Update to the drought situation: year-to-date precipitation total in Finland is again the lowest on record (since 1961). The 2026 precipitation in Finland (~78 mm) is only 54 % of the long-term normal (143 mm) at this time of the year.

Your 'moment of doom' for May 9, 2026 ~ Once and future jungle. "In the past, Antarctica helped buffer global warming. Our results suggest it may now be shifting in the opposite direction." theconversation.com/antarctic-se...

Woooow, so much data we are sharing widely without our knowledge 😥

Mark your calendars for this seminar by Sam Yeaman!

We’re hiring! 🇸🇪🔬
 Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Prokaryotic Microbiology (molecular focus) at Stockholm University. Supportive environment + strong molecular research 👉https://su.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:921526/type:job/where:125/apply:1 Please share!!

We’re hiring! We invite applications for an Ecological Statistician to join our team. Work at the interface of cutting-edge biodiversity science and statistics. DL 27 May @jarnovanhatalo.bsky.social @rececochange.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

📜New Paper📜@ecography.bsky.social Species distributions aren’t just about where species occur, but how survival, reproduction and development vary across environments. We formalise the Demographic Niche Concept to link niche theory and demography. nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

In 2024, more than 60% of new cars sold in Ethiopia were fully electric. It now ranks alongside global EV leaders by share of new car sales. Ahead of most of Europe. More in future newsletter. Sign up here: substack.com/@janrosenow

Next 2 weeks we will see 35/40C EVERY DAY in Southern Africa. Northern Mozambique and Southern Malawi might attack the record of the highest temperature ever recorded in May in the whole Southern Hemisphere. But Brazil might record similar temperatures for the next 10 days.

It's hard being a climate comedian's therapist... 🫠

New PLOS Biology paper arising from a collaboration between us at the Sanger/U Cambridge and the U York and Sheffield, and many more collaborators across the Americas and Europe. Regulatory changes in the same genes (optix, ivory) led to the same colour patterns in mimetic butterflies and moths.

I think about this all the time.

"China is keeping LNG imports at multi-year lows, and is instead reselling cargoes around the region. That comes on the heels of weak demand growth prior to the war. Last year, China’s LNG imports were down 11% According to IEEFA, China’s LNG imports could fall by another 11% in 2026."

Don't be shy to take on a little two-week side project. These five months will be the most precious three years of your academic journey.

The strongest El Niño in 150 years? That’s not hype, it’s the actual median forecast right now for the developing event later this year. It could rival — or even surpass — the legendary 1877 El Niño, the strongest on record, which was linked to widespread drought, monsoon failure, and food crises 1/

You are interested in evolutionary ecology and quantitative genetics. You enjoy fieldwork and birds. Join our laboratory and our international team. csee-scee.ca/job/fully-fu...

We're accepting proposals for our Special Feature! We invite scientists and practitioners to share experiences from management projects that didn't go to plan, but still provided important insights into how best to manage ecosystems and species🌱 ⏰Submit by 30th April More here👇 buff.ly/EXXBFsJ

Please share widely! We will imminently be posting a technician position in our lab group since @rheasood.bsky.social is off to grad school 🙌! If you know of anyone excited about molecular biology, evolution, and functional genomics please have them reach out (schumer at stanford). Start date ~June

The DNA barcode reference library for European ants is out! 🐜🧬 doi.org/10.1111/1755... Checklist of 650 species, ~78% covered 🧬, +6,500 COI 🧬, plus species genetic maps & trees, see Supp. Inf. "Atlas" tinyurl.com/antdnaeuatlas A framework for species discovery, biosurveillance, and phylogeography!

dzg-meeting.de/en/welcome-ms/ The Meeting of the German Zoological Society will take place in Münster from September 7 to 11! Abstract submission until June 15! 🧪

Fossil Fuels Are Not The Future….

PLS RT📣 Two Postdoc jobs at #mpaib with Serena Ding on collective behavior of worms (Never seen a "wormuration"? That's them in green) 🪱 social dynamics of collective dispersal: bewerbermanagement.net/jobposting/2... 🪱 sensory ecology of worm towers: bewerbermanagement.net/jobposting/7...

Measurements by buoys at four latitudes in the western Atlantic provide the strongest evidence yet that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is weakening

Big opportunities for researchers 🌍 We are investing nearly €400 million to help researchers share their work and collaborate with the best scientific teams across the EU. The 2026 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are now open. More: link.europa.eu/PNxpxw

A few days late, but we started field work in the Netherlands this week. Using red wood ants, we assess phenotypic plasticity of stress responses over the season using ants collected in the field and their acclimation to warmer climates in the lab. @uva.nl #marie-skladowska-curie-actions #msca

We found that Rickia wasmannii, known from Myrmica workers, also infects queens, males, and larvae, with spillover to nest associates (incl. Lomechusa). doi.org/10.1007/s000... Complex dynamics in the ant microcosm --> more ant–fungus work coming @insectessociaux.bsky.social @dhaelewa.bsky.social

Interested in the interface of evolution 🧬 and ecology 🌳? Then you cannot miss #ExE2026! Hosted by @uniexecec.bsky.social in beautiful #Cornwall, this #conference has a stellar line-up of speakers and lots of pre-and post-conference workshops. Space is limited, so register now at evoxeco.uk!

Interesting study about ozone affecting nestmate recognition and eliciting aggression in ants 🐜.

Post Doc Job open with us to work with biologists to build AI models to analyze camera trap data. The specific focus will be to study animal coloration and camouflage, but there will be opportunities to work on other related projects. jobs.rwfm.tamu.edu/view-job/?id...

For a project, I want to film ants 🐜 each hour over several days, but only for about ten seconds. I would want to watch the videos later on. Now I need your help BlueSky community: Is there any setup/blueprint that we could use to build it ourselves or is there a company with low-budget solutions?

(1) Really happy to share our recent review "Speciation in ants: unlocking ant diversity to study speciation". 😀 doi.org/10.25849/myr... Ants are ecologically diverse and abundant organisms with strong potential to advance the study of speciation. Despite extensive research on their taxonomy, ...

📢 I'm hiring! 3-year postdoc in theoretical evolutionary ecology at University of Helsinki 🇫🇮 Apply: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki-Postdoctoral-Researcher-in-Theoretical-Evolutionary-Biology/1348955157/ #AcademicJobs #Postdoc #EvolutionaryEcology #TheoreticalEcology #ScienceJobs #AcademicChatter

You are ABSOLUTELY NOT going to regret listening to this bird:

Submit your article proposals now, for our new special feature on Snow Ecology ❄️🏔️🐇 @animalecology.bsky.social besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/...

What a morning view in Amsterdam

I am re-posting this, in case you have missed it 😀

(1) So happy to share our recent work on Finish wood ants 🐜🧬🥳 "Evidence for climate-mediated range expansion of hybrid wood ants" www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... @helsinki.fi & @uvapress.bsky.social This integrative project was funded by the Research Council Finland & #MSCA of the European Comission

Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

A little late, but I still want to share the good news 🎊: I recently started my #MSCA postdoctoral fellowship. I will assess the impact of climate change on wood ants🐜 & their hybrids 🧬. My project is based at the Uni #Amsterdam with Jonna Kulmuni & @dickmerrill.bsky.social @lmumuenchen.bsky.social

You may have missed this #ant poster at #ESEB2025, but be sure not to miss the article just published in #openacess in @nature.com: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Last day of #eseb2025 will kick off in a few moments with the plenary talk by Prof. Johanna Mappes from @helsinki.fi "Signals of Survival: The Genetics and Ecology of Looking Dangerous"

Last #eseb2025 poster session has just started 🎊

Are you interested in ants 🐜 and/or hybridisation 🧬 and/or the impact of climate change on them? Then come to my talk this afternoon at 15:15, room 120-121 in S30 - Genomic insights into evolutionary adaptation and species movements in a changing climate.

#ESEB2025 just started in Barcelona. I am looking forward to many interesting talks and research, to meeting friends and connecting with new people. 🤗

Sunset behind the trees

Sunrise in Utrecht

What a beautiful morning in Amsterdam it was

A picture of the kingsday (Koningsdag) festivities (the birthday of the king) celebrated on Saturday in the Netherlands

Spring is now also approaching at higher elevations in Austria ☀️