Liam U. Taylor
@liamtaylor.bsky.social
Doherty Postdoc in Biology - Bowdoin College - BSS Kent Island (they/them)
Pinned
Evolution of manakin plumage maturation now out early look @sse-evolution.bsky.social
(Phylo-)Devo-evo, plumage, and social signaling
Bonkers system that reshaped how I think about both development and evolution.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
(Phylo-)Devo-evo, plumage, and social signaling
Bonkers system that reshaped how I think about both development and evolution.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
If I quit academia who will tell the people all this important stuff I just made up?
January 30, 2026 at 5:27 AM
If I quit academia who will tell the people all this important stuff I just made up?
All I've ever wanted is a social media platform that's small voice memos, so I can tell my important stories, such as for example how today I reached into all my separate pockets and there was fruit in every one
January 30, 2026 at 5:15 AM
All I've ever wanted is a social media platform that's small voice memos, so I can tell my important stories, such as for example how today I reached into all my separate pockets and there was fruit in every one
like a mother running down the list of her childrens' names before reaching the correct one, I search through my dual authentication apps
January 29, 2026 at 6:07 PM
like a mother running down the list of her childrens' names before reaching the correct one, I search through my dual authentication apps
love this one
"...and I'll let you down bloody, poets:
There is no such thing as endless
distances. God can't even see which tattoos
we bought..."
!!! from Chloe Bryan
https://www.havehashad.com/e924v
There is no such thing as endless
distances. God can't even see which tattoos
we bought..."
!!! from Chloe Bryan
https://www.havehashad.com/e924v
January 29, 2026 at 4:46 PM
love this one
Reposted by Liam U. Taylor
Wildlife conservation is good for the climate. So why are animals so often left out of climate policy discussions? therevelator.org/animals-clim...
Animals Are Climate Allies. So Why Are We Leaving Them Out of Climate Policy? • The Revelator
Climate change threatens species around the world. At the same time, many animals can help us in the fight against climate change — if we let them.
therevelator.org
January 28, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Wildlife conservation is good for the climate. So why are animals so often left out of climate policy discussions? therevelator.org/animals-clim...
Evolution of manakin plumage maturation now out early look @sse-evolution.bsky.social
(Phylo-)Devo-evo, plumage, and social signaling
Bonkers system that reshaped how I think about both development and evolution.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
(Phylo-)Devo-evo, plumage, and social signaling
Bonkers system that reshaped how I think about both development and evolution.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
January 27, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Evolution of manakin plumage maturation now out early look @sse-evolution.bsky.social
(Phylo-)Devo-evo, plumage, and social signaling
Bonkers system that reshaped how I think about both development and evolution.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
(Phylo-)Devo-evo, plumage, and social signaling
Bonkers system that reshaped how I think about both development and evolution.
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Liam U. Taylor
Adding “No problem if not” to my email signature
January 23, 2026 at 8:32 PM
Adding “No problem if not” to my email signature
Dear @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social Cornell Lab of O,
your new phylogeny viewer is AWESOME and exactly what I wanted for years and will be an AMAZING resource for classes
BUT
you use an automatic thumbnail from the first image for each group
may we crowdsource better representative species lol
your new phylogeny viewer is AWESOME and exactly what I wanted for years and will be an AMAZING resource for classes
BUT
you use an automatic thumbnail from the first image for each group
may we crowdsource better representative species lol
January 23, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Dear @birdsoftheworld.bsky.social Cornell Lab of O,
your new phylogeny viewer is AWESOME and exactly what I wanted for years and will be an AMAZING resource for classes
BUT
you use an automatic thumbnail from the first image for each group
may we crowdsource better representative species lol
your new phylogeny viewer is AWESOME and exactly what I wanted for years and will be an AMAZING resource for classes
BUT
you use an automatic thumbnail from the first image for each group
may we crowdsource better representative species lol
In 2019 I was having a conversation about some science nonsense at the greatest brunch place in New Haven, CT (The Pantry). A precious young Yalie leaned over from the next table and said,
"I think it's actually pronounced YEW-LAR"
I said "oh, ok, thanks"
I wonder if he thinks about that, too
"I think it's actually pronounced YEW-LAR"
I said "oh, ok, thanks"
I wonder if he thinks about that, too
January 22, 2026 at 7:41 PM
In 2019 I was having a conversation about some science nonsense at the greatest brunch place in New Haven, CT (The Pantry). A precious young Yalie leaned over from the next table and said,
"I think it's actually pronounced YEW-LAR"
I said "oh, ok, thanks"
I wonder if he thinks about that, too
"I think it's actually pronounced YEW-LAR"
I said "oh, ok, thanks"
I wonder if he thinks about that, too
my god, when you're revising a manuscript so long you're like, this is trash, and then you go back and read it later and you're like, this is totally fine
January 22, 2026 at 5:38 PM
my god, when you're revising a manuscript so long you're like, this is trash, and then you go back and read it later and you're like, this is totally fine
We got it (pretty much) through! Heh
The sentence I'd start my paper with if it weren't against the rules -
Birds develop their plumages strangely, more like the blossoming of an inflorescence than, say, the growth of a shell.
Birds develop their plumages strangely, more like the blossoming of an inflorescence than, say, the growth of a shell.
January 21, 2026 at 5:13 PM
We got it (pretty much) through! Heh
I WON'T subtweet the paper I will NOT subtweet this paper I won't do it
January 13, 2026 at 9:15 PM
I WON'T subtweet the paper I will NOT subtweet this paper I won't do it
I have the sneaking suspicion that future historians of biology will look back on the framing of *history* as a *constraint* and they will simply think us very weird
January 11, 2026 at 5:26 PM
I have the sneaking suspicion that future historians of biology will look back on the framing of *history* as a *constraint* and they will simply think us very weird
I'm not particularly femme presenting most days, just due to constraints on time and attention and *gestures around*, but it's striking that the more I lean towards it, the more out of the way random dudes go to affirm masculinity
"hey thanks MAN!" "Right on dude!"
Goofy sometimes, for sure
"hey thanks MAN!" "Right on dude!"
Goofy sometimes, for sure
January 10, 2026 at 5:26 PM
I'm not particularly femme presenting most days, just due to constraints on time and attention and *gestures around*, but it's striking that the more I lean towards it, the more out of the way random dudes go to affirm masculinity
"hey thanks MAN!" "Right on dude!"
Goofy sometimes, for sure
"hey thanks MAN!" "Right on dude!"
Goofy sometimes, for sure
Reposted by Liam U. Taylor
A new editorial of mine in Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment , about the value of spending time with people on their land when doing ecology. 🌎🌿🦤
Walking the land with property owners
Tom A Langen, Catherine Benson, Rick Welsh
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Walking the land with property owners
Tom A Langen, Catherine Benson, Rick Welsh
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM
A new editorial of mine in Frontiers in Ecology & the Environment , about the value of spending time with people on their land when doing ecology. 🌎🌿🦤
Walking the land with property owners
Tom A Langen, Catherine Benson, Rick Welsh
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Walking the land with property owners
Tom A Langen, Catherine Benson, Rick Welsh
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Liam U. Taylor
Reposted by Liam U. Taylor
Literally the first news outlet I've seen directly quoting her wife. Even the NPR piece on Renee Good that aired this morning made no mention of Becca Good whatsoever.
On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.
Renee Macklin Good’s wife says she ‘nurtured kindness’
On Wednesday, Renee Macklin Good was fatally shot by a federal ICE agent. Becca Good, her wife, shared the following statement with MPR News.
www.mprnews.org
January 9, 2026 at 5:17 PM
Literally the first news outlet I've seen directly quoting her wife. Even the NPR piece on Renee Good that aired this morning made no mention of Becca Good whatsoever.
the ___ problem the ___ problem 🙄🙄🙄🙄
January 9, 2026 at 6:32 PM
the ___ problem the ___ problem 🙄🙄🙄🙄
I hate to give the West Coast any edge over my beloved home, but Chestnut-backed Chickadees are damn cute
January 6, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I hate to give the West Coast any edge over my beloved home, but Chestnut-backed Chickadees are damn cute
please google Lesser Florican Sypheotides indicus
December 29, 2025 at 11:58 PM
please google Lesser Florican Sypheotides indicus
old godwit photo from one of my favorite field techin times. Look at that feather wear!!
great birds up there but job did give me legitimate phobia of bears.
great birds up there but job did give me legitimate phobia of bears.
December 29, 2025 at 2:11 AM
old godwit photo from one of my favorite field techin times. Look at that feather wear!!
great birds up there but job did give me legitimate phobia of bears.
great birds up there but job did give me legitimate phobia of bears.
The more I engage with academia, the more I think about myself. My ambition, my legacy, my nemeses and papers and hopes and plans and ideas. It's exhausting and miserable and cowardly
December 26, 2025 at 7:23 PM
The more I engage with academia, the more I think about myself. My ambition, my legacy, my nemeses and papers and hopes and plans and ideas. It's exhausting and miserable and cowardly
Reposted by Liam U. Taylor
I am very excited to share our new paper with my amazing co-authors and mentors @dmacguig.bsky.social @fishgenomes.bsky.social @tjnear.bsky.social . We investigate a secondary contact zone in #darters. track.smtpsendmail.com/9032119/c?p=...
Mosaic tri-lineage secondary contact shapes diverse genomic outcomes in darters
Abstract. Speciation does not always lead to complete reproductive isolation, which can result in hybrid zones with gene flow. In freshwater fishes, second
track.smtpsendmail.com
December 26, 2025 at 4:41 PM
I am very excited to share our new paper with my amazing co-authors and mentors @dmacguig.bsky.social @fishgenomes.bsky.social @tjnear.bsky.social . We investigate a secondary contact zone in #darters. track.smtpsendmail.com/9032119/c?p=...
sex is about as essential as Richard Dawkins is to evolutionary biology - which is to say, not essential 💜
Hey, fellow evolutionary biologists:
If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community
If you support trans rights, like, comment, or repost this. I want to show that transphobes like Richard Dawkins are a loud minority that does not represent our community
And that’s a follow.
Actually I do have a question if you have a sec.
Without exception the most transphobic group of scientists I’ve run into online are evolutionary biologists. Every single one of them has expressed the same opinion: transness cannot be anything other than social contagion. Why?
Actually I do have a question if you have a sec.
Without exception the most transphobic group of scientists I’ve run into online are evolutionary biologists. Every single one of them has expressed the same opinion: transness cannot be anything other than social contagion. Why?
December 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
sex is about as essential as Richard Dawkins is to evolutionary biology - which is to say, not essential 💜