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Kirsty MacLeod

@kjmacleod.bsky.social

Behavioural and evolutionary ecologist, lecturer in Bangor, Wales - sociality, stress, thermal ecology, mostly in reptiles macleodlab.weebly.com

2,508 Followers  |  2,321 Following  |  136 Posts  |  Joined: 11.10.2023
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Posts by Kirsty MacLeod (@kjmacleod.bsky.social)

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Dive into Wool Creature Lab's World of Vibrant Felted Nudibranchs How artist Arina Bovenich's job at a remote biology research station transformed into a unique craft practice.

Wow, amazing #sciart via @thisiscolossal.com

05.03.2026 15:17 β€” πŸ‘ 288    πŸ” 110    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 16
1937 article of a Red-Tailed Hawk carcass discovered to have choked, seemingly to death, on a squirrel skull.

1937 article of a Red-Tailed Hawk carcass discovered to have choked, seemingly to death, on a squirrel skull.

I never, ever weary of the treasures to be found among the deep tracks, I mean DEEP STACKS, of Natural History.

05.03.2026 00:40 β€” πŸ‘ 49    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2

They killed 180 children and their teachers in a double-tap strike on a school. The girls were 7 to 12 years old.

05.03.2026 04:33 β€” πŸ‘ 4236    πŸ” 1744    πŸ’¬ 97    πŸ“Œ 30

Big effort, exciting results - our paper on the constraints of thermal limits in tropical insects is now out in @nature.com! πŸ¦‹πŸπŸͺ°πŸͺ²πŸ¦—
@ecoresearchzoo3.bsky.social
@biologie-uniwue.bsky.social
@uni-wuerzburg.de

04.03.2026 19:43 β€” πŸ‘ 76    πŸ” 32    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 2
Screenshot of the first page of the PDF of the Review article, Transgenerational plasticity and climate change: phenotypic responses across ectothermic animals, by Anthony Gilbert and Daniel Warner. The publishing information states: Β© 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb250304. doi:10.1242/jeb.250304. The first sentence of the Abstract says, 'Using organismal-level data to predict population-level responses to climate change is a common, yet complicated challenge'.

Screenshot of the first page of the PDF of the Review article, Transgenerational plasticity and climate change: phenotypic responses across ectothermic animals, by Anthony Gilbert and Daniel Warner. The publishing information states: Β© 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb250304. doi:10.1242/jeb.250304. The first sentence of the Abstract says, 'Using organismal-level data to predict population-level responses to climate change is a common, yet complicated challenge'.

In their Review, Gilbert & Warner discuss how warming due to climate change can have effects across multiple generations of ectotherms and highlight knowledge gaps which would benefit from future research

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

04.03.2026 09:28 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

If you ever want to read a paper for free and can't find it otherwise, email the lead author and politely ask for a copy. You will not be bothering the person. You will in fact make their whole entire day. I have had scientists get so excited I asked they sent me everything they ever published.

04.03.2026 02:17 β€” πŸ‘ 2743    πŸ” 974    πŸ’¬ 17    πŸ“Œ 40

When someone says β€žScientists do not want you to knowβ€œ you can dismiss everything from there on. Scientists want you to know. They are desperate that you know. They can’t shut up about what they found out and want you to know.

03.03.2026 12:10 β€” πŸ‘ 9269    πŸ” 4022    πŸ’¬ 75    πŸ“Œ 162

#winterwarming

04.03.2026 04:15 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Friends, we need to set the bar higher than this.

03.03.2026 18:00 β€” πŸ‘ 51    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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This week's EGI seminar will be given by Prof Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social from Johannes Gutenberg-UniversitΓ€t Mainz @unimainz.bsky.social on the role of time in avian trade-offs. All welcome in person in LT1 in LaMB @biology.ox.ac.uk 3.30pm on 6 March. Also live-streamed: details available ⬇️

03.03.2026 07:50 β€” πŸ‘ 31    πŸ” 19    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
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Ding-dong! The Dutch Fish Doorbell needs you to help migrating fish A Dutch lock is closed for the spring, and its employees want you to tell them when migrating fish come knocking by ringing a digital doorbell

Well, in more pleasant news, the Fish Doorbell is back... πŸ§ͺ

02.03.2026 20:32 β€” πŸ‘ 333    πŸ” 160    πŸ’¬ 4    πŸ“Œ 9
photos from an excellent study by Cohen et al (2021) of a cerambycid beetle just straight up doing it with the flower of Disa forficaria, in a classic example of a ~sexual mimicry pollination system~

photos from an excellent study by Cohen et al (2021) of a cerambycid beetle just straight up doing it with the flower of Disa forficaria, in a classic example of a ~sexual mimicry pollination system~

the humiliation of going on a hot date then finding out she wasn't even in the same PHYLUM (then someone writes a whole paper about it, with photos of your wiener)

01.03.2026 03:37 β€” πŸ‘ 184    πŸ” 50    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 5
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How and why does cognition vary so greatly between individuals and species? In @natrevbiodiv.nature.com, we propose the "Predatory Intelligence Hypothesis" which posits that the cognitive challenges associated with predator–prey interactions drive a cognitive co-evolutionary arms race

rdcu.be/e5KIj

26.02.2026 02:22 β€” πŸ‘ 47    πŸ” 23    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1
25.02.2026 08:43 β€” πŸ‘ 5879    πŸ” 1301    πŸ’¬ 11    πŸ“Œ 12
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Something I’ve learned - the best research environments aren't sterile. They're alive with creativity and warmth, with huge fish murals and dogs who have no idea what a p-value is but show up to lab meeting anyway. Science is a human endeavour and humans need to be inspired by their surroundings.

25.02.2026 12:55 β€” πŸ‘ 49    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

In any other sector this would be front page news along with government funding announcements.

The UK just seems to not value higher education.

25.02.2026 08:10 β€” πŸ‘ 43    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Biomedical and life science articles by female researchers spend longer under review Women are underrepresented in academia, especially in STEMM fields, at top institutions, and in senior positions. This study analyzes millions of biomedical and life science articles, revealing that f...

Median amount of time spent under review is 7.4–14.6% longer for female-authored articles than for male-authored articles and the differences remain significant after controlling for several factors - analysis of >36.5 million articles in >36,000 journals
doi.org/10.1371/jour...

25.02.2026 07:11 β€” πŸ‘ 51    πŸ” 33    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

So true 🫠

24.02.2026 20:29 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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IOB's EIC is Dr. Ignacio Moore.

read more about his work with tropical #birds, & #reptiles

www.biol.vt.edu/faculty/moor...

& look over IOB to see if we are a fit for your work:

academic.oup.com/iob

24.02.2026 12:05 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
A card announcing the call for papers stating 'Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction Guest Editors: Etya Amsalem, Tony D. Williams and Kathryn Wilsterman. Submission deadline: 30 June 2026' with the Journal of Experimental Biology logo and the logo for the Special Issue containing an egg cell surrounded by eight sperm cells. The eighth sperm, on the top right, is penetrating the egg.

A card announcing the call for papers stating 'Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction Guest Editors: Etya Amsalem, Tony D. Williams and Kathryn Wilsterman. Submission deadline: 30 June 2026' with the Journal of Experimental Biology logo and the logo for the Special Issue containing an egg cell surrounded by eight sperm cells. The eighth sperm, on the top right, is penetrating the egg.

We are calling for Reviews, Commentaries or research papers for our upcoming Special Issue: The Integrative Biology of Reproduction, covering the entire reproductive process, from mate selection, mating and egg-laying or pregnancy through to parental care

bit.ly/3ZT42hY

24.02.2026 09:23 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The Epstein files document what many women researchers have long experienced but rarely seen laid bare so starkly: exclusion operating behind closed doors, shaping who gets funded, invited, mentored, and taken seriously. How many of these networks, norms, and gatekeepers remain in place?

23.02.2026 23:35 β€” πŸ‘ 4288    πŸ” 1767    πŸ’¬ 42    πŸ“Œ 52
Differences in the relative percentage of life stages exposed to climatic stressor(s) (a, c, e) or assessed for physiological traits (b, d, f) across the traits (top row), taxa (middle row), and climate change stressors surveyed (bottom row). Studies categorized in β€œdevelopment” yet assessing adult animals are studies measuring whole animal size, growth or measuring multiple life stages. Other stressors not captured by these broad categories (i.e. diet, UV radiation; n = 6) and studies investigating interactions between climatic and non-climatic stressors (n = 138) are not displayed for clarity. Note that the values do not correspond to strict percentages of studies because some studies have investigated multiple life stages, traits, taxa or stressors. Representative diagrams were drawn by me!

Differences in the relative percentage of life stages exposed to climatic stressor(s) (a, c, e) or assessed for physiological traits (b, d, f) across the traits (top row), taxa (middle row), and climate change stressors surveyed (bottom row). Studies categorized in β€œdevelopment” yet assessing adult animals are studies measuring whole animal size, growth or measuring multiple life stages. Other stressors not captured by these broad categories (i.e. diet, UV radiation; n = 6) and studies investigating interactions between climatic and non-climatic stressors (n = 138) are not displayed for clarity. Note that the values do not correspond to strict percentages of studies because some studies have investigated multiple life stages, traits, taxa or stressors. Representative diagrams were drawn by me!

new paper and illustrations πŸ§ͺπŸ‘©πŸ»β€πŸ”¬πŸŒŽπŸŒ

We asked are embryos understudied in conservation physiology?

Turns out, despite the increasing recognition of the ecological importance & sensitivity of embryos, we found no evidence that embryo research has gained traction over the past 10yrs

paper link belowπŸ‘‡πŸΌ

23.02.2026 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 14    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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Scotland Outdoors - Tawny Owls, Pearl Mussels and Jelly Ears - BBC Sounds Mark Stephen and Rachel Stewart with stories from the great outdoors

Our research on Tawny Owls at @sbohvm.gla.ac.uk was featured on this episode of BBC Radio Scotland - listen at: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

We discuss how we track Tawnies' movements and the way they are adapting to noisy and light-polluted areas

@dmdominoni.bsky.social
@iapetusdtp.bsky.social

23.02.2026 10:47 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Amplifying global voices: Removing language barriers in academic conferences We invite you to share your experiences with language barriers at academic conferences. Your insights will help shape more inclusive and multilingual events across disciplines and formats. This survey...

Just 🚨TWO WEEKS🚨 until the deadline of our language barriers survey! Don't miss out on the opportunity to share your experiences of language barriers in academic conferences. Take our short survey at: forms.gle/u8ESktcJP8Y6...

12.02.2026 21:39 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I think we've figured out we were over-diluting the samples, >90% binding in all but the neat and 1:2 dilutions so we'll run again! It seems a less sensitive kit than those others have used for lizards faeces, and that I've used for plasma. Standards were fine so 🀞🀞🀞 for next run!

21.02.2026 10:48 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

The question may not be "why are British students taking so many useless degrees?" so much as "why can't the British economy generate enough graduate vacancies?"

20.02.2026 09:50 β€” πŸ‘ 142    πŸ” 40    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 4
Decorative Image Array of the Bracket Guide, the Combatant Logo and the 2026 Bracket. Screen-reader materials available at the LibGuide.

Decorative Image Array of the Bracket Guide, the Combatant Logo and the 2026 Bracket. Screen-reader materials available at the LibGuide.

BRACKET DROP DAY!!!!
Get yours now at the LibGuide! libguides.asu.edu/MarchMammalM...
Pick your portal: Players, Learners, or Educator!
#2026MMM

19.02.2026 23:31 β€” πŸ‘ 95    πŸ” 56    πŸ’¬ 15    πŸ“Œ 23

Thanks for your reply! Didn’t explicitly test pH but we’d removed uric acid during faecal prep - fairly easy to do manually with lizard pellets, possible trace amounts remained though…

20.02.2026 10:04 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
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🚨 we're looking for Associate Editors to join our editorial board!
🐜 join some of the world's best animal ecologists and get the chance to handle exceptional submissions to our journal
πŸ“ deadline is 8 March - more information can be found below:
buff.ly/MzIXj6U

19.02.2026 12:02 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 12    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
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Number of academics working in the UK falls for first time Some universities reduce staff teams by more than a fifth after year of cutbacks and job losses, new data show

The number of academics working in UK institutions has fallen for the first time on record, new figures reveal. Patrick Jack reports #EduSky #AcademicSky
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/number-academics-working-uk-falls-first-time

19.02.2026 12:01 β€” πŸ‘ 13    πŸ” 21    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2