Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
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birgitszabo.bsky.social
Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
@birgitszabo.bsky.social
1.1K followers 220 following 29 posts
Researcher @ Gent University studying behaviour, cognition & welfare in reptiles (feathery & scaly). Passions: science, animals, cooking & eating, gaming, sleeping & weekends off. They/them
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
goatswhostare.bsky.social
Christian Nawroth @goatswhostare.bsky.social Β· 5d
The statistical fragility of animal cognition findings: a meta-meta-analytic reappraisal

ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...
The statistical fragility of animal cognition findings: a meta-meta-analytic reappraisal
ecoevorxiv.org
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birgitszabo.bsky.social
Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ @birgitszabo.bsky.social Β· 12d
It took almost a year to write this review on causes and consequences of ranging in chicken πŸ”! This was a huge collaborative effort by @ecobird.bsky.social @pec-exeter.bsky.social and @vitorhbf.bsky.social ! I am very proud of the outcome. You can check out the preprint here: doi.org/10.32942/X22...
Understanding individual range use in free-range chickens - a systematic review
doi.org
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
cesarepacioni.bsky.social
Cesare Pacioni @cesarepacioni.bsky.social Β· 13d
New preprint out on bioRxiv

🌳 doi.org/10.1101/2025... 🌳

Using data from 19 forest plots in Flanders, we found that forest structural complexity isn’t a consistent predictor of multidiversity and responses across taxa were mostly weak or inconsistent.

@ecobird.bsky.social | @fornalab.bsky.social
Multitaxon assessment reveals inconsistent biodiversity responses to forest structural complexity in temperate forests
Increasing forest structural complexity is a key objective of future-proof forest management, with potential benefits for biodiversity. However, empirical evidence for consistent biodiversity-structur...
doi.org
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
vernouilleta.bsky.social
AlizΓ©e Vernouillet @vernouilleta.bsky.social Β· 21d
Excited to announce that Eli Garcia-Pelegrin and I are co-editing a special collection for Animal Cognition on "Social Cognition in a Human World". Do you study how urbanization, pollution, heat stress, fragmentation, ... affects cognition? We want to hear from you! link.springer.com/collections/...
Social Cognition in a Human World
As humanity exploits and reshapes the environment to accommodate for development and population growth demands, animals need to adapt to these human-induced ...
link.springer.com
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
danaipapageorgiou.bsky.social
Danai Papageorgiou @danaipapageorgiou.bsky.social Β· Oct 2
This list can really assist peers in avoiding predatory publishers:

www.predatoryjournals.org @predatoryjournals.org

I have been receiving plenty of generic emails to join editorial boards in MDPI and Frontiers. At exactly the same time, friends receive the same generic emails..
LinkedIn
This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn
lnkd.in
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
behavecobie.bsky.social
Behavioural Ecology Bielefeld @behavecobie.bsky.social Β· Sep 25
New paper! 🦎
Urbanization reshapes the social behaviour of wall lizards

Now out in #BiologyLetters @royalsocietypublishing.org
πŸ”— royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/... @averymaune.bsky.social
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
animbehav.bsky.social
ASSAB @animbehav.bsky.social Β· Sep 22
Meet Chrissie Painting the new ASSAB president!

@cpaintingnz.bsky.social is a Senior Lecturer and behavioural ecologist at the University of Waikato. Her research seeks patterns in animal behaviour and morphology, with a particular focus on insect and arachnid mating systems.
πŸͺ°πŸ•·οΈπŸͺ³
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
nature.com
Nature @nature.com Β· Sep 21
Highlights of this year’s Ig Nobel recipients include a nutrition prize for studying the preferred pizza toppings of rainbow lizards at a seaside resort in Togo

go.nature.com/3I4wd8E
Tipsy bats and perfect pasta: Ig Nobels celebrate β€˜improbable’ research
Nature - The annual awards are a celebration of weird but thought-provoking science.
go.nature.com
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
brandonkeim.bsky.social
Brandon Keim @brandonkeim.bsky.social Β· Sep 18
People who know reptiles well say they don't only experience fleeting pains and pleasures, but also lasting emotional states: happiness & sadness, or at least good & bad moods.

But how do you show this in a scientific way?

My latest for @nytimes.com on a clever @coldbloodedcog.bsky.social study:
Do Reptiles Have Moods, Too?
www.nytimes.com
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
asanchez-tojar.bsky.social
Alfredo SΓ‘nchez-TΓ³jar @asanchez-tojar.bsky.social Β· Sep 17
πŸ“£ Hot off the press at #ProcB!

πŸ” Our study checked data/code-sharing policies in 275 eco/evo journals and compliance in Proc B (n=2,340) & Ecology Letters (n=571). Policies exist, but clarity and strictness vary, affecting reproducibility.

πŸ”— doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
royalsocietypublishing.org
Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org Β· Sep 17
New in #ProcB - From policy to practice: Progress towards #data- and #code-sharing in ecology and evolution @asanchez-tojar.bsky.social @eivimeycook.bsky.social tell us more in our blog royalsociety.org/blog/2025/09...
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
irenegarciaruiz.com
Irene GarcΓ­a-Ruiz @irenegarciaruiz.com Β· Sep 17
Soon giving a talk at the University of NeuchΓ’tel as part of the Biology seminar series.

www.unine.ch/biologie/wp-...
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
lizardlab.bsky.social
Martin Whiting @lizardlab.bsky.social Β· Sep 17
Hot off the press! Check out our new paper on sleepy lizard aka shingleback skink fire cue discrimination led by @ecolojolly.bsky.social DM if you want a PDF.
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
jexpbiol.bsky.social
Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social Β· Sep 10
Water anoles take a bubble of air down when they submerge, which they breathe like a tiny scuba tank, and now @lindseyswierk.bsky.social & co reveal that the reptiles may also be using the bubble like a gill, to breathe oxygen directly from the water

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...
A submerged water anole (Anolis aquaticus) with a bubble of air held on its head. Photo credit: Lindsey Swierk.
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
emmatecwyn.bsky.social
Emma Tecwyn @emmatecwyn.bsky.social Β· Sep 4
Looking forward to discussing open methods in comparative cognition, including the challenge of 'species fair' task design as part of the ManyManys webinar series 🀩

πŸ’πŸ¦œπŸœπŸ•πŸ‘ΆπŸ¦ŽπŸπŸŸ

πŸ“… September 12, 11:00 a.m. (ET) on Zoom

πŸ”—Registration: airtable.com/app0bcw8jYPv...

#openscience #bigteamscience
Flyer for Open Methods in Comparative Cognition Research webinar
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
lucyjmitchell.bsky.social
Dr Lucy Mitchell @lucyjmitchell.bsky.social Β· Aug 22
Successful @ecobird.bsky.social #EOU2025 trip. Great presentations by @cesarepacioni.bsky.social, Jolien Van Malderen, Caoimhe Abdul-Wahab, MΓ©libΓ©e Morel and me! Well done team πŸ‘ Loads of fun, and surprisingly good Welsh weather πŸ˜‡
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
gblackburn.bsky.social
Grace Blackburn @gblackburn.bsky.social Β· Aug 20
New paper alert 🚨 We test quantity discrimination in #magpies using both a cognitive task and playback experiment and find that birds can discriminate between quantities in both! Interestingly, performance in the two task was negatively correlated! 🐦
@mandyridley.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
Response to intruder number is related to spontaneous quantity discrimination performance in a wild bird
The ability to discriminate between quantities is important for animal species. We show that wild magpies can discriminate both between different quantitie
doi.org
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
ethoges.bsky.social
Ethological Society @ethoges.bsky.social Β· Aug 21
πŸ§ͺETHOLOGY: Are reversal learning & inhibitory control linked? 🧠βͺ🐦 Biagiotti Barchiesi et al. tested urban kelp gulls on reversal & detour tasks. Gulls adapted well, with those showing ledd inhibitory control performing better during reversal. No age effect found. πŸ”— doi.org/10.1111/eth.... #Cognition
Are Reversal Learning and Inhibitory Control Related? Evidence From Urban Kelp Gulls (Larus dominicanus)
All urban Kelp Gulls successfully controlled impulsive behaviors in the detour task. In the reversal learning task, they made more errors during the reversal phase than the acquisition phase. Age had...
doi.org
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
behavecol.bsky.social
Behavioral Ecology @behavecol.bsky.social Β· Aug 14
Cognitive processes are robust to early environmental conditions in two lizard species
#Reptile #Learning #DevelopmentalPlasticity

doi.org/10.1093/behe...
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
fine-seminar.bsky.social
Frontiers in Social Evolution Seminar FINE @fine-seminar.bsky.social Β· Aug 8
FINE Fall 2025 will start in just 4 weeks.
Here is the preliminary program.
Stay tuned!
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
neuroethology.org
International Society for Neuroethology @neuroethology.org Β· Aug 6
Heat or stress hormones experienced in early life often impair cognition. A study @jexpbiol.bsky.social shows that spatial learning is unaffected in lizards when the eggs experienced such stressors. 🦎πŸ₯š

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

@pablorecio93.bsky.social
@danielwanoble.bsky.social
Prenatal conditions do not affect brain physiology and learning in a lizard
Early environmental factors like heat or stress hormones can impair learning through brain metabolic function, crucial for neural development and synaptic plasticity. However, whether early environmen...
journals.biologists.com
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
animbehav.bsky.social
ASSAB @animbehav.bsky.social Β· Aug 5
Students of ASSAB! You can now apply for the 2025 student research grants here: www.assab.org/grants-2025

We have two grants available for up to AUD$2500, we will also select two highly commended applications.

Deadline: August 31st 2025
Our 2024 Grants
www.assab.org
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
amcell.bsky.social
Alan McElligott @amcell.bsky.social Β· Aug 6
Research Grants by @asab.org www.asab.org/research-gra... "ASAB’s Grants Committee does not support helicopter or parachute science.... To promote inclusion, ASAB will not fund projects that rely on unpaid volunteers, e.g. for data collection."
great to see! #DEI
Research Grants β€” ASAB
Research Grants of up to Β£10,000 support original research projects.
www.asab.org
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Reposted by Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ
animbehav.bsky.social
ASSAB @animbehav.bsky.social Β· Aug 5
🚨Job Alert 🚨
Charles Darwin University is looking for a research project coordinator! Apply here: cdu.t1cloud.com/T1Default/Ci...
Log On - CiA
CiA - Enterprise software, incredibly simple
cdu.t1cloud.com
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birgitszabo.bsky.social
Birgit Szabo, PhD πŸ¦ŽπŸΈπŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆπŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ @birgitszabo.bsky.social Β· Aug 1
Another PREPRINT on gecko welfare out at BioRxiv (@biorxivpreprint.bsky.social)

How does a change in housing and diet influence nematode output in Tokay geckos?

Check it our here:
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
a geico ad with a lizard that says oh on it
ALT: a geico ad with a lizard that says oh on it
media.tenor.com
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