Megan Petersdorf

Can we give word limits not character limits because I am not able to visualize these limits

This moment from our latest episode with science writer @edyong209.bsky.social is 🔥

We asked Ed — how do we talk up the benefits of science in the face of government cuts? He told us that's the wrong approach. 🧪

Listen wherever, or watch on Spotify 👇

open.spotify.com/episode/7Evh...

Source: www.instagram.com/p/DPRt9xpkQL...

“I hope people take away the fact that it is possible to have a different sort of life” - Jane Goodall

In 2016, Jane Goodall spoke at the International Primatological Society meetings. She closed her talk asking everyone to thank the primates we studied not with applause, but with their calls. And so a room full of Very Eminent Primatologists made delighted monkey noises to Jane Goodall. ⚱️🐒🧪🌍

Came to bluesky to see your posts! In my primate behavior class, we have a day dedicated to discussing this nuance - framed around the JANE documentary and your blog post. It’s often discussed as one of the students fav parts of the class. Wanted to share!

ron burgundy from parks and recreation says " you 'd be a fool not to pick me " ALT: ron burgundy from parks and recreation says " you 'd be a fool not to pick me "

Do you love research & writing & all things animal behavior? Well our journal, Animal Behavior, recruiting up to 5 (count em!) new Associate Editors!

Editors serve three-year terms beginning January 2026. If you're interested, email Exec Editor Scott Sakaluk (sksakal@ilstu.edu) by Oct 31!

We are hiring - PDRA position exploring how information access shapes social dynamics in killer whales. Collaboration with @samellisq.bsky.social @drwhale.bsky.social Prof Dan Franks (York) start 1st Nov (or ASAP) end 31st Oct 2028. Apps close on 19th Oct.

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOT336/p...

So excited to see my first capuchin paper finally out in the world 🥳 grateful to all the wonderful co-authors!

🧪 #primates

Female capuchins sits on a branch, looking away from the camera. A young capuchin holds onto her back, looking at the camera. Photo: Nick Chapoy

🚨 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...

Complexly is looking to hire a Director of Development!

If you're interested, please review our job posting at Complexly.com/job and apply before Friday, October 17!

Having a cute little 😊 moment with myself as I develop a new project. When I started grad school, the tools weren’t available to ask certain questions I was interested in. And now they are! And we’re asking them! Yay science.

With many postdoc grants like the NSF PRFB, Ford Fellowship, and Hanna H. Gray fellowships disappearing, I am currently looking for grants that could fund incoming postdoctoral scholars. Here is a thread of some of them 🧵

what a fucking stupid time to be a person who cares about other people

How the Horrors of Hurricane Katrina Radicalized Young People Into Climate Activists “I always wonder what my life would have been like if Hurricane Katrina didn't happen," said one survivor and climate advocate.

Aug 29 marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina.

@siric.bsky.social profiles 4 young climate advocates whose lives it changed—2 of whom fled New Orleans during Katrina as kids @teenvogue.com:

"For them, combatting climate change, environmental racism, and structural inequality has become a calling."

- you haven’t pooped in 10 days
- every pharmacy is out of laxatives
- the atm eats your only card

But anyway you HAVE to laugh because you’re in the most beautiful places having a wonderful time with amazing people and animals and it’s all worth it :)

(end!)

- you’re constantly dehydrated
- you might have hypothermia??
- you have a mental breakdown on a rainy hike
- you have another mental breakdown on the same rainy hike
- you have unknown labial lesions
- all your flights are cancelled

(5/x)

- you spend extra money for a holiday that you sleep through because of the malaria
- you have to borrow a bucket from a hostel laundry room for a potential puke scenario
- you have cuts and bruises all over your body from that damn twisted ankle

(4/x)

- you get bed bugs
- you get bed bugs maybe again
- you discover your tire is completely flat and wonder when that happened
- elephants appear at the back screen of your tent
- a poachers dog sniffs you through said tent
(3/x)

- you can’t stop pooping
- you have a parasite
- your rental car battery stops working when you’re in a random town
- you cancel a safari and lose money because turns out it’s a scam
- you twist your (already sprained) ankle at least 3x
- you cancel your redo safari because you have malaria
(2/x)

When I say you need a sense of humor in #fieldwork, I don’t mean you can do impressions or be the group clown.

What I mean is you can laugh at yourself when the following things happen (all of which have happened to me + my travel buds in the last 5 weeks): (1/x) 🐒 🧪 🪨 🏺

US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants The decision will hinder lawsuits against grant terminations, legal specialists say.

“In a scientific sense, this is a total loss.”

US Supreme Court allows NIH to cut $2 billion in research grants www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Congrats all!! 👏

😮

New paper: Human dexterity and brains evolved hand in hand www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Friends, I am offering a free online 2-hour crash course in how to write and publish a scientific paper, perfect for early career scientists and students considering writing their first paper soon.

All information can be found in this link:

www.southernfriedscience.com/im-offering-... 🧪🌎🦑

Our EEB department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is hiring an assistant professor in evo-devo. See go.illinois.edu/EEBAsstProf for details. Please share!

Hungry females deceptively attract males to exploit them as prey Laura Knapwerth, Nathan W. Burke This is a plain language summary of a Functional Ecology research article which can be found here. Animals produce sexual signals like mating calls, courtship dance…

📰Published📰Hungry females deceptively attract males to exploit them as prey🪲

buff.ly/hUpfbP9

🧪🌍

See you next time 🥹 🐒 🇿🇲 ☀️

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....