Dax Kellie
@daxkellie.bsky.social
Data Analyst & Science Lead at the Atlas of Living Australia | Evolutionary biologist & social psychologist (PhD) ๐งช | #rstats ๐ | Music enthusiast ๐ต
www.daxkellie.com
Opinions are my own, and they do not express those of my employer
www.daxkellie.com
Opinions are my own, and they do not express those of my employer
Pinned
Dax Kellie
@daxkellie.bsky.social
ยท Sep 2
Hi new people!๐
I'm a data analyst & Science Lead at the Atlas of Living Australiaโa huge infrastructure that holds ๐ฆ๐บ's biodiversity data ๐ฆ
I'm interested in helping people do reproducible, open science ๐ฌ as I'm a biologist myself! ๐จโ๐ฌ
I do lots in #rstats, I like #dataviz ๐ & I โค๏ธ music ๐น
I'm a data analyst & Science Lead at the Atlas of Living Australiaโa huge infrastructure that holds ๐ฆ๐บ's biodiversity data ๐ฆ
I'm interested in helping people do reproducible, open science ๐ฌ as I'm a biologist myself! ๐จโ๐ฌ
I do lots in #rstats, I like #dataviz ๐ & I โค๏ธ music ๐น
Reposted by Dax Kellie
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
The Age of Academic Slop is Upon Us
what happens when AI automates "normal science"?
open.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I just finished a three-year term as an editor at an international relations journal. I began at the start of the LLM era but ended right in the middle of it. Our volume of submissions tripled and our desk reject rate rose to 75%. I have some thoughts.
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
open.substack.com/pub/hegemon/...
Reposted by Dax Kellie
Populations of endangered animals on an island have increased by 90-100% in five years, after effectively controlling non-native predators.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
'Predator-free' fence project praised for restoring Kangaroo Island's native wildlife
Five years after feral cats were removed from inside the Western River Refuge on Kangaroo Island, populations of endangered species have boomed.
www.abc.net.au
January 10, 2026 at 11:19 PM
Populations of endangered animals on an island have increased by 90-100% in five years, after effectively controlling non-native predators.
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...
I listened to 171 albums in 2025 apparently. These were my favourites ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ค
December 31, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I listened to 171 albums in 2025 apparently. These were my favourites ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ค
What a massive loss for science in Australia. Emma was a force, and responsible for many of my friendsโ careers in biology. Very sad news, my condolences to her friends and family
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
Family, colleagues in 'disbelief' after leading scientist dies aged 52
University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Emma Johnston has died from complications associated with cancer, aged 52.
www.abc.net.au
December 30, 2025 at 2:43 AM
What a massive loss for science in Australia. Emma was a force, and responsible for many of my friendsโ careers in biology. Very sad news, my condolences to her friends and family
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...
Cโmon Santa please bring that ID!
a young boy is covering his face with his hands while sitting on a bed .
Alt: a young boy is crossing his fingers on both hands wishing for something as hard as possible
media.tenor.com
December 19, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Cโmon Santa please bring that ID!
These photos were made by talented scientists and citizen scientists (not me!). Photo credits are in the alt text
December 19, 2025 at 1:17 AM
These photos were made by talented scientists and citizen scientists (not me!). Photo credits are in the alt text
It's December!๐ But where are all the Christmas beetles? ๐๐ชฒ
Share any Christmas beetle observations with @inaturalist.bsky.social to help figure out why they seem to have disappeared. Even if you're unsure, mis-ID'd observations are valuable too!
www.inaturalist.org/projects/chr...
๐งช๐๐ #rstats
Share any Christmas beetle observations with @inaturalist.bsky.social to help figure out why they seem to have disappeared. Even if you're unsure, mis-ID'd observations are valuable too!
www.inaturalist.org/projects/chr...
๐งช๐๐ #rstats
December 19, 2025 at 1:16 AM
It's December!๐ But where are all the Christmas beetles? ๐๐ชฒ
Share any Christmas beetle observations with @inaturalist.bsky.social to help figure out why they seem to have disappeared. Even if you're unsure, mis-ID'd observations are valuable too!
www.inaturalist.org/projects/chr...
๐งช๐๐ #rstats
Share any Christmas beetle observations with @inaturalist.bsky.social to help figure out why they seem to have disappeared. Even if you're unsure, mis-ID'd observations are valuable too!
www.inaturalist.org/projects/chr...
๐งช๐๐ #rstats
Reposted by Dax Kellie
Killer whales or orca have been observed hunting with Pacific white-sided dolphins in the waters off British Columbia, Canada, and sharing fish scraps with them after making a kill, according to research in Scientific Reports. go.nature.com/4rZ08RJ ๐งช
December 13, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Killer whales or orca have been observed hunting with Pacific white-sided dolphins in the waters off British Columbia, Canada, and sharing fish scraps with them after making a kill, according to research in Scientific Reports. go.nature.com/4rZ08RJ ๐งช
This is so friggin good ๐คฉ Thanks for sharing, itโs a wonderful resource!
December 9, 2025 at 10:12 PM
This is so friggin good ๐คฉ Thanks for sharing, itโs a wonderful resource!
Reposted by Dax Kellie
Big new blogpost!
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
December 9, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Big new blogpost!
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.
--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...
Reposted by Dax Kellie
New in Science, Macaques tap to the beat.
Very cool study for its main result and its null one: consistent with nearly every other comparative study of music, monkeys don't differentiate beats by their relative strengthโwhich even young children do innately. Monkeys have rhythm but not meter!
Very cool study for its main result and its null one: consistent with nearly every other comparative study of music, monkeys don't differentiate beats by their relative strengthโwhich even young children do innately. Monkeys have rhythm but not meter!
Monkeys have rhythm
Synchronizing movements to music is a hallmark of human culture, but its evolutionary and neurobiological origins remain unknown. This ability requires (i) extracting a steady rhythmic pulse, or beat,...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 11:45 PM
New in Science, Macaques tap to the beat.
Very cool study for its main result and its null one: consistent with nearly every other comparative study of music, monkeys don't differentiate beats by their relative strengthโwhich even young children do innately. Monkeys have rhythm but not meter!
Very cool study for its main result and its null one: consistent with nearly every other comparative study of music, monkeys don't differentiate beats by their relative strengthโwhich even young children do innately. Monkeys have rhythm but not meter!
Ooo yes of course! I used {styler} so much to help me format messy code into something readable over the years, so {Air} is definitely an important part of this clean code workflow. Thanks!
November 27, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Ooo yes of course! I used {styler} so much to help me format messy code into something readable over the years, so {Air} is definitely an important part of this clean code workflow. Thanks!
If you missed my talk but still want some tips for writing good code for scientists, my slides are here:
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! ๐๐งช๐
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! ๐๐งช๐
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
November 26, 2025 at 6:12 AM
If you missed my talk but still want some tips for writing good code for scientists, my slides are here:
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! ๐๐งช๐
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
daxkellie.quarto.pub/a-guide-to-w...
All the links and references are there too in case you want to see more! ๐๐งช๐
#ESA2025 #rstats #quartopub
I am blinking with great enthusiasm for helping scientists code better ๐
November 26, 2025 at 5:48 AM
I am blinking with great enthusiasm for helping scientists code better ๐
We all want to write good codeโฆbutโฆhow?
In my talk later today, Iโll give all few tips Iโve learned about good scientific code writing that have really helped me & maybe theyโll help you!
Riverbank room 8, 2:50pm #ESA2025
In my talk later today, Iโll give all few tips Iโve learned about good scientific code writing that have really helped me & maybe theyโll help you!
Riverbank room 8, 2:50pm #ESA2025
November 26, 2025 at 12:11 AM
We all want to write good codeโฆbutโฆhow?
In my talk later today, Iโll give all few tips Iโve learned about good scientific code writing that have really helped me & maybe theyโll help you!
Riverbank room 8, 2:50pm #ESA2025
In my talk later today, Iโll give all few tips Iโve learned about good scientific code writing that have really helped me & maybe theyโll help you!
Riverbank room 8, 2:50pm #ESA2025
Weโre at #ESA2025!
Come to the Atlas of Living Australia booth, located conveniently by the coffee cart!
Come grab a hex sticker and say hi to me & @shandiya.bsky.social while youโre there ๐โ๏ธ
Come to the Atlas of Living Australia booth, located conveniently by the coffee cart!
Come grab a hex sticker and say hi to me & @shandiya.bsky.social while youโre there ๐โ๏ธ
November 24, 2025 at 4:03 AM
Weโre at #ESA2025!
Come to the Atlas of Living Australia booth, located conveniently by the coffee cart!
Come grab a hex sticker and say hi to me & @shandiya.bsky.social while youโre there ๐โ๏ธ
Come to the Atlas of Living Australia booth, located conveniently by the coffee cart!
Come grab a hex sticker and say hi to me & @shandiya.bsky.social while youโre there ๐โ๏ธ
@shandiya.bsky.social shows how huge data infrastructures like the ALA also show what we *donโt* know about biodiversity, but how Data Mobilisation programs & our new {galaxias} package can help people provide data to fill the gaps ๐๐
www.ala.org.au/abdmp/
galaxias.ala.org.au
๐งช๐ #ESA2025 #rstats
www.ala.org.au/abdmp/
galaxias.ala.org.au
๐งช๐ #ESA2025 #rstats
November 24, 2025 at 3:55 AM
@shandiya.bsky.social shows how huge data infrastructures like the ALA also show what we *donโt* know about biodiversity, but how Data Mobilisation programs & our new {galaxias} package can help people provide data to fill the gaps ๐๐
www.ala.org.au/abdmp/
galaxias.ala.org.au
๐งช๐ #ESA2025 #rstats
www.ala.org.au/abdmp/
galaxias.ala.org.au
๐งช๐ #ESA2025 #rstats
Reposted by Dax Kellie
For the first time, scientists have documented an unusual defense: Some species of arachnids build giant doppelgรคngers on their webs, creating a frightening deception that scares off would-be killers. https://scim.ag/487Myn0
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
For the first time, scientists have documented an unusual defense: Some species of arachnids build giant doppelgรคngers on their webs, creating a frightening deception that scares off would-be killers. https://scim.ag/487Myn0
The paper goes onto discuss how this long, coiled optic nerve trait is unique. Similar nerve structures are only found in a few animals, including the Stalk-eye fly which has some of the strangest eyes on the planet
November 13, 2025 at 7:11 AM
The paper goes onto discuss how this long, coiled optic nerve trait is unique. Similar nerve structures are only found in a few animals, including the Stalk-eye fly which has some of the strangest eyes on the planet
Large-eyed animals like owls ๐ฆ have a trade-off between large eyes & short optic nerves, which lowers eye mobility (to compensate they evolved swivelly necks)
But chameleons ๐ฆ have long, coiled optic nerves with extra slack for eye mobility, allowing them to use their famous large swivelly eyes ๐๐งช๐
But chameleons ๐ฆ have long, coiled optic nerves with extra slack for eye mobility, allowing them to use their famous large swivelly eyes ๐๐งช๐
The twisted secret behind a chameleonโs oddball eyes | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... ๐งช
The twisted secret behind a chameleonโs oddball eyes
Coiled nerves allow the reptiles to move their peepers in multiple directions at once without moving their heads
www.science.org
November 13, 2025 at 7:11 AM
Large-eyed animals like owls ๐ฆ have a trade-off between large eyes & short optic nerves, which lowers eye mobility (to compensate they evolved swivelly necks)
But chameleons ๐ฆ have long, coiled optic nerves with extra slack for eye mobility, allowing them to use their famous large swivelly eyes ๐๐งช๐
But chameleons ๐ฆ have long, coiled optic nerves with extra slack for eye mobility, allowing them to use their famous large swivelly eyes ๐๐งช๐
Reposted by Dax Kellie
New #dataviz on summer heat-stress anomalies in Europe, 1950โ2025. ๐ฅต
This map shows hours with WBGT > 29.5โฏยฐCโextreme stress where work should be limited. Since 2010, positive anomalies dominate. 300h = 12.5 days of danger. Itโs important to focus on the sub-daily exposure.
#rstats #climatechange
This map shows hours with WBGT > 29.5โฏยฐCโextreme stress where work should be limited. Since 2010, positive anomalies dominate. 300h = 12.5 days of danger. Itโs important to focus on the sub-daily exposure.
#rstats #climatechange
November 8, 2025 at 2:13 PM
New #dataviz on summer heat-stress anomalies in Europe, 1950โ2025. ๐ฅต
This map shows hours with WBGT > 29.5โฏยฐCโextreme stress where work should be limited. Since 2010, positive anomalies dominate. 300h = 12.5 days of danger. Itโs important to focus on the sub-daily exposure.
#rstats #climatechange
This map shows hours with WBGT > 29.5โฏยฐCโextreme stress where work should be limited. Since 2010, positive anomalies dominate. 300h = 12.5 days of danger. Itโs important to focus on the sub-daily exposure.
#rstats #climatechange
Reposted by Dax Kellie
Spotted this beautifully hairy #owlfly (Acmonotus incusifer) this week.
One of the Split-eyed Owlflies, it seems this isn't a commonly observed species. There are only 5 observations in #inaturalist with all of those in Western Australia.
#ausinverts #Neuroptera #wildoz #insects #nature
One of the Split-eyed Owlflies, it seems this isn't a commonly observed species. There are only 5 observations in #inaturalist with all of those in Western Australia.
#ausinverts #Neuroptera #wildoz #insects #nature
November 4, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Spotted this beautifully hairy #owlfly (Acmonotus incusifer) this week.
One of the Split-eyed Owlflies, it seems this isn't a commonly observed species. There are only 5 observations in #inaturalist with all of those in Western Australia.
#ausinverts #Neuroptera #wildoz #insects #nature
One of the Split-eyed Owlflies, it seems this isn't a commonly observed species. There are only 5 observations in #inaturalist with all of those in Western Australia.
#ausinverts #Neuroptera #wildoz #insects #nature
Reposted by Dax Kellie
Heard about this at #LivingData2025, if you have biodiversity data you want to share but are not sure how, I think this will be really useful.
๐จOur new package {galaxias} is released in R & Python today! ๐จ
๐ฆ galaxias makes it easy to standardise data to Darwin Core, the accepted format for sharing ecological data with infrastructures like @gbif.org and the Atlas of Living Australia
galaxias.ala.org.au
#rstats #python ๐งช๐๐
A thread ๐งต๐
๐ฆ galaxias makes it easy to standardise data to Darwin Core, the accepted format for sharing ecological data with infrastructures like @gbif.org and the Atlas of Living Australia
galaxias.ala.org.au
#rstats #python ๐งช๐๐
A thread ๐งต๐
October 27, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Heard about this at #LivingData2025, if you have biodiversity data you want to share but are not sure how, I think this will be really useful.
Wowwww! incredible stuff
October 24, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Wowwww! incredible stuff