Hey y'all. I'm a month late to this, but I wanted to share that one of my PhD chapters was published in Systematic Biology with my advisor, Frank Burbrink. Here, we explore how ecological opportunity influences phenotypic evolution in North American natricid snakes. 🧵/8

New barracudina just dropped 🎉 We see a LOT of these long, toothy deep sea fishes in our swordfish stomachs - exciting to be able to ID them more accurately in the future! www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-stor...

Hi all. I am very excited that after 6 years I finally got my phylogenetic comparative methods book and online exercises online. Feel free to use and share. The book is here: nhcooper123.github.io/pcm-primer/. Note that it is not finished, we had to abandon it before the sunk costs fallacy broke us

Statistical Rethinking 2026 is done: 20 new lectures emphasizing logical and critical statistical workflow, from basics of probability theory to causal inference to reliable computation to sensitivity. It's all free, made just for you. Lecture list and links: github.com/rmcelreath/s...

ICB Sensory-Skeletal Integration Underlies Diverse Bone Fusion Patterns in a Complex #Demography of #Cavefish Alyssa R Hamm et al doi.org/10.1093/icb/... This study showcases the integrated nature of sensory-skeletal development, a poorly understood phenomenon. #scientists #fish #Biologists

Rapid and repeated evolution of pigmentation patterns in reef fishes #ichthyology link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Piranha bite force and tooth stress are fantastically high for their size! Check out our new paper on computational modeling of the cranial muscles and bite mechanics of the amazing piranhas. #biomechsky 🐟🧪🌿 link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007...

My first PhD dissertation chapter has been published! Let me know if you need a copy. Complete species-level phylogeny of Madagascar’s tufted-tailed rats, Eliurus (Rodentia: Nesomyidae) reveals hidden diversity doi.org/10.1093/zool... And please enjoy this sonnet I wrote to summarize it:

Every other summer we run a fish biomechanics course at Friday Harbor Labs. It is an awesome opportunity to learn the tools of biovisualization while experiencing the rich fish diversity of the Salish Sea. Come join us! 🧪

The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5

🧪🐠 I am hiring a postdoc! Work will be on patterns of biodiversity across phylogenetic scales using teleost fishes as a model. Apply by end of Jan 2026 for full consideration apply.interfolio.com/179070 I encourage folks to reach out with any questions. Please Share!

My pet gar that I donated to Shedd Aquarium would recognize me and swim over to say hi when I visited her exhibit ❤️🐠 A rare hybrid gar, I raised her since she was 2 inches long, and had to re-home her when I moved to Chicago. I was happy I could visit her in her new home! TO BE CONTINUED…

A new analysis of Dunkleosteus terrelli reveals its massive jaws were far more cartilage-rich than once thought, reshaping ideas about muscle layout, bite mechanics & feeding style. Time to rethink this Devonian apex predator. Engelman et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

I’ve released a tool to sketch and edit phylogenetic trees! yawak.jp/PhyloWeaver/ Load a Newick file and intuitively add/remove/resize branches. Useful for quick conceptual trees, extracting subtrees, or turning ideas into Newick.

Very excited to share my exploration of the phylogenetics of early ray-finned fishes, out today in the Anatomical Record! Really busy day but I’ll have more info shortly. anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Hey, if you’re thinking about comparative anatomy textbooks for the Spring semester, you should check out ours! Free, open access, and peer-reviewed!

New phylogeny and family-level classification of Stomiiformes (viperfishes, hatchetfishes, bristlemouths) bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

@omgitsmejenny.bsky.social talks about her masters thesis on the effects of flower temperature on pollinator visitation and behavior

Love how fish will just evolve a truly horrifying number of teeth to crush shelled creatures. Absolute nightmare, my students love seeing this stuff. From Cynthia Worcester's master's thesis (2012; linked below). digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1215/

Our paper on perceptions of punctuated equilibrium - including suggestions for how to teach about this essential evolutionary concept - is now available online! doi.org/10.1017/pab....

I'm delighted that the first publication from a National Science Foundation-funded study I led studying the development and implementation of teaching resources on human and non-human evolution in Alabama high school biology classrooms was published a few days ago! (1/2)

I finally did it. My first chapter is FINALLY written and out for all to see. If you’ve attended my talks you 100% know what this is about. If you haven’t attended my talks, shark nostrils are more interesting than we thought. Enjoy! academic.oup.com/icb/advance-...

These are the most challenging times for early-career scientists and engineers. My team is doing its bit to help by maintaining and even expanding our database of funding opportunities for early-career researchers. We found 437 of them. Download it freely here: research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-...

Fun news: I'm hiring a postdoc in ichthyology! Please spread the word #TeamFish, and message me if you have questions. (Job requisition id is R00107333 if LSU link below takes you elsewhere.) lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/de...

I'm so excited to share my master's research! Do pollinators change their foraging behavior depending on floral and ambient temperatures? Do flowers that thermoregulate experience higher rates of pollinator visitation? Check it out below! 🏵️

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

In @fishguy.bsky.social’s lab we have done many studies on the suction cups of dead clingfish. In this new paper, @fishyologist.bsky.social et al and I found that clingfish can control their suction and stick harder than dead ones! @sicbjournals.bsky.social 🐟 🧪 DM for PDF doi.org/10.1093/icb/...

New fish paper! We found that Clinocottus globicpes eats anemones (weird!) using a novel wrestling behavior + strong jaws that likely started as adaptations for tearing algae. It also has thick skin that protects it from stinging cells. @jzoology.bsky.social 🐟🧪 DM for PDF. doi.org/10.1111/jzo....

Out today in @plosbiology.org! We show that two major advances in fish feeding - highly protrusible jaws and large teeth - are functionally and evolutionarily incompatible with each other. @mikemihalitsis.bsky.social and Peter Wainwright. Free to read: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

I'm defending my dissertation next week, Monday June 30th at 10 AM ET. DM for a zoom link if interested!

First dissertation chapter has been published in Integrative & Comparative Biology, check it out here: academic.oup.com/icb/advance-...

🚨 A new rule would let career scientists like NSF/NIH program officers be replaced by political appointees Already 14,000+ public comments, deadline is Friday 📣 Comments can be short. Courts consider them—and scientists with NSF/NIH experience are especially impactful Speak up! shorturl.at/WKuBj