Excited to share a new article written with fantastic co-authors

Towards an Integrated Understanding of Animal Weapons

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

We had wondered what was happening to make these bugs so squishy, and what it could mean for their lives. A stiff exoskeleton is needed to stabilize the body for flight, in defense againse predators, and so much more. This is the second paper we've published on the topic, with many more on the way.

Back in 2018 I approached Walter Federle with something that we had been noticing in my lab (back in Florida at the time). When leaf-footed cactus bugs could not eat their favorite food, cactus fruit, we could feel that their exoskeleton was soft.

Happy to share that our new paper is out and open access -
"Adult nutrition strongly affects insect cuticle thickness and injury resistance"
This paper was a long-time coming!

royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article...

Rufous-backed dwarf kingfisher — such colour!

Gorgeous rainforest sunrise

The little spiderhunter of Borneo

2025 Tropical Biology Field Course in the Danum Valley of Borneo

Images: a diver collecting community data on soft corals in Japan; trophallaxis between ants; ashy mining bee visiting oilseed rape flowers. Credit: Steven Falk

Are you a prospective postgrad looking for a research project?

Check out our brand new list of postgrad projects for 2026-27.

From animal weapons 💥and rewilding, to neuronal plasticity and invitro fertilisation 🧪 the breadth of topics is tremendous.

Find out more: bit.ly/3VxHscv

@danielbolnick.bsky.social: "Keep doing science: the pursuit of knowledge is an act of resistance." #Evol2025

The three academic positions (Lecturer/Senior Lecturer) in the School of Biological Sciences at Monash University are now advertised. Details here:

Ecology:
careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

Genomics:
careers.pageuppeople.com/513/cw/en/jo...

Love this bumblebee action shot, photo taken by my daughter

🎉Congratulations!

Dr Ellie Bladon on becoming the first Pathway to Independence Fellow in Ecology and Conservation Biology at Clare College Cambridge.

She'll be working in the @cwmiller.bsky.social lab here in Zoology.

Read more: bit.ly/4encSuX

RFK Jr. Vows To Make Measles Deaths So Common They Won’t Be Upsetting Anymore WASHINGTON—Addressing the ongoing outbreak in Texas that has infected at least 124 state residents and killed one child, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed Thursday to mak...

RFK Jr. Vows To Make Measles Deaths So Common They Won’t Be Upsetting Anymore

The foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled Federal scientists warn that Americans could feel the effects of the new administration's devastating cuts for decades to come.

www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/21/1...

Any talk you hear from the current administration about making the US more competitive in science and technology is utter bullshit. What they are doing is sabotaging our country for years if not decades to come.

‘The Interview’: Ed Yong Wants to Show You the Hidden Reality of the World The Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer talks about burnout from covering the pandemic and how bird-watching gave him a new sense of hope.

The most achingly beautiful explanation of what science is, from @edyong209.bsky.social: “the idea that much of the world is hidden from us, that we don’t perceive it and don’t understand it, and that it is worth understanding and it is necessary to understand.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/02/22/m...

I send an email to coordinate a project. I sign it:
Best fishes,
Sarah

Artist replies. They sign it
Worm-ly,
Jean

Things can still be good.

Please don’t stop sharing and posting your science because of the current attack on it, it is still valuable and reminds us what the fight is for

Firings are happening right now at the National Science Foundation. Essential staff are being cut.

This isn’t about the budget. If it was, they’d be going after the military (17%) or state appropriations (38%). NSF is 0.7% of the federal budget. All federal employees make up only 4% of the budget.

This is an attack on US science. NSF staff provide critical support for scientific infrastructure and global excellence. These are valuable dedicated public servants. Please contact your reps, write letters, make noise!

Are there any plans for rallies at NSF headquarters?

Journalists: COVER THIS!

Lucky to work with such fabulous people

Back in Gainesville for a visit, my home for 17 years. Strange to now be an outsider. But, so nice to see the sunshine and smiling faces.

At Stockholm University, we are now starting a 2-year Master’s programme in Evolutionary Genomics!

Topics include population genetics, phylogenetics, molecular & genome evolution, DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and palaeogenetics.

Please spread the word!

www.su.se/english/sear...

"A study of federally funded research projects in the United States estimated that principal investigators spend on average about 45% of their time on administrative activities related to applying for and managing projects rather than conducting active research"

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Award-winning SPDAC sticker design by SICB member and graduate student Joseph Wu.

The #SICB Division of Botany needs a new Student/Postdoc Representative to work with their Division & @sicb-spdac.bsky.social to coordinate student/postdoc events for the annual meeting & during the academic year. If you know any students or postdocs who might be interested, please let me know!

SICB logo

#SICB is looking for nominees to important society-wide positions: #SICBSecretary #SICBProgramOfficer #SICBMemberAtLarge. As one of this year's #NominationsCommittee I'm interested in your ideas! Please DM, email, or find me in Atlanta #SICB2025

just blurted out in class "yes, you have to cite where you got your info. in a world in which lying loudly is the only thing that seems to get rewarded, citing your sources is an act of resistance" and folks, I really believe that.

Applications open for SFI’s Summer 2025 residential Education programs in Santa Fe! santafe.edu/education
Details below.

In this photo, SFI Professor Sid Redner meets with summer students at the SFI Cowan Campus (image: Doug Merriam)