Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Lynn Chiu

@drlynnchiu.bsky.social

5.1K followers 1.6K following 630 posts

Recovering philosopher staying with the trouble. PhD #philbio. Worked on niche construction, holobiont, gut mind, co-immunity, EES. Now curating & communicating research @univie.ac.at as Intl Sci Comm manager + #Rudolphina editor. #Philscicomm

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · Nov 11

Hi all! I am a philosopher of biology & science communicator @univie.ac.at! My (re)posts mostly concern #evobio #philsci #philbio #scicomm #highered #metascience #cogsci #sciart & happenings #UniVienna (esp Rudolphina research mag) Maybe I'll allow myself to nerd over math & fabrics here as well.

2 16 110

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

I'm walking away thinking about Gorman's comment at the end, that the training of a scientist should include training in science communication. This changes the nature of "being a researcher" beyond research, teaching, service to the scientific community. Scicomm is not external.

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

Greatly appreciate perspectives from Katharina Brandl, art historian, on art x science collaborations: (1) the stand-alone value of art itself (eg commentary on the contemporary via art) instead of serving some other purpose (eg for science) (2) taking seriously incentives & resources & purpose

1 3

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

After the first keynote, the opening festival of #VISTA continues with a panel discussion on "How to enhance public trust in science." After a round of explanations of the principles behind the space, the discussion now dives into diff forms of science engagement. #scicomm @istaresearch.bsky.social

Panel of five from ista and externally on the stage

1 6

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

From the opening examples to the types of #scicomm activities mentioned throughout the talk, Gorman focuses on the impact *people* have in deciding scientific careers, interest in science, trust in science, experience of science. The human touch that's missing in passive old-school exhibitions.

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

Science communication is a social conversation around science & trust in science is about trusting the people.

Ending remarks after a tour of the activities & fests at the MIT, including an AI chat bot that is able to change minds & correct misinformation (in part because it's calm and collected!)

The bottom line: People trust people. Final slide of the talk.

1 1 2

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

From large static exhibitions in museum exhibitions and science centers to the small, agile, participatory "science gallery," Michael John Gorman talks about the "idea collider" with examples from Trinity College Dublin direct.mit.edu/books/monogr...

Slide with table comparing 20th versus 21st century cultural institutions

Book cover of idea colliders by Michael John Gorman

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

#misinformation is the biggest threat in the next few years, according to the World Economic Forum www.weforum.org/press/2025/0...

Global risks ranking in the next 2 years

Global risk rankings in the next ten years

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 4d

First keynote at the brand new #VISTA Science Experience Center @istaresearch.bsky.social:

Michael John Gorman @mit.edu
on "In defense of wonder - science communication in an age of misinformation"

www.vistascience.at/en/festival #scicomm

Lecture hall, full crowd, and presentation with cover image

1 1 5

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

Looking forward to the publication of their current work 😍!

It was an honor to meet such a wonderful scientist and attend such a fun, lively talk. We are very blessed here to have vibrant research groups at UniVienna working on the evolution of reproductive biology!

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

Current studies on snakes, alpaca seem to point to female pleasure & clitoris function as critical elements that need to be considered in the study of sexual reproduction & (co)evolution. (eg Alpacas chewing grass- in their element- with big raised clitorises while being destroyed by the males)

1 2

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

And back to the first big question again: why is the clitoris understudied?

#whoownsthrclitoris?
NYTimes report: www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/h...

Starting point: Pavlicev & Wagner 2016 on its phylogeny; Pavlicev etal 2022 on its hyper diversity.

Half the World Has a Clitoris. Why Don’t Doctors Study It? (Published 2022)

www.nytimes.com

1 1 1

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

So now we get to the harm and damage to vaginas (and the extreme case of uteruses in alpacas) and the healing mechanisms associated with it. So... why are these females still having sex?? Do they not... hurt? Or do they feel... good? This leads us to the next question: the evolution of the clitoris.

1 2

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

The spikes of sharks, the spines of bats, the deep scraping "nails" of alpacas-- shape is not the only way genitals coevolve.

Also widely reported: the alpaca penises that leave a bloody mess in the cervix and uterus (which then completely heal afterwards) pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Intra-horn insemination in the alpaca Vicugna pacos: Copulatory wounding and deep sperm deposition

Alpacas (Vicugna pacos) are reported to be the rare mammal in which the penis enters the uterus in mating. To date, however, only circumstantial evidence supports this assertion. Using female alpacas ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

1 1

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

Sum: Dolphins and ducks are both sexually aggressive. Females have the agency via morphology and behavior to allow or prevent copulation in a context where most are done by force.

More refs: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

3D genital shape complexity in female marine mammals

We describe unprecedented complexity of 3D genital shape in female marine mammals and explore potential evolutionary drivers. Cetaceans have the most complex vaginal shapes, followed by sirenians, th....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

1 1 1

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

Surprisingly, they found the same types of folds/screw-like structures in vaginas and penises AND that they can mechanically prevent full penis intromission. Just like in ducks. Vaginal folds coevolve with the male penis: species variation can't be explained otherwise by phylogeny (Orbach etal 2017)

1 1

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

After summarizing her earlier viral work on the clockwise vs counterclockwise structures of duck vaginas and penises (to which my husband said: hey, John Oliver talked about it!), she is now talking about the marine vaginal systems they looked into thereafter.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29134627/

The evolution of genital shape variation in female cetaceans - PubMed

Male genital diversification is likely the result of sexual selection. Female genital diversification may also result from sexual selection, although it is less well studied and understood. Female gen...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

1 2

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

Big question: why are female genetial understudied when it comes to evolutionary explanations of crazy "key and lock" structures between males & females?

Genital Evolution: Why Are Females Still Understudied?
Malin Ah-King, Andrew B. Barron, Marie E. Herberstein journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Genital Evolution: Why Are Females Still Understudied?

In many animal groups genital structures appear to have evolved extremely rapidly, prompting enduring interest in why this is so. Throughout this literature there remains a bias towards studying male ...

journals.plos.org

1 1 5

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 5d

Genital coevolution 🤩

So excited to be at Patricia Brennan's talk at the Dept of EvoBio @univie.ac.at, the last talk of her Europe tour!

#sexinnature #evobio

Attentive audience sits in lecture hall in front of cover image of PowerPoint presentation

1 1 9

Reposted by Lynn Chiu

Universität Wien / University of Vienna @univie.ac.at · 7d

Lost potential: Hurdles for skilled immigrants in Vienna

Deskilling affects many highly educated and academic migrants from Central & Eastern European countries living in Vienna. A research project shows how language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles & discrimination affect their career opportunities.

Deskilling of migrants in the labour market

Deskilling affects many highly educated and academic migrants from Central and Eastern European countries living in Vienna. A research project shows how language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles and discrimination affect their career opportunities.

rudolphina.univie.ac.at

1 4 6

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 12d

You can find the relevant info here, if you have access to the intranet! Welcome brunch, guided tours, and a lovely English onboarding doc to welcome you to the University of Vienna :D

wiki.univie.ac.at/spaces/OE/pa...

1 1

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 12d

Newcomers to @univie.ac.at, this is your PSA that on Oct 8th, there is an official "Welcome brunch for new members of staff (in English)" that serves as your entry-point & intro to the university. That's where I learned about the uni's structure & insider perks.

1 2 5

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 12d

It already ended, alas!

1 1

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 12d

In the first post of the thread!

1 1

Reposted by Lynn Chiu

EVAlabs Vienna @evalabs.bsky.social · Sep 8

What happens when we encounter art while just going about our everyday life, walking through Vienna? 🎨 We tried to answer this question by looking at people looking at art in an observational study tracking naturally occurring interactions with art in our study area. 🕵‍♀️
doi.org/10.3389/fpsy...

1 2 10

Lynn Chiu @drlynnchiu.bsky.social · 12d

Six postdoc researchers based in the US will bring their projects to @univie.ac.at under the #APART-USA scheme of the Austrian Academy of Science @oeaw.bsky.social. 4 years funding, 25% sponsored by the uni.

Welcome to Vienna.
Welcome to UniWien.

Universität Wien / University of Vienna @univie.ac.at · 13d

Sechs Wissenschafter*innen aus den USA wechseln noch dieses Jahr an die #univie, ermöglicht durch das Stipendienprogramm APART-USA der @oeaw.bsky.social, ein starkes Signal für internationale Wissenschaft! ✨ Mehr über die Forscher*innen und deren Disziplinen: 👉 www.univie.ac.at/aktuelles/pr...

Sechs US-Forscher*innen kommen an die Universität Wien

25 Spitzenforschende wechseln mit ÖAW-Stipendien von den USA nach Österreich

www.univie.ac.at

2 3