Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Jul 29

Winter ASAB @asab.org on *Sensory Ecology* register and submit your abstracts now (abstract deadline just a month away)!

I'm organising the conference this year with @lauraakelley.bsky.social and Innes Cuthill

Register & get more info here: asabwinter.github.io/2025/

Winter ASAB 2025 - 15th-16th of December in Edinburgh - with a special theme of "How sensory information affects behaviour". Register at https://asabwinter.github.io/2025/ deadline for abstract submission 29th of August.

17 32

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Costanza Zanghi @coszan.bsky.social · Jul 14

✨Out Now✨ The outcome of my 1st ever #guppy experiment (from 2021!) w @ccioannou.bsky.social & @jtroscianko.bsky.social

We asked: How detectable are guppies to visual predators under different env. conditions?👇
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...

#ISBE #fish #behaviour @bristolbiosci.bsky.social
🧵1/9

Enhanced conspicuousness of prey in warmer water mitigates the constraint of turbidity for predators

Abstract. Changes in environmental conditions impact predator-prey interactions by altering behaviour through sensory and non-sensory (e.g. metabolic or co

academic.oup.com

1 8 16

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Mar 17

Just a few days left to sign up for our light pollution & insect declines workshop - FREE registration & meals - deadline for registration March 21st, and deadline for expert scan suggestions 22nd.

www.visual-ecology.com/events/

2 12 25

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Johanna Mappes @jmappes.bsky.social · Feb 18

@jtroscianko.bsky.social visited us @aplantaginis.bsky.social in #viikki and gave a fantastic talk about #ALAN and its implications on nocturnal #moths. Packed lecture room and lots of fun discussion. Thanks so much for visiting!

1 14

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Feb 17

We are delighted to host an RCN symposium on light pollution as a driver of insect declines. May 12th-14th, Penryn. We will draw on academics, industry, planners & NGOs to explore issues & seek solutions. Free registration, but limited places!

www.visual-ecology.com/events/
@uniexecec.bsky.social

Insect populations are undergoing significant declines, and artificial light at night has been identified as a potentially major – but often poorly understood – threat to insect biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Our international symposium, the first of its kind, aims to bring together leading researchers, conservationists, policy makers, NGOs, and those working in industry, both locally and globally. We will aggregate existing knowledge concerning the direct and indirect consequences of artificial light at night for insect biodiversity and will use workshops and an expert scan of future research priorities to explore new avenues to reduce the ecological impact of light pollution.

1 4 9

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Jan 8

Yeah it's a great little sensor. Also check out the OSpRad project if you don't need the imaging aspect.

And yes, it can work with pulsed sources either crudely with a long (e.g. 1 second) exposure, or with hardware sync through the Arduino (not implemented, but would be easy enough).

1 1

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Caitlyn Cardetti, PhD @caitlyncardetti.bsky.social · Jan 7

New open-source hyperspectral imager you can 3D print for less than $450 from
@jtroscianko.bsky.social. The HOSI system can take panoramic hyperspectral images that meet the difficult requirements of artificial light at night (ALAN) research.
bmcbiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.... #BMCBiology

Photo of 3D printed hyperspectral open-source imager (HOSI) connected to an Android phone with a readout of an image of butterflies, with pinned/taxidermized butterflies in background.

2 3 12

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Jan 8

Hyperspectral Imager paper out! High sensitivity UV to nearIR, full-field panoramas, radiance & reflectance, runs from a smartphone. Build the system for about $450 from 3D printed parts & off-the-shelf components.

Paper: doi.org/10.1186/s129...

Intro video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q8l...

Hyperspectral Open Source Imager (HOSI) introduction

YouTube video by Jolyon Troscianko

www.youtube.com

2 8 18

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Jan 8

Costs are very high for UV systems, e.g. a good UV lens alone typically costs over $8k. Then maybe $20-50k for the camera.

But even then you end up with a system that has very low sensitivity, will struggle with large dynamic ranges, and definitely can't take wide-angle/panoramic images

1

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Sinead English @englishse.bsky.social · Jan 6

Exciting PhD opportunity with @neeltjeboogert.bsky.social , @padpadpadpad.bsky.social (Exeter) and myself (Bristol) on gulls, their microbiomes, and role in transmitting disease.

Details below - deadline 13 January!

Poster of PhD advert about role gulls play in spreading disease and antimicrobial resistance. More info: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/what-role-do-gulls-play-in-spreading-disease-and-anti-microbial-resistance-nerc-gw4-dtp-phd-studentship-for-september-2025-entry-ref-5431/?p178297

2 47 45

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · Dec 20

Another thing I made this year: Real and implied birds.

A six-panel cartoon titled "real and implied birds". In the two panels in the top row, there's a rough legged-hawk sailing through the sky, next to a smooth legged hawk, which has smooth human legs. In the second row, there's a great-crested flycatcher looking dapper, next to an ok-crested flycatcher that has just a slightly less nice crest. In the third row, there's a mountain chickadee standing up on stones, next to a valley chickadee peeking out from a dip between stones. In the fourth row, there's a least bittern standing in some reeds, next to a most bittern that is enormous and stomping through a city, with people running in fear, helicopters overhead, and an overturned car on fire.

160 3.1K 13K

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Nick Desnoyer @nickdesnoyer.bsky.social · Dec 12

In one year, I genetically engineered the boring Arabidopsis into a beautiful ornamental flower 🧬🌹

Here is how and why I gave this model organism a visual upgrade 🧵(1/7)

22 180 470

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Daniel Padfield @padpadpadpad.bsky.social · Dec 12

JOB OPPORTUNITY! I am hiring a postdoc for 18 months to investigate the links between temperature and antibiotic resistance. Ecoevo microbiology, plasmids, and some super fun stats, modelling, and bioinformatics. To starts in Feb 2025. Please share!
#exetercec

jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...

Powered by MHR

jobs.exeter.ac.uk

2 42 58

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability @exetergses.bsky.social · Dec 10

Tomorrow is the Conservation Christmas Lecture!🎄🌍🦤🧪

This year the focus will be 'feeding the world at least cost to the planet' hosted by @kjhockings.bsky.social @uniexecec.bsky.social

Guest talks aren't recorded so make sure you're on campus! One not to miss...

A poster with a decorated christmas tree in the background and a circle shaped photo of Professor Andrew Balmford. It reads: CEC Presents, Christmas Conservation Lecture. "Feeding the world at least cost to the planet". December 11th, 2024. 14:00 - 15:00. DDM LTA followed by drinks in the ESI.

2 5

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Dakota McCoy, PhD @reallymccoy.bsky.social · Dec 9

New paper out! We show that heart cockles use bundled fiber optic cables to transmit light through "skylights" in their shell for their photosynthetic algae. The skylights filter out harmful UV radiation. These coral analogues are cool critters!! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Heart cockle shells transmit sunlight to photosymbiotic algae using bundled fiber optic cables and condensing lenses - Nature Communications

Some bivalves have evolved photosynthetic symbioses. Here, the authors show that heart cockles transmit light through their upper shell to internal photosynthetic symbionts, using mineral fiber optic ...

www.nature.com

6 110 310

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Johanna Mappes @jmappes.bsky.social · Dec 7

🧪Why does warning signal variability persist in #aposematic species? Our new @sse-evolution.bsky.social paper explores this using data from 64,741 🤯 A.plantaginis, raised over 25 generations. Spoiler: no evidence that life-history traits constrain warning colours! academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Evolutionary potential and constraints in an aposematic species: Genetic correlations between warning coloration and fitness components in wood tiger moths

Abstract. Variability in warning signals is common but remains puzzling since deviations from the most common form should result in a higher number of pred

academic.oup.com

2 17 34

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Darren Croft @darrencroft.bsky.social · Dec 5

5 exciting PhD opportunities to join the Center for Research in Animal Behaviour at the University of Exeter in Sept 2025. www.exeter.ac.uk/research/gro...

2 54 42

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Galatea H @galateainthewild.bsky.social · Dec 4

Advent Sci-Fact 4:

New headlights hurt moths!

Unlike us, moths can’t blink in bright light. Moths are more likely to fly erratically towards pulses of cool toned phosphor-LEDs, compared with warmer and RGB lights. Meaning new headlights are more harmful.
Paper: tinyurl.com/29avcnnx

#SciComm 🧪🌍

Diagram showing a moth flying towards a car with cool toned headlights, and a moth staying still next to a car with warm headlights.

In the corner is a photograph of a cute yellow moth face on to the camera flapping it's wings. It is perched on someone's hand.

Text reads:
New headlights hurt moths! Moths fly erratically towards cool phosphor LEDs, more than warm and RGB LEDs.

In a bubble in the top right corner, text reads "Did you know? Many artifical lights are harmful to insects at night"
The background is black.

6 25 100

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Vivek Nityananda @viveknityananda.bsky.social · Dec 2

Reminder that there's one week left to apply for this job. Please pass on the information to anyone who might be interested!

Vivek Nityananda @viveknityananda.bsky.social · Oct 29

Job Alert! New postdoc position in our lab investigating cognitive biases in wild bumblebees. Thanks to Wild Animal Initiative for the funding.

Position for 31 months. Deadline: December 9th. Please apply/boost

#PostdocJob #AcademicJobs #Bees

jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...

Bumblebee on anthers that form the yellow central spot of a large pink flower. Out of focus greenery in the background.

3 27 28

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Andy Young @andyyoung.bsky.social · Nov 29

* NEW #PhD * #Evolution #Ecology of Immune #Senesence in Wild Badgers - exciting project with me, @btschirren.bsky.social & our awesome collaborators @ APHA. Based at @exetercec.bsky.social in Cornwall, UK.
!PLEASE SHARE!

See www.animalsocieties.org and apply: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin...
🌏 🧪 🦑

5 69 60

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Mariella Herberstein (she/her) 🌈 @mherberstein.bsky.social · Nov 28

Help us understand how conspicuous butterflies are by playing this game!

mferickson.github.io/findbutterfly/

Find The Butterfly

mferickson.github.io

3 22 27

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Will Allen @wlallen.bsky.social · Nov 22

🐵📢 I am recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to work for 6-months on our NSF-BBSRC project investigating the form and function of primate natal coats. Why are some🐒 babies🍊?!

www.swansea.ac.uk/jobs-at-swan...

Please pass on to potential applicants and get in touch if considering applying.

Dusky langurs - an example of primate natal colouration

3 58 54

Reposted by Jolyon Troscianko

Kimberley Hockings @kjhockings.bsky.social · Nov 22

We’ve started our 3 year Darwin Initiative project to support human-wildlife coexistence in Guinea-Bissau! With the Institute for Biodiversity and Protected Areas and NGO Palmeirinha we’ve hired 4 Bissau-Guinean researchers & started collecting data on social dimensions 🙌 @exetercec.bsky.social

1 3 16

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Nov 20

Yeah, there doesn't seem to be any justification for ever bluer headlights, and it's not clear why car manufactures are shifting.

1 1

Jolyon Troscianko @jtroscianko.bsky.social · Nov 20

Absolutely - driving at night seems to be getting more dangerous. Potentially a headlight arms-race with no legislation to control it.

And hello fellow Jolyon! I love the cafe name link. I read somewhere that the name is a medieval missspelling of Julian (reading eroded names on roman gravestones)?

1 1