Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Marc Naguib @marcnaguib.bsky.social · 16d

www.cell.com/current-biol...

Zebra finches produce soft laryngeal whistles during thermal panting that are not adaptive vocal signals

Zebra finch heat calls are suggested to have close-range communicative relevance in the global temperature rise context. Anttonen et al. identify the biophysical mechanism underlying these vocalizatio...

www.cell.com

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 14d

I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Steve Portugal @sjportugal.bsky.social · 19d

We're looking for a new postdoc on our new BBSCR grant (Graham Taylor/Tim Guilford/Cait Newport). See link below!

my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

NeoBiota @neobiota.pensoft.net · 21d

Invasive fish are entering the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal, but what is causing them to spread? 🌍🐟

blog.pensoft.net/2025/09/18/h...

@pensoft.net

How are invasive fish entering the Mediterranean Sea?

A new study explores how shipping, currents and habitat factors carry alien species through the Suez Canal.

blog.pensoft.net

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Cecilia Baldoni @cecibaldoni.bsky.social · 21d

PhD Alert! 😍 Our lab is hiring a PhD student to study how shrews shrink in winter and grow in spring. Yes, you read that right!
tinyurl.com/shrinkingshr...
Join us at the @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social, study a super cool animal, and join the @imprs-qbee.bsky.social community!

DM me for questions!

Seasonal size change and aging in shrews

imprs-qbee.mpg.de

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Jean-François Cudennec @jfcudennec.bsky.social · Sep 8

Just woke up from a social media pause and the first thing I see is an incredible footage of a sperm whale casually cruising with a giant squid in its mouth ??

🦑 🌊 🌿

Vertical photo of a sperm whale with a giant squid in its mouth. The tentacles and body of the squid can be seen emerging between the teeth.

Ventral view of the same scene : a sperm whale with a giant squid in its mouth. The tentacles and body of the squid can be seen emerging between the teeth.

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Sep 8

Stunning!

Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Wayne Maddison @waynemaddison.bsky.social · Sep 5

Confused writing is usually a symptom of confused thinking. As we struggle to clarify writing, we clarify our thoughts. AI writing aids rob us of that struggle, leaving clean-looking text and thoughts still confused for lack of inspection. Writing is not just a product; it is a diagnostic tool.

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Catarina Vila-Pouca @catarina-vp.bsky.social · Jul 15

It was a pleasure talking to Mary about our apparatus to take fish cognition research into the wild! 🐟🧠 Read it on Psychology Today ⬇️⬇️
with @kotrschal.bsky.social and @amydeacon.bsky.social

Mary Bates @marybates.bsky.social · Jul 9

Hey, I'm back to blogging about animal behavior at Psychology Today! Check out my article on studying fish cognition in the wild, featuring the work of @catarina-vp.bsky.social and colleagues.

Fish Are Smarter Than You Think

Researchers developed a way to run tests on fish learning and memory in the animals' natural environments. The results may reveal that fish are smarter than previously assumed.

www.psychologytoday.com

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jul 1

Wow, Wouter! What a cool paper. I am very impressed and super happy for you - and the guppy world 🐟🐟🐟

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jun 30

Ja, Neuntöter.

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jun 25

Yes, that is correct. Overall brood size did not differ, but the first clutch is larger in predation lines. That is perfectly in line with life history theory. That those offspring are also larger was surprising. Overall points towards 'all in early'

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jun 25

...thanks to postdoc Regina Vega Trejo and Hannah de Waele - this is her 'big' paper from her PhD. More on effects on cognition and social behaviour soon to come. How predation selects for swimming abilities in those selection lines came out yesterday: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jun 25

...but some 'classic' textbook traits — like color and brood size—didn’t shift. This project began with my first major grant to launch as an independent researcher in Sweden back in 2017—huge thanks to Vetenskapsrådet for believing in it! And....

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jun 25

How does predation shape evolution? We tested this with guppies, exposing them to real predators over 3 generations. Survivors evolved fast: bigger females with earlier broods, males with shorter tails and gonopodia. But...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Jun 18

Great news, congratulations! And well done, Cambridge, for snatching Prof. M!

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · May 29

😎

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · May 29

Haurotschwanz, ganz klar

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Roxy Holmes @roxybholmes.bsky.social · May 16

An interesting day spent at the 1st European #Lionfish Conference in Crete and a great visit to the aquarium and HCMR.Thanks @kotrschal.bsky.social for organising.

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Roxy Holmes @roxybholmes.bsky.social · May 13

🚨 Our new paper is out now in Ethology. Here we show that #lionfish show social attraction to conspecifics when selecting shelters. doi.org/10.1111/eth....

Lionfish (Pterois volitans) Show Social Attraction to Conspecifics When Selecting Shelters

Group formation in animals can arise from two primary mechanisms: individuals aggregating over resources, or individuals socially benefiting from interacting with conspecifics. Distinguishing between...

doi.org

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · May 13

Nice! Important finding and elegant experiment 🐠🐠

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · May 2

From Genes to Pathways: A Curated Gene Approach to Accurate Pathway Reconstruction in Teleost Fish Transcriptomics

Hererra et al. 2025

Presents a curated gene list tailored for teleost fish transcriptomics

doi.org/10.1002/jez....

From Genes to Pathways: A Curated Gene Approach to Accurate Pathway Reconstruction in Teleost Fish Transcriptomics

A curated gene list for teleost fish transcriptomics enhances the interpretation of high volumes of data by focusing on key biological processes. This resource bridges gaps in automated annotations, ....

doi.org

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Alexander Kotrschal @kotrschal.bsky.social · Apr 14

Great shot of a surprisingly elusive duck! My favourite duck as well.

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Journal of Evolutionary Biology @jevbio.bsky.social · Mar 6

#Sexchromosomes evolve rapidly in old #cichlid lineages and one chromosome appears several times but with different degrees of sex-association

@astridboehne.bsky.social @leibnizlib.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

Investigation of sex determination in African cichlids reveals lack of fixed sex chromosomes in wild populations

Abstract. Sex chromosomes are theorized to stop recombining and become fixed, yet many taxa show ambiguous genomic signals of sex consistent with either co

doi.org

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Reposted by Alexander Kotrschal

Catarina Vila-Pouca @catarina-vp.bsky.social · Mar 14

An idea that's been on the works for a long time has finally made it to the surface! We designed a foraging board to test cognition 🧠💡 and ➕ in multiple 🐟 species and habitats.
➡️ besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

A novel apparatus for studying fish cognition in the wild

Fish show a huge variation of ecological, anatomical and behavioural traits, which makes them prime subjects for studying behaviour, cognition and their evolution. Lab-based studies allow a contro...

besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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