The Malaysian Dead Leaf Mantis mimicking a mouth with teeth to scare off predators. Original post
Ashleigh Griffin
@asgriffin.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist based in Oxford
Good news! Ministers have finally given green light to new #NaturalHistory GCSE. We’ve campaigned so long for this! Big hats off to tireless advocate Mary Colwell 🙌 Now our young people will have a chance to get to know & love the natural world, to feel awe & wonder, & gain skills to protect it 🌷🌳🦡
Natural history GCSE to teach teenagers to plant wildflower-friendly gardens
Long-awaited course to examine human effects on natural world and explore everyday ways to aid biodiversity
theguardian.com
Our paper "Gene ancestries reveal diverse microbial associations during eukaryogenesis.” is finally out in Nature. Eukaryogenesis was likely a gradual process shaped by multiple microbial partners and virus-mediated gene transfer, rather than a single binary symbiosis. doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Social insects tackle pathogens with behaviours like grooming and the removal of infected individuals. These behaviours facilitate the evolution of larger more complex societies. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... @mingpapilio.bsky.social @georgeshillcock.bsky.social @tomwscott.bsky.social
Social immunity can be a consequence and cause of social evolution | PNAS
Many social insects respond to pathogens in ways that reduce pathogen transmission within their social groups, with behaviors such as grooming or r...
pnas.org
Today I've written for Arguably on one big mystery in our public life: why does no-one care about the existential crisis of our universities? Read all about it... 👇 www.arguably.uk/p/the-quiet-...
The quiet collapse of British universities
One of our great triumphs and economic advantages is fading away
arguably.uk
We are hiring a curator for the ornithology section at the @leibnizlib.bsky.social in Hamburg. Please apply or share: www.leibniz-gemeinschaft.de/en/careers/j...
Leibniz Association: Detail
leibniz-gemeinschaft.de
Excited to share this new paper from the lab: academic.oup.com/ismej/articl...! See thread below
Eco-evolutionary responses to plasmid-dependent phage constrain the spread of multidrug-resistance plasmids
Abstract. Phage therapy offers an alternative to antibiotics for treating multidrug-resistant infections. Plasmid-dependent phages (PDPs) are promising the
academic.oup.com
🚨SSE members: check your inbox!🚨 SSE has sent an important email regarding the OMB's proposed overhaul of federal grant regulations--changes that could affect peer review, publishing, conferences, professional societies, international collaborations, and more. @sse-evolution.bsky.social
Chance to join the incredible banded mongoose project! 🇺🇬❤️ 3 year postdoc on the mongoose project, working on the evolution and maintenance of group identity in animal societies. The closing date for applications is 16 June 2026. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRN272/p...
Congratulations to @timcoulson.bsky.social, @stuwest.bsky.social, and Kathy Willis, who have been elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society! 👇
Professors Tim Coulson, Stuart West, and Kathy Willis elected as Fellows of the Royal Society
bit.ly
Exciting news! In the meantime, anyone curious about the book should check out this BioScience review of the book, penned by @asgriffin.bsky.social. academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
From the dining room table to the Galapagos
If you are a biologist and spend your whole working life studying biology, surrounded by other biologists, you would be forgiven for not choosing to spend
academic.oup.com
Simon Evans@sevans.bsky.social · 2mo agoVery excited to see that Rosemary Grant is narrating an audio version of her autobiography, due out in early November.
Please share widely! Abstract submissions open for the 2026 Jacques Monod conference: Ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions in a changing world! Held in beautiful Roscoff France from November 2- 6, 2026. Abstracts submission deadline : June 6 cjm.sb-roscoff.fr/en/conferenc...
Ecology and evolution of host-parasite interactions in a changing world | CNRS - Conférences Jacques Monod (CJM)
cjm.sb-roscoff.fr
President Obama: “We pulled it off without firing a missile. We got 97% of their enriched uranium out. There’s no dispute that it worked and we didn’t have to kill a whole bunch of people or shut down the Strait of Hormuz.”
Excited to be part of this ambitious project newly published in BES. I hope we see microbes stealing a piece of this pie in ten years time! 🦠💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 Thanks to @tcmbakker.bsky.social and James Traniello for the invitation and co-author @stuwest.bsky.social @biology.ox.ac.uk
Theo Bakker@tcmbakker.bsky.social · 3mo agoRead the vision of 39 prominent scientists to the future of behavioral ecology and sociobiology in our latest editorial. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 80:64. doi.org/10.1007/s002...
🚨Job claxon🚨 4-year #Postdoc available in our lab in @camzoology.bsky.social developing molecular and anatomical approaches to mapping evolutionary changes in the brain, using #Heliconiini butterflies. Come join us, we are nice. 🧪 www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
Brilliant to see this online! Big congrats Rosie on your first paper too 👏
How social is social resistance? Check out our new mini-review on why the protective effects of β-lactamase enzymes may vary. Co-authored by @asgriffin.bsky.social! portlandpress.com/essaysbioche...
How social is social resistance?
Abstract. β-lactamases are central to bacterial resistance against β-lactam antibiotics and are often treated as a textbook example of cooperative resistance. The cooperative aspect of their action ar...
portlandpress.com
Review on how beta-lactamase resistance spans a continuum from private to cooperative resistance A first publication for fantastic PhD student Rosie Randall, working with @asgriffin.bsky.social portlandpress.com/essaysbioche...
How social is social resistance?
Abstract. β-lactamases are central to bacterial resistance against β-lactam antibiotics and are often treated as a textbook example of cooperative resistance. The cooperative aspect of their action ar...
portlandpress.com
How social is social resistance? Check out our new mini-review, co-authored by Rosie Randall. Her first paper! 👏🏽 portlandpress.com/essaysbioche... Thanks to @friendlymicrobe.bsky.social and @rachelmwheatley.bsky.social for the invitation. @biology.ox.ac.uk @ilesla.bsky.social
How social is social resistance?
Abstract. β-lactamases are central to bacterial resistance against β-lactam antibiotics and are often treated as a textbook example of cooperative resistance. The cooperative aspect of their action ar...
portlandpress.com
Sneak peek at the US cover for THE THINKING ANIMAL, coming Jan '27. Looking forward to sharing more - soon! @stmartinspress.bsky.social @zcosini.bsky.social
Happy 100th Birthday Sir David! Short clip from a film with Sir David Attenborough featuring @ellafcole.bsky.social explaining research in @wythamwoods.bsky.social into how Great Tits adjust behaviour during incubation to fine-tune hatching date: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGjL...
How Do Birds Incubate Their Eggs? | Attenborough's Wonder of Eggs | BBC Earth
YouTube video by BBC Earth
youtube.com
Edward Grey Institute@egioxford.bsky.social · 3mo agoOn the occasion of his 100th Birthday - many happy returns Sir David! - we remember fondly the time Sir David Attenborough came to do some filming of Great Tits in Wytham Woods (and with clip of the resultant film here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGjL...) wythamtits.com/the-day-sir-...
📣 Two weeks into hosting @evoldir.bsky.social and all is well! 📥 Original subscribers please check your inboxes and complete the opt-in process if you have not already done so 📆 EvolDir updates are temporarily being emailed twice weekly. Daily updates will resume ASAP! Thanks to all 🙏
Symiotic fungi are crucial to restoration on earth's most remote island www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @spun.earth @tobykiers.bsky.social @nature.org
Symbiotic fungi underlie the regeneration potential of island rainforests
Symbioses can be vital on islands, where low species diversity leaves few alternative partners and the failure of associations can cascade into broade…
sciencedirect.com
Symbiotic fungi play a crucial role in maintaining - and restoring - tropical island ecosystems New research with @stuwest.bsky.social suggests a crucial missing ingredient for reforestation: mycorrhizae. Some trees even appear to depend on a remarkably specific fungal partner 👇 bit.ly/4dcLctz
Fungi found to be the crucial ingredient for restoring tropical islands
bit.ly
Since 1888, the Linnean Medal has honoured those advancing our understanding of nature. This year, we celebrate 10 individuals—pioneering researchers, communicators & campaigners—whose work spans discovery, conservation and public engagement, united by a commitment to safeguarding the natural world.
We're recruiting! We're looking for two graduate students to join us at UBC in Vancouver. Fully funded and open to global applicants, with flexible start-date. Topics include theory, bioinformatics, and microbiology. More details: asherleeks.com/apply #socialviruses #evosky #virosky 🧪
We have a PhD studentship available to develop genome safeguarding technologies for synthetic phage therapeutics www.findaphd.com/phds/project... It is part of an exciting new @officialuom.bsky.social PhD by Enterprise programme www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/study/resear...
(PhD by Enterprise) Genome safeguarding technologies for synthetic phage therapeutics against multidrug resistant bacterial infections at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - (PhD by Enterprise) Genome safeguarding technologies for synthetic phage therapeutics against multidrug resistant bacterial infections at The University of Manchester, listed on FindAPhD...
findaphd.com
The link comes with gorillas! 😂 Persister cells surprising us by forming at peak growth rate. What does this mean for our understanding of their function? tinyurl.com/3r4f97w5 @royalsocietypublishing.org @uphoff.bsky.social @biology.ox.ac.uk @oxfordbiochemistry.bsky.social @sarandavies.bsky.social
High growth rates can promote persister cell formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Abstract. Bacterial persister cells are characterized by arrested growth and survival in normally lethal antibiotic concentrations. Observations of persist
royalsocietypublishing.org
The Tyler Prize is now accepting nominations for 2027. Recognising leaders whose work is advancing solutions for the planet. Nominations must come from a third party. Nominate here: buff.ly/09sxesg
Nominations — Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement
The fundamental objective of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is to recognize outstanding contributions to:
tylerprize.org
Happily recovering after three days celebrations: Congratulations with love 💚 @tobykiers.bsky.social @tylerprize.bsky.social
Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement@tylerprize.bsky.social · 7mo agoThe Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement names Toby Kiers as the 2026 Laureate. Her research reveals how underground fungal networks support life on Earth. Explore the hidden world beneath our feet: tylerprize.org/laureates/toby-kiers spun.earth/underground-atlas @spun.earth
