tomjwebb
@tomjwebb.bsky.social
Professional marine biodiversity data scientist and academic @sheffielduni.bsky.social. Amateur dad, musician, natural historian, cricketer, kayaker, gardener, cook, haver of opinions.
Reposted by tomjwebb
The deep sea runs on mucus...
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
January 22, 2026 at 4:15 PM
The deep sea runs on mucus...
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
Everyone should have a companion cow
Cover girl Veronika is making headlines across the globe🐂
(animal cleverness trumps human stupidity)
Notably, she is a 'companion cow' not used for meat or dairy.
Maybe if we saw other creatures less as a means to an end, we could appreciate their richness better...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
(animal cleverness trumps human stupidity)
Notably, she is a 'companion cow' not used for meat or dairy.
Maybe if we saw other creatures less as a means to an end, we could appreciate their richness better...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 22, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Everyone should have a companion cow
Reposted by tomjwebb
If anyone here is interested, we have an online open event for prospective students on our @ucllifesciences.bsky.social biodiversity and ecology Masters courses. 28th January at 10:00 GMT Free and easy to register on the link below
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
Gecko
app.geckoform.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:56 AM
If anyone here is interested, we have an online open event for prospective students on our @ucllifesciences.bsky.social biodiversity and ecology Masters courses. 28th January at 10:00 GMT Free and easy to register on the link below
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
Have reached the ‘Apple archaeology’ stage of my office refresh
January 22, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Have reached the ‘Apple archaeology’ stage of my office refresh
It's always slightly deflating to turn up somewhere braced for an argument, only for the person to agree with you and quickly solve your problem.
January 21, 2026 at 9:39 AM
It's always slightly deflating to turn up somewhere braced for an argument, only for the person to agree with you and quickly solve your problem.
Reposted by tomjwebb
![1
[A spoof advert for a life management app. It opens with a glossy, sorted-looking person smugly addressing us]
Hey there.
2
Feeling the January panic already?
3
[Title panel]
Then sign up for Stressifyly today.
4
[Show the app on a phone]
Stressifyly
(We couldn't decide between ‘Stressly' and ‘Stressify')
5
Stressifyly is the cute stress-management app that has given up pretending it's all ok.
[the rest of the advert depicts on-screen app tools a la Headspace / Liven / Grammarly etc]
6
Complete your daily freak-out rings
'You've nearly been anxious all day!'
7
Get daily reminders to your devices
[A woman jogging, her watch saying to her: "Hey! You should’ve met the right guy by now."]
8
Use innovative visualisation tools
[Show a visualisation of a mountain of work: ‘your work mountain / you’ next to a tiny person]
9
Delve into our ambient sound library
[Listening to a recording called ‘The background hum of global decline’ illustrated with an image of trump, putin, a robot, flames etc]
10
Chat to our AI Berater Buddy to start manifesting failure
[AI person on phone]:
You’re gonna cock this up
[Person holding phone, eyes closed]
I’m gonna cock this up
11
Do some journaling thing as if that will somehow help
[person typing a journal entry on phone: "Today I had too many difficult things to do"
12
And generally pay us to tell you that adult life will go away if you just fiddle around with your phone some more
12
[Advert ending image]:
Stressifyly:
Stay underwater.
[Ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreibpkdjyy7n42ektwrasgu6fjhqo6tuwhh3jfctdmowmmjbzv5rr4u@jpeg)
Reposted by tomjwebb
We're seeking at least two wardens to protect Cemlyn’s internationally important tern colony, protect biodiversity and engage with people. Find out more 👉 www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/jobs/cemlyn-warden
Salary: £22,293
Closing date: Monday 2 February
Salary: £22,293
Closing date: Monday 2 February
January 20, 2026 at 9:54 AM
We're seeking at least two wardens to protect Cemlyn’s internationally important tern colony, protect biodiversity and engage with people. Find out more 👉 www.northwaleswildlifetrust.org.uk/jobs/cemlyn-warden
Salary: £22,293
Closing date: Monday 2 February
Salary: £22,293
Closing date: Monday 2 February
Reposted by tomjwebb
Are you an early career researcher who published a paper in Biology Letters this year? If so, consider applying for the ECR paper prize: royalsociety.org/journals/aut...
Biology Letters Early Career Researcher competition | Royal Society
Highlighting the best research papers by early career researchers.
royalsociety.org
January 20, 2026 at 10:20 AM
Are you an early career researcher who published a paper in Biology Letters this year? If so, consider applying for the ECR paper prize: royalsociety.org/journals/aut...
Couldn’t Fifa create a new Greenland to give him?
January 19, 2026 at 10:35 AM
Couldn’t Fifa create a new Greenland to give him?
“…as we use AI models, let’s keep asking ourselves if we are knowledge generating or merely output generating. Are we adding information to the world, or just words?”
New post!
Where does new knowledge come from when everyone relies on AI models and those models collapse because they only have their own output to train on?
https://tomstafford.substack.com/p/model-collapse
Where does new knowledge come from when everyone relies on AI models and those models collapse because they only have their own output to train on?
https://tomstafford.substack.com/p/model-collapse
Model collapse
when AI alters our behaviour and our institutions, the risk isn't just theoretical
tomstafford.substack.com
January 18, 2026 at 12:00 PM
“…as we use AI models, let’s keep asking ourselves if we are knowledge generating or merely output generating. Are we adding information to the world, or just words?”
We're well over 50 years of decimalisation now, am I being overly optimistic in hoping I can retire this quickmark comment before we hit 100?
January 16, 2026 at 3:06 PM
We're well over 50 years of decimalisation now, am I being overly optimistic in hoping I can retire this quickmark comment before we hit 100?
Talking of fake prizes given to undeserving people, I’m still fuming that that influencer was allowed to ‘win’ Celebrity Gladiators at Christmas despite being given a *ladder* to do the rope climb bit of the Eliminator. Nobody mentioned it. Massive BBC cover-up.
January 16, 2026 at 10:57 AM
Talking of fake prizes given to undeserving people, I’m still fuming that that influencer was allowed to ‘win’ Celebrity Gladiators at Christmas despite being given a *ladder* to do the rope climb bit of the Eliminator. Nobody mentioned it. Massive BBC cover-up.
This looks great! From survey / sampling -> lab -> bioinformatics pipeline -> analysis -> policy and management. I've heard Bodø is lovely too!
Registration is open for GuardIAS Summer School 2026, with a focus on e-DNA and Invasive Species! 🌊
Explore the program and meet the trainers: guardias.eu/welcome-to-t...
Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
#GuardIAS #InvasiveAlienSpecies #IAS #InvasiveSpecies #BioInvasions
Explore the program and meet the trainers: guardias.eu/welcome-to-t...
Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
#GuardIAS #InvasiveAlienSpecies #IAS #InvasiveSpecies #BioInvasions
January 15, 2026 at 6:05 PM
This looks great! From survey / sampling -> lab -> bioinformatics pipeline -> analysis -> policy and management. I've heard Bodø is lovely too!
Reposted by tomjwebb
wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage
January 15, 2026 at 1:47 PM
wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage
Reposted by tomjwebb
Friendly reminder to send in your abstracts for #WCMB2026
The call for abstracts will close 17 March 2026, and there will be no extensions.
wcmb2026.org/call-abstracts
@unoceandecade.bsky.social @vliz.be #marinebiodiversity
The call for abstracts will close 17 March 2026, and there will be no extensions.
wcmb2026.org/call-abstracts
@unoceandecade.bsky.social @vliz.be #marinebiodiversity
January 15, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Friendly reminder to send in your abstracts for #WCMB2026
The call for abstracts will close 17 March 2026, and there will be no extensions.
wcmb2026.org/call-abstracts
@unoceandecade.bsky.social @vliz.be #marinebiodiversity
The call for abstracts will close 17 March 2026, and there will be no extensions.
wcmb2026.org/call-abstracts
@unoceandecade.bsky.social @vliz.be #marinebiodiversity
Considering adding this to my TurnItIn quickmarks…
January 15, 2026 at 12:22 PM
Considering adding this to my TurnItIn quickmarks…
One of the (many) things I have no clue about in GitHub is the whole Personal Access Token thing. I just bash 'renew' every 30 or 90 days or whatever. I don't know why.
January 15, 2026 at 11:35 AM
One of the (many) things I have no clue about in GitHub is the whole Personal Access Token thing. I just bash 'renew' every 30 or 90 days or whatever. I don't know why.
Can't believe none of these assignments got marked while I stopped to make coffee. Come on AI, pull your finger out!
January 15, 2026 at 11:10 AM
Can't believe none of these assignments got marked while I stopped to make coffee. Come on AI, pull your finger out!
Reposted by tomjwebb
🌊New paper🐚 Seabed status varied strongly across Europe: the Black, Baltic, and Aegean–Levantine Seas generally showed high seabed community status, while the Western, Central, Ionian and Adriatic Mediterranean were most severely impacted by bottom trawling.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
January 14, 2026 at 9:00 AM
🌊New paper🐚 Seabed status varied strongly across Europe: the Black, Baltic, and Aegean–Levantine Seas generally showed high seabed community status, while the Western, Central, Ionian and Adriatic Mediterranean were most severely impacted by bottom trawling.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The image in this pensions email is pretty bland, but the alt text is unremittingly bleak…
January 14, 2026 at 9:41 AM
The image in this pensions email is pretty bland, but the alt text is unremittingly bleak…
Reposted by tomjwebb
Big news for Cambridge Prisms: Extinction! 🎉
We’re now indexed in ESCI and will be announcing our first Journal Impact Factor this summer.
A huge milestone for the journal and the extinction research community. Learn more and read the latest articles here: https://cup.org/4bsn3vl
We’re now indexed in ESCI and will be announcing our first Journal Impact Factor this summer.
A huge milestone for the journal and the extinction research community. Learn more and read the latest articles here: https://cup.org/4bsn3vl
January 12, 2026 at 3:10 PM
Big news for Cambridge Prisms: Extinction! 🎉
We’re now indexed in ESCI and will be announcing our first Journal Impact Factor this summer.
A huge milestone for the journal and the extinction research community. Learn more and read the latest articles here: https://cup.org/4bsn3vl
We’re now indexed in ESCI and will be announcing our first Journal Impact Factor this summer.
A huge milestone for the journal and the extinction research community. Learn more and read the latest articles here: https://cup.org/4bsn3vl
Reposted by tomjwebb
Are you into macroecology and/or macroevolution? Want to make our field a better place?
Please consider joining the BES Macro SIG Committee! We're currently recruiting for a vice chair and ordinary member(s).
More info and how to apply (deadline Jan 20th!): mcusercontent.com/a9537304d9bd...
Please consider joining the BES Macro SIG Committee! We're currently recruiting for a vice chair and ordinary member(s).
More info and how to apply (deadline Jan 20th!): mcusercontent.com/a9537304d9bd...
January 12, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Are you into macroecology and/or macroevolution? Want to make our field a better place?
Please consider joining the BES Macro SIG Committee! We're currently recruiting for a vice chair and ordinary member(s).
More info and how to apply (deadline Jan 20th!): mcusercontent.com/a9537304d9bd...
Please consider joining the BES Macro SIG Committee! We're currently recruiting for a vice chair and ordinary member(s).
More info and how to apply (deadline Jan 20th!): mcusercontent.com/a9537304d9bd...
Just opened my office filing cabinet for the first time in I don't know how many years to find three random bottles of wine in the bottom draw. They're from 2005 but I'm not sure they're the kind that will have benefited from the 20y wait…
January 12, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Just opened my office filing cabinet for the first time in I don't know how many years to find three random bottles of wine in the bottom draw. They're from 2005 but I'm not sure they're the kind that will have benefited from the 20y wait…
Reposted by tomjwebb
🎯 Marine sites wanted!
Join eDNA Expeditions, an OBIS-led project mobilizing environmental DNA to support local marine biodiversity monitoring and increase global ocean knowledge.
☑️ Kits, training & support provided
✅ Don't miss the opportunity!
➡️ ednaexpeditions.org
Join eDNA Expeditions, an OBIS-led project mobilizing environmental DNA to support local marine biodiversity monitoring and increase global ocean knowledge.
☑️ Kits, training & support provided
✅ Don't miss the opportunity!
➡️ ednaexpeditions.org
January 12, 2026 at 1:49 PM
🎯 Marine sites wanted!
Join eDNA Expeditions, an OBIS-led project mobilizing environmental DNA to support local marine biodiversity monitoring and increase global ocean knowledge.
☑️ Kits, training & support provided
✅ Don't miss the opportunity!
➡️ ednaexpeditions.org
Join eDNA Expeditions, an OBIS-led project mobilizing environmental DNA to support local marine biodiversity monitoring and increase global ocean knowledge.
☑️ Kits, training & support provided
✅ Don't miss the opportunity!
➡️ ednaexpeditions.org
Reposted by tomjwebb
January 12, 2026 at 12:06 PM