Rod Page
@rdmpage.bsky.social
Expat Kiwi, Professor of Taxonomy at Glasgow University, inclined to say that something sucks at every available opportunity. Biodiversity informatics, phylogeny, knowledge graphs. I also run the @evoldir.bsky.social bot.
Reposted by Rod Page
Can confirm
Twitter accounts are based in Russia. BlueSky accounts are based in homes with, frankly, too many books, plants, obsolete cables, and pieces of rustic pottery, that could do with a bit of a tidying up, to be honest.
November 26, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Can confirm
“Overall, these findings suggest that the value of natural history collections as global research infrastructure is eroding due to decreased collecting of specimen data across species, locations, and time.“ doi.org/10.1038/s414... Interesting analysis based on @gbif.org data.
Global sampling decline erodes science potential of natural history collections - Nature Communications
Natural history collections hold over two billion specimens representing Earth’s biodiversity, but their scientific value depends on continued specimen collection and digitisation. This study demonstr...
doi.org
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 AM
“Overall, these findings suggest that the value of natural history collections as global research infrastructure is eroding due to decreased collecting of specimen data across species, locations, and time.“ doi.org/10.1038/s414... Interesting analysis based on @gbif.org data.
More articles extracted from @biodivlibrary.bsky.social , this time "Flowering Plants of South Africa" biostor.org/issn/0015-4504 Tricky to work with these articles as no page numbers and page and plate ordering needs to be flipped. Nightmare, but at least we get to see the "pretty".
November 25, 2025 at 11:31 PM
More articles extracted from @biodivlibrary.bsky.social , this time "Flowering Plants of South Africa" biostor.org/issn/0015-4504 Tricky to work with these articles as no page numbers and page and plate ordering needs to be flipped. Nightmare, but at least we get to see the "pretty".
It looks like DBpedia has gotten a lot less useful for my purposes 🙁It used to include a short summary of a topic (often in multiple languages) but now that has gone(?) (compare dbpedia.org/page/Blattidae with web.archive.org/web/20221226... from @waybackmachine.bsky.social )
November 24, 2025 at 2:43 PM
It looks like DBpedia has gotten a lot less useful for my purposes 🙁It used to include a short summary of a topic (often in multiple languages) but now that has gone(?) (compare dbpedia.org/page/Blattidae with web.archive.org/web/20221226... from @waybackmachine.bsky.social )
Reposted by Rod Page
hot take (?): the role of LLMs / genAI in peer reviewing definitely depends on what we think the role of peer review actually is.
current peer review (in eco/evo?) is often focused on smoothness, broadness, etc. for readers unfamiliar with topic. This seems like a great use for LLMs...
current peer review (in eco/evo?) is often focused on smoothness, broadness, etc. for readers unfamiliar with topic. This seems like a great use for LLMs...
November 23, 2025 at 8:54 PM
hot take (?): the role of LLMs / genAI in peer reviewing definitely depends on what we think the role of peer review actually is.
current peer review (in eco/evo?) is often focused on smoothness, broadness, etc. for readers unfamiliar with topic. This seems like a great use for LLMs...
current peer review (in eco/evo?) is often focused on smoothness, broadness, etc. for readers unfamiliar with topic. This seems like a great use for LLMs...
Added over 400 articles to Journal of @entsocbc.bsky.social in @biodivlibrary.bsky.social. Articles are in BioStor biostor.org/issn/0071-0733 and should appear in BHL tomorrow #bhlsunday
November 23, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Added over 400 articles to Journal of @entsocbc.bsky.social in @biodivlibrary.bsky.social. Articles are in BioStor biostor.org/issn/0071-0733 and should appear in BHL tomorrow #bhlsunday
Reposted by Rod Page
If you'd like to celebrate the biology of viruses - or the fight against viral diseases - this winter, try out our free and updated #VirusSnowflake designs.
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
November 17, 2025 at 5:39 PM
If you'd like to celebrate the biology of viruses - or the fight against viral diseases - this winter, try out our free and updated #VirusSnowflake designs.
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
Please share, and if you have any photos of Virus Snowflakes in your area it would be lovely to see them!
cvr-engagement.co.uk/virus-snowfl...
Reposted by Rod Page
Thinking about the business case for using specialised academic deep research eg elicit, Undermind, Consensus, Scispace, Scopus DR etc Vs general deep research (openai, Gemini, Claude research etc). (1)
November 23, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Thinking about the business case for using specialised academic deep research eg elicit, Undermind, Consensus, Scispace, Scopus DR etc Vs general deep research (openai, Gemini, Claude research etc). (1)
Reposted by Rod Page
Or course the big bomb would be Google scholar coming in. They did just launch Scholar labs but that's deep search not deep research... But if they change their mind...
aarontay.substack.com/p/scholar-la... (7)
aarontay.substack.com/p/scholar-la... (7)
Scholar Labs Early Review: Google Scholar Finally Enters the AI Era
Generated by Nano-Banana Pro from text of this blog post
aarontay.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Or course the big bomb would be Google scholar coming in. They did just launch Scholar labs but that's deep search not deep research... But if they change their mind...
aarontay.substack.com/p/scholar-la... (7)
aarontay.substack.com/p/scholar-la... (7)
Reposted by Rod Page
A new #PhD opportunity supervised by @drmambobob.bsky.social and me at the @uniofreading.bsky.social on dragonfly and damselfly evolution!
It is competition funded through the CROCUS partnership, and involves a mix of palaeontology and comparative biology.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
It is competition funded through the CROCUS partnership, and involves a mix of palaeontology and comparative biology.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
November 22, 2025 at 1:26 PM
A new #PhD opportunity supervised by @drmambobob.bsky.social and me at the @uniofreading.bsky.social on dragonfly and damselfly evolution!
It is competition funded through the CROCUS partnership, and involves a mix of palaeontology and comparative biology.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
It is competition funded through the CROCUS partnership, and involves a mix of palaeontology and comparative biology.
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Rod Page
!!! Three more organisations have joined the global #OurFutureMemory movement!
* @iua-official.bsky.social Librarians’ Group (IUALG)
* Boston Library Consortium
* @libraryfutures.bsky.social
🔗 Full announcement: www.internetarchive.eu/2025/11/21/t...
🔗 Promote the campaign: ourfuturememory.org
* @iua-official.bsky.social Librarians’ Group (IUALG)
* Boston Library Consortium
* @libraryfutures.bsky.social
🔗 Full announcement: www.internetarchive.eu/2025/11/21/t...
🔗 Promote the campaign: ourfuturememory.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:05 AM
!!! Three more organisations have joined the global #OurFutureMemory movement!
* @iua-official.bsky.social Librarians’ Group (IUALG)
* Boston Library Consortium
* @libraryfutures.bsky.social
🔗 Full announcement: www.internetarchive.eu/2025/11/21/t...
🔗 Promote the campaign: ourfuturememory.org
* @iua-official.bsky.social Librarians’ Group (IUALG)
* Boston Library Consortium
* @libraryfutures.bsky.social
🔗 Full announcement: www.internetarchive.eu/2025/11/21/t...
🔗 Promote the campaign: ourfuturememory.org
Reposted by Rod Page
In the Sumatran rainforest's deepest reaches, strange plants - that scarcely resemble plants at all - blossom unseen. This rarity is Balanophora papuana. We found mounds of it rising from the forest floor like little reefs of coral.
November 21, 2025 at 6:15 AM
In the Sumatran rainforest's deepest reaches, strange plants - that scarcely resemble plants at all - blossom unseen. This rarity is Balanophora papuana. We found mounds of it rising from the forest floor like little reefs of coral.
Reposted by Rod Page
lol is somebody cataloguing these
November 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
lol is somebody cataloguing these
Reposted by Rod Page
Every few years I feel compelled to post about the best hotel hack ever, because every time I post about it, it turns out to be new to lots of folks …
November 20, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Every few years I feel compelled to post about the best hotel hack ever, because every time I post about it, it turns out to be new to lots of folks …
Reposted by Rod Page
A great presentation/summary on the state of #biodiversity data on #Wikidata by @tiagolubiana.bsky.social at the recent #WikiCon2025. He links/discusses A LOT of information in the 20 min he has to present. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WYf... #HighlyRecommended
WikidataCon 2025: Wikidata and Biodiversity — a match made for Earth
YouTube video by Wikimedia Deutschland
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:42 AM
A great presentation/summary on the state of #biodiversity data on #Wikidata by @tiagolubiana.bsky.social at the recent #WikiCon2025. He links/discusses A LOT of information in the 20 min he has to present. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WYf... #HighlyRecommended
This is expressly against @crossref.bsky.social advice that DOIs should be opaque identifiers. That is, CrossRef argues that people should not be able to read anything into a DOI. To be clear, I think @crossref.bsky.social position is misguided.
Understanding bioRxiv/medRxiv DOIs. How openRxiv assigns them, a changing prefix, and the embedded priority date in citations openrxiv.org/dois-for-pre...
Understanding DOIs for preprints: how openRxiv assigns and manages persistent identifiers - openRxiv
Digital object identifiers (DOIs) are a class of persistent identifier (PID) assigned to an object to ensure that it can always be uniquely identified and, ideally, accessed reliably. Each DOI is a un...
openrxiv.org
November 19, 2025 at 9:34 PM
This is expressly against @crossref.bsky.social advice that DOIs should be opaque identifiers. That is, CrossRef argues that people should not be able to read anything into a DOI. To be clear, I think @crossref.bsky.social position is misguided.
Reposted by Rod Page
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
Atkinson Hyperlegible Font - Braille Institute
Read easier with Atkinson Hyperlegible Font, crafted for low-vision readers. Download for free and enjoy clear letters and numbers on your computer!
www.brailleinstitute.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:19 AM
periodic reminder of the existence of Atkinson Hyperlegible, a free font available from the Braille Institute designed to improve readability for people with low vision
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
I use it in talks because it's pretty and also because, as an audience member, I am perpetually squinting at people's slides
Reposted by Rod Page
Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: Part of a 1950s series on environmental conservation, this #filmstrip talks about bodies of water and what can happen if the ecology gets out of balance.
archive.org/details/unco...
archive.org/details/unco...
November 19, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Scanned and uploaded to @archive.org: Part of a 1950s series on environmental conservation, this #filmstrip talks about bodies of water and what can happen if the ecology gets out of balance.
archive.org/details/unco...
archive.org/details/unco...
Reposted by Rod Page
Searching for a spectacular writer! 🔎🪲
GBIF are seeking a contractor to support the Secretariat in producing an overview paper documenting GBIF's 25 years of operations.
Deadline for proposal submissions: 📍 3 December 2025.
⚡Explore the details here:🔗 gbif.link/25-year-co...
GBIF are seeking a contractor to support the Secretariat in producing an overview paper documenting GBIF's 25 years of operations.
Deadline for proposal submissions: 📍 3 December 2025.
⚡Explore the details here:🔗 gbif.link/25-year-co...
November 19, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Searching for a spectacular writer! 🔎🪲
GBIF are seeking a contractor to support the Secretariat in producing an overview paper documenting GBIF's 25 years of operations.
Deadline for proposal submissions: 📍 3 December 2025.
⚡Explore the details here:🔗 gbif.link/25-year-co...
GBIF are seeking a contractor to support the Secretariat in producing an overview paper documenting GBIF's 25 years of operations.
Deadline for proposal submissions: 📍 3 December 2025.
⚡Explore the details here:🔗 gbif.link/25-year-co...
Reposted by Rod Page
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.
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.
PhyloWeaver – Interactive phylogenetic tree editor
Edit and visualize phylogenetic trees directly in your browser. PhyloWeaver lets you interactively rearrange tree topologies and export high-quality figures for publications and presentations.
yawak.jp
November 18, 2025 at 1:59 AM
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.
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.
I wrote up some brief notes on Model Context Protocol (MCP) and triple stores iphylo.blogspot.com/2025/11/mode.... The idea of querying knowledge graphs using natural language is intoxicating.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) and triple stores: natural language queries for knowledge graphs
Blog by Rod Page on biodiversity informatics, taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny, knowledge graphs, and other topics.
iphylo.blogspot.com
November 19, 2025 at 12:30 PM
I wrote up some brief notes on Model Context Protocol (MCP) and triple stores iphylo.blogspot.com/2025/11/mode.... The idea of querying knowledge graphs using natural language is intoxicating.
Reposted by Rod Page
WE FOUND IT! We trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests accessible only under permit for this: Rafflesia hasseltii. Few people have ever seen this flower, and we watched it open by night. Magic.
November 19, 2025 at 12:48 AM
WE FOUND IT! We trekked day and night through tiger-patrolled Sumatran rainforests accessible only under permit for this: Rafflesia hasseltii. Few people have ever seen this flower, and we watched it open by night. Magic.
Reposted by Rod Page
Just a reminder, that possibly the oldest piece of palaeoart dates to the Neolithic. The petroglyphs of horned characters with trumpets, recorded on the same rock as a ornithischian footprints (Zagaje Formation) in Poland, might be an early reconstruction of the Jurassic tracemaker.
November 7, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Just a reminder, that possibly the oldest piece of palaeoart dates to the Neolithic. The petroglyphs of horned characters with trumpets, recorded on the same rock as a ornithischian footprints (Zagaje Formation) in Poland, might be an early reconstruction of the Jurassic tracemaker.
Reposted by Rod Page
1/ 🚀 Big thanks to our community - since August we’ve added thousands of new sequences, rolled out major new features, and welcomed fresh faces into the #Pathoplexus world. Let’s dive into what’s new.👇🏻
Read the full update: pathoplexus.org/news/2025-11...
Read the full update: pathoplexus.org/news/2025-11...
November 18, 2025 at 7:01 PM
1/ 🚀 Big thanks to our community - since August we’ve added thousands of new sequences, rolled out major new features, and welcomed fresh faces into the #Pathoplexus world. Let’s dive into what’s new.👇🏻
Read the full update: pathoplexus.org/news/2025-11...
Read the full update: pathoplexus.org/news/2025-11...
And now @cloudflare.social is down www.cloudflarestatus.com 🙈
Cloudflare Status
Welcome to Cloudflare's home for real-time and historical data on system performance.
www.cloudflarestatus.com
November 18, 2025 at 12:11 PM
And now @cloudflare.social is down www.cloudflarestatus.com 🙈