Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator

Fun fact - I was inspired by Archibald Motley’s work that I had the privilege of viewing at the MET during my visit to NYC a couple years ago. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2025.05.007

Their study reveal potential functional roles when these sites undergo functional modifications, which can pinpoint targets for treating metabolic disease. We couldn’t get this image finished in time for the cover, but it was a fun piece to work on regardless!

This piece was illustrated for Tigist et al.’s recent paper in Molecular Cell. The dynamic regulation and fine-tuning of proteins via phosphorylation can turn metabolism into a coordinated and often improvised rhythm.

The figure shows the low reproduction and erosion that has occurred at a startling rate over the last several decades doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Excellent piece by Matz @heatshok.bsky.social and colleagues discussing the dire status of Caribbean reefs, and potential plans and policies that can be implemented if these reefs are to have any chance. Check it out in PNAS!

🧪🌎 All western Atlantic coral reefs are on the same decline trajectory, although Florida is one of the most further along: doi.org/10.1111/cobi...
illustration by @rushstudio.bsky.social

Latest paper from Toews et al @davetoews.bsky.social. Their study into microenvironments within the forest canopy revealed that these warbler species opportunistically feed upon the spiders they encounter in their preferred strata in the canopy. Check it out in Ornithology!!! doi.org/10.1093/orni...

A comic graphical abstract by illustrator Rush Dhillon showing two wood warblers and their spider prey. The graphs illustrate the read abundance of these spiders in the warbler's fecal samples.

I could give you a great summary of our new warbler diet paper… but if a picture says a thousand words, this awesome graphical abstract by @rushstudio.bsky.social tells the whole story. 🦉🧪
academic.oup.com/auk/article/...

Life stages of Fundulus heteroclitus. Mummichog, killifish, call it what you want, but know it is among the mightiest inhabitants of North America’s east coast estuaries

The Waddinton epigenetic landscape… for salmonids! The concept is that cells can roll downhill to their “endpoint” differentiated state. However, the landscape itself can be modified by various factors, “nudging” the ball into different valleys. Figure for Schulte Lab.

Sturgeon
#archives #fish

forestgeneticsconference2025.com

Logo for the Forest Genetics Conference 2025. The logo is a nod to the Western Forest Genetics Association (WFGA), the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Committee (SFTIC), & the Northern Forest Genetics Association (NFGA). June 23-27th, hosted by the Schatz Centre at Penn State, in State College, PA

Understanding animal physiology in all its forms necessitates asking hard-to-measure questions. Until his retirement last year, @zoology.ubc.ca was lucky enough to have Bruce Gillespie create custom equipment for over 25 yrs, assisting us in quantifying our research. Here are a few of his creations.

Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Van Kam Collaborates with Artist Rush Dhillon to Visualize Core Values - VAN KAM FREIGHTWAYS LTD. At Van Kam, we understand that the soul of a company lies not just in its services or its history, but in the values it upholds and lives by each day. Recently, we embarked on a creative journey to re...

It was fantastic to work with a local company so committed to their employees and the communities they serve.
www.vankam.com/portal/van-k...

From the archives - a little different from my usual projects, but a rewarding one: Van Kam is a Canadian company owned and operating out of Western Canada for almost 70 years. A while back they asked me to help them visualize their core values: Care, Achieve, and Develop.

rightwhalegenomes.ca/static/site-...

Recent paper from the lab of @tfrasierdna.bsky.social. The endangered North Atlantic right whale suffer from low genetic diversity and high mutation load, which can impact recovery. However, genetic purging has reduced harmful mutations, potentially contributing to future recovery.

Great evening with some @y2y.bsky.social friends discussing wildlife conservation and coexistence in the Elk Valley and beyond. Awesome to have graphics from @rushstudio.bsky.social and Fuse consulting anchoring our discussions. Exciting solutions for highway collisions and bear conflicts brewing.

The Erosion of Threatened Southern Mountain Caribou Migration Migration enables animals to access seasonally and spatially varying resources, resulting in greater abundance compared to analogous non-migratory wildlife. Both Western science and Indigenous knowle...

Thus, conservation efforts need to protect these migratory behaviours with landscape-level protections that preserve this flow of biomass and the communities that benefit from their movement. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70095

New paper by Lamb et al. (@claytontlamb.bsky.social). Southern mountain caribou exhibit both vertical and horizontal migration, but migratory behaviours are under threat due to disturbances, particularly at lower elevations.

NEW PAPER: looking into the erosion of southern mountain caribou migrations. Over 35 years, migration distances shrank 15-25%, and elevational migrations are collapsing. Habitat loss, not weather, likely the main culprit. A major conservation challenge ahead.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Happy Holidays! Due to the postal strike this card did not get the distribution it usually does, and those who get one expect it late. But the sentiment remains the same - I hope everyone has a kickass 2025!

And on behalf of Kuma and Yider, don’t forget, #adoptdontshop.

Cover art illustrating a podcast called "The Warblers" featuring several species of colorful wood warblers

Folks, did you know there's a whole bird nerd podcast? It's called "Warblers" by Birds Canada. Not only does have a great name, but it also features some quality content .. e.g. the 20:00 mark on the latest episode someone waxing poetic about bird hybridization
🦉🧪
www.birdscanada.org/warblerspodc...

Coming in December: Registration for the first joint conference between WFGA-SFTIC-NFGA June 23-27, 2025 in State College, PA - See you there!!
#ForestGenetics2025 #climateadaptation #treebreeding #restoration #seedsourcing #biotechnology #conservation #foresthealth forestgeneticsconference2025.com

If you are curious about adopting from these wonderful agencies, reach out to them directly or feel free to shoot me any questions! Remember, #adoptdontshop

[ps: tone is for comedy. I actually approved of this adoption prior to his arrival]

Happy Holidays from sunny Vancouver!

The number one highlight of 2023 was arranging for the adoption of Yider for my parents (Free Korean Dogs) and Kuma for us (Adopt Korean Rescue). The upgrade to my life has been immeasurable, mostly because these goofballs are a laugh a minute.