The University of Exeter have announced a programme of academic staff cuts, including all of www.exeter.ac.uk/research/gro... Sign the open letter of support at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... @crab-exeter.bsky.social

Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour (CRAB) | Research Groups | University of Exeter

exeter.ac.uk

PhD on greenbeards! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Why does altruism exist? at University College London on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Why does altruism exist? at University College London, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

#NatMicroPicks A network like none other! 🌍🍄 Global data and modeling estimates that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form extensive underground networks that play a major role in plant carbon–nutrient exchange #MicroSky www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Global density and biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi form symbioses with ~70% of plant species, building hyphal networks that exchange nutrients for host-derived carbon. These tubular networks move ~1 billion metric tons of ...

science.org

I will be talking about The Tree of Life at the Linnean Society on 25th June. If you are interested you can find out a little more and sign up for a ticket at the link below. Hope to see some of you there! members.linnean.org/events/69f21...

Is disease just a cost of social life, or can it shape the evolution of social life itself? New research from @mingpapilio.bsky.social @stuwest.bsky.social suggests social immunity can be both a result of cooperation and a force that promotes larger, more complex societies 👇

Disease can shape the evolution of social life

bit.ly

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

New paper is out! Disease is often seen as a cost of social life. But can it also shape how complex societies evolve? Here, we use mathematical models to study social immunity: collective disease defence in ants, termites, bees and other group-living insects. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Masturbation in pet birds is natural and shouldn't be punished. A new study led by @unilancashire.bsky.social and coauthored by Oxford's  @matildabrindle.bsky.social  say vets and owners should be reassured that it is not the consequence of captivity, but common.  Read more:

Masturbation in pet birds is natural and should not be punished

bit.ly

Thoughtful review of The Paradox of the Organism book homunculusmusic.wordpress.com/2026/05/30/i... @tomwscott.bsky.social

Is the organism a paradox?

I’m reading The Paradox of the Organism, a set of collected essays on this notion edited by Arvid Ågren and Manus M. Patten. It’s tremendously enlightening. It is also pretty consistent with the st…

homunculusmusic.wordpress.com

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...

Why do sex chromosomes stop recombining? New models show even weak sexual antagonism can strongly drive recombination suppression, with mating systems shaping the outcome. By @ewanflintham.bsky.social and @charlesmullon.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evle...

Sexual antagonism, mating systems, and recombination suppression on sex chromosomes

Abstract. The suppression of recombination between sex chromosomes is a widespread feature of genetic sex determination systems. Competing explanations for

doi.org

We’re hiring for OrthoFinder! Great role for someone who enjoys scientific software development: Python, data analysis, workflows, Git, scalability, and making tools nicer to use. Comparative genomics or open-source bioinformatics experience would be a lovely bonus. my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

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 ago

Read 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...

Mycorrhizal fungi control the nutrient flow within their hyphal networks. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @spun.earth

Cytoplasmic flow dynamics in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are intrinsic and independent of plant hosts

Despite the ecological importance of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, it is unclear to what extent these symbionts can act autonomously from plant h…

sciencedirect.com

Dear ISBE members, We are looking for nominations for the upcoming ISBE elections for the following roles: (1/3)

“The health of Palmyra’s coral reefs ultimately depends on seabirds, which depend on Pisonia trees for nesting, which depend on fungi,” said Charlie Cornwallis. “Remove any link in that chain and the whole system could unravel.” @spun.earth www.earth.com/news/native-...

Island forest restoration needs both native plants and native fungi to succeed

Native soil fungi, in addition to native plants and trees, are both essential for restoring forests on islands like Palmyra Atoll.

earth.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

New study shows that regenerating #Palmyra, Earth’s most remote atoll, may depend on underground #fungi too. Scientists from Lund University, @ox.ac.uk, @nature.org, and @spun.earth, found mycorrhizal fungi in every Pisonia root sampled. Paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social: buff.ly/prQdvbW

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

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 🧪

This paints a disheartening picture for replication studies in EE. So how do we address this?? In a fantastic initiative led by @katelaskowski.bsky.social, Behavioural Ecology @behavecol.bsky.social now accept replication articles doi.org/10.1093/behe...

Replication studies: a win-win for early-career training and behavioral ecology

Replicating previous research builds confidence that results are real and meaningful. But close replications are rare due to limitations in resources and d

doi.org

@shrylishreekar.bsky.social and me wrote a commentary on Chunhui Hao's and @stuwest.bsky.social et al.'s recent paper "Cooperation and the evolution of bacterial niche breadth" in PNAS. Please find our commentary here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Check our new paper which I had the privilege to write with @kostchristian.bsky.social published in PNAS!

Christian Kost@kostchristian.bsky.social · 4mo ago

@shrylishreekar.bsky.social and me wrote a commentary on Chunhui Hao's and @stuwest.bsky.social et al.'s recent paper "Cooperation and the evolution of bacterial niche breadth" in PNAS. Please find our commentary here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

The story behind our new paper (www.cell.com/current-biol... on symbiotic fungi and forest regeneration www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ma6...

Mycorrhizal fungi on Earth's most remote island

YouTube video by SPUN

youtube.com

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

The 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

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

An ant that behaves like a cleaner fish? With awesome photos. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

🚨 PhD opportunity in evolutionary microbiology! Join our lab to study how horizontal gene transfer drives host–microbe symbioses and ecological function Plus: a PDRA position in comparative genomics is available ✉️ l.henry@qmul.qc.uk Apply below #PhD #Postdoc #Microbiology #Evolution #Genomics

Evolution of host–microbe symbioses: linking horizontal gene transfer to ecological function at Queen Mary University of London on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Evolution of host–microbe symbioses: linking horizontal gene transfer to ecological function at Queen Mary University of London, listed on FindAPhD.com

findaphd.com

An insect that produces a nasty secretion to defend the local group against predators. Our commentary on some brilliant fieldwork by @caritalindstedt.bsky.social & Raphael www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... @asgriffin.bsky.social

An insect that cooperates like bacteria | PNAS

An insect that cooperates like bacteria

pnas.org