Gena

📈We also examined the temporal pattern of mite infestation intensity during the breeding season of newts. While adult mites showed a plateau of high intensity at the end of the breeding season, deutonymph intensity decreased. This may be related to the unknown life cycle of Lurchibates mites.

✨We found two new interactions for this association. Deutonymph, which is one of the developmental stages of mites, was only found in the oral cavity of newts previously. Here we reported that deutonymphs were also found on the larval and adult newt body surface!

Infestation dynamics of Hygrobates (sg. Lurchibates) aloisii (Acari: Hygrobatidae) and host-parasite interactions with Hong Kong newts (Paramesotriton hongkongensis) Various species of water mites (Hydrachnidia, Hygrobatidae, Hygrobates) exclusively parasitise Asian modern newts. These water mites, grouped into the…

My first first-author paper is out!🦎🕷️ We investigated the ecology of the less-studied Asian newt and water mite association in Hong Kong.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

It isn't easy following science as a career path. Our series of personal essays, published on the last page of Science, aim to shed light on the challenges scientists face and, hopefully, help others feel less alone.

Here are @science.org's top essays of the year.

www.science.org/content/arti...

Giving a voice to animals: Laos’s national herpetologist on her day-to-day Somphouthone Phimmachak studies amphibians and reptiles as one of the country’s few conservation researchers.

Somphouthone Phimmachak studies amphibians and reptiles as one Laos's few conservation researchers

go.nature.com/3KVtSOt

A Novel Fundraising Model for Conservation of a Noncharismatic Species: Lessons Learned From a Crowd‐Funded Eco‐Art Exhibition Funding for conservation is limited and often biased towards charismatic megafauna. Funding agencies are less likely to support conservation focusing solely on herpetofauna that are relatively unknow...

[New article is out!]📣
The newt roadkill exhibition, held in 2024, is Hong Kong's first crowdfunded exhibition focusing on a single species.

With >$40,000 raised, this project even initiated the first roadkill survey conducted by citizen scientists!🔍

conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The 1st International Conference on Integrated Conservation of Asian Turtles will be held in Hong Kong 27-30 March 2026! 🐢🔬

Abstract submission deadline:
12 Jan 2026

More details:

www.ln.edu.hk/scienceunit/...

Conservation Genomics—Making a Difference Conservation genomics has increasingly transitioned from a promising concept to a science that integrates a range of advanced analytical approaches, providing new insights into inbreeding, genetic lo....

Our Editorial for our upcoming special issue in Molecular Ecology: Conservation Genomics—Making a Difference onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

How to develop good research questions - Nature Human Behaviour Designing good research questions goes well beyond the standard definitions of clarity, focus and tractability, and even beyond ‘novelty’ in the strictest sense. This Comment describes the iterative c...

[Share] "...good research questions are not just precise questions that nobody has asked before. They also drive and capture your enthusiasm. They are itchy and persistent, and reflect innovative thinking and novel approaches"

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Earth history and trait innovation drive the global radiation of modern toads | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences The distributions of species radiations reflect environmental changes driven by both Earth history (geological processes) and the evolution of biological traits (critical to survival and adaptation), ...

[Share] Modern toads, which originated from South America, appeared to cross the Atlantic Ocean to enter Africa. The evolution of parotoid glands and inguinal fat bodies, which function as predator defence and energy reserves, helps the radiation process.

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

Conservation Evolutionary Biology: A Unified Framework Connecting the Past, Present, and Future of Biodiversity Conservation Abstract. Evolutionary insights are fundamental to biodiversity conservation, as they reveal the ultimate causes that drive adaptation and persistence of p

[Share]Conservation Evolutionary Biology - a new subdiscipline which emphasizes understanding species’ evolutionary histories, adaptive mechanisms, and future resilience to guide effective conservation strategies.
academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...

Digital flocks, predators allow ecologists to simulate real-world animal behaviour ‘Digital twins’ of real-world objects are moving from manufacturing to wildlife management.

Use of digital twins in ecology for simulating and predicting wildlife behavior and changes in ecosystems
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Biodiversity conservation requires integration of species-centric and process-based strategies | PNAS Conservation science and policy are geared primarily toward the preservation of species and habitats, with priority often given to the rarest, most...

Biodiversity conservation requires integration of species-centric and process-based strategies | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Hundreds of newt roadkill carcasses are often witnessed in early spring in Hong Kong. 🚗💥Thanks to the crowdfunding project “Life (cycle) of the Hong Kong Newt”, the first roadkill survey focusing on this species was conducted last year. The survey results are out now!

www.ln.edu.hk/news/press-r...

YouTube video by FHS Wildlife 《一生螈命》Life (cycle) of the Hong Kong Newt \\ Short film

An incredible short film about our Hong Kong newt (Paramesotriton hongkongensis) youtu.be/2Vhwv4Mxv7A?...