Erin Macartney
@erinmacartney.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist interested in sexual selection and the evolution of life-history strategies. Humboldt Research Fellow at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, and post-doc at the University of Sydney.
erinmacartney.com
erinmacartney.com
What a terrible year for me to give my first and last shot at a DECRA 😭. I knew it was going to be low, but still
DECRA success rate is the lowest in 14 years, since 2012 (1st year the scheme ran).
What a pathetic system we have for supporting new ideas, new people…
DE26: 13.1%
25: 17.9
24: 19.6
23: 15.0
22: 19.7
21: 17.1
20: 16.0
19: 17.2
18: 16.3
17: 16.7
16: 16.4
15: 14.3
14: 13.6
13: 15.6
12: 12.8
What a pathetic system we have for supporting new ideas, new people…
DE26: 13.1%
25: 17.9
24: 19.6
23: 15.0
22: 19.7
21: 17.1
20: 16.0
19: 17.2
18: 16.3
17: 16.7
16: 16.4
15: 14.3
14: 13.6
13: 15.6
12: 12.8
🚨 #DECRA #DE26 announcement:
❗️Outcomes announced publicly for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2026❗️
See ARC's RMS for list ➡️ https://rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/Download/Report/a3f6be6e-33f7-4fb5-98a6-7526aaa184cf/285
/bot
❗️Outcomes announced publicly for Discovery Early Career Researcher Award 2026❗️
See ARC's RMS for list ➡️ https://rms.arc.gov.au/RMS/Report/Download/Report/a3f6be6e-33f7-4fb5-98a6-7526aaa184cf/285
/bot
November 25, 2025 at 5:28 AM
What a terrible year for me to give my first and last shot at a DECRA 😭. I knew it was going to be low, but still
Reposted by Erin Macartney
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
November 23, 2025 at 11:40 PM
ARC says they’ll announce DECRA and LIEF outcomes tomorrow (Tuesday 25th Nov).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
In recent times these announcements have been around 11am Canberra time. With 2 schemes on the same day, I assume they’ll announce one of them later in the day (probably DECRA first).
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Anyone looking for a Australia-based postdoc? Like animal behaviour / coding / birds? My fantastic collaborator, Iliana Medina, is advertising a position researching bird nests:
unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/UoM_Ex...
unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/UoM_Ex...
Research Fellow in Behaviour and Ecology
Role type: Full Time; Fixed Term for 2 years Faculty: Faculty of Science Department/ School: School of Biosciences Salary: Level A: $87,266 - $118,416 (PhD Entry Level - $110,319) plus 17% super Colla...
unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Anyone looking for a Australia-based postdoc? Like animal behaviour / coding / birds? My fantastic collaborator, Iliana Medina, is advertising a position researching bird nests:
unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/UoM_Ex...
unimelb.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com/en-GB/UoM_Ex...
Reposted by Erin Macartney
🚨 New preprint alert!
Our latest work from @immler.bsky.social lab 🐟🧬
Sex-specific responses of small RNAs and transposable elements to thermal stress in zebrafish germ cells
#TESky #TE #piRNA #miRNA #zebrafish #DanioDigest
🔗 Read here www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A thread 🧵...
Our latest work from @immler.bsky.social lab 🐟🧬
Sex-specific responses of small RNAs and transposable elements to thermal stress in zebrafish germ cells
#TESky #TE #piRNA #miRNA #zebrafish #DanioDigest
🔗 Read here www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A thread 🧵...
Sex-specific responses of small RNAs and transposable elements to thermal stress in zebrafish germ cells
Environmental fluctuations influence heritable phenotypes through complex molecular mechanisms. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), the interplay between temperature variation, transposable element (TE) activ...
www.biorxiv.org
November 16, 2025 at 10:18 AM
🚨 New preprint alert!
Our latest work from @immler.bsky.social lab 🐟🧬
Sex-specific responses of small RNAs and transposable elements to thermal stress in zebrafish germ cells
#TESky #TE #piRNA #miRNA #zebrafish #DanioDigest
🔗 Read here www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A thread 🧵...
Our latest work from @immler.bsky.social lab 🐟🧬
Sex-specific responses of small RNAs and transposable elements to thermal stress in zebrafish germ cells
#TESky #TE #piRNA #miRNA #zebrafish #DanioDigest
🔗 Read here www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
A thread 🧵...
Reposted by Erin Macartney
First successful detection of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone in multiple human hard tissues, and their use as potential biomarkers of pregnancy
First successful detection of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone in multiple human hard tissues, and their use as potential biomarkers of pregnancy
The sex steroid hormones oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone have never been detected in modern or archaeological human skeletal tissues using e…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:39 AM
First successful detection of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone in multiple human hard tissues, and their use as potential biomarkers of pregnancy
Reposted by Erin Macartney
What is sexual selection all about... definitionally and mathematically? A super talented PI, Jussi Lehtonen, is looking for a postdoc to work it all out! Deadline end of this month.
ats.talentadore.com/apply/postdo...
ats.talentadore.com/apply/postdo...
October 16, 2025 at 1:59 PM
What is sexual selection all about... definitionally and mathematically? A super talented PI, Jussi Lehtonen, is looking for a postdoc to work it all out! Deadline end of this month.
ats.talentadore.com/apply/postdo...
ats.talentadore.com/apply/postdo...
Reposted by Erin Macartney
The findings of a study in Nature shed light on germline selection dynamics and highlight a broader increased disease risk for children born to fathers of advanced age than previously appreciated. go.nature.com/4h5BglX 🧬 🧪
October 12, 2025 at 7:14 PM
The findings of a study in Nature shed light on germline selection dynamics and highlight a broader increased disease risk for children born to fathers of advanced age than previously appreciated. go.nature.com/4h5BglX 🧬 🧪
Very excited to have joined the Editorial Board of @evoecology.bsky.social as an Associate Editor! Send your sexual selection papers this way 🤓
October 7, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Very excited to have joined the Editorial Board of @evoecology.bsky.social as an Associate Editor! Send your sexual selection papers this way 🤓
I think all science should include a Lovecraftian summary
The Goose That Stopped Migrating: A Lovecraftian Paper Summary
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/09/23/t...
While reading a story by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, a curious idea struck me: why not retell one of my recent scientific papers in his voice? You can read the result in this blog post.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/09/23/t...
While reading a story by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, a curious idea struck me: why not retell one of my recent scientific papers in his voice? You can read the result in this blog post.
The Goose That Stopped Migrating: A Lovecraftian Paper Summary
An alternative explanation of a recent Barnacle Goose paper.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
September 24, 2025 at 3:22 AM
I think all science should include a Lovecraftian summary
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Ivimey-Cook @eivimeycook.bsky.social et al. From policy to practice: progress towards data- and code-sharing in ecology and evolution royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... #OpenScience #OpenData
From policy to practice: progress towards data- and code-sharing in ecology and evolution | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Data and code are essential for ensuring the credibility of scientific results and
facilitating reproducibility, areas in which journal sharing policies play a crucial
role. However, in ecology and ev...
royalsocietypublishing.org
September 17, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Ivimey-Cook @eivimeycook.bsky.social et al. From policy to practice: progress towards data- and code-sharing in ecology and evolution royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... #OpenScience #OpenData
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Female fruit flies possess two visually identical sperm storage organs that differ in origin, sperm storage, and release rates, highlighting functional asymmetry in paired biological structures. doi.org/g93t23
Surprising find reveals asymmetry in identical-looking fruit fly organs
At Cornell, Dawn Chen was counting sperm stored in a pair of organs called spermathecae in female fruit flies, fully expecting the counts to be roughly the same.
phys.org
September 16, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Female fruit flies possess two visually identical sperm storage organs that differ in origin, sperm storage, and release rates, highlighting functional asymmetry in paired biological structures. doi.org/g93t23
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Researchers found that fruit fly sperm push against one another and align in orderly bundles, preventing knots that could block reproduction.
Here’s how fruit flies' giant sperm squeeze into tight spaces
Researchers found that fruit fly sperm push against one another and align in orderly bundles, preventing knots that could block reproduction.
buff.ly
September 11, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Researchers found that fruit fly sperm push against one another and align in orderly bundles, preventing knots that could block reproduction.
Reposted by Erin Macartney
🚨 Proceedings B is recruiting new Data Editors!
Join our editorial board to help ensure data/code transparency across biology.
🗓 Term: 3 yrs from Jan 2026
📩 Apply by 30 Sep 2025 with a 2-page CV + cover letter: [email protected]
🔗 Info: [email protected] /[email protected]
Join our editorial board to help ensure data/code transparency across biology.
🗓 Term: 3 yrs from Jan 2026
📩 Apply by 30 Sep 2025 with a 2-page CV + cover letter: [email protected]
🔗 Info: [email protected] /[email protected]
August 7, 2025 at 2:56 PM
🚨 Proceedings B is recruiting new Data Editors!
Join our editorial board to help ensure data/code transparency across biology.
🗓 Term: 3 yrs from Jan 2026
📩 Apply by 30 Sep 2025 with a 2-page CV + cover letter: [email protected]
🔗 Info: [email protected] /[email protected]
Join our editorial board to help ensure data/code transparency across biology.
🗓 Term: 3 yrs from Jan 2026
📩 Apply by 30 Sep 2025 with a 2-page CV + cover letter: [email protected]
🔗 Info: [email protected] /[email protected]
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Male Reproductive Senescence in Mammals Is Pervasive and Aligned With the Slow-Fast Continuum
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Male Reproductive Senescence in Mammals Is Pervasive and Aligned With the Slow‐Fast Continuum
We found evidence of male reproductive senescence in 59.6% of the mammalian studied species, with a detection probability increasing with larger sample sizes and a longer age range relative to lifesp....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 13, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Male Reproductive Senescence in Mammals Is Pervasive and Aligned With the Slow-Fast Continuum
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1...
Wow! Just when you thought social insects (or biology in general) couldn't get any weirder
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species
go.nature.com/467N16m
go.nature.com/467N16m
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Nature - Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
go.nature.com
September 9, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Wow! Just when you thought social insects (or biology in general) couldn't get any weirder
Reposted by Erin Macartney
We’ve got seven places left!
Sadly, this is the last Evolution of Ageing workshop to be held with the Gutenberg series. It won’t be continuing next year!
Sadly, this is the last Evolution of Ageing workshop to be held with the Gutenberg series. It won’t be continuing next year!
Join the GUTENBERG WORKSHOP on the Evolution of Ageing!
Organizers: Margaux Bieuville, @kokkonut.bsky.social and Victor Ronget @unimainz.bsky.social, and eivimeycook.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social
Info at gutenberg-workshops.uni-mainz.de/evolution-ag...
#ageing #evolution #lifesciences
Organizers: Margaux Bieuville, @kokkonut.bsky.social and Victor Ronget @unimainz.bsky.social, and eivimeycook.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social
Info at gutenberg-workshops.uni-mainz.de/evolution-ag...
#ageing #evolution #lifesciences
August 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
We’ve got seven places left!
Sadly, this is the last Evolution of Ageing workshop to be held with the Gutenberg series. It won’t be continuing next year!
Sadly, this is the last Evolution of Ageing workshop to be held with the Gutenberg series. It won’t be continuing next year!
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Calling all evolutionary biologists! 🧬
AES 2025 | UQ Brisbane | 1–3 Oct
Early-bird registration close 1 Sept
aes.corsizio.com/event/685405...
#AES2025 #Evolution #ECR #AusSci
AES 2025 | UQ Brisbane | 1–3 Oct
Early-bird registration close 1 Sept
aes.corsizio.com/event/685405...
#AES2025 #Evolution #ECR #AusSci
August 26, 2025 at 12:15 AM
Calling all evolutionary biologists! 🧬
AES 2025 | UQ Brisbane | 1–3 Oct
Early-bird registration close 1 Sept
aes.corsizio.com/event/685405...
#AES2025 #Evolution #ECR #AusSci
AES 2025 | UQ Brisbane | 1–3 Oct
Early-bird registration close 1 Sept
aes.corsizio.com/event/685405...
#AES2025 #Evolution #ECR #AusSci
I've had a crazy amount of bots on my academic website in the last few days... I have no idea what they do, but if anyone sees anything weird coming from me, can you please let me know 😳
August 24, 2025 at 10:28 PM
I've had a crazy amount of bots on my academic website in the last few days... I have no idea what they do, but if anyone sees anything weird coming from me, can you please let me know 😳
Just completed my 50th peer review! I’m starting to have to say “no” more often, but I actually really enjoy it and learning what people are doing. Hopefully I haven’t been reviewer 2 too often ☺️
August 13, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Just completed my 50th peer review! I’m starting to have to say “no” more often, but I actually really enjoy it and learning what people are doing. Hopefully I haven’t been reviewer 2 too often ☺️
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Aging selectively impairs the production of crucial DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, which contributes to hallmarks of aging in the brains of killifish.
The findings in Science advance our understanding of the relationship between aging and the risk of pathologies. scim.ag/4owxo0O
The findings in Science advance our understanding of the relationship between aging and the risk of pathologies. scim.ag/4owxo0O
Altered translation elongation contributes to key hallmarks of aging in the killifish brain
Aging is a major risk factor for neurodegeneration and is characterized by diverse cellular and molecular hallmarks. To understand the origin of these hallmarks, we studied the effects of aging on the...
scim.ag
August 11, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Aging selectively impairs the production of crucial DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, which contributes to hallmarks of aging in the brains of killifish.
The findings in Science advance our understanding of the relationship between aging and the risk of pathologies. scim.ag/4owxo0O
The findings in Science advance our understanding of the relationship between aging and the risk of pathologies. scim.ag/4owxo0O
Reposted by Erin Macartney
This is devastating. In addition to the obvious harm to the FlyBase staff, SO many of us rely on this resource!
I just got the notice that all the FlyBase people at Harvard, including me, will be laid off on October 12. I'm devastated.
August 11, 2025 at 11:33 PM
This is devastating. In addition to the obvious harm to the FlyBase staff, SO many of us rely on this resource!
Reposted by Erin Macartney
AES 2025 ECR Awards – Apply Now!
Submit your best paper (preprints welcome!) for a chance to give a 30-min plenary at AES 2025 in Brisbane.
Two categories:
PhD and Postdoc
Winners get $500 travel support + free rego
ausevo.com/2025_researc...
Submit your best paper (preprints welcome!) for a chance to give a 30-min plenary at AES 2025 in Brisbane.
Two categories:
PhD and Postdoc
Winners get $500 travel support + free rego
ausevo.com/2025_researc...
August 11, 2025 at 3:31 AM
AES 2025 ECR Awards – Apply Now!
Submit your best paper (preprints welcome!) for a chance to give a 30-min plenary at AES 2025 in Brisbane.
Two categories:
PhD and Postdoc
Winners get $500 travel support + free rego
ausevo.com/2025_researc...
Submit your best paper (preprints welcome!) for a chance to give a 30-min plenary at AES 2025 in Brisbane.
Two categories:
PhD and Postdoc
Winners get $500 travel support + free rego
ausevo.com/2025_researc...
This is a great opportunity! If you're an ECR with some cool work that you want to share with the AES community, don't miss out on applying!
AES 2025 ECR Awards – Apply Now!
Submit your best paper (preprints welcome!) for a chance to give a 30-min plenary at AES 2025 in Brisbane.
Two categories:
PhD and Postdoc
Winners get $500 travel support + free rego
🔗 ausevo.com/2025_researc...
Submit your best paper (preprints welcome!) for a chance to give a 30-min plenary at AES 2025 in Brisbane.
Two categories:
PhD and Postdoc
Winners get $500 travel support + free rego
🔗 ausevo.com/2025_researc...
August 5, 2025 at 11:21 PM
This is a great opportunity! If you're an ECR with some cool work that you want to share with the AES community, don't miss out on applying!
Don't forget to register for the best part of the academic year! Hope to see you in Brissy! 🥳🤓
Calling all evolutionary biologists!
**AES 2025 Conference**
📍 UQ Brisbane | 🗓 1–3 Oct
**Talks close 1 Sept**
Don’t miss out — submit & join us for three days of cutting-edge science + community!
aes.corsizio.com/event/685405...
#AES2025 #Evolution #ECR #SciComm #AusSci
**AES 2025 Conference**
📍 UQ Brisbane | 🗓 1–3 Oct
**Talks close 1 Sept**
Don’t miss out — submit & join us for three days of cutting-edge science + community!
aes.corsizio.com/event/685405...
#AES2025 #Evolution #ECR #SciComm #AusSci
August 5, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Don't forget to register for the best part of the academic year! Hope to see you in Brissy! 🥳🤓
Reposted by Erin Macartney
Check out our latest preprint 📣 TADA guidelines 📣
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
August 4, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Check out our latest preprint 📣 TADA guidelines 📣
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...
TADA (Transferable, Accessible, Documented, Annotated) helps researchers across disciplines share code, with the ultimate goal of increasing code availability & its quality.
Brilliantly led by @eivimeycook.bsky.social
🔗 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...