Alan McElligott
@amcell.bsky.social
Associate Prof, Animal Behaviour & Welfare-Hong Kong https://www.alanmcelligott.co.uk/ Animal behaviour, cognition, welfare; research ethics & integrity; environment; science; higher education; Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) advocate. 🌈🇮🇪 he/him 🐂 🐃🐐🐥 🦆
Pinned
Alan McElligott
@amcell.bsky.social
· Dec 2
New from us. 2025. Adaptive behavioural strategies to seasonal challenges by a semiurban feral ungulate. (Water buffalo) Led by @debottam1991.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
A study from think tank Kiel Institut in Germany has found that 96% of American tariffs applied to imports are paid for by American consumers, with only 4% paid by manufacturers
www.kielinstitut.de/publications...
www.kielinstitut.de/publications...
America’s Own Goal: Who Pays the Tariffs? - Kiel Institute
www.kielinstitut.de
January 20, 2026 at 2:59 AM
A study from think tank Kiel Institut in Germany has found that 96% of American tariffs applied to imports are paid for by American consumers, with only 4% paid by manufacturers
www.kielinstitut.de/publications...
www.kielinstitut.de/publications...
Beach buffalo 🐃 🥰
January 20, 2026 at 10:54 AM
Beach buffalo 🐃 🥰
Reposted by Alan McElligott
No surprise to learn X is still permitting users to post these images generated by Grok despite claiming it had taken action. Enough is enough. @ofcom.bsky.social MUST use its powers to shut this down www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
X still allowing users to post sexualised images generated by Grok AI tool
Despite restrictions announced this week, Guardian reporters find standalone app continues to allow posting of nonconsensual content
www.theguardian.com
January 16, 2026 at 7:44 AM
No surprise to learn X is still permitting users to post these images generated by Grok despite claiming it had taken action. Enough is enough. @ofcom.bsky.social MUST use its powers to shut this down www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Reposted by Alan McElligott
This looks 🔥🔥🔥
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
Ever wonder what proportion of high profile social media research is tied to the tech industry?
New from me, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social and @carlbergstrom.com.
Thread tomorrow.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.11507
New from me, @cailinmeister.bsky.social, @jevinwest.bsky.social and @carlbergstrom.com.
Thread tomorrow.
arxiv.org/abs/2601.11507
Industry Influence in High-Profile Social Media Research
To what extent is social media research independent from industry influence? Leveraging openly available data, we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to indus...
arxiv.org
January 19, 2026 at 3:49 AM
This looks 🔥🔥🔥
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
"we show that half of the research published in top journals has disclosable ties to industry in the form of prior funding, collaboration, or employment. However, the majority of these ties go undisclosed in the published research."
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Another banger by Paolo Crosetto, Pablo Gómez Barreiro, and Mark Austin Hanson! While special issues with guest editors are not a problem in themselves, journals that build a business model around then invites people to start gaming the system...
We've got ISSUES. Literally.
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
We scraped >100k special issues & over 1 million articles to bring you a PISS-poor paper. We quantify just how many excess papers are published by guest editors abusing special issues to boost their CVs. How bad is it & what can we do?
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
A 🧵 1/n
January 19, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Another banger by Paolo Crosetto, Pablo Gómez Barreiro, and Mark Austin Hanson! While special issues with guest editors are not a problem in themselves, journals that build a business model around then invites people to start gaming the system...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Thanks to Jeffrey and the @science.org news team for this highlight!
Find the paper here:
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Find the paper here:
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
#SpecialIssues have fueled the growth of some of the largest #OpenAccess publishers. Does a journal that allows a #GuestEditor to both plan a special issue and write many articles in it have a conflict of interest? #scicomm #peerreview @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Some guest editors pack special issues with their own articles
Thousands have penned more than one-third of a journal issue, raising conflict-of-interest concerns
www.science.org
January 19, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Thanks to Jeffrey and the @science.org news team for this highlight!
Find the paper here:
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Find the paper here:
arxiv.org/abs/2601.07563
Reposted by Alan McElligott
This shiny app is pretty cool. Just cruising around, I found one special issue where it appears one editor jammed his name onto all five papers. LOL. It looks like this was the price of admission into this issue.
www.mdpi.com/journal/gene...
paolocrosetto.shinyapps.io/Editors_as_a...
www.mdpi.com/journal/gene...
paolocrosetto.shinyapps.io/Editors_as_a...
January 19, 2026 at 8:39 PM
This shiny app is pretty cool. Just cruising around, I found one special issue where it appears one editor jammed his name onto all five papers. LOL. It looks like this was the price of admission into this issue.
www.mdpi.com/journal/gene...
paolocrosetto.shinyapps.io/Editors_as_a...
www.mdpi.com/journal/gene...
paolocrosetto.shinyapps.io/Editors_as_a...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
#SpecialIssues have fueled the growth of some of the largest #OpenAccess publishers. Does a journal that allows a #GuestEditor to both plan a special issue and write many articles in it have a conflict of interest? #scicomm #peerreview @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Some guest editors pack special issues with their own articles
Thousands have penned more than one-third of a journal issue, raising conflict-of-interest concerns
www.science.org
January 17, 2026 at 2:09 AM
#SpecialIssues have fueled the growth of some of the largest #OpenAccess publishers. Does a journal that allows a #GuestEditor to both plan a special issue and write many articles in it have a conflict of interest? #scicomm #peerreview @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
We live in the Golden Age of Special Issues: thousands of guest editors & the largest delegation of editorial power, ever. 🧪
How is this power being used? Sometimes, to Publish In Support of Self in complacent journals.
Paper: bit.ly/4sIY5Br
Explore the data! bit.ly/4sNPLjV%3C
Article in Science👇
How is this power being used? Sometimes, to Publish In Support of Self in complacent journals.
Paper: bit.ly/4sIY5Br
Explore the data! bit.ly/4sNPLjV%3C
Article in Science👇
January 20, 2026 at 8:18 AM
We live in the Golden Age of Special Issues: thousands of guest editors & the largest delegation of editorial power, ever. 🧪
How is this power being used? Sometimes, to Publish In Support of Self in complacent journals.
Paper: bit.ly/4sIY5Br
Explore the data! bit.ly/4sNPLjV%3C
Article in Science👇
How is this power being used? Sometimes, to Publish In Support of Self in complacent journals.
Paper: bit.ly/4sIY5Br
Explore the data! bit.ly/4sNPLjV%3C
Article in Science👇
Reposted by Alan McElligott
2026. Neonate mortality in mountain caribou: Patterns of predation during onset of a wolf reduction program - . wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
TWS Journals
We used an individual-based movement method, supported by camera trap data, to assess changes in neonate caribou mortality patterns before and after wolf reduction began in the Itcha-Ilgachuz mountai...
wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 19, 2026 at 6:18 AM
2026. Neonate mortality in mountain caribou: Patterns of predation during onset of a wolf reduction program - . wildlife.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Outstanding in her field: cow recorded using tool for first time www.thetimes.com/article/8e48...
Outstanding in her field: cow recorded using tool for first time
Scientists have long thought cattle lacked the brains for problem-solving. An Austrian cow called Veronika has forced a rethink
www.thetimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Outstanding in her field: cow recorded using tool for first time www.thetimes.com/article/8e48...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Cow tool use - www.sciencefocus.com/news/cow-too...
A cow has been filmed using tools for the first time ever, stunning scientists | BBC Science Focus Magazine
A very clever cow has learned to use sticks to scratch herself, the first time sophisticated tool use has been seen in livestock
www.sciencefocus.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:01 AM
Cow tool use - www.sciencefocus.com/news/cow-too...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
2026 version. "Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching" via @asab.org cc @asabeducation.bsky.social - #AnimalEthics #AnimalWelfare - www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching
www.sciencedirect.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:40 AM
2026 version. "Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching" via @asab.org cc @asabeducation.bsky.social - #AnimalEthics #AnimalWelfare - www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
2026. Refining Capture and Collaring Protocols for Red Foxes. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalBehaviour onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Refining Capture and Collaring Protocols for Red Foxes
Animal capture is an important aspect of ecological studies, required for fitting tags and collecting biological samples. Capture success can be increased while ensuring high welfare standards throug...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:33 AM
2026. Refining Capture and Collaring Protocols for Red Foxes. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalBehaviour onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Our preregistered systematic review & meta-analysis published in Nature Mental Health shows that nature exposure is linked to small-to-moderate reductions in self-reported pain (SMD = .53; N = 4,439). But high heterogeneity and moderate-to-high risk of bias call for a cautious interpretation (1/5)
Nature exposure reduces self-reported pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Nature Mental Health
The authors conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 62 studies, including more than 4,400 participants across 21 countries, to investigate the effects of nature exposure on self-reported pa...
www.nature.com
January 6, 2026 at 10:17 AM
Our preregistered systematic review & meta-analysis published in Nature Mental Health shows that nature exposure is linked to small-to-moderate reductions in self-reported pain (SMD = .53; N = 4,439). But high heterogeneity and moderate-to-high risk of bias call for a cautious interpretation (1/5)
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Veronika does not only scratch her body. She may also scratch at our assumptions about the cognitive limits of livestock.
January 19, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Veronika does not only scratch her body. She may also scratch at our assumptions about the cognitive limits of livestock.
Reposted by Alan McElligott
I had the honour of working to bring @auersperga.bsky.social’s baby to life. It’s a VERY heavy baby - over 200 references (and yes I read them all) - but necessary to do justice to our new hypothesis of combinatory tool use origins 📝👶🛠️
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The flexible, the stereotyped and the in‐between: putting together the combinatory tool use origins hypothesis
Tool use research has long made the distinction between tool using that is considered learned and flexible, and that which appears to be instinctive and stereotyped. However, animals with an inherite...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 31, 2025 at 9:16 AM
I had the honour of working to bring @auersperga.bsky.social’s baby to life. It’s a VERY heavy baby - over 200 references (and yes I read them all) - but necessary to do justice to our new hypothesis of combinatory tool use origins 📝👶🛠️
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Veronika is 13 years old and has been kept as a pet rather than for production by the farmer and baker Witgar Wiegele. She has never been trained to use tools. Since the age of four, she has spontaneously picked up natural twigs from her pasture and has since markedly refined her technique.
January 19, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Veronika is 13 years old and has been kept as a pet rather than for production by the farmer and baker Witgar Wiegele. She has never been trained to use tools. Since the age of four, she has spontaneously picked up natural twigs from her pasture and has since markedly refined her technique.
2026. Refining Capture and Collaring Protocols for Red Foxes. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalBehaviour onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Refining Capture and Collaring Protocols for Red Foxes
Animal capture is an important aspect of ecological studies, required for fitting tags and collecting biological samples. Capture success can be increased while ensuring high welfare standards throug...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:33 AM
2026. Refining Capture and Collaring Protocols for Red Foxes. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalBehaviour onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Alan McElligott
She uses the bristled end of a deck brush on her back and hindquarters, using repeated place-and-pull motions. For more sensitive areas such as the belly flap, udder, and anal region, she switches to the stick end, using careful, repeated poke-and-lift movements. See video link: youtu.be/bAk4PFEuWKQ
Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow
YouTube video by Antonio Jose Osuna Mascaró
youtu.be
January 19, 2026 at 4:09 PM
She uses the bristled end of a deck brush on her back and hindquarters, using repeated place-and-pull motions. For more sensitive areas such as the belly flap, udder, and anal region, she switches to the stick end, using careful, repeated poke-and-lift movements. See video link: youtu.be/bAk4PFEuWKQ
Reposted by Alan McElligott
Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 19, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
2026 version. "Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching" via @asab.org cc @asabeducation.bsky.social - #AnimalEthics #AnimalWelfare - www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching
www.sciencedirect.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:40 AM
2026 version. "Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching" via @asab.org cc @asabeducation.bsky.social - #AnimalEthics #AnimalWelfare - www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...