Stu West
@stuwest.bsky.social
📤 786
📥 19
📝 73
Evolution. He/him/his. Views not my own. 🐵🦄🏳️🌈👨🔬🍜
reposted by
Stu West
Juliet Turner
about 1 month ago
Very happy to share that I just published a new paper from my thesis! 🎉 We analysed 546 species of ant to understand how extreme specialisation into reproductive and non-reproductive roles evolved. Key discoveries in thread🧵 👇 Full paper here:
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
4
220
52
reposted by
Stu West
Tom Wenseleers
3 months ago
In our new study we were the first to experimentally simulate the origin of sociality! By controlling how many wasp 🐝daughters could help their mom, we found that early helpers don't just add to colony success—they multiply it!
2
17
8
Elegant experiment-theory mix, showing increasing returns from helping in a cooperative wasp
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
1
4
2
Great video, covering a lot of non-trivial stuff very nicely!
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
0
5
1
reposted by
Stu West
Daniel Bolnick
2 months ago
Putting on my hat as
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
ASN President for announcements, please share widely!!! 3. The ASN Conceptual Unification of Biological Sciences award is for a late career investigator
www.amnat.org/announcement...
loading . . .
Nominations for the ASN Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Conceptual Unification of the Biological Sciences
<p>The Conceptual Unification award is given annually and honors a senior but active investigator who is making fundamental contributions to the Society's goals in promoting the conceptual unifica...
https://www.amnat.org/announcements/nominate-conceptual-unification.html
0
6
7
reposted by
Stu West
Daniel Bolnick
2 months ago
Putting on my hat as
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
ASN President for announcements, please share widely!!! 3. The ASN Distinguished Naturalist award is for a mid career investigator (<= 20 years from PhD). Go here to nominate someone:
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
loading . . .
Nominations for the Distinguished Naturalist Award
<p>The ASN Distinguished Naturalist Award is given to an active investigator in mid-career who has made significant contributions to the knowledge of a particular ecosystem or group of organisms. Nom...
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.e2ma.net%2Fclick%2Fduf8xo%2Flwqw8bb%2Fl09pz4b&data=05%7C02%7Cdaniel.bolnick%40uconn.edu%7Cb8cc0b5bf31144329acf08de2bafbe9f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638996231033085116%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Zy%2FeWW16ezHqdlh0nG74c1Iu0MHPYV3zL9fmTyzqVgE%3D&reserved=0
0
7
8
reposted by
Stu West
Daniel Bolnick
2 months ago
Putting on my hat as
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
ASN President for announcements, please share widely!!! 2. ASN Early Career Investigator awards are now open for application. Self-nominations okay! Due Jan 5
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
loading . . .
Applications for the 2026 ASN Early Career Investigator Award
<p>Nominations/Applications for the 2026 Early Career Investigator Award are <strong>due January 5, 2026</strong></p><br/>
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.e2ma.net%2Fclick%2Fduf8xo%2Flwqw8bb%2Fpf8pz4b&data=05%7C02%7Cdaniel.bolnick%40uconn.edu%7Cb8cc0b5bf31144329acf08de2bafbe9f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638996231032539370%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QyrzCGHtrmFOefXaGhEcH7mZ8gUrXCN1Ebrmb8ttUsY%3D&reserved=0
1
13
14
reposted by
Stu West
Daniel Bolnick
2 months ago
Putting on my hat as
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
ASN President for a minute for a string of announcements, please share widely!!! 1. Student research awards are open for applications, to fund research expenses for 10 graduate students ($2000 each)
nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
loading . . .
Student Research Award
<p>The ASN Student Research Awards support research by student members that advances the goals of the society: the conceptual unification of ecology, evolution, and behavior. Each award consists of a ...
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ft.e2ma.net%2Fclick%2Fduf8xo%2Flwqw8bb%2Ftu6pz4b&data=05%7C02%7Cdaniel.bolnick%40uconn.edu%7Cb8cc0b5bf31144329acf08de2bafbe9f%7C17f1a87e2a254eaab9df9d439034b080%7C0%7C0%7C638996231032501203%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nJDLYnguJhMTm3fw9%2FXgCMAsI8hRaRkIN%2BXKrRYiQW8%3D&reserved=0
1
35
44
Want to join us at Oxford? This is a great Royal Society fellowship scheme to bring early career researchers from abroad.
royalsociety.org/grants/newto...
loading . . .
Newton International Fellowships | Royal Society
This fellowship is for non-UK scientists who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK.
https://royalsociety.org/grants/newton-international/
about 1 month ago
0
1
1
reposted by
Stu West
Kevin Lala
about 2 months ago
Out today! Innovations in Decolonising the Curriculum: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. I am happy (with
@kztwyman.bsky.social
& Jasmeen Kanwal) to have contributed a chapter – "Teaching the Science of Race and Racism" – to this important book that "moves beyond debate to action" Please do read.
0
13
5
A pictorial guide to parasitoids (11/11). Parasitoid population dynamics can be studied with modelling. Silwood Park, 1992.
about 2 months ago
2
1
0
reposted by
Stu West
Arvid Ågren
about 2 months ago
The book has so many great contributors. To name a few:
@amyboddy.bsky.social
@martijnschenkel.bsky.social
@stuwest.bsky.social
@reallymccoy.bsky.social
@tomwscott.bsky.social
@ellenclarke.bsky.social
@laurarossevo.bsky.social
@philippehune.bsky.social
Very excited that it's finally coming out!
0
4
3
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
about 2 months ago
@natecoevo.nature.com
making this free to read in front of the paywall for a month. Thanks guys!
add a skeleton here at some point
0
2
1
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
2 months ago
Brings back happy memories of ISBE 2024 where the conversation about this paper began.. great to see it out in
@natecoevo.nature.com
. Thanks to co-authors and to the organisers of that brilliant conference 🙏🏽.
@bbmwong.bsky.social
@stuwest.bsky.social
, Suzanne Alonzo🫶, Sasha Dall, “Dr Cunningham”
add a skeleton here at some point
1
22
7
reposted by
Stu West
Juliet Turner
2 months ago
I was interviewed by Newsweek about the backlash to my DPhil announcement. You can read it here:
www.newsweek.com/gen-z-woman-...
9
193
26
Behavioural ecology in the 21st century.....
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@asgriffin.bsky.social
loading . . .
Behavioural ecology in the twenty-first century - Nature Ecology & Evolution
This Perspective discusses how the field of behavioural ecology has contributed to fundamental science and tackling global challenges, ranging from understanding how natural selection leads to adaptat...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-025-02912-3
2 months ago
0
14
9
Strong response to the pathetic trolling of Juliet.
www.thepoke.com/2025/11/19/t...
loading . . .
The sheer volume of women magnificently owning the ‘Alpha male’ dissing this woman’s doctorate makes it one of 2025’s very best things on Twitter
Time to return – briefly – to the world of Twitter, where it turned out the very worst people can sometimes be a spark for the very best of things. It all began when ‘Alpha male’ type Richard Cooper –...
https://www.thepoke.com/2025/11/19/the-sheer-volume-of-women-magnificently-owning-the-alpha-male-dissing-this-womans-doctorate-makes-it-one-of-2025s-very-best-things-on-twitter/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=pic&utm_campaign=facebookpic&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQABHlqZ-FrZcnupQ5k9N7OGxQtwlY280acPQUG3p_JdcP7JMw2yOmDRR-nYzGkm_aem_7Q_NjpFgQegdGgD_as6L-Q
2 months ago
2
79
11
reposted by
Stu West
Oxford Biology
2 months ago
New research shows that kissing evolved in the common ancestor of humans and other large apes around 21 million years ago, and Neanderthals likely engaged in kissing too 💋 New study from
@matildabrindle.bsky.social
@stuwest.bsky.social
👇
loading . . .
Ape ancestors and Neanderthals likely kissed
https://bit.ly/3XyzmRZ
0
11
5
Kissing evolved at least 21 million years ago.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@matildabrindle.bsky.social
2 months ago
2
11
8
reposted by
Stu West
Sunil Kenchanmane Raju
2 months ago
So cool to see ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada) -- my native language in
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
😍
add a skeleton here at some point
0
12
3
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
2 months ago
Congratulations Juliet! Very well deserved for a brilliant body of research. Thank you to Shigeto Dobata and
@timbarra.bsky.social
for their time and being a great examiner team. 🥂
@biology.ox.ac.uk
@newcollegeoxf.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
0
6
3
reposted by
Stu West
Juliet Turner
2 months ago
POV: you are a young woman celebrating a recent academic success
3171
20456
4075
reposted by
Stu West
Juliet Turner
2 months ago
I passed my viva! 🎊 I’m very happy to share that yesterday, after ~4 years of research, I successfully defended my DPhil thesis and will be awarded the title of doctor 😎 Thank you to my examiners, supervisors, and collaborators for all the advice and support given along the way.
328
4326
75
reposted by
Stu West
Benito Wainwright
3 months ago
Leaf? 🍃 Or katydid? 🦗 Our new
@plosbiology.org
paper sheds light on how these incredible mimics evolved their disguises, and what this reveals about how complex adaptations arise. We find that coordinated evolution between traits might be the answer…
plos.io/4oUE741
1/n
loading . . .
Functional and evolutionary synergy of trait components can explain the existence of leaf masquerade in katydids
The evolution of complex adaptations often involves synergistic changes in multiple traits that lack standalone function. This study shows that leaf masquerade in katydids evolved through concurrent m...
https://plos.io/4oUE741
1
31
14
Amazing leaf camouflage experiments paired up with phylogeny showing how they got there.
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
@benitoexplains.bsky.social
2 months ago
1
5
5
reposted by
Stu West
Biology LGBTQ+ Journal Club
3 months ago
LGBTQ+ Journal Club is turning 1! 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈To celebrate, here's a bit about what we've been up to over the past year: a thread of interesting papers in queer biology (1/n) ⬇️🧵
1
21
13
reposted by
Stu West
Ákos T Kovács
3 months ago
The evolutionary and ecological consequences of cooperation -in American Naturalist by
@stuwest.bsky.social
,
@annadewar.bsky.social
,
@ryosukeiritani.bsky.social
, Laurence Belcher, and
@asgriffin.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
loading . . .
The evolutionary and ecological consequences of cooperation | The American Naturalist: Vol 0, No ja
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/739292
0
17
10
A pictorial guide to parasitoids (10/11). Parasitoids can be studied in a parasitoid workshop. Silwood Park, 1992.
4 months ago
0
2
0
Join us! Oxford is advertising an Associate Professorship in Animal Behaviour.
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
loading . . .
Job Details
https://my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecruit/erq_jobspec_version_4.display_form?p_company=10&p_internal_external=E&p_display_in_irish=N&p_process_type=&p_applicant_no=&p_form_profile_detail=&p_display_apply_ind=Y&p_refresh_search=Y&p_recruitment_id=180330
4 months ago
0
1
2
Mike Ritchie emphasising the huge importance of supporting society journals like JEB in his ESEB presidential address, Barcelona.
@eseb.bsky.social
@eseb2025.bsky.social
5 months ago
0
26
8
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
5 months ago
Evidence that lifestyle drives genome fluidity from
@annadewar.bsky.social
today. Keeping everyone going on last day of
@eseb2025.bsky.social
! Great talk Anna!
1
11
4
When can replicating experiments lead to misleading conclusions? An example from human public goods games.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
5 months ago
0
1
0
Exciting looking meeting at the Linnean Society London on organismal resilience. November 20th 2025
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hybrid-day...
loading . . .
Hybrid Day Meeting | Organismal Resilience in a Rapidly Changing World
Join us at the Linnean Society for a one-day symposium focused on the mechanisms and consequences of variation in organismal resilience
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hybrid-day-meeting-organismal-resilience-in-a-rapidly-changing-world-tickets-1430511792279?aff=oddtdtcreator
5 months ago
0
1
2
what is environmental variability and how can you measure it?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@mingpapilio.bsky.social
loading . . .
Environmental Predictability in Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis: How to Measure It and Does It Matter?
Aim Abiotic environmental conditions shape ecological and evolutionary processes, yet quantifying their influence on organisms remains challenging due to variation among metrics and their intercorre...
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/geb.70108
5 months ago
0
0
3
Where are mycorrhizal fungi and are the protected? (spoiler alert - no, they aren't)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
@tobykiers.bsky.social
loading . . .
Global hotspots of mycorrhizal fungal richness are poorly protected - Nature
Machine-learning algorithms trained on 25,000 geolocated soil samples are used to create high-resolution global maps of mycorrhizal fungi, revealing that less than 10% of their biodiversity hotspots a...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09277-4
6 months ago
0
3
2
reposted by
Stu West
Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN)
6 months ago
Who lives underground? Find out now in our new paper published in
@nature.com
. Key finding: 90% of predicted mycorrhizal biodiversity hotspots lie outside protected areas. Read here:
buff.ly/WmDqAP3
🧵
loading . . .
1
38
30
A pictorial guide to parasitoids (9/11). Parasitoids may mediate competition between different host species (apparent competition). Silwood Park, 1992.
7 months ago
0
2
0
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
7 months ago
Thank you to everyone attending the "Writing and DEI Workshop" at RIKENS, organized by
@ryosukeiritani.bsky.social
. Gender equality in STEM is a global issue and we need to share our experiences and learn from one another. Thank you for sharing your stories and enthusiasm! 🙏 and @ITHEms, @JSPS 🇯🇵❤️
1
3
2
1/3 I was just lucky enough to get to do a couple of sessions on scientific writing in a DEI & Writing Workshop at Riken, Tokyo. Huge thank you to
@ryosukeiritani.bsky.social
for organising such an open and supportive workshop, and all the attendees for being so engaged and interactive.
7 months ago
1
3
2
reposted by
Stu West
Daniel Bolnick
7 months ago
@annadewar.bsky.social
now giving the fourth
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
Early Career Scientist Award lectures at
#Evol2025
about bacterial pangenomes, cooperation, and gene transfer
1
22
4
reposted by
Stu West
LaBella Lab
7 months ago
Anna Dewar
@annadewar.bsky.social
asks what types of genes get horizontally transferred in bacteria 🦠🧬➡️🧬🦠 Contrary to previous thinking, plasmids didn't carry more cooperation genes than the core genome.
#Evol2025
#Evol25
3
39
8
Amazing comparative analysis using 163 ant genomes to look at many aspects of ant evolution
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
loading . . .
Adaptive radiation and social evolution of the ants
Comparative analyses of 163 ant genomes reveal extensive genome rearrangements, context-specific gene family expansion patterns, and selection on conserved pathways that together underpin the evolutio...
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00617-8?dgcid=raven_jbs_aip_email
7 months ago
0
5
3
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
7 months ago
Family field trip with Jun Abe 🫶to trap parasitoids and wolbachia-infected butterflies on Kyushu Island. Hard to imagine science being more fun. Big thank you to Kanagawa University and JSPS Kakenhai for supporting the trip; Ethan and Olive for doing most of the catching! 👐💛
@stuwest.bsky.social
1
3
1
reposted by
Stu West
Daniel Bolnick
7 months ago
Winners of the
@asn-amnat.bsky.social
Early Career Scientist Award this year. A great honor to get to talk with these four brilliant scientists over dinner tonight.
0
44
3
reposted by
Stu West
The Royal Society
8 months ago
In his
#ParentCarerScientist
case study, Professor Ben Sheldon FRS talks about navigating crises at home and at work, and why it's important for leaders to set an example when it comes to balancing work with caring responsibilities:
#CarersWeek
#AndAScientist
royalsociety.org/about-us/who...
2
28
17
reposted by
Stu West
Rob Heathcote
8 months ago
🐠💥2 year postdoc in fish sensory ecology!! 💥🐟 If you’re into animal colour, collective behaviour, predator-prey interactions, enjoy behavioural experiments and fieldwork, please apply! Based in Oxford with fieldwork in northwest Thailand (and elsewhere). Please repost!
www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNM294/p...
1
79
72
reposted by
Stu West
Ashleigh Griffin
8 months ago
Thank you to our host, Hisashi Ohtsuki at the Research Centre for Integrative Evolutionary Science, SOKENDAI, for hosting us this week. We felt so welcome and loved hearing about your work. (And learning to make okonomiyaki!)
@stuwest.bsky.social
0
8
1
reposted by
Stu West
Geneva 🇨🇦
8 months ago
Always and in all ways ❤️
8
418
259
reposted by
Stu West
Max Reuter
8 months ago
In relation to positive futures, I would add: ✅ Join learned societies ✅ Publish in their journals
#SocietyJournals
#SciPub
add a skeleton here at some point
0
17
6
A pictorial guide to parasitoids (8/11). Some parasitoids are solitary with only wasp developing per host. Silwood Park, 1992.
8 months ago
0
1
0
Load more
feeds!
log in