10.1093/orni...
#ornithology #pointcountsurvey #soundID #birdsong
americanornithology.org/humans-outpe...
Related paper: doi.org/10.1093/orni...
#ornithology #pointcountsurvey #soundID #birdsong
Humans outperform Merlin Sound ID in field-based point-count surveys - American Ornithological Society
Merlin’s sound classifier feature has revolutionized interaction with the avian world since its release in 2021. It works by learning the unique features of a species’ vocalization, and then recognizi...
americanornithology.org
October 24, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Humans vs. the machine! 💪>🦾
Reposted by Alex Champagne
odonates, mosquitoes, craneflies, and selected turtles have entered the chat
"Hold onto your butts, because one day you might be breathing through them." www.404media.co/breathing-th...
Breathing Through Our Butts Declared Safe After First Human Trial
The first application of enteral ventilation—aka breathing through the bum—to humans proved the technique is safe.
www.404media.co
October 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM
odonates, mosquitoes, craneflies, and selected turtles have entered the chat
Reposted by Alex Champagne
One of the amazing things about science is we will never run out of mysteries.
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
March 15, 2025 at 11:48 PM
One of the amazing things about science is we will never run out of mysteries.
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
It all makes sense. The Bills nickname refers to bird beaks.
The Bills are just too likeable. @dirtbagqueer.rocks @peterberkes.bsky.social
October 3, 2025 at 2:52 PM
It all makes sense. The Bills nickname refers to bird beaks.
Reposted by Alex Champagne
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.
September 5, 2025 at 3:20 PM
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.
On National Hummingbird Day, a reminder of how cool convergent evolution is.
September 6, 2025 at 5:01 PM
On National Hummingbird Day, a reminder of how cool convergent evolution is.
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Cannot stop laughing at this
August 14, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Cannot stop laughing at this
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Diabetic Man With Gene-Edited Cells Produces His Own Insulin—No Transplant Drugs Required
A proof-of-concept study finds that donated insulin-producing cells can be genetically modified to avoid provoking the recipient's immune system.
gizmodo.com/diabetic-man...
A proof-of-concept study finds that donated insulin-producing cells can be genetically modified to avoid provoking the recipient's immune system.
gizmodo.com/diabetic-man...
Diabetic Man With Gene-Edited Cells Produces His Own Insulin—No Transplant Drugs Required
A proof-of-concept study finds that donated insulin-producing cells can be genetically modified to avoid provoking the recipient's immune system.
gizmodo.com
August 8, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Diabetic Man With Gene-Edited Cells Produces His Own Insulin—No Transplant Drugs Required
A proof-of-concept study finds that donated insulin-producing cells can be genetically modified to avoid provoking the recipient's immune system.
gizmodo.com/diabetic-man...
A proof-of-concept study finds that donated insulin-producing cells can be genetically modified to avoid provoking the recipient's immune system.
gizmodo.com/diabetic-man...
This paper was published 40 years after the original fieldwork was conducted. It’s never too late to share cool research!
This desert beetle runs to cool off
After a sprint, the temperature of the beetle Onymacris plana drops. Efficient running, a body built for cooling and a little bit of lift all help.
www.sciencenews.org
July 29, 2025 at 8:19 PM
This paper was published 40 years after the original fieldwork was conducted. It’s never too late to share cool research!
Reposted by Alex Champagne
Hey is it bad if google AI search results stop people from leaving google dot com 99% of the time? All our news and information creators can survive just fine with one percent of their previous search traffic right? I’m sure it’s fine. www.404media.co/googles-ai-i...
![Yesterday the Pew Research Center released a report based on the internet browsing activity of 900 U.S. adults which found that Google users who encounter an Al summary are less likely to click on links to other websites than use 's who don't encounter an Al summary. To be precise, only [my emphasis] 1 percent of users who encountered an Al summary clicked the link to the page Google is summarizing.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rfoctmk4guq56gensuermj7q/bafkreihrwrukrvisav54a24jeuv7tlhfwe62yvui5d27gxhnopbdworowe@jpeg)
July 23, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Hey is it bad if google AI search results stop people from leaving google dot com 99% of the time? All our news and information creators can survive just fine with one percent of their previous search traffic right? I’m sure it’s fine. www.404media.co/googles-ai-i...