Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Systematics Association @systassn.bsky.social · 12h

📢📢📢 Correction!

Friday, OCT 24!

📢📢📢

Systematics Association @systassn.bsky.social · 12h

Do you like bats, phylogenetics, comparative genomics?

Then join us in-person 6 PM Friday, OCT 25 at the @linneansociety.bsky.social for our annual Founders' Lecture!

Prof @emmateeling.bsky.social will be speaking to us on all things bat! 🦇

Register here: tinyurl.com/28u2u2z8

Poster with Founders' Lecture details and QR code for registration.

1 1

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Francesco Cicconardi @fcicconardi.bsky.social · 1d

New paper out! A nice collaboration.
We explore how olfactory brain structures and receptors evolved across this remarkable group, Heliconiini butterflies.

Evolution of the olfactory system during the radiation of Heliconiini butterflies

Abstract. Sensory system evolution plays a crucial role in shaping species’ interactions with their environment, yet the extent to which olfactory system d

academic.oup.com

1 9 22

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Dr Perry Beasley-Hall @pbeasleyhall.bsky.social · 1d

There are ~18,000 species of katydids, crickets, & allies worldwide - over 32,000 if you include questionable names. I thought it'd be fun to showcase some weird, beautiful, or unusual species daily. First up is Orophus tessellatus, a katydid from Central America! #EverydayEnsifera

📸: Karl Kroeker

2 5 36

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Rosa Fernández @rosafernandez.bsky.social · 1d

How did animals repeatedly conquer land? 🌊➡️⛰️ We analysed ~1,000 gene repertoires (24M genes!) from all animal phyla to uncover how this happened. Work led by @gemmaeling.bsky.social & Klara Eleftheriadi, both first coauthors of this titanic effort!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Independent genomic trajectories shape adaptation to life on land across animal lineages

How animals repeatedly adapted to life on land is a central question in evolutionary biology. While terrestrialisation occurred independently across animal phyla, it remains unclear whether shared gen...

www.biorxiv.org

1 17 42

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Dr. Davey F. Wright ⛏️🦕🧬 @daveyfwright.bsky.social · 2d

"AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations"

JB_AU @jbau.bsky.social · 9d

This whole section really.

Finally: AI cannot do your job, but an AI salesman can 100% convince your boss to fire you and replace you with an AI that can't do your job, and when the bubble bursts, the money-hemorrhaging "foundation models" will be shut off and we'll lose the AI that can't do your job, and you will be long gone, retrained or retired or "discouraged" and out of the labor market, and no one will do your job.
AI is the asbestos we are shoveling into the walls of our society and our descendants will be digging it out for generations:

16 34

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Project Psyche @projectpsyche.bsky.social · 5d

Project Psyche is featured in a new article out now on @spectrum.ieee.org! Check it out to get an insight into the efforts of @ebpgenome.bsky.social and the milestones achieved during the fieldtrip of #ProjectPsyche and @10klepgenomes.bsky.social to the Italian Alps 🦋

IEEE Spectrum @spectrum.ieee.org · 6d

Whole Genome Sequencing Will Transform Our Understanding of Life. The Earth BioGenome Project is using cutting-edge tech like long-read sequencing to map the DNA of 1.8 million organisms. Researchers anticipate major discoveries in evolution and medicine.

Mass-Scale Genome Sequencing Will Change Our Understanding of Life

The Earth BioGenome Project aims to sequence 1.8 million species. It's one of the most ambitious science projects ever, and it will revolutionize biology

spectrum.ieee.org

7 18

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Marcela Uliano-Silva @marcelauliano.bsky.social · 6d

Preprint Alert! 🦥
We produced complete genomes for 2 Xenarthra and placed them in a mammalian comparative framework. We found that Xenarthra harbour the largest number of retrocopies in mammals! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Retrocopy formation and domestication shape genome evolution in sloths and other xenarthrans

Xenarthrans, comprising sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, represent one of the most morphologically and physiologically specialised mammalian clades, yet the genomic basis of their adaptations remain...

www.biorxiv.org

1 14 17

Peter Mulhair @petermulhair.bsky.social · 6d

Best of luck!
Are you in Barcelona now? I’ll be visiting the university for a couple of weeks in November, would be great to catch up

1 1

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Systematics Association @systassn.bsky.social · 13d

We are delighted to announce that this year's Founders' Lecture will be delivered by Prof. @emmateeling.bsky.social, University College Dublin!

TITLE: Bats: Genomes, phylogenies, fossils and cures?

WHEN: Friday, October 24th at 6PM

WHERE: Burlington House, London

JOIN US: tinyurl.com/28u2u2z8

Founders' Lecture details and registration QR code.

5 15

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Systematics Association @systassn.bsky.social · 9d

Join us Nov 14th for #YSF2025, a completely free, online conference where postgraduate students (and other early career researchers) present their work on systematics, taxonomy and/or phylogenetics.

Abstract submission closes Oct 25th!

REGISTER: tinyurl.com/2fvmmthc

systass.org/young-system...

Young Systematists’ Forum

Young Systematists’ Forum An exciting setting for postgraduate students and early postdoctoral researchers to present their work to a scientific audience interested in taxonomy and systematic…

systass.org

8 5

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

The Riverfly Partnership @riverflies.bsky.social · 12d

Nature’s little builders 🌿 In August, some of our monitors found as many as 1000 cased caddis in their sample!
Caddis larvae make protective cases from twigs, sand, and stones. Each one is unique!
#FreshwaterFriday #Caddisfly #FreshwaterInvertebrates

2 7

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

James McInerney @jomcinerney.bsky.social · 13d

OK, here it is. Come work with me at the University of Liverpool making ALL THE AI models from ALL THE prokaryote pangenome data. Heck, we will make models from ALL the pangenomes, even eukaryotes!!! (link below👇) 1/4

2 31 29

Peter Mulhair @petermulhair.bsky.social · 13d

PhyKIT is one of my favourite bioinf tools when carrying out molecular evolution analyses. And now it’s gotten even faster!

🧬Jacob L Steenwyk @jlsteenwyk.bsky.social · 13d

#PhyKIT update! v2.1.2

9 functions have been #optimized 🏃💨

Speed ups range from 1.34 - 17.9x faster!💥

Many thanks to #Codex for the helping hand👋😄

2 2

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Dr Hannah M. Rowland @hannahmrowland.bsky.social · 13d

🌍🦋 Across 6 continents, 21 sites & 15,000 paper moths, we joined a worldwide experiment led by @wlallen.bsky.social & Iliana Medina, showing how ecological context shapes the evolution of animal colouration.

Proud to be part of this global team effort: doi.org/10.1126/scie...

4 26 84

Peter Mulhair @petermulhair.bsky.social · 13d

This looks super cool! Congrats to all involved

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Darren Obbard @darrenobbard.bsky.social · 13d

PostDoc job in Cornwall with @blongdon.bsky.social : Many moths, metagenomics, and mixed models. Plus some UK fieldwork in summer 2026 jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecr...

Powered by MHR

jobs.exeter.ac.uk

3 3

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Rachel C Thayer @rcthayer.bsky.social · 15d

Pleased to share our latest pub! Dave’s lab found specific fly populations with evidence of pronounced, recent, asymmetric evolution in male seminal fluid protein gene expression. We figured this was a great system to test ideas in the literature... 🧵🧪 1/n
🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf210

No Evidence of Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution in Drosophila Reproductive Tract Transcriptomes

Abstract. Drosophila seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) are often cited as an example of interlocus sexual conflict, wherein the proteins increase male fitness

doi.org

2 3 11

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Arnau Sebé-Pedrós @arnausebe.bsky.social · 14d

Happy to share the Biodiversity Cell Atlas white paper, out today in @nature.com. We look at the possibilities, challenges, and potential impacts of molecularly mapping cells across the tree of life.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

2 110 220

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Charlotte Wright @charlottewright.bsky.social · 14d

Join us at #Biodiversity25 !

Interested in Lepidoptera? There will be the session on @projectpsyche.bsky.social with project updates, the highly anticipated re-launch of Lepbase and discussions on the analysis of the first 1,000 lep genomes. Plus there's a keynote by @lepphylo.bsky.social!🦋

Peter Mulhair @petermulhair.bsky.social · 14d

Last chance to join us next month for the #Biodiversity25 conference.

A fantastic set of speakers, mix of talks & focused workshops, and the chance to meet others in the field of biodiversity genomics 🧬

In-person registration closes next Monday 29th September!

Registration 🔗: bit.ly/4j3vAZ9

Understanding Life: Using Largescale Biodiversity Reference Genomes — 20251027

Understanding life: Using largescale biodiversity reference genomes

bit.ly

5 8

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Melanie Brien @melbrien.bsky.social · 14d

Funded PhD position available 🎉 Come and work with me in Helsinki to uncover the pathways producing colourful tiger moth wings. Lots of options for genomics, CRISPR, fieldwork, behaviour experiments… Email with questions! jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Wood tiger moth on leaf. Photo: Juhani Maamela.

3 45 65

Peter Mulhair @petermulhair.bsky.social · 14d

Last chance to join us next month for the #Biodiversity25 conference.

A fantastic set of speakers, mix of talks & focused workshops, and the chance to meet others in the field of biodiversity genomics 🧬

In-person registration closes next Monday 29th September!

Registration 🔗: bit.ly/4j3vAZ9

Understanding Life: Using Largescale Biodiversity Reference Genomes — 20251027

Understanding life: Using largescale biodiversity reference genomes

bit.ly

4 5

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Stuart Wigby @stuartwigby.bsky.social · 16d

New out in Molecular Ecology! In which we show that small males try harder when it comes to seminal fluid proteins. w/ @ju-morimoto.bsky.social @iremsepil.bsky.social @becks-seascience.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

13 17

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Mónica Doblas-Bajo | Entomologist (she/her) | 🇵🇸 @entomoprofessor.bsky.social · 17d

Celebrating the first 1,000 sequenced genomes on @projectpsyche.bsky.social 😎🧬🦋 #ProjectPsyche #MothStitching

8 31

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

The Rivers Trust @theriverstrust.bsky.social · 19d

🎉 Big River Watch starts today!

After a summer of challenging weather, it's time to check in on our rivers.

📱Download the Big River Watch app
⏱️Spend just 15 minutes by the river
👀Share what you see in a survey

You've got until 25th of September to take part💙

theriverstrust.org/big-river-watch

11 14

Reposted by Peter Mulhair

Charlotte Wright @charlottewright.bsky.social · 20d

To celebrate the genomes for 1,000 (!) species of Lepidoptera in Europe, Project Psyche has released a preprint outlining our ambitions to jointly sequence & leverage genomes of all 11,000 species in Europe to propel science, conservation & society.

This was a joy to write together as a community!

Project Psyche @projectpsyche.bsky.social · 25d

(6/6)📄 In our new whitepaper (EcoEvoRxiv) we discuss our aims to coordinate this collaborative analysis of Lepidoptera genomes, turning data into impact for science, conservation and society.
Now available at 👉 ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

#ProjectPsyche #Genomics

Project Psyche: Generating and utilising reference genomes for all Lepidoptera in Europe

ecoevorxiv.org

13 28