G is for Geode. And that's good enough for me.

Looking for a postdoc? Letter of Intent deadline for the Human Frontiers postdoc fellowship is in early May!

www.hfsp.org/funding/hfsp...
My husband had one of these and they were a great funder to work with.

Get in touch if you think I/my lab might be a good fit for your research ideas!

Thrilled that the Women in Ecology & Evolution podcast is listed here! So many of the topics we've discussed are still so timely, so hope this generates some new listeners. I would love to revive this someday soon...

It’s me!

Some geckos reflect uv light.

Screenshot of PDF of the Commentary, A call for a systematic approach to documenting physiological diversity in squamates and beyond , by Infinity Alvarez and Charles M. Watson. The publishig information states: © 2026. Published by The Company of Biologists | Journal of Experimental Biology (2026) 229, jeb251649. doi:10.1242/jeb.251649. The first sentence of the Abstract reads: As anthropogenic climate change and urbanization continue to elevate global temperatures, understanding how ectotherms respond physiologically to temperature is of increasing importance.

Often, lizards & snakes serve as models for thermal biology studies. However, these studies rarely employ a standard methodology, making comparisons difficult. In their Commentary, Alvarez & Watson suggest a conceptual framework to address this problem

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

For those interested in the relation between HPS and science itself, here is our new page about HPS Mentoring in Science (with Alan Love and Tobias Uller)

www.hps-mentoring-in-biology.org

Ymddygiad, Ecoleg a Ffisioleg ym Mangor

Exciting news! Our website is now available in CYMRAEG! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 www.bangor.ac.uk/cy/ygan/beps...

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: © 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/...

@kjmacleod.bsky.social 😂

Has anyone used Cayman Chemical kits for faecal glucocorticoid metabolite assays? Validating this kit for lizard faeces and on the struggle bus with some strange results. Trying to figure out if we've messed up the prep steps or the calculations. Would really appreciate some input/advice!

Spatial learning and lateralization in lizards Abstract. Spatial memory is a fundamental cognitive process that allows animals to navigate and interact with their environment effectively. While extensiv

📣 I am excited to share some new collaborative work published in Biology Letter @royalsocietypublishing.org on spatial learning and lateralisation in lizards 🦎! Check out the full OA paper here:
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...

#AnimalCognition #ThinkLikeALizard

New 2026 paper led by @patricepottier.bsky.social, @kruthsatz.bsky.social & I in @conphysjournal.bsky.social show studies on embryos make up <10% of conservation physiology studies, highlighting a major blind spot in predicting vulnerable life stages to climate change.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/conp...

'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics

My favorite part of this article, in addition to the interesting new research on beneficial microbes (of course! of course!), is the picture that makes the gut microvilli look like hot dogs at a rave.

www.newscientist.com/article/2514...

If Epstein is Trending, Why Isn’t +1.7°C? The news cycle has become a hall of mirrors: Epstein, Trumpism, war, outrage, retribution. A thousand scandals designed to keep us anxious, tribal, and tired. We have to hold multiple truths at once: ...

"This is the hard truth I want to land: climate does not care what’s trending. It’s not interested in Jeffrey Epstein, Gaza, or Greenland. There is no algorithmic mercy. Physics is physics, and it is getting more abrupt."
#climatecrisis #ElNino #auspol www.lyrebirddreaming.com/post/we-are-...

I am looking for a PhD student to join my new Socio-Eco-Evo group, hosted in Katie Peichel's Evolutionary Ecology Division @ University of Bern. We're offering a fully funded 4-year position, studying social plasticity and behavioral adaptation among stickleback in Greenland. Please share around!

Our new paper! Led by @miaryras.bsky.social with @wolfgangwuster.bsky.social and others 🦎

Three common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) in a crack in rocks in the southern UK. Photo credit: Amelia Harvey.

Winters are warming faster than summers, which could affect hibernating ectotherms, but it turns out that wall lizards cope well with warm winters & mini winter heatwaves, although they suffer more DNA damage, so the effects of warm winters may be concealed

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

A friend of mine suggested a whole blanket 🙈 yea/nah? Haha

Winter mini-heatwaves do not harm hibernating wall lizards obviously Summer heatwaves keep catching the headlines. Wikipedia has an entire page dedicated to the topic. But Miary Raselimanana (Bangor University, UK) and colleagues from the UK, explain that winters are w...

Other related contents: Other related content: journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/... and journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

This one means so much to me. Working far from home and away from my little human has been one of the hardest parts of this journey, but moments like this remind me why I keep going. Every sacrifice, every late night, every tear… slowly paying off.

Our study shows that although wall lizards seem resilient to short winter warm spells, constant winter warming may carry hidden costs, including potential DNA damage. This is something I hope we can keep exploring in other temperate species because there might be more to the story than we think.

When we think of climate change/global warming, we often picture summer heatwaves. But winter is also warming AND that comes with its own consequences.

Experimental winter warming increases activity with signs of potential DNA damage in common wall lizards Highlighted Article: Winter warming makes hibernating wall lizards more active, with signs of DNA damage after emergence, but no change in body condition, revealing subtle costs of milder winters.

Folks, the first paper of my PhD is now officially out! 🦎🔥 (👇🏼comments)

doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

Maternal glucocorticoid exposure drives social tolerance and growth with limited evidence for long‐term social buffering Research highlight of MacLeod, K., Bouffet-Halle, A., Wapstra, E., Uller, T. and While, G. (2025). Maternal glucocorticoids have persistent effects on offspring social phenotype irrespective of oppor...

Very cool to see this "Research Highlight" of our recent @animalecology.bsky.social paper that tested the potential for social buffering of maternal glucocorticoids in a facultatively social lizard. Grateful for this feature by Lange & Aracena! besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

🎉 Exciting milestone … my first PhD paper has been accepted in the Journal of Experimental Biology! 🥳
Not all winter warming is equal: steady, mild winters increase activity and can cause molecular damage, but short, warm spells have little effect on wall lizards 🦎

A cartoon lizard celebrating

A big week for our research group! The first paper from @miaryras.bsky.social's PhD thesis has been accepted. Looking forward to sharing some nice results about the effects of winter warming on wall lizard behaviour and physiology very soon. Well done Miary! 🤩

A lab group portrait in front of a tree

Big milestone for me - the 1st MacLeod Lab get-together! @miaryras.bsky.social & I have been a dynamic duo for 3 years but we are now joined by Charlotte (cosupervised w/ @asutto.bsky.social) & MRes students, Keya & Sacheus. Research is even more fun when you’re part of such a great team 🤩

Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)

We’re recruiting for a #PhD opportunity funded by NERC Envision DTP, investigating the impact of climate change on chytrid disease dynamics in Appalachian salamanders.
Full details here: findaphd.com?pj=182328