Chris Wacker

Introducing The Dark Frontier.

The deep sea is one of humanity's last frontiers. For most of our history it has been a remote realm shrouded in obscurity. Marine microbiologist and deep-sea explorer Jeffrey Marlow plunges us into the ocean's depths. Out April 2026. linktr.ee/TheDarkFrontier

Want to join a global 🌎 initiative to test the thermal limits of 🐟 using standardised approach? Led by @patricepottier.bsky.social, we are planning a globally distributed experiment to collect data on fish embryonic heat tolerance 🌡️. Make this experiment global!

🔗: www.thermalecologyalliance.org

Aussie Bird Count Celebrate National Bird Week by taking part in the biggest citizen science project to hit Aussie shores. Join thousands of people from across the country, heading out into their backyards, local parks...

Australia's Aussie Bird Count starts today! Citizen science projects actually do gather important and useful data.

aussiebirdcount.org.au?fbclid=IwY2x...

From BirdLife Australia.

An image of Jane Goodall and a chimpanzee, from 1965. Photo courtesy CBS Photo Archive / Getty.

The naturalist Jane Goodall died today at 91. Hope, she argued, is not merely “passive wishful thinking” but a “crucial survival trait.” Revisit a conversation with Goodall, from 2021: nyer.cm/F55JtsS

"If we lose hope, we're doomed."

We must continue Dr. Jane Goodall's mission and all fight for the future of the planet.

Who gets to do science? A demand for English is hurting marginalised researchers Everyone, no matter their background, should have an equal chance to work in science – but there are huge systemic barriers.

theconversation.com/who-gets-to-...

Incredible footage of a rarely filmed large 3 dimensional school of circling Cownose Rays. I was really psyched to have captured this. The 3 dimensional school was circling on a horizontal plane and also on a vertical plane.
#nature #amazing #animals #awesome #ocean #wildlife #mesmerizing

Truly impressive number of birds migrating tonight. More than 800 MILLION birds up in the air right now❗ #BirdMigration

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

The Voices of Nature! In our first Mennill Lab meeting of the new academic year, we started our reading of @nicolasmathevon.bsky.social’s great book of bioacoustics. Highly recommended reading for those interested in animal sounds.

Tiny thumbnails may be key for rodents’ global takeover Thumbnails might have boosted rodents’ food-handling skills, helping them thrive worldwide.

www.sciencenews.org/article/thum...

Michael Luenig: Here is the news

Yes please. More ducks (reminds me of Michael Leunig)

We've just recorded a Rare Earth on animal migration & this app is amazing. It's called Animal Tracker (www.icarus.mpg.de/29... ), and it's real time data on 100s of animals - birds, foxes, bison & more. Their tracks are fascinating, taking clear routes with intent. More to come next wk on the air!

Born #OnThisDay in 1907 was geologist and palaeontologist Professor Dorothy Hill FRS. She was the first female professor at an Australian university, the first female president of the Australian Academy of Science, and the first Australian woman to become Fellow of the Royal Society. #WomenInSTEM

Wild Reads: 10 New Books that Celebrate Wildlife and Their Environments • The Revelator From chimpanzees and wolves to snakes and starlings, these new books capture hidden truths about fascinating species — and reveal how to better protect them.

WAY TO GO @alybatgirl.bsky.social!!!!! #2025MMM therevelator.org/wildlife-boo...

Yes, spectacled flying foxes are noisy and drop poo everywhere. But our rainforests need them Without urgent action, a species that helps hold rainforests together might be gone for good.

Species have a right to exist regardless of what humans think theconversation.com/yes-spectacl...

This #nationalthreatenedspecies day, please enjoy some fabulous #australianmammal images submitted by our talented and dedicated Committee..
#numbat - @ellaloeffler.bsky.social
#fattaileddunnart - @drdunnart.bsky.social
#leadbeaterspossum - Arabella Eyre
#spottedtailedquoll - Jemma Cripps

Especially when the alternative reviewers know about it and are expecting the invitation to review!!

I tried to test for TWW (the first time I ever tried) but it felt a bit pointless

I am still trying to decide which level to get. Did you beta test TWW?

A mouse that rocks: camera trapping shows that mound assessment criteria do not reliably predict pebble mouse (Pseudomys chapmani) activity Context The western pebble mound mouse (Pseudomys chapmani) is an understudied Australian rodent that tunnels in rocky substrate to excavate a complex subterranean burrow system that is topped with a ...

And more in #nativerodent news - "A mouse that rocks" - activity in #pebblemoundmice varies across the landscape and 'inactive' mounds are likely to be cricial resources. Out now at @wildliferesearchj.bsky.social #wildoz
www.publish.csiro.au/WR/WR24209

Nothing beats the rakali, Australia's mighty native water rat Whether it's hunting invasive pests or rolling in a river like an otter, there's a lot to love about the rakali. And a lot of Australians love it.

Most underrated Australian animal? The RAKALI!! It's giving 'embrace our native rats' vibes! 🐾

www.abc.net.au/news/science...

Velvet worm vs ghost bat. Vote now for Australia's most underrated animal Move over, roos and emus — this National Science Week, we're looking for the most underrated Australian animal. Meet the contestants, and vote for who you think should win.

Very excited to see this launched and proud to have helped shape the list. www.abc.net.au/news/science... What’s Australia’s most underrated animal? Get voting!

#PlantSuccess July 2025 #newsletter is out now!
👀 Read it here: bit.ly/PS-newslette...
📨 Subscribe here: bit.ly/PS-News-Subs...

Bringing whale superhighways to life - a new digital platform a game-changer for ocean conservation — WWF Protecting Whales & Dolphins Initiative In a major advance for marine conservation, WWF and a global coalition of leading scientists, civil society, governments, and tech innovators have launched BlueCorridors.org —a dynamic new platform...

Big Science 🙂 Many of our friends and colleagues made this happen. Shout-out to Mike Donoghue and to my husband, Scott Baker who, 20 years ago, organized a consortium of South Pacific whale researchers to track whale biology and movements using old-school techniques, like photo ID.

screen grab of the global ectotherm life history hindcaster

Here are some new Shiny apps that allow hindcasts of animal life histories using the microclimate, ectotherm and DEB models of NicheMapR:

bioforecasts.science.unimelb.edu.au/app_direct/e...
bioforecasts.science.unimelb.edu.au/app_direct/e...
bioforecasts.science.unimelb.edu.au/app_direct/e...

This is Whiskey. She knows people pay good money for mud baths. Found this one for free! 13/10 very resourceful my friend (TT: ivycaponi)

🦉Rat poisons are killing Aussie birds — 281 experts unite to say enough is enough.

These deadly second-generation poisons are harming our birds, wildlife and pets. A federal review is underway, with a decision expected very soon.

Visit: actforbirds.org/ratpoison to have your say!