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James Robertson, PhD

@2elytra

Lover of biodiversity, beetles, stick and leaf insects, evolution, pigeon racing and food. PI Insect Molecular Systematics Diagnostics Lab, APHIS. Views my own.

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23.11.2024
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Latest posts by James Robertson, PhD @2elytra

Scientists discovered a caterpillar that murders insects and stitches their dismembered body parts onto its back as armor

Scientists discovered a caterpillar that murders insects and stitches their dismembered body parts onto its back as armor

You’re welcome. Happy day! πŸ˜†

05.03.2026 16:57 πŸ‘ 3535 πŸ” 606 πŸ’¬ 309 πŸ“Œ 309
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β€œThe Cordyceps spider”: Taczanowskia waska sp. nov. (Araneae: Araneidae), a new spider species and a novel case of mimicry of an araneopathogenic fungus (Cordycipitaceae: Gibellula ) | ...

An amazing new species of Cordyceps-mimicking spider has just been described from the Ecuadorian Amazon - Taczanowskia waska

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

26.02.2026 05:12 πŸ‘ 98 πŸ” 36 πŸ’¬ 8 πŸ“Œ 5

One vote for Bug Butts

25.02.2026 19:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This line graph illustrates the percentage change in agency staff levels from the previous year for nine major U.S. federal scientific and health organizations between the fiscal years 2016 and 2025. The agencies tracked include the CDC, Department of Energy, EPA, FDA, NASA, NIH, NIST, NOAA, and NSF. For the majority of the timeline between 2016 and 2023, the agencies show relatively stable fluctuations, generally staying within a range of +5% to -5% change per year. However, there is a dramatic and uniform plummet starting in the 2024–25 period. Every agency depicted shows a sharp downward trajectory, with staffing losses ranging from approximately -15% to over -25%. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows the most significant decline, dropping to roughly -26%, while the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) shows the least severe but still substantial drop at approximately -15%.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again.

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

20.01.2026 22:53 πŸ‘ 14445 πŸ” 8312 πŸ’¬ 90 πŸ“Œ 767

Very sorry for your loss

02.01.2026 01:08 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Well deserved

06.12.2025 16:56 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
17.11.2025 17:50 πŸ‘ 671 πŸ” 233 πŸ’¬ 7 πŸ“Œ 5
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Homing and feral pigeons differ in hippocampal formation neuron size: a Golgi study - Brain Structure and Function Artificial selection for behavioural traits can significantly affect the anatomy of brain regions related to the behaviour under selection. The homing pigeon (Columba livia) is a prime example of how ...

New paper out today on hippocampus neuron morphology in homing and feral pigeons. 🧡

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

#neuroskyence #neuroethology #anatomy

23.10.2025 17:27 πŸ‘ 86 πŸ” 19 πŸ’¬ 3 πŸ“Œ 0

INTERVENTION!!

14.10.2025 14:10 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Absolutely delightful!! Save me one pls!

10.10.2025 16:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Beautiful ☺️

03.10.2025 17:37 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

🀯

02.10.2025 13:43 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Haha! Not only am I an entomologist, I specialize in the evolution of Phasmatodea. Must be a friends issue πŸ˜†

02.10.2025 13:40 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Jealous!!!

02.10.2025 13:16 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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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 🧡)

24.09.2025 20:30 πŸ‘ 29690 πŸ” 9977 πŸ’¬ 726 πŸ“Œ 1545
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The buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala) has mastered a very particular kind of camouflage.

When they close their wings up, they resemble a broken twig.

Native to large parts of Europe, there's regional pattern variation that reflects the local tree species. This one best resembles birch twigs?

17.09.2025 12:20 πŸ‘ 4523 πŸ” 1405 πŸ’¬ 70 πŸ“Œ 144

Having RFK Jr as Health Secretary is like having a flat-earther direct Google Earth

17.09.2025 15:42 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Molecular evolution of dietary shifts in ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae): from fungivoryΒ to carnivory and herbivory - BMC Biology Background Dietary shifts are major evolutionary steps that shape ecological niches and biodiversity. The beetle family Coccinellidae, commonly known as ladybirds, first transitioned from a fungivorou...

Molecular evolution of dietary shifts in ladybirds 🐞 expansions of digestive & detoxifying #gene families in the herbivorous ladybirds, & absence of most plant cell wall-degrading enzymes in the ladybirds from the transition to carnivory link.springer.com/article/10.1...

06.09.2025 16:12 πŸ‘ 26 πŸ” 13 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Robust and accurate Bayesian inference of genome-wide genealogies for hundreds of genomes - Nature Genetics SINGER is a method for creating ancestral recombination graphs to understand the genealogical history of genomes. The method has increased speed, and thus scalability, without sacrificing accuracy.

SINGER, our ARG inference method, is finally published and freely available online:

doi.org/10.1038/s415...

It was a long journey – 16 months from initial submission to acceptance. Is it just me, or has peer review gotten more arduous lately? 4+ rounds of review isn't so unusual these days...

11.09.2025 03:50 πŸ‘ 102 πŸ” 52 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 3

Unparalleled aerial agility and control

05.09.2025 12:26 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Speechless

04.09.2025 19:21 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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β€˜Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

03.09.2025 18:23 πŸ‘ 25 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 5

Parandra are bizarre

30.08.2025 21:57 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Nice! Looks like Dasydactylus

07.08.2025 19:02 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Holy smokes!!!

28.07.2025 07:32 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Beautiful

28.07.2025 07:28 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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BREAKING: Scientists are staging a β€œscience fair” in the lobby of a Congressional building to tell elected officials about the critical knowledge the US will lose because their research grants have been canceled.

08.07.2025 15:31 πŸ‘ 40295 πŸ” 11275 πŸ’¬ 1079 πŸ“Œ 854
Pelecinus polyturator in an elegant black dress...because why not!

Pelecinus polyturator in an elegant black dress...because why not!

Pelecinus gothyturator.

She's attending the Hymenoptera ball. πŸ‘—

#Pelecinuspolyturator

24.06.2025 12:25 πŸ‘ 27 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

That’s cool

06.06.2025 14:18 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Superficially resembles (strikingly so) some Neotropical Endomychidae

17.05.2025 04:18 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0