Have a great winter break, and a nice Christmas to anyone who celebrates.

Don't worry; it's not all doom -- the seals are amazingly resilient, and the story also features an adorable ginger albino pup called Golden Boy & a team of scientists at the top of their various games, including Jody Weir, Wendi Roe @jemmageoghegan.bsky.social & @robyngrant.bsky.social 👩‍🔬🦭🧪

Photographer Richard Robinson & I spent the spring documenting the toughest time of year for Kaikōura's fur seals. In the last 2 years they've faced starvation and a new virus -- now, as bird flu looms, what will this breeding season hold? nzgeo.com/stories/silent-spring 🧪🦭 @nzgeo.bsky.social

I watched the online premier of the @beavertrust.bsky.social #BalancingTheScales yesterday. It was beautifully filmed and lovely to see such a complex story summarised.

We're looking for a new postdoc on our new BBSCR grant (Graham Taylor/Tim Guilford/Cait Newport). See link below! my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

Catching the end of #SuperSeabirdSunday to show you a pic from our recent Albatross tour in Kaikoura, New Zealand. Amazing!

I am reviewing all my new kiwi footage wearing my new kiwi t-shirt... which quite exciting :)

Applications for Winter 2025 conference attendance grants are trickling in, awarding up to £500 with a high success rate (if eligible). Deadline isn't until 1st October, but don't forget to get referee statements in by then too! All the info you need is here: www.asab.org/conference-g... @asab.org

*****EVERY EPISODE OF COUNT DUCKULA IS AVAILABLE FOR FREE ON ITVX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*****

I had such a great time at Orana Wildlife park yesterday planning our first research projects together. Exciting :)

Join us for #ASABWinter2025 in Edinburgh Dec 15-16 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Abstracts for posters/talks due Aug 29 More details here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/

Harry Gill first PhD paper is out, applying @deeplabcut.bsky.social to dog gait analyses ... and it worked pretty well :) You can access the paper here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1lXNEcF2Ow... @cbrassey.bsky.social

New Comparative Anatomy Textbook! Completely free to read and open access! doi.org/10.59319/YHF...

Kaikoura seal colonies, NZ, are just fantastic, there is just so much going on there! The behaviour is astounding and the whiskers are fabulous!

I had an amazing day with the Kaikoura NZ Department of Conservation Team learning about their seal conservation work. What great work they do!

We have a new paper on rictal bristle development in Tawny Frogmouths: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @isdp.org

Excited to share my review @jphysiol.bsky.social : Can we study whisker movements to gain insights into the natural sensory behaviours of mammals? doi.org/10.1113/JP28... I recommend developing more social and active foraging tasks and including a wider variety of species in lab studies

I'm so excited to share my latest paper out now! How did the ancestors of mammals make the switch from sprawling to upright, taking over the world in the process? Spoiler alert; it's complicated! journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

We are looking for a Research Assistant to contribute to our ongoing analysis of dolphin acoustic data from West Wales - collaboration between @wtsww.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social 🐬 Deadline is 29th June - please share widely! www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...

🦭🔥Hot off the press! 🔥🦭 Check out this exciting work from @robyngrant.bsky.social and colleagues looking at the wonderful world of whiskers! #anatomy #comparative #whiskers

Check out our new paper in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social with @cbrassey.bsky.social using FEA and bend tests to show that seal whiskers are stiffer - in both shape and material - than terrestrial species. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Have you seen our new #MammalReview call for papers on Surveying and monitoring mammals in a changing world? If you have an idea for a suitable review, do submit :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal... @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Have you seen our new #MammalReview call for papers on Surveying and monitoring mammals in a changing world? If you have an idea for a suitable review, do submit :) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal... @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Our latest paper on harbour seals is out. We draw from a vast collection of harbour seal skeletons at the University of Kiel—hundreds of specimens lost to a phocine distemper virus outbreak. Now fully sexed, weighed, and aged in the collection, we begin with... the penis bone doi.org/10.1111/jzo....

We have just published our first #PracticeInsights article. A brand new article type in #MammalReview and an exciting way to publish your review articles that have direct practical implications for Mammal conservation or ecology. Do have a read to find out more 😸😺🐈

Apply now for a four year Research Fellowship at Kew. £41,020 per annum Closing Date 20/04/2025 opportunity to become an independent researcher with some startup funds for research and travel. careers.kew.org/internal/vac...

⏰ DEADLINE IS TOMORROW (15 April) ⏰ Submit your abstract now! 🚨 #BOUasm25 | A day at the museum: collections-based ornithological research in a changing world 📅 18 Nov 2025 | Natural History Museum, London 🔗 bou.org.uk/event/a-d...#BOUasm25 #ornithology 🪶🧪

This week I am running a workshop with the Mammal Society on how to act as a reviewer for scientific articles. Do join if you want to learn more.

Porcupine whiskers are amazing!!! We are starting off some fun whisker enrichment studies as part of an MSc student project.

Finally on route home after a 6 day data collection trip and 6 day conference stint, at 2 conferences... And check out that amazing whiskered print from the mammal society conference photo comp i got 😃

MMU PhD student is presenting today @mammalsociety.bsky.social conference on whether you can use whisker spot patterns for individual ID in pinnipeds

We worked with the Science Journal for kids to adapt our research article for young people. Check out the summary and resources for teachers! 👇🏼

The otters went crazy for their whisker enrichment today at #FlamingoLand! This is all part of an MSc project for our ace #ZooConservationBiology course.

We’re really excited to have Dani start her PhD with us. And wonderful to have the @dogstrust.bsky.social as partners!

Reminder! ✨ Paid 6-week summer internships with UKCEH! ➡️ Are you a student looking for hands-on research experience? ➡️ Work on topics relevant to global environmental challenges 📅 30 June – 8 August 2025 📍Bangor, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Wallingford Deadline 2 April: www.ceh.ac.uk/our-science/...

Hippo whiskers are amazing! Looking at them for the first time at #FlamingoLand #WhiskerScience

The wheely suitcase of science is on its travels again... It should be an exciting week at #FlamingoLand 🦦🦭

I had such a fun #WhiskerScience day at Stroud Green Primary. The students have been learning all about different scientists, animals and the environment. Today was very much a whisker day! Amazing questions and fabulous posters from the pupils!

Ooh! Exciting whisker delivery!

Our efforts continue to diversify our #BiologistsWorkshops programme to support a wider selection of research communities around the world. If you are a researcher working in the Global South, find out more about hosting a Workshop near you. bit.ly/416wOvP

Amazing afternoon at the Whitworth Gallery #WomenInRevolt exhibition #WomenInPunk

Fully funded PhD scholarship for research on the behaviour and survival of urban kākā (Nestor meridionalis) in the wonderful Wellington, NZ! Please contact [email protected] if interested!

Are you interested in learning more about the publishing process? I am running two workshops with @mammalsocietyyouth.bsky.social in April and May on reviewing articles and how to publish a literature review. Sign up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reviewing-... www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/writing-an...

Not so bird-brained any more! In this new paper, we present evidence of technical innovation in palaeognath birds. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

[email protected], @birchlse.bsky.social, and I have a new piece on animal consciousness at @science.org! We explain how this topic can be studied scientifically, and why current evidence supports a realistic possibility of consciousness in all vertebrates and many invertebrates.

Are you an undergraduate student looking for an Industry Placement Year? We are looking for someone to join us @chesterzoosci.bsky.social for up to a year as our Population Biology placement! Interested? Apply here 👇 www.jobtrain.co.uk/chesterzoo/J...

New #PhDposition (cultural psychology) at the Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology at MPI-EVA: the project focuses on social cognition and will involve research in Germany (Leipzig), Namibia and Polynesia. Application deadline: March 1st, 2025 www.eva.mpg.de/comparative-...

How does the brain work in natural scenarios, in multi-animal societies of wild animals? 🧠 🧪 🦇 doi.org/10.1126/scie... (1/n)

I'm thrilled to be opening my own lab this Fall at the @maxplanck.de MPI for Brain Research in Frankfurt. The lab is going to investigate the neuronal and genetic underpinnings of behavioral evolution. We are hiring on all levels. Don't hesitate to share widely and reach out if interested.