Lauren Harrison
@laurenmharrison.bsky.social
Postdoc | animal behaviour, sexual selection and ageing
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
@asab.org Spring, aimed at ECRs, is coming to Bristol!
Conference grant DEADLINE for Developing Country Applicants (<£2500) or anyone needing an early decision for visas (<£750) is in ONE WEEK, 1st December.
www.asab.org/conference-g...
Referee statement also needed by then! 🐝🐜🦟🦂🐠🐟🐬🦎🐸🦆🐿️🦓
Conference grant DEADLINE for Developing Country Applicants (<£2500) or anyone needing an early decision for visas (<£750) is in ONE WEEK, 1st December.
www.asab.org/conference-g...
Referee statement also needed by then! 🐝🐜🦟🦂🐠🐟🐬🦎🐸🦆🐿️🦓
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
@asab.org Spring, aimed at ECRs, is coming to Bristol!
Conference grant DEADLINE for Developing Country Applicants (<£2500) or anyone needing an early decision for visas (<£750) is in ONE WEEK, 1st December.
www.asab.org/conference-g...
Referee statement also needed by then! 🐝🐜🦟🦂🐠🐟🐬🦎🐸🦆🐿️🦓
Conference grant DEADLINE for Developing Country Applicants (<£2500) or anyone needing an early decision for visas (<£750) is in ONE WEEK, 1st December.
www.asab.org/conference-g...
Referee statement also needed by then! 🐝🐜🦟🦂🐠🐟🐬🦎🐸🦆🐿️🦓
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
🪰 Fruit flies! 🌡️ Temperature changes! 💋Mate attraction! 👃Pheromones!
Our November #ASABEditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal:
"Effects of natural temperature variation on male perception of female scents in Drosophila melanogaster"
Read here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123352
Our November #ASABEditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal:
"Effects of natural temperature variation on male perception of female scents in Drosophila melanogaster"
Read here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123352
November 20, 2025 at 5:46 PM
🪰 Fruit flies! 🌡️ Temperature changes! 💋Mate attraction! 👃Pheromones!
Our November #ASABEditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal:
"Effects of natural temperature variation on male perception of female scents in Drosophila melanogaster"
Read here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123352
Our November #ASABEditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal:
"Effects of natural temperature variation on male perception of female scents in Drosophila melanogaster"
Read here:
doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2025.123352
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Honored to announce the Hamilton Lecture 2026!
Leigh Simmons, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Western Australia has made an outstanding contribution to the field of sexual selection acting from the whole organism to its gametes, and to our Society.
Leigh Simmons, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Western Australia has made an outstanding contribution to the field of sexual selection acting from the whole organism to its gametes, and to our Society.
November 19, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Honored to announce the Hamilton Lecture 2026!
Leigh Simmons, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Western Australia has made an outstanding contribution to the field of sexual selection acting from the whole organism to its gametes, and to our Society.
Leigh Simmons, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Biology at the University of Western Australia has made an outstanding contribution to the field of sexual selection acting from the whole organism to its gametes, and to our Society.
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
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 Lauren Harrison
Most #hummingbirds use their elegant beaks to sip nectar, but male green hermits stab each other in the neck with their sharp, straight weaponised bills when duelling during the mating season
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Read the full article at journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Read the full article at journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
November 19, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Most #hummingbirds use their elegant beaks to sip nectar, but male green hermits stab each other in the neck with their sharp, straight weaponised bills when duelling during the mating season
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Read the full article at journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Read the full article at journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
1/6 In a new preprint we ask a question:
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Sex-specific mutation accumulation: A parsimonious explanation for sex differences in lifespan and ageing
ecoevorxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 12:08 PM
1/6 In a new preprint we ask a question:
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Why do males and females so often age and die at different rates?
We argue that sex-specific mutation accumulation may be the most parsimonious evolutionary explanation for sex-biased ageing:
ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
@rorycoleman.bsky.social and I wrote an opinion piece called
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution
The vast diversity of animal behaviors has long inspired ethologists and neuroscientists, but circuit mechanisms driving this variation remain elusive…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:57 AM
@rorycoleman.bsky.social and I wrote an opinion piece called
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
'From neurons to novelty: Circuit mechanisms shaping courtship evolution'
We argue that now is a great time for neuro-evo research
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Cool new fly sperm paper 🪰
Sperm length and seminal fluid proteins promote male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster
LINK: academic.oup.com/jeb/article-...
Sperm length and seminal fluid proteins promote male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster
LINK: academic.oup.com/jeb/article-...
Sperm length and seminal fluid proteins promote male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster
Abstract. Spermatozoal morphology varies widely within and among species, often corresponding to the shape of the female sperm storage organs in ways that
academic.oup.com
November 13, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Cool new fly sperm paper 🪰
Sperm length and seminal fluid proteins promote male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster
LINK: academic.oup.com/jeb/article-...
Sperm length and seminal fluid proteins promote male reproductive success in Drosophila melanogaster
LINK: academic.oup.com/jeb/article-...
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
By combining mark-recapture and genetic parentage data from wild #lizards, we show that the offspring of older parents do not have lower survival or reproductive success than the offspring of younger parents:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Crain et al. 2025
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Crain et al. 2025
Parental age effects on offspring fitness in a wild population of a short-lived reptile
Abstract. As organisms age, the fitness of the offspring they produce can decline, which is often attributed to parental senescence. However, few studies h
doi.org
November 11, 2025 at 10:34 AM
By combining mark-recapture and genetic parentage data from wild #lizards, we show that the offspring of older parents do not have lower survival or reproductive success than the offspring of younger parents:
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Crain et al. 2025
doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...
Crain et al. 2025
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
1/13 New paper out! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Historical records across thousands of women showed that mothers with more children had shorter lifespans during a famine, fitting an evolutionary explanation for why we age
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
Historical records across thousands of women showed that mothers with more children had shorter lifespans during a famine, fitting an evolutionary explanation for why we age
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 10:57 AM
1/13 New paper out! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Historical records across thousands of women showed that mothers with more children had shorter lifespans during a famine, fitting an evolutionary explanation for why we age
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
Historical records across thousands of women showed that mothers with more children had shorter lifespans during a famine, fitting an evolutionary explanation for why we age
@hannahdugdale.bsky.social
@lummaalab.bsky.social
@erikpostma.bsky.social
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Our new paper offers an explanation for the universal law that "under carefully controlled conditions.... an animal behaves as it damn well pleases." We explore how stochastic mechanisms may play an underappreciated role in generating individuality. (1/7 🧵)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Playing dice with behavior: drivers of stochastic individuality
Animal behavior is often viewed as stemming from predictable genetic and environmental factors. However, despite our best attempts to control genetic …
www.sciencedirect.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Our new paper offers an explanation for the universal law that "under carefully controlled conditions.... an animal behaves as it damn well pleases." We explore how stochastic mechanisms may play an underappreciated role in generating individuality. (1/7 🧵)
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
In a stunning display of coordinated movement, male Swallow-tailed Manakins dance together in groups of up to five to attract females. Researchers studied display consistency, group size effects and implications for female choice: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #RSOS #AnimalBehaviour
November 9, 2025 at 10:00 AM
In a stunning display of coordinated movement, male Swallow-tailed Manakins dance together in groups of up to five to attract females. Researchers studied display consistency, group size effects and implications for female choice: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... #RSOS #AnimalBehaviour
Excited to see this huge experiment finally published!! 🪰
Fast females, slow males: accelerated ageing and reproductive senescence in Drosophila melanogaster females across diverse social environments url: academic.oup.com/evlett/artic...
Fast females, slow males: accelerated ageing and reproductive senescence in Drosophila melanogaster females across diverse social environments
Abstract. Females and males typically differ in lifespan, patterns of ageing, and reproduction. General explanations for variation in the magnitude of this
academic.oup.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Excited to see this huge experiment finally published!! 🪰
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Sexual dimorphism in pheromone perception across worms, flies, and rodents
#Drosophila
#Drosophila
Sexual dimorphism in pheromone perception across worms, flies, and rodents
#Drosophila
PubMed link
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
November 8, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Sexual dimorphism in pheromone perception across worms, flies, and rodents
#Drosophila
#Drosophila
Looks like an interesting read!
Sexual selection driven by direct benefits leads to the erosion of direct benefits https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.07.687154v1
November 8, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Looks like an interesting read!
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Female mosquitoes control mating through subtle genital movements, determining if and when copulation occurs—a key factor in their reproductive success and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. doi.org/g98bcr
What we got wrong about mosquito mating—researchers explain why females are in charge
The female mosquito only mates once in her lifetime, and yet she can develop many hundreds of eggs from this single event.
phys.org
October 28, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Female mosquitoes control mating through subtle genital movements, determining if and when copulation occurs—a key factor in their reproductive success and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. doi.org/g98bcr
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Age-related mutations give sperm-forming stem cells a selective advantage during sperm production, shaping disease risk and genetic variation in offspring
go.nature.com/4hlCBFH
go.nature.com/4hlCBFH
The search for mutations that sperm acquire as men age
Age-related mutations give sperm-forming stem cells a selective advantage during sperm production, shaping disease risk and genetic variation in offspring.
go.nature.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:13 AM
Age-related mutations give sperm-forming stem cells a selective advantage during sperm production, shaping disease risk and genetic variation in offspring
go.nature.com/4hlCBFH
go.nature.com/4hlCBFH
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
October 16, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Social relationships are powerful predictors of fitness across social animals. But *why*?
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
In our new @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social paper, we outline testable predictions for why relationship quality and quantity adaptively vary across socio-ecological contexts.
tinyurl.com/55dnkeh7
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Temperature can reverse sexual conflict, facilitating population growth
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Roberto García-Roa et al.
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Roberto García-Roa et al.
Temperature can reverse sexual conflict, facilitating population growth
Abstract. Sexual conflict frequently gives rise to adaptations that increase male reproductive success at the expense of harming females (“male harm”) and
doi.org
October 13, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Temperature can reverse sexual conflict, facilitating population growth
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Roberto García-Roa et al.
doi.org/10.1093/evle...
Now in @evolletters.bsky.social by Roberto García-Roa et al.
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Interactive effects of developmental and adult nutrition on lifespan and fecundity in a genetically diverse Drosophila population
#Drosophila
#Drosophila
Interactive effects of developmental and adult nutrition on lifespan and fecundity in a genetically diverse Drosophila population
#Drosophila
PubMed link
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
October 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Interactive effects of developmental and adult nutrition on lifespan and fecundity in a genetically diverse Drosophila population
#Drosophila
#Drosophila
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Scientists have uncovered how social life shapes aggression in fruit flies: while loners rely on quick jabs, group-raised males prefer intense, full-on tussles, a shift that helps them win territory and mates.
buff.ly/7FaSDNH
buff.ly/7FaSDNH
October 12, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Scientists have uncovered how social life shapes aggression in fruit flies: while loners rely on quick jabs, group-raised males prefer intense, full-on tussles, a shift that helps them win territory and mates.
buff.ly/7FaSDNH
buff.ly/7FaSDNH
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
🧪
Come join the team at Dryad! We're seeking a Data Curator to assess data and metadata submissions and work with authors to meet FAIR data guidelines. Open to remote candidates in the UK.
blog.datadryad.org/jobs/
blog.datadryad.org/jobs/
Jobs & opportunities | Dryad news
Dryad is a non-profit, mission-driven organization that envisions a world where all research data is openly available and fully re-used. Our multidisciplinary, fully curated open data publishing platf...
blog.datadryad.org
October 10, 2025 at 4:02 PM
🧪
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Now published! Our paper on:
(1) Accurate sequencing of sperm at scale
(2) Positive selection of spermatogenesis driver mutations across the exome
(3) Offspring disease risks from male reproductive aging
[1/n]
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(1) Accurate sequencing of sperm at scale
(2) Positive selection of spermatogenesis driver mutations across the exome
(3) Offspring disease risks from male reproductive aging
[1/n]
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Sperm sequencing reveals extensive positive selection in the male germline - Nature
A combination of whole-genome NanoSeq with deep whole-exome and targeted NanoSeq is used to accurately characterize mutation rates and genes under positive selection in sperm cells.
www.nature.com
October 8, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Now published! Our paper on:
(1) Accurate sequencing of sperm at scale
(2) Positive selection of spermatogenesis driver mutations across the exome
(3) Offspring disease risks from male reproductive aging
[1/n]
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
(1) Accurate sequencing of sperm at scale
(2) Positive selection of spermatogenesis driver mutations across the exome
(3) Offspring disease risks from male reproductive aging
[1/n]
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lauren Harrison
Need something fun to look forward to? Get involved in the publishing process at one of your favorite society journals! Apply to be an editor at Animal Behavior by Oct 31!
Do you love research & writing & all things animal behavior? Well our journal, Animal Behavior, recruiting up to 5 (count em!) new Associate Editors!
Editors serve three-year terms beginning January 2026. If you're interested, email Exec Editor Scott Sakaluk ([email protected]) by Oct 31!
Editors serve three-year terms beginning January 2026. If you're interested, email Exec Editor Scott Sakaluk ([email protected]) by Oct 31!
ron burgundy from parks and recreation says " you 'd be a fool not to pick me "
ALT: ron burgundy from parks and recreation says " you 'd be a fool not to pick me "
media.tenor.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Need something fun to look forward to? Get involved in the publishing process at one of your favorite society journals! Apply to be an editor at Animal Behavior by Oct 31!