Jon Evans

Global selection on insect antipredator coloration Natural selection has repeatedly led to the evolution of two alternative antipredator color strategies—camouflage to avoid detection and aposematism to advertise unprofitability—but we lack understand...

Wa hoo! Our paper in Science is out today, revealing why some prey use conspicuous warning colouration while others use camouflaging colours. A huge global collaboration under incredible leadership by Iliana Medina and @wlallen.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

How long will you live? New evidence says it’s much more about your choices than your genes Is our lifespan primarily dictated by our genetics, or do our behaviour and environment play the more important role?

How long will you live? New evidence says it’s much more about your choices than your genes
theconversation.com/how-long-wil...

Scientific misconduct is on the rise. But what exactly is it? In 2023, more than 10,000 research papers were retracted because of scientific misconduct. But it’s not always deliberate.

Scientific misconduct is on the rise. But what exactly is it?
theconversation.com/scientific-m...

Smart is sexy: evolution of intelligence partly driven by love

Our paper on #sexualselection and #intelligence / #cognition is now out in Nature Ecology & Evolution. Congrats to @cogniivan.bsky.social, Bec Fox & @kirindy.bsky.social for all their hard work to make this happen.

www.anu.edu.au/news/all-new...

Congratulations Michael and colleagues, so good to see this out!

Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils Second generation rat poisons are so potent that they’re banned for home use in Europe and North America. But here, you can pick them up at Bunnings or Coles.

Lethal second-generation rat poisons are killing endangered quolls and Tasmanian devils
theconversation.com/lethal-secon...

There is declining trust in Australian unis. Federal government policy is a big part of the problem According to some observers, the ‘hottest topic’ for 2025 is whether universities have lost the public’s support to operate.

There is declining trust in Australian unis. Federal government policy is a big part of the problem
theconversation.com/there-is-dec...

Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling Walking and cycling get 90c per person each year from the Australian government. What if that figure rose to $5, $10 or $15?

Australia spends $714 per person on roads every year – but just 90 cents goes to walking, wheeling and cycling
theconversation.com/australia-sp...

Silent cells? Potential for context-dependent gene expression in mature sperm | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Sperm are traditionally viewed as transcriptionally and translationally silent cells. However, observations that components of the cellular machinery of gene expression are maintained in ejaculated sp...

New review paper!
@1jonevans.bsky.social @pacogarciagonzalez.bsky.social and I ask whether mature sperm cells might actively express genes. Really proud to see this one out - has been a long, difficult journey through much skepticism to publication. royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) can bypass female-modulated sperm selection (top of figure) that ensure that genetically compatible or competent sperm are used for fertilization. ART can also introduce a range of novel environmental stressors (bottom of figure) that generate epigenetic modifications in offspring. Failure to design procedures that both mimic natural conditions and mitigate the harmful effect of unnatural environmental conditions during ART can impact the health trajectories of ART offspring and potentially their descendants. CREDIT: Biorender

A Perspective explores the consequences of bypassing natural selection in assisted reproduction—including the filtering of sperm for quality inside the female reproductive tract—and options to mimic such selection to reduce risks to offspring. In PNAS Nexus: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

Applying an evolutionary perspective to assisted reproductive technologies Abstract. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are commonly used to address human infertility and to boost livestock production. During ART, procedures

Paper just out in which Paco Garcia-Gonzalez and I advocate for useful dialogue between the fields of assisted reproduction and evolutionary biology: academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...

Story here: www.ecolsoc.org.au/news/2024-fu...

Massive congratulations to Tess Jenkins (not yet on bsky) on winning the Fundamental Ecology Award for 2024 @ecolsocaus.bsky.social

@jenkelley01.bsky.social rocking it at #AusEvol2024 with a super speedy flash talk on moth wing colour tricks

MONKEYS Hoarded More Bananas than it could eat,

The strain on scientific publishing Abstract. Scientists are increasingly overwhelmed by the volume of articles being published. The total number of articles indexed in Scopus and Web of Science has grown exponentially in recent years; ...

“Who would have thought that instilling a publish-or-perish culture in scientists while moving to an earn-money-by-the-paper business model for publishers would have led to an explosion of papers?”

The strain on #scientificpublishing👇

direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...

#academicsky

A graph titled "Cost of Transport" showing the relationship between body weight (in kilograms) and energy consumption for distance traveled (calories per gram per kilometer) for various animals and machines. It highlights that a person on a bicycle ranks first in efficiency.

A person on a bicycle is by far the most energy-efficient among animals and machines per distance traveled relative to body weight. The bicycle is magic.

www.jstor.org/stable/24923...

Screenshot of a tweet from the ARC saying they’ll announce DP25 grant outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 26 Nov).

ARC says they’ll release the Discovery Projects 2025 outcomes tomorrow.

Recently, outcomes announcements have tended to happen at/around 11am Canberra time.

My bot will pick up the announcement in RMS’s database and post immediately.

Good luck!

Sexually antagonistic coevolution can explain female display signals and male sensory adaptations Abstract. The prevalence and diversity of female ornaments pose a challenge to evolutionary theory because males should prefer mates that spend resources o

A really exciting new study: evidence that males evolve better sight in order to detect female dishonesty in dance flies. One for the textbooks! A male resistance trait!
Great one from @rosalindmurray @luc_bussiere @dtgwynne & team

academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

So here is a starter pack of African scientists and researchers across disciplines. It will continue to grow as I find more people and more migrate to this platform but gotta start somewhere 😊.
go.bsky.app/GixA4xP

‘Neutrality isn’t just a stance’: the Red Cross mission to provide vital aid in areas of conflict In conflict zones across the globe, people in desperate need have long relied on the hope that humanitarian aid, delivered by organisations such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, will reach them. Yet, this vital work is increasingly under…

‘Neutrality isn’t just a stance’: the Red Cross mission to provide vital aid in areas of conflict

Great Barrier Reef suffering ‘most severe’ coral bleaching on record – video Marine researcher says widespread event is 'absolutely heartbreaking' and that Australia is 'running out of time' to save the reef

This video will break your heart if you care about nature.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

What an utterly wasteful and stressful process. It's almost as if the ARC engineered it this way! I'm holding tight waiting on DP25 outcomes, but already resigned to a very stressful a few days getting DP26 EOI read in time...