Patrick Goymer

Suffolk leading the way with the earliest evidence of fire lighting.

Forage preference in two geographically co-occurring fungus gardening ants: A dietary DNA approach Traditional methods of forage identification are impractical with non-leafcutting fungus gardening ants, making diet-related ecological and life history questions difficult to study. To address this…

A study by @antsymbiosis.bsky.social and colleagues uses DNA metabarcoding to study how plant foraging differs between co-occurring fungus-gardening ant species. Diet preference appears driven both by species-specific plant preference, and location-specific resource availability.

plos.io/4pY5qLh

Morphological diversity in the honeyeater hyolingual apparatus and its relationship with nectarivory Honeyeaters (Aves, Meliphagidae) are a speciose clade of nectarivorous birds, and there is immense diversity in the degree to which different species within the family rely on nectar. Honeyeater…

A new study from Amanda Hewes and colleagues documents interspecific diversity in honeyeater tongue and hyoid morphology, showing that tongue length and the proportion of tongue that is bristled are both positively correlated to degree of nectarivory.

Postcranial anatomy of the Late Miocene Eurasian hornless rhinocerotid Chilotherium The hornless rhinocerotid genus Chilotherium is one of the most common rhinoceroses found in Eurasia during the Late Miocene, even being the most abundant large mammal in some localities. Despite its…

A new study from Panagiotis Kampouridis and colleagues describes postcranial material from three Late Miocene Eurasian hornless rhinocerotid Chilotherium species, and identifies characters useful for species identification and phylogenetic inference.

Seasonal climatic niche-switching migration in the Nearctic-Neotropical Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) Migratory birds inhabit diverse geographic regions during their reproductive and wintering periods; however, information regarding the climatic conditions that enable migratory birds, particularly…

A new study reconstructs seasonal ecological niches for the near threatened Nearctic–Neotropical Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus), and finds distinct climatic niche spaces between reproductive and wintering periods.

plos.io/493Ixzt

Potential distribution of Aedes vittatus as an invasive species in North America The recent detection of populations of the mosquito Aedes vittatus in the Dominican Republic and Cuba has raised concerns over its potential for broader invasion in the Western Hemisphere, and…

Aedes vittatus, native to Africa and Asia, is a significant vector of yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya and dengue. Modelling from @atpbiodiv.bsky.social and colleagues highlights year-round suitable areas for Aedes vittatus in USA, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean islands.

Neural and endothelial cell-derived extracellular vesicles mediate Zika virus genome dissemination and productive infection in vivo Zika virus (ZIKV) is a neurotropic flavivirus linked to severe neurodevelopmental defects following prenatal exposure. While the mechanisms by which ZIKV spreads within the central nervous system…

A study by Calderón-Peláez et al shows that extracellular vesicles (EVs) from Zika virus-infected neural cells can deliver Zika viral RNA that establishes productive infection in neonatal mice, implicating EVs as a previously underappreciated route for CNS Zika virus spread.

Unraveling the herpetofauna diversity in canga and forest ecosystems of the Eastern Amazon Species inventories are essential for discovering new taxa, improving knowledge of species’ geographic distributions, characterizing local richness, evaluating biodiversity loss, and contributing to…

A new study from Ana Lúcia Costa Prudente et al surveys amphibians and reptiles from canga (‘ironstone savanna’) and forest habitats in southeastern Pará, Brazil, and provides a DNA‑barcode library of 860 COI and 16S rRNA sequences to support future biodiversity research.

Post-copulatory competition in a social monogamy system: Sperm morphology correlates with components of reproductive success Males in socially monogamous species can achieve reproductive success through multiple tactics– by defending paternity within the social nest and siring extra-pair offspring, or both. Previous…

A new study from Carly Hawkins and colleagues explores a correlation between sperm morphology (head and/or flagellum size) and different components of reproductive success (extra-pair success versus within-nest paternity defence) in a socially monogamous sparrow species:

eDNA reveals spatial differences in species composition of protected rockfishes Rare species are difficult and time-consuming to detect, but environmental DNA (eDNA) methods can be used to increase data availability for monitoring and management. Here, we use the diverse…

A new study from @stephaniematthews.bsky.social and colleagues uses eDNA metabarcoding to show spatial differences in protected rockfish species composition, supporting eDNA as a tool for detecting rare and difficult to observe species in the marine environment:

High-Resolution Melting assays development for discrimination of fungal pathogens causing Grapevine Trunk Diseases Grapevine Trunk Diseases are a set of fungal diseases that mainly affect wood tissues of grapevine, reducing plant fitness and yield. These diseases limit grape production, so producers need to…

Grapevine Trunk Diseases cause significant losses to grape producers. A new study by Azevedo-Nogueira and colleagues develops High-Resolution Melting assays that discriminate fungal pathogens causing these diseases, enabling rapid species-level detection and informed management:

Reconstructing the degree of mammal defaunation throughout the Caatinga - the largest dry tropical forest region of South America Mammal diversity around the world has been increasingly threatened by a myriad of anthropogenic drivers, but particularly overhunting and natural habitat loss. These threats alter the structure of…

Canassa and colleagues reveal the loss of up to 80% of mid-to-large mammal species across Brazil's Caatinga scrubland since pre-colonial times, largely driven by agricultural land conversion, and causing a 77% decrease in mammal biomass and a severe loss of ecosystem functionality.

We have just 7 days to raise £15,000 for nature’s recovery in Suffolk!

Until 9 December any donation made via the Big Give website will be doubled. This means if you donate £25, we’d receive £50, and your support has double the impact.

🔗 https://donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000005AY5ZYAW

More than 16,000 tracks found at a ‘dinosaur freeway’ in Bolivia | CNN Theropods once trekked along a “dinosaur freeway” that stretched across a shoreline in what is now Bolivia, according to a new study.

Esperante et al report 1321 theropod trackways, 16,600 exposed dinosaur tracks, plus numerous solitary tracks, abundant tail traces and swim tracks at Carreras Pampa tracksite in Torotoro National Park, Bolivia.

edition.cnn.com/2025/12/04/s...

Original article: journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

Image shows a large white bird with a long, curved beak and red face (a crested ibis) standing in an area of vegetation. Image credit: Siqi Wang, Yangxian County, Shaanxi, China. CC-BY 4.0

Is all wildlife #conservation good? In this Perspective, Tien Ming Lee &co discuss whether it is possible to over-conserve charismatic species and call for greater focus on whole ecosystems in conservation measures of success.
#wildlife #WorldWildlifeConservationDay 🧪
plos.io/4nQ0Ygo

Relative abundance and diversity of sharks and predatory fishes across Marine Protected Areas of the Tropical Eastern Pacific Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) support globally distinct reef fish populations, which exhibit differences between the remote oceanic islands and continental coast....

McKinley et al show that oceanic-island marine protected areas in the Tropical Eastern Pacific host some of the largest known relative abundances of sharks on nearshore reefs, while coastal marine protected areas show worrying signs of predator depletion.

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

A reliable in vitro rumen culture system and workflow for screening anti-methanogenic compounds Arguably the biggest man-made challenge of the century is halting climate change. Livestock’s methane (CH4) emissions, a greenhouse gas with a higher global warming potential than carbon dioxide…

A new Lab Protocol from @sabass-lab.bsky.social and colleagues presents an in vitro rumen culture and workflow that reproducibly screens anti-methanogenic compounds, aiding feed-based methane mitigation studies: plos.io/4oyyc4a

Protocol available via @protocolsio.bsky.social at plos.io/3KAOThi

New on the blog! In an interview with Veronique Kiermer @verokiermer.bsky.social, Chief Scientific Officer for @plos.org, she provides insight into their approach to data sharing, visibility and evaluation.

👉 Read the post: makedatacount.org/read-our-blo...

#dataevaluation #datasharing

The phenotypic spaces of Arabidopsis thaliana F2s vs. wild accessions. The results shown correspond to one of the 10 hypervolume calculations. Left: Trait hypervolumes based on the first three principal component analysis (PCA) dimensions (with opaque dots representing observed data points, and semitransparent small dots representing uniformly distributed random points generated by the algorithm used for hypervolume computation). Hypervolumes with size equivalent to the mean of the 100 hypervolumes generated by resampling per group (F2s vs. accessions) are shown. Right: Trait variation within the phenotypic spaces of A. thaliana F2s (blue) and wild accessions (red) considering the first three PCA dimensions of trait hypervolumes. Hypervolume centroids, observed data points, and uniformly distributed random points generated by the algorithm used for hypervolume computation are depicted by large circles, opaque dots, and semitransparent small dots, respectively. Hypervolumes with size equivalent to the mean of the 100 hypervolumes generated by resampling per group (F2s vs. accessions) are shown. LA, leaf area; LDMC, leaf dry matter content; LNC, leaf nitrogen content; SLA, specific leaf area.

Why do we observe some plant #phenotypes but not others? This study explores the multivariate #PhenotypicSpace of a widely distributed #plant species to reveal how interplays between population history & natural selection shape phenotypic diversity in #Arabidopsis @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/43Z8IWi

White supremacy and misogyny, particularly "the double bind" of racism and misogyny, confounds meritocracy in academia

The Ten Best Science Books of 2025 From “experimental archaeology” to the mysterious appeal of exploration, the wide-ranging subjects detailed in these titles captivated Smithsonian magazine’s science contributors this year

Once more, @smithsonianmag.bsky.social asked me for my favorite science books out this year. I picked Mary Roach's Replaceable You and Sadiah Qureshi's Vanished, the latter of which I especially recommend for the way it offers an important new view of what we mean when we talk about extinction.

Suffolk Wildlife Trust completes purchase of Worlingham Marshes Suffolk Wildlife Trust says it is really thankful to everyone who donated to its appeal.

Two recent wins for nature in Suffolk:
@suffolkwildlife.bsky.social purchases Worlingham Marshes, a step towards a River Waveney wildlife corridor: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mid Suffolk District Council (led by @midsuffolkgreen.bsky.social) pledges £1.8m for nature: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

David Baltimore obituary: virologist whose enzyme discovery transformed understanding of cancer and HIV/AIDS The protein, reverse transcriptase, has become an essential tool for making DNA copies of RNA.

Obituary: David Baltimore (1938-2025) virologist whose enzyme discovery transformed understanding of cancer and HIV/AIDS

go.nature.com/443Vojo

World AIDS Day 2025 - "Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response" - EveryONE An interview with PLOS One Section Editor Professor Limin Mao discussing how HIV/AIDS research the field has developed during the last two years…

On #WorldAIDSDay, Section Editor Limin Mao discusses HIV research and society.

'HIV research has always been about people: their courage, creativity and determination to care for one another. HIV is not only a disease but also magnifies socioeconomic disparities.'
everyone.plos.org/2025/12/01/w...

Meet the researcher aiming to halt use of ‘fundamentally flawed’ database linking IQ and nationality Rebecca Sear Rebecca Sear is on a mission to convince publishers to retract articles that use a database that purports to rank countries based on intelligence. To maintain the integrity of scientif…

. @rebeccasear.bsky.social is on a mission to get all studies using a database linking #IQ and race retracted. I spoke to her for @retractionwatch.com to find out more: retractionwatch.com/2025/11/25/m...

Women seem to retract fewer papers than men — but why? In an analysis of nearly 900 retracted medical-research studies, the number of female authors is disproportionately low.

There women go, not ruining science again 🤷‍♀️

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Did any #plantscience colleagues attend the #canvas25 meeting held by the tri-societies @asa-cssa-sssa.bsky.social? PLOS One's @patrickgoymer.bsky.social shares his experience on our blog. cc @globalplantgpc.bsky.social #plantsci 🌿🧪🔬🌱

Impressions of a broad CANVAS - EveryONE Posted on behalf of PLOS One’s Life Sciences Division Editor Patrick Goymer The American Society of Agronomy (ASA), Crop Science Society of…

Our Life Science Division Editor @patrickgoymer.bsky.social recently attended @asa-cssa-sssa.bsky.social's #CANVAS25 meeting in Salt Lake City, and reports back here on the journal's EveryOne blog:

everyone.plos.org/2025/11/25/i...

Sleep pressure and slow-wave-rich NREM sleep exert distinct effects on cerebral vasomotion and on brain pulsations driven by respiratory and cardiac forces. Heightened sleep pressure (following 35 h of wakefulness) promotes vasomotion (yellow box). Slow-wave-rich NREM sleep enhances brain pulsations driven by the respiratory and cardiac cycles—more so in gray and white matter than in the ventricles (red boxes). The respiration- and cardiac-driven brain pulsations also intensify with deeper sleep (N3 > N2) and correlate with EEG delta power, which is a measure of slow-wave activity (light vs. dark red boxes).

Sleep supports brain health partly by regulating fluid dynamics to clear waste. @ulvlarsen.bsky.social &co probe the relation between #sleep & fluid movement in the human #brain, finding that #SleepPressure & intensity have distinct effects on brain pulsations @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3XQWCL6

I was interviewed by Newsweek about the backlash to my DPhil announcement. You can read it here:

www.newsweek.com/gen-z-woman-...