Lochlan W
@lochlanw.bsky.social
@insect-vision.bsky.social
Uni Konstanz PhD student with the International Max Planck Research School (QBEE) 🦋🧠🛩️ Intrigued by invertebrate sensorimotor control, vision, computational ethology, and 8-legged animals 🏳️🌈🇨🇦
Uni Konstanz PhD student with the International Max Planck Research School (QBEE) 🦋🧠🛩️ Intrigued by invertebrate sensorimotor control, vision, computational ethology, and 8-legged animals 🏳️🌈🇨🇦
Reposted by Lochlan W
It's out, Minos transgenesis in the pantry moth by
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
November 12, 2025 at 2:40 PM
It's out, Minos transgenesis in the pantry moth by
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
@donyaniyaz.bsky.social
@lucalivraghi.bsky.social
High efficient, glowing eye and silk gland markers
peerj.com/articles/202...
@peerj.bsky.social
Reposted by Lochlan W
In insects, motion processing is affected by background motion in Target Selective Descending neurons but not in presynaptic Small Target Motion Detectors. To explain this change, @puh23.bsky.social et al. examined three candidate TSDN circuit models. journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
Understanding the mechanism of facilitation in hoverfly TSDNs
Author summary Many human sports, including tennis, football, and basketball, rely on the ability to visually detect and respond to the motion of a small, rapidly moving object. Indeed, some sports st...
journals.plos.org
October 18, 2025 at 10:56 PM
In insects, motion processing is affected by background motion in Target Selective Descending neurons but not in presynaptic Small Target Motion Detectors. To explain this change, @puh23.bsky.social et al. examined three candidate TSDN circuit models. journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol...
Reposted by Lochlan W
Do you work (/want to work) with caterpillars? Or sensory systems? Or BOTH?! Well good golly do we have the paper for you! We explain the senses that caterpillars have, what they use them for, and how anthropogenic sensory pollution might be messing it all up 🐛 doi.org/10.1007/s003...
The sensory ecology of caterpillars - Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Caterpillars (larval Lepidoptera) are one of the most ecologically and evolutionarily significant taxa on Earth. As both feeders and food, they shape the dynamics of enumerate ecosystems on land. Key ...
doi.org
November 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Do you work (/want to work) with caterpillars? Or sensory systems? Or BOTH?! Well good golly do we have the paper for you! We explain the senses that caterpillars have, what they use them for, and how anthropogenic sensory pollution might be messing it all up 🐛 doi.org/10.1007/s003...
Reposted by Lochlan W
🐛📢🐛New paper alert! Lovely review of caterpillar sensory ecology led by @samjakeengland.bsky.social (@humboldt-foundation.de fellow) with friends and colleagues @rochellemeah.bsky.social @benitoexplains.bsky.social and Callum McLellan!
🐛⚡🐛👁️🐛🤝🐛👃🐛
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🐛⚡🐛👁️🐛🤝🐛👃🐛
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The sensory ecology of caterpillars - Journal of Comparative Physiology A
Caterpillars (larval Lepidoptera) are one of the most ecologically and evolutionarily significant taxa on Earth. As both feeders and food, they shape the dynamics of enumerate ecosystems on land. Key ...
link.springer.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
🐛📢🐛New paper alert! Lovely review of caterpillar sensory ecology led by @samjakeengland.bsky.social (@humboldt-foundation.de fellow) with friends and colleagues @rochellemeah.bsky.social @benitoexplains.bsky.social and Callum McLellan!
🐛⚡🐛👁️🐛🤝🐛👃🐛
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🐛⚡🐛👁️🐛🤝🐛👃🐛
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Lochlan W
#PhD position!
Comparing #foraging and #cognition in #hummingbirds and #bumblebees
Fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies, lab experiments at @newcastleuni.bsky.social, and ecological modelling at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Details (including my email) here: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Comparing #foraging and #cognition in #hummingbirds and #bumblebees
Fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies, lab experiments at @newcastleuni.bsky.social, and ecological modelling at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Details (including my email) here: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
From preferences to pollination: do hummingbirds and bees differ in how they choose flowers?
iapetus.ac.uk
November 9, 2025 at 2:14 PM
#PhD position!
Comparing #foraging and #cognition in #hummingbirds and #bumblebees
Fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies, lab experiments at @newcastleuni.bsky.social, and ecological modelling at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Details (including my email) here: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Comparing #foraging and #cognition in #hummingbirds and #bumblebees
Fieldwork in the Canadian Rockies, lab experiments at @newcastleuni.bsky.social, and ecological modelling at @uniofstandrews.bsky.social
Details (including my email) here: iapetus.ac.uk/studentships...
Reposted by Lochlan W
Granger et al. Multispecies sensory networks and social foraging strategies: Implications for population decline in procellariiform seabirds www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #ornithology #seabirds
Multispecies sensory networks and social foraging strategies: Implications for population decline in procellariiform seabirds | PNAS
Multispecies sensory networks, where different species prioritize different sensory
modalities and then use heterospecific information in a likely ...
www.pnas.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Granger et al. Multispecies sensory networks and social foraging strategies: Implications for population decline in procellariiform seabirds www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... #ornithology #seabirds
Reposted by Lochlan W
How do animals recognise incoming stimuli as predators? In this paper from the Casas' lab, they tested aerodynamical looming, and they show that size and velocity of the incoming object activated wind-sensitive neurons in 🦗. These responses are similar to visual looming! www.cell.com/current-biol...
Perception of aerodynamical looming stimuli
Clémençon et al. show that predator size and velocity are two key parameters for the
perception of the aerodynamical signature of approaching predators (aerodynamical
looming stimuli). They report tha...
www.cell.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:14 PM
How do animals recognise incoming stimuli as predators? In this paper from the Casas' lab, they tested aerodynamical looming, and they show that size and velocity of the incoming object activated wind-sensitive neurons in 🦗. These responses are similar to visual looming! www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Lochlan W
Sensory receptor expansion and neural accommodation in butterfly color vision https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.30.685642v1
October 31, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Sensory receptor expansion and neural accommodation in butterfly color vision https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.30.685642v1
Reposted by Lochlan W
Another big piece of work from our lab is out on bioRxiv. Learn about the role of PSD-95 for hunting behavior in mice here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
PSD-95 drives binocular vision maturation critical for predation
Postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD-95) is a signalling scaffold within the postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses which drives silent synapse maturation during critical periods (CP). Binoculari...
www.biorxiv.org
October 23, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Another big piece of work from our lab is out on bioRxiv. Learn about the role of PSD-95 for hunting behavior in mice here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Lochlan W
I've unlocked a new science badge!! 🎉🛡️🎉
This thoughtful piece by @meganlinnay.bsky.social expands beautifully on a short review I wrote, citing 'the Sumner-Rooney cost-benefit model' of eye loss 🥲 honoured!
For anyone interested in evolution in low light, have a read! 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
This thoughtful piece by @meganlinnay.bsky.social expands beautifully on a short review I wrote, citing 'the Sumner-Rooney cost-benefit model' of eye loss 🥲 honoured!
For anyone interested in evolution in low light, have a read! 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
At the edge of darkness: A framework for the evolution of visual systems in dim light
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
doi.org
October 30, 2025 at 2:40 PM
I've unlocked a new science badge!! 🎉🛡️🎉
This thoughtful piece by @meganlinnay.bsky.social expands beautifully on a short review I wrote, citing 'the Sumner-Rooney cost-benefit model' of eye loss 🥲 honoured!
For anyone interested in evolution in low light, have a read! 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
This thoughtful piece by @meganlinnay.bsky.social expands beautifully on a short review I wrote, citing 'the Sumner-Rooney cost-benefit model' of eye loss 🥲 honoured!
For anyone interested in evolution in low light, have a read! 👉 doi.org/10.1111/1365...
Reposted by Lochlan W
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Sensory expectations shape neural population dynamics in motor circuits
Nature - Experiments with human volunteers and macaques show that expectations produced by probabilistic cueing of future sensory inputs shape motor circuit dynamics in order to increase the...
www.nature.com
October 29, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Thrilled that our paper is out today in Nature!
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
www.nature.com/articles/s4...
Reposted by Lochlan W
Spiders are precision hunters, not just creepy crawlies. 🕷️ This PNAS Science Sessions episode dives into cutting-edge research on spider webs that hear, silk-powered lifts, and REM sleep-like states in jumping spiders. Tune into this Halloween Special: https://ow.ly/W5NO50XhCZ7
October 25, 2025 at 3:00 PM
Spiders are precision hunters, not just creepy crawlies. 🕷️ This PNAS Science Sessions episode dives into cutting-edge research on spider webs that hear, silk-powered lifts, and REM sleep-like states in jumping spiders. Tune into this Halloween Special: https://ow.ly/W5NO50XhCZ7
Reposted by Lochlan W
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
October 22, 2025 at 8:41 PM
🧠🌟🐭 Excited to share some of my postdoc work on the evolution of dexterity!
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
We compared deer mice evolved in forest vs prairie habitats. We found that forest mice have:
(1) more corticospinal neurons (CSNs)
(2) better hand dexterity
(3) more dexterous climbing, which is linked to CSN number🧵
Reposted by Lochlan W
We had a rather unexpected presenter at our lab meeting this morning 😄🪲🎓
October 22, 2025 at 9:26 AM
We had a rather unexpected presenter at our lab meeting this morning 😄🪲🎓
As someone who still manually writes references (🫣), are there any recommendations for easy to use citation managers? I've had some trouble with EndNote and importing relatively older PDFs
October 20, 2025 at 10:47 AM
As someone who still manually writes references (🫣), are there any recommendations for easy to use citation managers? I've had some trouble with EndNote and importing relatively older PDFs
Reposted by Lochlan W
Reposting for the Monday morning scrollers! Funded PhD opportunity with me @multipleye-lab.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social - spiders, their eyes, and their babies under long- and short-term light pollution!
Exciting times ahead - I'm beyond delighted to be joining @bristolbiosci.bsky.social in 2026! 🎉🕷️🎉🐌🎉
I'm also looking for a PhD student to join @multipleye-lab.bsky.social in our new home! Come and study the effects of light pollution on the evolution and development of spider eyes with us 🌃🕷️👀 👇
I'm also looking for a PhD student to join @multipleye-lab.bsky.social in our new home! Come and study the effects of light pollution on the evolution and development of spider eyes with us 🌃🕷️👀 👇
October 20, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Reposting for the Monday morning scrollers! Funded PhD opportunity with me @multipleye-lab.bsky.social @bristolbiosci.bsky.social - spiders, their eyes, and their babies under long- and short-term light pollution!
Reposted by Lochlan W
Scanning and active sampling behaviours emerge from conserved insect neural circuits https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.13.682010v1
October 14, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Scanning and active sampling behaviours emerge from conserved insect neural circuits https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.13.682010v1
Reposted by Lochlan W
October 11, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Lochlan W
The first preprint from my PhD work is out! We used C. elegans to define and manipulate heterogeneous groups, exploring how individuals with different behavioural phenotypes interact and shape collective behavior. Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 10, 2025 at 9:13 AM
The first preprint from my PhD work is out! We used C. elegans to define and manipulate heterogeneous groups, exploring how individuals with different behavioural phenotypes interact and shape collective behavior. Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Lochlan W
What a lovely 'spotlight' of @talboger.bsky.social's work on style perception! Written by @aennebrielmann.bsky.social in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social.
See Aenne's paper below, as well as Tal's original work here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
See Aenne's paper below, as well as Tal's original work here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 8, 2025 at 5:28 PM
What a lovely 'spotlight' of @talboger.bsky.social's work on style perception! Written by @aennebrielmann.bsky.social in @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social.
See Aenne's paper below, as well as Tal's original work here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
See Aenne's paper below, as well as Tal's original work here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lochlan W
Pleased to have this review out in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social. In it we discuss various aspects of the intersection between foraging behaviors and neuroscience, and offer some future directions: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Foraging as an ethological framework for neuroscience
The study of foraging is central to a renewed interest in naturalistic behavior in neuroscience. Applying a foraging framework grounded in behavioral …
www.sciencedirect.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Pleased to have this review out in @cp-trendsneuro.bsky.social. In it we discuss various aspects of the intersection between foraging behaviors and neuroscience, and offer some future directions: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Lochlan W
🦅PhD position 🦅 in my new group at @fbm-unil.bsky.social in Switzerland, studying how the social and resource landscapes shape the learning process for soaring flight. Deadline: Oct 30. Pls repost! career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...
October 6, 2025 at 5:56 AM
🦅PhD position 🦅 in my new group at @fbm-unil.bsky.social in Switzerland, studying how the social and resource landscapes shape the learning process for soaring flight. Deadline: Oct 30. Pls repost! career5.successfactors.eu/career?caree...
Reposted by Lochlan W
This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important
⚠️ Chinese researchers have invented bone glue that mimics how oysters stick to surfaces underwater.
The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.
interestingengineering.com/science/chin...
The adhesive can reportedly repair orthopedic fractures in 2-3 minutes, even in blood-rich environments, and is bioabsorbable.
interestingengineering.com/science/chin...
China's oyster-inspired 'bone glue' bonds fractures in minutes
A new oyster-inspired Bone-02 adhesive can revolutionize bone repair without metal fasteners.
interestingengineering.com
September 30, 2025 at 10:35 PM
This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important
Reposted by Lochlan W
🐝 Can #ElectricFields from #powerlines disrupt #honeybee foraging? A new #iScience study says yes — AC & +DC fields cut landings by 71% 🌸⚡
🧾Read here: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#ElectricPollution #PollinatorHealth #Entomology #Agroecology #EcoResearch #InsectScience #SaveTheBees #FieldEcology
🧾Read here: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#ElectricPollution #PollinatorHealth #Entomology #Agroecology #EcoResearch #InsectScience #SaveTheBees #FieldEcology
May 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
🐝 Can #ElectricFields from #powerlines disrupt #honeybee foraging? A new #iScience study says yes — AC & +DC fields cut landings by 71% 🌸⚡
🧾Read here: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#ElectricPollution #PollinatorHealth #Entomology #Agroecology #EcoResearch #InsectScience #SaveTheBees #FieldEcology
🧾Read here: www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
#ElectricPollution #PollinatorHealth #Entomology #Agroecology #EcoResearch #InsectScience #SaveTheBees #FieldEcology
Reposted by Lochlan W
Most people are right- some left-handed or ambidextrous - and so are honey buzzards when turning in thermals! But, unlike us, mastering flight means these birds must overcome laterality as they grow. A gem of a preprint led by @enourani.bsky.social. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 26, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Most people are right- some left-handed or ambidextrous - and so are honey buzzards when turning in thermals! But, unlike us, mastering flight means these birds must overcome laterality as they grow. A gem of a preprint led by @enourani.bsky.social. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...