In case you missed our annual lecture from Dr Beth Mortimer last week on seismic senses, it's now up on our YouTube channel! www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8oe...

Dr Dan Challender, from the @biology.ox.ac.uk and @oxmartinschool.bsky.social, argues that CITES CoP20 demonstrates we need to reform how decisions on international trade controls for wild species are made if they are to be protected from overexploitation ⬇️

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...

Does England’s new Environmental Improvement Plan hit the mark?🌳 #EIP Our verdict: some progress, but delivery will decide ➡️ Read our takeaways & insights on #naturebasedsolutions within the revised EIP🔗 www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/revised... #EnvironmentAct @biology.ox.ac.uk

Engineering the evolutionary origins of virus 🦠 DPhil project available on the Generative Biology DTP in Oxford's Dept of Chemistry, with lead supervisor Mike Bonsall. Deadline to apply 8 Jan 👇 www.chem.ox.ac.uk/genbio-dtp#c...

Join us for a free Evening Exhibition and Networking Reception on Thurs 8th January to connect researchers and agri-food stakeholders🌽 Hosted by @ox.ac.uk’s Agricultural Resilience Impact and Innovation Hub (AGRIIH) @biology.ox.ac.uk Register➡️ www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/oxford-...

The role of bioenergy with carbon capture and storage in the UK’s sustainable future🌿-New report! A workshop co-hosted by @royalsociety.org and @naturebasedsols.bsky.social convened a diverse mix of experts - read the summary of discussions: ➡️ www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/beccs-u...

Differences between adults and juveniles matter for #ecosystem stability. Study by researchers from @ox.ac.uk @ifisc.uib-csic.es & CEAB-CSIC offers a model with this often-ignored aspect 👇 https://www.ceab.csic.es/en/les-diferencies-entre-adults-i-juvenils-afavoreixen-lestabilitat-dels-ecosistemes/

Connections help stabilise reef health, reducing the risk of collapse 🪸 New research shows that improving conditions on both land and sea may be the best way of protecting these crucial ecosystems. Led by @arielgreiner.bsky.social with @wcs.org and @utoronto.ca 👇 bit.ly/4rMyg2Z

🎙️ What happened to the #birds in #TheTwelveDaysOfChristmas? 🦢🎶 We take a look at one of our favourite #ChristmasCarols with Prof Andy Gosler. 🎧 Listen here! pod.fo/e/3638a8 @egioxford.bsky.social @biology.ox.ac.uk @oxfordhumsci.bsky.social @oxford-anthro.bsky.social

🌳Be a part of making our first Oxford Nature Festival a hit! 🐝 More info and to register our interest: bit.ly/4rFC7Pf @biology.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk @oxfordgeography.bsky.social @oxconservationsoc.bsky.social

"This is national security issue. Without a living, healthy biosphere, there is no stable economy, no food..." Prof Nathalie Seddon of @ox.ac.uk on why we're facing a national emergency. Sign the open letter calling for a televised emergency briefing. www.nebriefing.org/open-letter-... #NEB2025

Our annual lecture is next Tuesday 16 December! There are still some spaces left in person, so if you're in Oxford come and enjoy some festive drinks with us as a bonus. If you're further afield, the lecture will be online too 👇 www.biology.ox.ac.uk/event/biolog...

The deadline to apply for a DPhil with scholarship consideration is fast approaching on 8 January! If you or someone you know is thinking of a PhD, make sure to get in touch with a potential supervisor asap, ahead of the University's winter closure 👇 bit.ly/dphilbio25

Congratulations to @robsalgo.bsky.social who's been awarded an @erc.europa.eu Consolidator grant! How do living systems withstand the shocks of a rapidly changing world? ResIntegrate will take on the challenge of predicting ecological resilience with the first integrated framework 👇 bit.ly/3KRdX3L

Congratulations to @mghafari.bsky.social who has been selected as one of the New Voices in Virology! Mahan's research focuses on the evolution of pathogens, particularly those with epidemic or pandemic potential and with implications for human, animal, and plant health 🦠

NEW: Researchers at @biology.ox.ac.uk found that the oversized feather ornaments on male Chrysolophus pheasants actually restrict their field of view - a discovery made by chance while studying why some birds collide with wind turbines and power lines. Find out more ⬇️

Led by Professor Jane Langdale @biology.ox.ac.uk, the C4 Rice Project builds on decades of interdisciplinary research working to ensure global food security. Discover the incredible story of the multi-decade battle to make better rice ⬇️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3RY0vxzFpg

Prof Nathalie Seddon, Director of @naturebasedsols.bsky.social, spoke at the UK’s first @nebriefing.bsky.social on the climate and nature crises. Addressing over a thousand leaders, she pushed for nature to be treated as core to policy - essential for resilience and a safe, thriving society ⬇️

This week’s EGI seminar will be given by @peterkorsten.bsky.social from Aberystwyth on the ecology of behavioural variation in the wild at 3.30pm Friday 5 Dec - LT1 in @biology.ox.ac.uk. All welcome & live-streamed: see joining details below.

Congrats to @bertaverd.bsky.social, who's been accepted into the @embo.org Young Investigator Programme! Her research focuses on one of the fundamental and most longstanding questions in biology: how phenotypes evolve to generate the incredible diversity of forms we see 👇 https://bit.ly/4aj8YDi

An animal's ornamentation to attract a mate may hinder or make them vulnerable, but hasn't been shown to restrict their field of view - until now Male golden and Lady Amherst’s pheasants' visual fields are significantly worse than females due to their feather ornamentation 👇

“We are facing a national emergency not only because the climate is changing, but because the living systems that protect the climate are breaking down.” Nathalie Seddon @naturebasedsols.bsky.social at National Emergency Briefing yesterday 👇 www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Elephants can learn to ignore drones, a finding that could transform how scientists and conservationists monitor wildlife 🐘 Their buzzing propellers can sound like a swarm of bees, but the drones can be flown in a way designed to minimise disturbance 👇 bit.ly/4ilNWG2

Sometimes it's just worth the wait. After a nearly day-long trek, botanists Septian Andriki and Dr Chris Thorogood (@biology.ox.ac.uk) recorded the first sighting in over a decade of the rare Rafflesia hasseltii in the rainforests of West Sumatra. 📺 Watch the moment: www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

Researchers from across Oxford University were on the ground at #COP30 in Belém, taking part in side events, presenting new research, and working with partners to support the negotiations and inform the wider political process. Read on for perspectives from Oxford experts ⬇️

About 30% of island-restricted reptiles are currently threatened with extinction (vs 12% of mainland reptile species). Yet, just 6.7% of the published research from 1960-2021 is devoted to island species @mongabay.com @biology.ox.ac.uk @jesusoxford.bsky.social news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Hope amidst disappointment 🌎 Dr Aline Soterroni shares key takeaways from #COP30, where she has been sharing her research showing that "there is no net zero climate solution in Brazil without nature-based solutions..." @biology.ox.ac.uk @oxfordnetzero.bsky.social @smithschool.ox.ac.uk

Wildlife corridors are vital for biodiversity, but new research warns they can also spread diseases, invasive species & wildfires. A Nature Reviews Biodiversity paper from Josh Firth @universityofleeds.bsky.social Sarah Knowles @biology.ox.ac.uk & Ivan Jarić @ivanjaric.bsky.social bit.ly/4iisAJR

2024 Impact Report available! Research is at the heart of all we do, with excellent science leading to demonstrable conservation impacts. The report gives a snapshot of how our team are achieving this worldwide thanks to the generous support of many. 👉 tinyurl.com/mth52xm9 @biology.ox.ac.uk

This week’s seminar will be given by Prof Daniel Field of @zoologymuseum.bsky.social & @cambridge-earthsci.bsky.social on the origins of modern birds. 3.30pm Friday 28 Nov in LT1 in the Life & Mind Building @biology.ox.ac.uk - all welcome & see below for live streaming joining information

NEWS: Sir Paul Nurse officially opens the Life and Mind building The Life and Mind building is one of the largest building projects in the University’s history, and home to @biology.ox.ac.uk and @oxexppsy.bsky.social, as well as @ineosoxford.bsky.social

New research reveals that a lion’s full-throated roar is unique to each individual and identification could soon help scientists to count lions and estimate population density. Read the study led by Jonathan Growcott 👉 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... [1/3] @biology.ox.ac.uk @exeter.ac.uk

The Life & Mind Building: from foundations to a new home for Biology. As we celebrate its official opening, here’s a look back at how far this building has come over the past six years. We can’t wait to see everything it will make possible.

The Life & Mind Building officially opened on Tuesday, marked by a visit from Sir Paul Nurse. A major milestone for Biology, this new £200 million home brings cutting-edge labs, teaching spaces, and research communities together under one roof. bit.ly/4pbzoeg 📸C.Mower

Join us for our annual lecture on 16 December! We will delve into the wonders of animal seismic senses, from spider webs to elephant rumbles, with Dr Beth Mortimer 🐘🕷️ 16 December 17:15, in the Life and Mind Building, Oxford & online 👇 www.biology.ox.ac.uk/event/biolog...

To achieve Net Zero by 2050, Brazil needs to use nature as an ally 🌳 New article (in Portuguese) from Aline Soterroni of @naturebasedsols.bsky.social 👇 theconversation.com/para-alcanca...

NEW: A study from @biology.ox.ac.uk has found kissing first evolved around 21 million years ago in the common ancestor of humans and other great apes – and even Neanderthals probably kissed too. The research also suggests that humans and Neanderthals likely kissed each other.

What a brilliant study from @biology.ox.ac.uk! The deep timeline & evolution of the kiss! xxx💋xxx I'm setting a reminder now to repost this story on #valentinesday 😍😘😗because nothing says 'romance' like 'oral microbes', right? Mwah! theconversation.com/when-did-kis...

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 👇

💙It’s #WorldAMRAwarenessWeek! 80 years ago, penicillin changed modern medicine - but how does it work? And how do bacteria resist? 👉Read more to learn how the IOI protects our life-saving antibiotics: ineosoxford.shorthandstories.com/80-years-of-... #WAAW #KeepAntibioticsWorking

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.

🌎COP30 Week One: Signals of progress and what must come next ⬇️ Read our reflections on climate, nature & justice at COP30: www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/news/reflect... #PeoplesSummit #COP30 #ClimateJustice 📷: The Peoples' March, COP30 Belém, 15th November. Photo Credit: Aline Soterroni

In the heart of the Amazon at COP30, Nathalie Seddon answers the question: 'If trees could talk, what would they say?' Watch the full interview on WaterBear! For every minute spent watching the new series, a tree will be planted and protected 🌳 www.waterbear.com/title/watch-...

Great @scienceofthetimes.bsky.social podcast on the science of the microbiome with the brilliant @auraulo.bsky.social and @eveliinahanski.bsky.social. Can't recommend it enough. @sykhalid.bsky.social @biology.ox.ac.uk

Connecting isolated wildlife habitats boosts biodiversity but comes with risk - opening pathways for disease, invasive species or wildfires. New research with University of Leeds recommends strategies in high-risk settings. Thoughtful design is the key. 👇 bit.ly/4oyzVqS

“There is no net zero in Brazil without nature” -Dr Aline Soterroni at our #COP30 side event yesterday in Belém A collaboration for biodiversity-climate synergies with @greenpeace.org @wwfbrasil.bsky.social @sosmataatlantica.bsky.social Read the summary by @iisd.org ⬇️ enb.iisd.org/climate-biod...

From trade offs to synergies: Aligning climate and biodiversity policies. Reps from Oxford Biology joined experts from government, academia and NGOs at COP30 at this side event. With Greenpeace, SOS Atlantic Forest foundation, WWF and @oxfordgeography.bsky.social. 📸 L.Jardim & A.Vasconcelos

Welcome to this week's EGI seminar in @biology.ox.ac.uk when Prof Craig White @craig-white.bsky.social from @monashbiol.bsky.social will talk on The Evolution of Metabolic Rate and Life History: 3.30pm Fri 14 Nov in Lecture Theatre 2 in the Life & Mind Building. Also live-streamed: instructions ⬇️