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Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Evolutionary ecologist, doing a PhD on phylogenetics and evolution of sex-determination in the Hawaiian Wikstroemia genus of flowering plants 🌿 At Lund University, Sweden. Ever disappointed in the non-existence of dragons 🐉🐉🐉 He/him/they/them ~ 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

34 Posts119 Follower156 Folgt
Ruben Cousins-Westerberg@rucouwes.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Coming to SMBE? Interested in plants and/or genomics? Come along to this symposium!

Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution@official-smbe.bsky.social · 2mo ago

#SMBE2026 L02: Ancient plant DNA in the genomic era 🗓️ Tue Jun 30, 1:20pm 🔗 smbe2026.org/programme Talks by: Logan Kistler @tpinotti.bsky.social Benjamin Blackman Rafal Gutaker @plantricia.bsky.social @pnovik.bsky.social @hernanaburbano.bsky.social @natalia-asp.bsky.social @rucouwes.bsky.social

SMBE2026 | L02: Ancient plant DNA in the genomic era
Derek Hennen, Ph.D.@derekhennen.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Good article, but the framing is wrong. There is not a dearth of interest in taxonomy. There is a scarcity of funding and positions, which is a deliberate choice by funding agencies and institutions. The youth love taxonomy! It's the olds that are failing to meet their passion!

Donna Giberson (Elbows UP!) 🇨🇦🇺🇦@donnag.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Incredible article about Art Borkent, biting midges, and aging taxonomists. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Richard Sever@richardsever.bsky.social · 7mo ago

One of my concerns with AI-assisted research in biology is that we're already looking only in the lamplight and AI incentivizes us to narrow the beam. Seems like it's happening... www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Artificial intelligence tools expand scientists’ impact but contract science’s focus - Nature

Artificial intelligence boosts individual scientists’ output, citations and career progression, but collectively narrows research diversity and reduces collaboration, concentrating work in data-rich a...

nature.com

Dep. of Ecology, Environment & Plant Sciences at SU@deepsthlmuni.bsky.social · 10mo ago

We’re hiring! 📣 DEEP at @stockholm-uni.bsky.social is looking for a tenured Associate Professor in Plant Ecology. Join a vibrant research & teaching community in the heart of Sweden’s capital. Learn more and apply below by 16 Nov.👇

DEEP seeks Associate Professor in Plant Ecology – apply now! - Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

DEEP seeks Associate Professor in Plant Ecology – apply now! - Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

su.se

Kew Gardens@rbgkew.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Botanist or poet? For National Poetry Day, we discovered poetry hidden amongst the personal papers of botanists - from J. Fraser’s 1919 poem on poppies to H.M Ward’s critique’s on his mother’s poetry! #KewLA

Close up of letter from H.M. Ward to his mother, reading: ‘July 20: I have just got the second batch of your poems. I strongly advise you to be careful, the ideas are…& poetical to a degree; but you…too apt to lose the on the metre on you…in technical construction. Handwritten poem by J Fraser, titled ‘The Corn Poppy’ with a sentence crossed out then four stanzas reading: “The scarlet poppy reddens daily, Amongst the cornfields blossoms gaily, Makes comely neighbours wanton palely, and dazzles all beneath the skies, But beckons me with swanting [sic] eyes. Uh! Could I like the gliding swallow, Explore the vale and upland follows, No more in smoky dens I’d swallow, No longer breathe the air that falls Midst crowded streets and staring walls. Then would I bid adieu to collow, And scour the…height and hollow, Un…the downs and blithely follow, along the fields where bright corn rose – The glorious flaming poppy – glows. To-day would have no room for sorrow, No boding thoughts to gloom to-morrow, And each day after fair would borrow Another glide along the plain, to search amongst the bended grain’”Loose papers, with handwritten poem on top of five stanzas, the second of which is crossed out then rewritten underneath. It reads: “The transport bent by wholesome breezes, Where charming guise of landscape pleases, Brings life amend, as man can…., and genders thanks for flow’r so fair, That smile and make my errand there. I love to see the wild bee settle, Upon the smooth and silky petal, And laugh to view its ardent mettle, When tumbling round the…flow’r, Collecting bee bread hour by hour. The longest day draws with gloaming, And puts an end to handsome roaming; I grieve to mark its shadows coming, But more to think when day is blind, that I must leave my flow’r behind. The corn, the poppy, bee and ether, And birds that wing on airy feather, all choose the wilds and hang together, Beneath the great and blue sky-dome, And I must visit them at home” Signed at end: J.F., March 15th 1919
Ruben Cousins-Westerberg@rucouwes.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Hello all new followers! Writing "Hi, I'm Ruben" feels redundant and uninteresting given that it says so on my profile already. To introduce myself, I will instead introduce my study system and project. And to do this, I will post 16 images from 16 days of Hawai'i island fieldwork.

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg@rucouwes.bsky.social · last yr.

If I wasn't already tied up with a different plant, I'm not sure I could resist falling headfirst in love with the ʻōhiʻa lehua. Not only do they pop up out of the lava rock like it's nothing, they also have such amazing blossoms!

The ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) os the state tree of Hawai'i, and the official tree of the island of Hawai'i too.The volcano goddess Pele is often depicted with ʻōhiʻa blossoms in her hair. Not strange, given how they are the earliest pioneers on the lava field, and yet remain dominant there for hundreds of years after. Also not strange given how pretty they are.An ʻōhiʻa blossom in all their glory. As I understand it, they are generally adapted to be pollinated by birds, although there apparently are some trees with more yellowish and compact flowers that specialise on insects.ʻŌhiʻa popping out of the lava at the bottom of Kīlauea Iki crater like nobody's business.