Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · 1d

Seems worth noting this award in light of the present circumstances. Get the troops out of our fair city please, perhaps after they enjoy a great Malnati’s pizza!

Headline photo of Chicago skyline with note about award for being the best big city.

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Daniel Bolnick @danielbolnick.bsky.social · 12d

Science news article about 2nd year grad students being unceremoniously dropped from the GRFP eligibility with no explanation or warning:
www.science.org/content/arti...

‘Completely shattered.’ Changes to NSF’s graduate student fellowship spur outcry

The announcement comes months later than usual, leaving many would-be applicants stranded

www.science.org

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Dr. Jessica L Ware @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social · 12d

Join us! We are hiring a new #curator at the #AMNH in #Vertebrate #Zoology careers.amnh.org/postings/4600 #academicjobs #tenuretrack

Assistant Curator, Vertebrate Zoology

The Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an Assistant Curator in either the Department of Ornithology, Ichthyology, or Mammalogy to start on or after J...

careers.amnh.org

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 28d

Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

🧪🌎🦑🦈🐠

Drone observations reveal white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) dorsal fins are highly flexible and possible investigatory structures

Drones are becoming increasingly useful in their ability to observe wildlife. They have been especially useful in documenting marine animals such as sharks. Here we present novel aerial drone observa....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

John Wares @johnwares.bsky.social · Aug 19

Aren't they lovely? Congratulations to my great colleague Bud Freeman, this is the culmination of over a decade of work!

www.mapress.com/zt/article/v...

Two new species of Micropterus (Centrarchidae) endemic to Atlantic Slope river drainages in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, U.S.A. | Zootaxa

www.mapress.com

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Sep 3

It’s a start, congrats to our Harvard colleagues!

www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/p...

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · Sep 2

I'm aware that the President likes to go on television and beg me to call him to ask for troops.

I find it strange, as Chicago doesn't want troops.

I also have experience asking him for assistance – just to have the rug pulled up from underneath me when execution meets reality.

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Jonathan Huie, PhD @jmhuie.bsky.social · Aug 28

Excited to share the first paper from my PhD!

We looked at what traits help Aneides salamanders excel at climbing using museum specimens, CT scans, SEM, and more! No claws or toe pads, so how do they do it? In short, with long limbs, big feet and grippy toes! 🦎🧪

DM for PDF

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Phylogeny of Aneides and Plethodon with animal photos

Phylomorphospace showing body shape variation

Morphospace of toe bones and box lots showing estimated gripping force

Representative SEM images of salamander feet

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Nancy Knowlton @nancyknowlton.bsky.social · Aug 28

#OceanOptimism newsroom.wcs.org/News-Release...

Philippines Declares New MPA in Biodiversity-Rich Siquijor Waters

New York, NY, August 13, 2025—In a historic milestone nearly 18 years in the making, the Philippines has officially designated Bitaug Marine Protected Area (MPA), now the largest MPA in Siquijor and c...

newsroom.wcs.org

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 27

Great, thanks for using it!

Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 27

Ever wonder how the axial locomotor system is arranged into segmented myomeres of red and white muscle in a large pelagic surgeonfish? Well, now you know! 🐟🧪🦑

Red and white fish muscle with bright white tendons

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Christopher Zobek @czobek.bsky.social · Aug 26

I’m proud to announce my first first-author paper of my Ph.D! We described and modeled the muscle architecture of a pangolin’s tongue using DiceCT and 3D modeling approaches. Each model is available on the Holliday lab Sketchfab.

academic.oup.com/icb/advance-...

sketchfab.com/holliday/col...

3D Muscle Architecture of the Tongue of the White-bellied Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) Reveals a Muscular Hydrostat

Synopsis. The tongues of pangolins are among the more derived of other mammalian ant-eating specialists, extending nearly a body length to capture food. Pa

academic.oup.com

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 26

Naso! Great genus of surgeonfishes, sporting the vicious cutting scalpel blades at the base of their tail. Here is a better color photo of that bignose where you can see the tail blades.
🐟🦑🧪🌎

A bignose unicornfish, dark fish with yellowish fin edges, vertical bars on the body, and double scalpel blades at the base of the tail.

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 26

Bignose Unicornfish! Yep, Naso vlamingii, a very nice specimen for our research, collected with permit. They have 2 wicked sharp scalpel blades on each side of their tail base, but are they venomous? We will know soon!
🐟🦑🌿🧪🌎

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 21

Acanthuriform fishes! Research goals on Moorea are focused on morphology and evolution of defensive spines and backbones of surgeonfishes, angelfishes, and butterflyfishes. We have a scientific permit to collect specimens, and here are 2 beauties, Acanthurus lineatus and Pygoplites diacanthus. 🐟🦑🧪

The lined surgeonfish, with beautiful blue and yellow lines on the body and orange pelvic fins

The regal angelfish, with stunning blue, orange and white bars and a bright yellow tail

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 21

Local Moorea fish markets are interesting, with stringers hung (and often taxonomically sorted!) on the side of the road. Gotta get there early- these were mostly gone by about 5:30 am. Some good specimens for Linnea and Olivia’s research! 🐟🧪🦑🌎

Early morning fish market, stringers of fish between grad students Linnea and Olivia.

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 20

The Red-Vented Bulbul stopped by my cottage on Moorea. You can just see his red ass! 🧪🌿🐦‍⬛

Dark bird with a red butt on a green fence

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 20

Not sure, some parts look simple, other faces fairly technical

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 20

Shark’s Tooth Peak, the dramatic volcanic backdrop to our research on marine fishes here at the CRIOBE marine lab. 🧪🐟🦑

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Aug 19

Doing some work at the CRIOBE marine lab on Moorea with some students. This place is fantastic, the staff are so great, efficient and helpful, and the access to the water is easy and fun. A few posts from Opunohu Bay to come!

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Jul 4

Congratulations Armita! I look forward to your great #biomechanics research and teaching, you will have so many students 😃.

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Jul 3

Super cool scan, interrupted his meal 😆

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Kory Evans Ph.D @sternarchella.bsky.social · Jul 3

Our new REU student Darla found something interesting in one of her CT scans! Looks like this fish was halfway through eating a big snail and some coral rubble when @mwestneat.bsky.social caught it last summer in Okinawa!

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Mark Westneat 🐟 @mwestneat.bsky.social · Jul 1

Pretty pleased with this mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) in the Keys today. What a great fish! This little one was released but we did get a couple that were keepers for dinner. #CatchAndRelease 🐟

A bright green and gold mahi mahi fish against a blue sea and blue sky (and blue shirt) that was caught and released

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Reposted by Mark Westneat 🐟

Dr. Solomon David @solomonrdavid.bsky.social · Jun 27

New species of sucker just dropped👍
mapress.com/zt/article/v...

Catostomus murivallis , a new species of sucker (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) from Wall Canyon Creek, Surprise Valley, in Northwestern Nevada, U.S.A. | Zootaxa

mapress.com

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