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Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

"Phylophytobiogeography" I type. I hesitate... is there no way I can be a bit more... specific?
#academicenglish

October 23, 2025 at 9:02 AM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Dep. of Ecology, Environment & Plant Sciences

@deepsthlmuni.bsky.social

We’re hiring! 📣

DEEP at @stockholm-uni.bsky.social is looking for a tenured Associate Professor in Plant Ecology. Join a vibrant research & teaching community in the heart of Sweden’s capital.

Learn more and apply below by 16 Nov.👇

DEEP seeks Associate Professor in Plant Ecology – apply now! - Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences

www.su.se

September 25, 2025 at 10:17 AM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Kew Gardens

@rbgkew.bsky.social

Botanist or poet? For National Poetry Day, we discovered poetry hidden amongst the personal papers of botanists - from J. Fraser’s 1919 poem on poppies to H.M Ward’s critique’s on his mother’s poetry!
#KewLA

Close up of letter from H.M. Ward to his mother, reading: ‘July 20: I have just got the second batch of your poems. I strongly advise you to be careful, the ideas are…& poetical to a degree; but you…too apt to lose the on the metre on you…in technical construction.

Handwritten poem by J Fraser, titled ‘The Corn Poppy’ with a sentence crossed out then four stanzas reading:
“The scarlet poppy reddens daily, Amongst the cornfields blossoms gaily, Makes comely neighbours wanton palely, and dazzles all beneath the skies, But beckons me with swanting [sic] eyes.
Uh! Could I like the gliding swallow, Explore the vale and upland follows, No more in smoky dens I’d swallow, No longer breathe the air that falls Midst crowded streets and staring walls.
Then would I bid adieu to collow, And scour the…height and hollow, Un…the downs and blithely follow, along the fields where bright corn rose – The glorious flaming poppy – glows.
To-day would have no room for sorrow, No boding thoughts to gloom to-morrow, And each day after fair would borrow Another glide along the plain, to search amongst the bended grain’”

Loose papers, with handwritten poem on top of five stanzas, the second of which is crossed out then rewritten underneath. It reads:
“The transport bent by wholesome breezes, Where charming guise of landscape pleases, Brings life amend, as man can…., and genders thanks for flow’r so fair, That smile and make my errand there.
I love to see the wild bee settle, Upon the smooth and silky petal, And laugh to view its ardent mettle, When tumbling round the…flow’r, Collecting bee bread hour by hour.
The longest day draws with gloaming, And puts an end to handsome roaming; I grieve to mark its shadows coming, But more to think when day is blind, that I must leave my flow’r behind.
The corn, the poppy, bee and ether, And birds that wing on airy feather, all choose the wilds and hang together, Beneath the great and blue sky-dome, And I must visit them at home”
Signed at end: J.F., March 15th 1919

October 2, 2025 at 9:50 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Hello all new followers! Writing "Hi, I'm Ruben" feels redundant and uninteresting given that it says so on my profile already.

To introduce myself, I will instead introduce my study system and project. And to do this, I will post 16 images from 16 days of Hawai'i island fieldwork.

September 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Lisandro Milocco

@milocco.bsky.social

🚨 We're hiring!
PhD position in Evolutionary Systems Biology at Stockholm University & SciLifeLab

🎓 Focus: evolution, development, computational & mathematical modeling, prediction
📍 Stockholm, Sweden
🕒 4 years, fully-funded
🔍 Details: su.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

Please share!

August 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Come work in our division!

EvolDir @evoldir.bsky.social · Aug 22

Lund University is seeking a postdoc/researcher for an ERC project on gene expression in hybrid Italian sparrows. One-year position with potential extension. Apply here: https://lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:833332/ #postdoc

Researcher in hybridization induced changes to gene expression

lu.varbi.com

August 23, 2025 at 9:10 AM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Craig Primmer

@fishcongen.bsky.social

Aurelien Tellier presenting the details of #eseb2027 which will be a hub meeting, with connected and local sessions in 4 hubs (Gothenburg, Munich, London, Istanbul) eseb2027.org #eseb2025

August 22, 2025 at 12:19 PM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Giulia Scarparo

@giuliascarparo.bsky.social

Thanks to Sofia and May Sheday for the courageous and inspiring talks! The scientific world cannot remain silent @eseb2025.bsky.social #ESEB2025 #inclusivity 🏳️‍🌈 #transrights 🏳️‍⚧️ #freepalestine 🇵🇸

August 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Festa de Gràcia!

August 21, 2025 at 10:29 PM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Aaron Kiggen

@aaronkiggen.bsky.social

The follow-up in ESEB Barcelona! :)

August 19, 2025 at 9:16 PM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Great first three days of ESEB @eseb2025.bsky.social

Many great talks, many great posters, lots and lots of great evolutionary biology.

Also many new followers! I will post a proper introduction once the conference is over, but for now: hello!

August 21, 2025 at 12:09 AM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Yeet Kune Do

@yeetkunedo.bsky.social

re: generative AI

I have finally fully and accurately explained my problem with how it’s marketed and used.

And now, you can use it, too.

Generative Al is being marketed as a tool designed to reduce or eliminate the need for developed, cognitive skillsets. It uses the work of others to simulate human output, except that it lacks grasp of nuance, contains grievous errors, and ultimately serves the goal of human beings being neurologically weaker due to the promise of the machine being better equipped than the humans using it would ever exert the effort to be.

The people that use generative Al for art have no interest in being an artist; they simply want product to consume and forget about when the next piece of product goes by their eyes. The people that use generative Al to make music have no interest in being a musician; they simply want a machine to make them something to listen to until they get bored and want the machine to make some other disposable slop for them to pass the time with.

The people that use generative Al to write things for them have no interest in writing. The people that use generative Al to find factoids have no interest in actual facts. The people that use generative Al to socialize have no interest in actual socialization.

In every case, they've handed over the cognitive load of developing a necessary, creative human skillset to a machine that promises to ease the sweat equity cost of struggle. Using generative Al is like asking a machine to lift weights on your behalf and then calling yourself a bodybuilder when it's done with the reps. You build nothing in terms of muscle, you are not stronger, you are not faster, you are not in better shape.

You're just deluding yourself while experiencing a slow decline due to self-inflicted atrophy.

July 6, 2025 at 5:23 PM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

If I wasn't already tied up with a different plant, I'm not sure I could resist falling headfirst in love with the ʻōhiʻa lehua. Not only do they pop up out of the lava rock like it's nothing, they also have such amazing blossoms!

The ʻōhiʻa lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha) os the state tree of Hawai'i, and the official tree of the island of Hawai'i too.

The volcano goddess Pele is often depicted with ʻōhiʻa blossoms in her hair. Not strange, given how they are the earliest pioneers on the lava field, and yet remain dominant there for hundreds of years after. Also not strange given how pretty they are.

An ʻōhiʻa blossom in all their glory. As I understand it, they are generally adapted to be pollinated by birds, although there apparently are some trees with more yellowish and compact flowers that specialise on insects.

ʻŌhiʻa popping out of the lava at the bottom of Kīlauea Iki crater like nobody's business.

June 20, 2025 at 5:32 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Don't look at the view, look at these plants! 🌿

You looked at them? You sure? Fine. Now you can look at the view. ⛰️

#fieldwork #botany #hawaii

Wikstroemia oahuensis, on a backdrop of 'Ewa Forest Reserve on Oahu, Hawai'i

Wikstroemia oahuensis or, perhaps, Wikstroemia recurva? Depends on who you ask.

The Poamoho Ridge Trail gives a fantastic view of 'Ewa Forest Reserve. Here we find one of the few untouched spots on Oahu.

Don't look down... unless there is a rare endangered plant just below the ledge. Spoilers: there were several

May 25, 2025 at 2:17 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Native Hawaiian Plants course excursion. Lots of plants, lots of rain, enthusiastic grad students, great views, and flowering Wikstroemia to sample.

Students listening to lecture, having hiked up to where the native plants take over up on the ridge.

Steep drops never look that bad on camera. Maybe that is just as well.

ʻŌhiʻa lehua, Metrosideros polymorpha, is the tree representing the native plants of Hawai'i.

April 30, 2025 at 4:46 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

Tester Memorial Symposium at the School of Life Sciences, UHM.

Learned a lot about marine biology around the Pacific, and a little bit about terrestial stuff too. An important theme in "Hoʻokele ʻIke: Navigating Knowledge in Life Sciences", a wonderful end banquet, and a great experience overall!

April 14, 2025 at 1:54 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

From this week and three months onward I am in Hawai'i for #fieldwork and collaboration. Currently getting myself acquainted with Honolulu.

April 11, 2025 at 4:10 AM

Reposted by Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

Matthew Hahn

@3rdreviewer.bsky.social

My species concept is the one that gets the most money

April 8, 2025 at 9:58 PM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

My first proper botanical field work! Good to see the results are finally out. Here are some pictures from my (very minor) contribution 🌱

April 3, 2025 at 9:31 AM

Ruben Cousins-Westerberg

@rucouwes.bsky.social

We talk of doing detective work a lot within science, but few things match the description as well as herbarium sheet deciphering.

I spent 30 minutes on one of my sampled sheets today. From 1846, in French, and – it turns out – from Vietnam. The rush when you finally put things together is real! 🔥

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · Feb 26

Do you want to help make around 7m dried plant specimens accessible to the world?

We've got a fun way for you to help that's like code-breaking for plants! 🔑🌿

All you need to do is decipher the historic handwriting on ancient specimens via our 'expeditions'... 🧵