Will Bugg
@wbuggiii.bsky.social
Liber Ero Fellow
PhD from the University of Manitoba.
Postdoc with UBC and PSF.
Conservation and physiological responses to environmental stressors.
From NC -> AL -> MB -> BC.
PhD from the University of Manitoba.
Postdoc with UBC and PSF.
Conservation and physiological responses to environmental stressors.
From NC -> AL -> MB -> BC.
Pinned
Will Bugg
@wbuggiii.bsky.social
· Nov 11
Hi everyone! I’m a postdoc with the University of British Columbia and the Pacific Salmon Foundation and my research focuses on the impacts of cumulative stressors on the early marine survival of Pacific Salmon 🐟🐠🧪
Reposted by Will Bugg
Ooooh. Cool new paper on origins of life. A simple 45-nucleotide RNA molecule that can perfectly copy itself.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand
The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...
www.science.org
February 13, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Ooooh. Cool new paper on origins of life. A simple 45-nucleotide RNA molecule that can perfectly copy itself.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Will Bugg
hiiii it’s me!!
as a pretty burnt out scientist but i’ve found joy again in making ceramics :)
i’m working on my first small batch drop that will be inspired by my love of color and the natural world
if you have instagram and want to be friends find me @madart_ceramics
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🍒🫐🐚💫
as a pretty burnt out scientist but i’ve found joy again in making ceramics :)
i’m working on my first small batch drop that will be inspired by my love of color and the natural world
if you have instagram and want to be friends find me @madart_ceramics
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🍒🫐🐚💫
February 5, 2026 at 4:40 PM
hiiii it’s me!!
as a pretty burnt out scientist but i’ve found joy again in making ceramics :)
i’m working on my first small batch drop that will be inspired by my love of color and the natural world
if you have instagram and want to be friends find me @madart_ceramics
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🍒🫐🐚💫
as a pretty burnt out scientist but i’ve found joy again in making ceramics :)
i’m working on my first small batch drop that will be inspired by my love of color and the natural world
if you have instagram and want to be friends find me @madart_ceramics
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🍒🫐🐚💫
Reposted by Will Bugg
i’ve been dabbling in pottery to keep some portion of my sanity together and turns out i super love it and want to make it my whole life 💫🥲
is this the scientist to artist pipeline? 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎
here are some to go cups i made recently! hand painted fruits on speckled clay
#pottery #ceramics #handmade
is this the scientist to artist pipeline? 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎
here are some to go cups i made recently! hand painted fruits on speckled clay
#pottery #ceramics #handmade
February 2, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Reposted by Will Bugg
happy #sturgeonsaturday yall 🧪👩🏻🔬 🌎
Did ya know that during winter sturgeon do a thing i call cuddle puddle? they find a deep hole to overwinter in & hang out cuddle puddling until spring! we are working to identify & protect these areas now
support the sturgies, get a sticker: tinyurl.com/2fjnxy7w
Did ya know that during winter sturgeon do a thing i call cuddle puddle? they find a deep hole to overwinter in & hang out cuddle puddling until spring! we are working to identify & protect these areas now
support the sturgies, get a sticker: tinyurl.com/2fjnxy7w
January 31, 2026 at 6:45 PM
happy #sturgeonsaturday yall 🧪👩🏻🔬 🌎
Did ya know that during winter sturgeon do a thing i call cuddle puddle? they find a deep hole to overwinter in & hang out cuddle puddling until spring! we are working to identify & protect these areas now
support the sturgies, get a sticker: tinyurl.com/2fjnxy7w
Did ya know that during winter sturgeon do a thing i call cuddle puddle? they find a deep hole to overwinter in & hang out cuddle puddling until spring! we are working to identify & protect these areas now
support the sturgies, get a sticker: tinyurl.com/2fjnxy7w
Reposted by Will Bugg
ice continues to kidnap, torture, and murder human beings across the US and right now, especially in Minneapolis
proceeds from this sticker to mutual aid funds in MN
abolish ice
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🦑 🐟
www.madisonearhart.com/product-page...
proceeds from this sticker to mutual aid funds in MN
abolish ice
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🦑 🐟
www.madisonearhart.com/product-page...
January 24, 2026 at 10:29 PM
ice continues to kidnap, torture, and murder human beings across the US and right now, especially in Minneapolis
proceeds from this sticker to mutual aid funds in MN
abolish ice
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🦑 🐟
www.madisonearhart.com/product-page...
proceeds from this sticker to mutual aid funds in MN
abolish ice
👩🏻🔬🧪🌎🦑 🐟
www.madisonearhart.com/product-page...
Reposted by Will Bugg
What’s happening on the Bathurst calving grounds?
We found strong spatiotemporal overlap between grizzlies and caribou during calving, highlighting potential risk during this sensitive period. Deeply grateful to the collaborators who made this work possible!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We found strong spatiotemporal overlap between grizzlies and caribou during calving, highlighting potential risk during this sensitive period. Deeply grateful to the collaborators who made this work possible!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
January 18, 2026 at 5:10 PM
What’s happening on the Bathurst calving grounds?
We found strong spatiotemporal overlap between grizzlies and caribou during calving, highlighting potential risk during this sensitive period. Deeply grateful to the collaborators who made this work possible!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We found strong spatiotemporal overlap between grizzlies and caribou during calving, highlighting potential risk during this sensitive period. Deeply grateful to the collaborators who made this work possible!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thanks Jim, much appreciated!
January 13, 2026 at 8:56 PM
Thanks Jim, much appreciated!
Reposted by Will Bugg
yooo everyone!!
will did a super cool study with big implications for salmon!!
He was able to create biomarkers using teeny tiny pieces of gills (non lethal) to identify if a salmon is food limited or not
this means they can go in the wild and determine if, when and where salmon are starving 🧪🌎👩🏻🔬
will did a super cool study with big implications for salmon!!
He was able to create biomarkers using teeny tiny pieces of gills (non lethal) to identify if a salmon is food limited or not
this means they can go in the wild and determine if, when and where salmon are starving 🧪🌎👩🏻🔬
New research out in @conphysjournal.bsky.social We use RNA sequencing to identify gill markers for food deprivation in Chinook salmon.
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
We will deploy these markers with panels for other stressors and pathogens to evaluate impacts on survival of wild salmon
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
We will deploy these markers with panels for other stressors and pathogens to evaluate impacts on survival of wild salmon
PSF scientists, led by @wbuggiii.bsky.social, recently published a research breakthrough on identifying food deprivation in wild salmon.
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
January 13, 2026 at 7:43 PM
yooo everyone!!
will did a super cool study with big implications for salmon!!
He was able to create biomarkers using teeny tiny pieces of gills (non lethal) to identify if a salmon is food limited or not
this means they can go in the wild and determine if, when and where salmon are starving 🧪🌎👩🏻🔬
will did a super cool study with big implications for salmon!!
He was able to create biomarkers using teeny tiny pieces of gills (non lethal) to identify if a salmon is food limited or not
this means they can go in the wild and determine if, when and where salmon are starving 🧪🌎👩🏻🔬
New research out in @conphysjournal.bsky.social We use RNA sequencing to identify gill markers for food deprivation in Chinook salmon.
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
We will deploy these markers with panels for other stressors and pathogens to evaluate impacts on survival of wild salmon
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
We will deploy these markers with panels for other stressors and pathogens to evaluate impacts on survival of wild salmon
PSF scientists, led by @wbuggiii.bsky.social, recently published a research breakthrough on identifying food deprivation in wild salmon.
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Identification of food deprivation in salmonids using gill biomarkers
Abstract. Risk assessments have identified prey limitation as one of the strongest risk factors for juvenile salmon survival under climate change. In Briti
academic.oup.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:47 PM
New research out in @conphysjournal.bsky.social We use RNA sequencing to identify gill markers for food deprivation in Chinook salmon.
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
We will deploy these markers with panels for other stressors and pathogens to evaluate impacts on survival of wild salmon
academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
We will deploy these markers with panels for other stressors and pathogens to evaluate impacts on survival of wild salmon
Reposted by Will Bugg
PSF scientists, led by @wbuggiii.bsky.social, recently published a research breakthrough on identifying food deprivation in wild salmon.
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Identification of food deprivation in salmonids using gill biomarkers
Abstract. Risk assessments have identified prey limitation as one of the strongest risk factors for juvenile salmon survival under climate change. In Briti
academic.oup.com
January 13, 2026 at 6:09 PM
PSF scientists, led by @wbuggiii.bsky.social, recently published a research breakthrough on identifying food deprivation in wild salmon.
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Learn more: academic.oup.com/conphys/arti...
Reposted by Will Bugg
newwwww illustration below :) check out this sturgeon paper!!!
What underlies plasticity and persistent enhanced growth following warm temperature exposure?
We sequenced lake sturgeon muscle tissue to find out
A variety of molecular mechanisms and cellular changes work together to increase muscular development across timescales
🧪🌎🌐🐠
tinyurl.com/mr2n2cvb
We sequenced lake sturgeon muscle tissue to find out
A variety of molecular mechanisms and cellular changes work together to increase muscular development across timescales
🧪🌎🌐🐠
tinyurl.com/mr2n2cvb
November 26, 2025 at 6:07 PM
newwwww illustration below :) check out this sturgeon paper!!!
Credit to @madisonearhart.bsky.social for the awesome illustration and a great team of co authors including @biomatt.bsky.social
November 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Credit to @madisonearhart.bsky.social for the awesome illustration and a great team of co authors including @biomatt.bsky.social
What underlies plasticity and persistent enhanced growth following warm temperature exposure?
We sequenced lake sturgeon muscle tissue to find out
A variety of molecular mechanisms and cellular changes work together to increase muscular development across timescales
🧪🌎🌐🐠
tinyurl.com/mr2n2cvb
We sequenced lake sturgeon muscle tissue to find out
A variety of molecular mechanisms and cellular changes work together to increase muscular development across timescales
🧪🌎🌐🐠
tinyurl.com/mr2n2cvb
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
What underlies plasticity and persistent enhanced growth following warm temperature exposure?
We sequenced lake sturgeon muscle tissue to find out
A variety of molecular mechanisms and cellular changes work together to increase muscular development across timescales
🧪🌎🌐🐠
tinyurl.com/mr2n2cvb
We sequenced lake sturgeon muscle tissue to find out
A variety of molecular mechanisms and cellular changes work together to increase muscular development across timescales
🧪🌎🌐🐠
tinyurl.com/mr2n2cvb
Reposted by Will Bugg
sometimes I do field work in the most gorgeous water (Harrison river, BC) and you can see the sturgeon swim away forever 🥹
this is a nice close up of the scutes that cover sturgeon for protection, they have several rows of these bony plates that can be really sharp!
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
this is a nice close up of the scutes that cover sturgeon for protection, they have several rows of these bony plates that can be really sharp!
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
November 23, 2025 at 2:47 AM
sometimes I do field work in the most gorgeous water (Harrison river, BC) and you can see the sturgeon swim away forever 🥹
this is a nice close up of the scutes that cover sturgeon for protection, they have several rows of these bony plates that can be really sharp!
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
this is a nice close up of the scutes that cover sturgeon for protection, they have several rows of these bony plates that can be really sharp!
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
Reposted by Will Bugg
did you know we had ~80 huge sturgeon die this year (that we know of) in 2
BC rivers? These deaths occurred during the summer when the sockeye salmon were returning
sturgeon eat many salmon at once, and this may be overloading their metabolic capacity during hot summers 😱
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
BC rivers? These deaths occurred during the summer when the sockeye salmon were returning
sturgeon eat many salmon at once, and this may be overloading their metabolic capacity during hot summers 😱
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
November 15, 2025 at 11:41 PM
did you know we had ~80 huge sturgeon die this year (that we know of) in 2
BC rivers? These deaths occurred during the summer when the sockeye salmon were returning
sturgeon eat many salmon at once, and this may be overloading their metabolic capacity during hot summers 😱
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
BC rivers? These deaths occurred during the summer when the sockeye salmon were returning
sturgeon eat many salmon at once, and this may be overloading their metabolic capacity during hot summers 😱
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
Reposted by Will Bugg
Wildlife deserves more than minimum viable populations.
Conservation should aim for ecosystems where species can thrive, not just survive. 💥🦬🌲
👉 Read more:
Conservation should aim for ecosystems where species can thrive, not just survive. 💥🦬🌲
👉 Read more:
Wildlife recovery means more than just survival of a species
Current laws that deem species safe from extinction ignore their ecological role, geographic range and genetic diversity, as well as their relationships with people.
theconversation.com
November 4, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Wildlife deserves more than minimum viable populations.
Conservation should aim for ecosystems where species can thrive, not just survive. 💥🦬🌲
👉 Read more:
Conservation should aim for ecosystems where species can thrive, not just survive. 💥🦬🌲
👉 Read more:
Reposted by Will Bugg
releasing these huuuuge sturgeon and watching them swim away is the best part of my job 🫶🏼
another week in the field complete, and one step closer to finding out what is harming these ancient fish 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐🦑
#sturgeonsaturday
another week in the field complete, and one step closer to finding out what is harming these ancient fish 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐🦑
#sturgeonsaturday
November 9, 2025 at 1:16 AM
releasing these huuuuge sturgeon and watching them swim away is the best part of my job 🫶🏼
another week in the field complete, and one step closer to finding out what is harming these ancient fish 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐🦑
#sturgeonsaturday
another week in the field complete, and one step closer to finding out what is harming these ancient fish 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐🦑
#sturgeonsaturday
Reposted by Will Bugg
climate change is causing larger temperature variations BUT we know very little about how variable temperatures impact sensitive, developing fish
in this new study with @tblanchard.bsky.social & @trishschulte.bsky.social we found surprising impacts during development and after hatch!!
🧪👩🏻🔬 🐠 🌎 🌐👇🏼
in this new study with @tblanchard.bsky.social & @trishschulte.bsky.social we found surprising impacts during development and after hatch!!
🧪👩🏻🔬 🐠 🌎 🌐👇🏼
Atlantic killifish are robust little fish, but now @tblanchard.bsky.social & co reveal that fluctuating temperatures while the embryos are developing in the egg can have beneficial and damaging consequences
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
October 1, 2025 at 8:58 PM
climate change is causing larger temperature variations BUT we know very little about how variable temperatures impact sensitive, developing fish
in this new study with @tblanchard.bsky.social & @trishschulte.bsky.social we found surprising impacts during development and after hatch!!
🧪👩🏻🔬 🐠 🌎 🌐👇🏼
in this new study with @tblanchard.bsky.social & @trishschulte.bsky.social we found surprising impacts during development and after hatch!!
🧪👩🏻🔬 🐠 🌎 🌐👇🏼
Reposted by Will Bugg
Atlantic killifish are robust little fish, but now @tblanchard.bsky.social & co reveal that fluctuating temperatures while the embryos are developing in the egg can have beneficial and damaging consequences
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
September 29, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Atlantic killifish are robust little fish, but now @tblanchard.bsky.social & co reveal that fluctuating temperatures while the embryos are developing in the egg can have beneficial and damaging consequences
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
Reposted by Will Bugg
Excited to share another paper from work I did during my PhD with @trishschulte.bsky.social and @madisonearhart.bsky.social. We looked at how fish embryos respond differently to constant and fluctuating temperatures! 🐟
Atlantic killifish are robust little fish, but now @tblanchard.bsky.social & co reveal that fluctuating temperatures while the embryos are developing in the egg can have beneficial and damaging consequences
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
October 1, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Excited to share another paper from work I did during my PhD with @trishschulte.bsky.social and @madisonearhart.bsky.social. We looked at how fish embryos respond differently to constant and fluctuating temperatures! 🐟
Reposted by Will Bugg
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
the last 2 years i’ve been investigating why these giant fish are dying across BC
and i’ve started to identify the stressors that could be driving mortality!!
if you want to learn more, check out this video: tinyurl.com/4m4xxrkh
tldr; it’s getting hot out here yall 🥵
the last 2 years i’ve been investigating why these giant fish are dying across BC
and i’ve started to identify the stressors that could be driving mortality!!
if you want to learn more, check out this video: tinyurl.com/4m4xxrkh
tldr; it’s getting hot out here yall 🥵
September 27, 2025 at 5:06 PM
#sturgeonsaturday 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
the last 2 years i’ve been investigating why these giant fish are dying across BC
and i’ve started to identify the stressors that could be driving mortality!!
if you want to learn more, check out this video: tinyurl.com/4m4xxrkh
tldr; it’s getting hot out here yall 🥵
the last 2 years i’ve been investigating why these giant fish are dying across BC
and i’ve started to identify the stressors that could be driving mortality!!
if you want to learn more, check out this video: tinyurl.com/4m4xxrkh
tldr; it’s getting hot out here yall 🥵
Reposted by Will Bugg
in the field for #sturgeonsaturday
ive spent the last 2 yrs investigating what is killing BC white sturgeon
unfortunately, these deaths continue & we’ve had over 50 adult sturgeon die in the fraser river in the last ~6 weeks
every fish i sample is another step closer to solving the mystery🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
ive spent the last 2 yrs investigating what is killing BC white sturgeon
unfortunately, these deaths continue & we’ve had over 50 adult sturgeon die in the fraser river in the last ~6 weeks
every fish i sample is another step closer to solving the mystery🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
September 20, 2025 at 10:31 PM
in the field for #sturgeonsaturday
ive spent the last 2 yrs investigating what is killing BC white sturgeon
unfortunately, these deaths continue & we’ve had over 50 adult sturgeon die in the fraser river in the last ~6 weeks
every fish i sample is another step closer to solving the mystery🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
ive spent the last 2 yrs investigating what is killing BC white sturgeon
unfortunately, these deaths continue & we’ve had over 50 adult sturgeon die in the fraser river in the last ~6 weeks
every fish i sample is another step closer to solving the mystery🧪👩🏻🔬🌎🌐
Reposted by Will Bugg
hiiiii i’ve been mia for a bit but im back with looooots of field work photos - we’re doing some really cool sturgeon science this summer!!
here i am, in my element holding my fave creature, trying to save the dinosaurs one sturgie at a time 🫶🏼
#sturgeonsaturday everyday 🧪👩🏻🔬🐟🌎🌐
here i am, in my element holding my fave creature, trying to save the dinosaurs one sturgie at a time 🫶🏼
#sturgeonsaturday everyday 🧪👩🏻🔬🐟🌎🌐
August 19, 2025 at 9:59 PM
hiiiii i’ve been mia for a bit but im back with looooots of field work photos - we’re doing some really cool sturgeon science this summer!!
here i am, in my element holding my fave creature, trying to save the dinosaurs one sturgie at a time 🫶🏼
#sturgeonsaturday everyday 🧪👩🏻🔬🐟🌎🌐
here i am, in my element holding my fave creature, trying to save the dinosaurs one sturgie at a time 🫶🏼
#sturgeonsaturday everyday 🧪👩🏻🔬🐟🌎🌐
Reposted by Will Bugg
out of pure rage for the obliteration of science funding i made a sticker
cuts are disproportionately impacting EC scientists & women~particularly Black women and women of color
25% of proceeds will go to @standupforscience.bsky.social to keep fighting! 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎
plz share widely
tinyurl.com/5n7kjbwt
cuts are disproportionately impacting EC scientists & women~particularly Black women and women of color
25% of proceeds will go to @standupforscience.bsky.social to keep fighting! 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎
plz share widely
tinyurl.com/5n7kjbwt
July 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
out of pure rage for the obliteration of science funding i made a sticker
cuts are disproportionately impacting EC scientists & women~particularly Black women and women of color
25% of proceeds will go to @standupforscience.bsky.social to keep fighting! 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎
plz share widely
tinyurl.com/5n7kjbwt
cuts are disproportionately impacting EC scientists & women~particularly Black women and women of color
25% of proceeds will go to @standupforscience.bsky.social to keep fighting! 🧪👩🏻🔬🌎
plz share widely
tinyurl.com/5n7kjbwt