Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
@schulzscience.bsky.social
Designing robotic, sensing, and health technology using inspirations from nature's functional materials. Side-quester. #ActuallyAutistic #AuDHD #EDrecovery
Pinned
Hello world. One of my favorite fun facts to share about elephants…their trunks are covered in whiskers, with built-in intelligence! If that got your attention…check out our new paper in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Elefanten können mit ihrem Rüssel einen Tortillachip greifen, ohne ihn zu zerdrücken. Wie das geht? Ihre Tasthaare sind besitzen einen einzigartigen Härteverlauf – eine Art physische Intelligenz, die nun erstmals entschlüsselt wurde. #repost
Intelligente Rüsselhaare: Forscher entschlüsseln den feinfühligen Tastsinn von Elefanten
Warum Elefantentasthaare im Tierreich einzigartig sind – und was die Robotik davon lernen kann.
www.spektrum.de
February 14, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Elefanten können mit ihrem Rüssel einen Tortillachip greifen, ohne ihn zu zerdrücken. Wie das geht? Ihre Tasthaare sind besitzen einen einzigartigen Härteverlauf – eine Art physische Intelligenz, die nun erstmals entschlüsselt wurde. #repost
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Feinfühliges Tastorgan
Warum Elefanten mit ihrem Rüssel so geschickt sind
=====
Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
=====
Elefanten können mit ihrem Rüssel Erstaunliches leisten. Forschende haben jetzt herausgefunden,
Warum Elefanten mit ihrem Rüssel so geschickt sind
=====
Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
=====
Elefanten können mit ihrem Rüssel Erstaunliches leisten. Forschende haben jetzt herausgefunden,
Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers
Keratin composites enable animals to hike with hooves, fly with feathers, and sense with skin. Mammalian whiskers are elongated keratin rods attached to tactile skin structures that extend the animal’...
www.science.org
February 16, 2026 at 10:27 AM
Feinfühliges Tastorgan
Warum Elefanten mit ihrem Rüssel so geschickt sind
=====
Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
=====
Elefanten können mit ihrem Rüssel Erstaunliches leisten. Forschende haben jetzt herausgefunden,
Warum Elefanten mit ihrem Rüssel so geschickt sind
=====
Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
=====
Elefanten können mit ihrem Rüssel Erstaunliches leisten. Forschende haben jetzt herausgefunden,
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Elephant trunks can both rip down trees and gently pluck peanuts because their trunk whiskers contain a stiffness gradient, allowing them to sense fine contours and adjust their grip strength accordingly! 🧪
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
February 14, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Elephant trunks can both rip down trees and gently pluck peanuts because their trunk whiskers contain a stiffness gradient, allowing them to sense fine contours and adjust their grip strength accordingly! 🧪
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
So great! Mechanical engineers study the physics of elephant whiskers. Unlike mice, elephants don’t whisk. The physics of their whiskers suggests they amplify touch.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Functional gradients facilitate tactile sensing in elephant whiskers
Keratin composites enable animals to hike with hooves, fly with feathers, and sense with skin. Mammalian whiskers are elongated keratin rods attached to tactile skin structures that extend the animal’...
www.science.org
February 14, 2026 at 1:54 PM
So great! Mechanical engineers study the physics of elephant whiskers. Unlike mice, elephants don’t whisk. The physics of their whiskers suggests they amplify touch.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
How does an elephant peel a banana? The answer involves whiskers, a new study says.
Researchers have studied rat and mouse whiskers, but these key organs for elephants have been largely overlooked and may help explain their extraordinary dexterity.
Researchers have studied rat and mouse whiskers, but these key organs for elephants have been largely overlooked and may help explain their extraordinary dexterity.
Scientists have discovered one of elephants’ most sensitive secrets
Researchers have studied rat and mouse whiskers, but these key organs for elephants have been largely overlooked.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:00 AM
How does an elephant peel a banana? The answer involves whiskers, a new study says.
Researchers have studied rat and mouse whiskers, but these key organs for elephants have been largely overlooked and may help explain their extraordinary dexterity.
Researchers have studied rat and mouse whiskers, but these key organs for elephants have been largely overlooked and may help explain their extraordinary dexterity.
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Unique structure of elephant whiskers give them built-in sensing “intelligence.” The material properties change gradually from base to tip for better navigation, more precise manipulation. arstechnica.com/science/2026...
Unique structure of elephant whiskers give them built-in sensing "intelligence"
The material properties change gradually from base to tip for better navigation, more precise manipulation.
arstechnica.com
February 13, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Unique structure of elephant whiskers give them built-in sensing “intelligence.” The material properties change gradually from base to tip for better navigation, more precise manipulation. arstechnica.com/science/2026...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
The secret to the elephant's amazing sense of touch is in its unusual whiskers. The findings will be used in the development of new robot-assisted sensor technologies that mimic the stiffness of the #elephant tactile hairs.
www.mpg.de/26113474/ele... @mpi-is.bsky.social
www.mpg.de/26113474/ele... @mpi-is.bsky.social
Elephant whiskers exhibit material intelligence for touch sensing
YouTube video by Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
www.youtube.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:42 AM
The secret to the elephant's amazing sense of touch is in its unusual whiskers. The findings will be used in the development of new robot-assisted sensor technologies that mimic the stiffness of the #elephant tactile hairs.
www.mpg.de/26113474/ele... @mpi-is.bsky.social
www.mpg.de/26113474/ele... @mpi-is.bsky.social
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Another story here-- congrats to the authors for their excellent science and broad attention!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/s...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/s...
An Elephant Is Blind Without Its Whiskers
www.nytimes.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Another story here-- congrats to the authors for their excellent science and broad attention!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/s...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/s...
Hello world. One of my favorite fun facts to share about elephants…their trunks are covered in whiskers, with built-in intelligence! If that got your attention…check out our new paper in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
February 13, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Hello world. One of my favorite fun facts to share about elephants…their trunks are covered in whiskers, with built-in intelligence! If that got your attention…check out our new paper in @science.org www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
On the sensitivity of elephant trunk whiskers that derives from their anatomy and mechanical properties; work by bsky.app/profile/schu... et al. :
www.scientificamerican.com/article/elep...
(with a little end statement from me)
www.scientificamerican.com/article/elep...
(with a little end statement from me)
How the elephant got its stiff whiskers
Pachyderm whiskers are more flexible at the tip than the base, allowing elephants to complete delicate tasks with their incredibly strong trunks
www.scientificamerican.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:15 PM
On the sensitivity of elephant trunk whiskers that derives from their anatomy and mechanical properties; work by bsky.app/profile/schu... et al. :
www.scientificamerican.com/article/elep...
(with a little end statement from me)
www.scientificamerican.com/article/elep...
(with a little end statement from me)
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Have you read ICB's issue 6 yet?
with Applied #ecoimmunology in #wildlife health and #conservation
& authors
@schulzscience.bsky.social
@karlycohen.bsky.social Cohen
@thomsanger.bsky.social Sanger
@cmdonatelli.bsky.social Donatelli
Stacy Farina
and more!
academic.oup.com/icb/issue/65/6
with Applied #ecoimmunology in #wildlife health and #conservation
& authors
@schulzscience.bsky.social
@karlycohen.bsky.social Cohen
@thomsanger.bsky.social Sanger
@cmdonatelli.bsky.social Donatelli
Stacy Farina
and more!
academic.oup.com/icb/issue/65/6
December 22, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Have you read ICB's issue 6 yet?
with Applied #ecoimmunology in #wildlife health and #conservation
& authors
@schulzscience.bsky.social
@karlycohen.bsky.social Cohen
@thomsanger.bsky.social Sanger
@cmdonatelli.bsky.social Donatelli
Stacy Farina
and more!
academic.oup.com/icb/issue/65/6
with Applied #ecoimmunology in #wildlife health and #conservation
& authors
@schulzscience.bsky.social
@karlycohen.bsky.social Cohen
@thomsanger.bsky.social Sanger
@cmdonatelli.bsky.social Donatelli
Stacy Farina
and more!
academic.oup.com/icb/issue/65/6
Just in time for the break - I'm excited that a review I've been working on with Florian Hartmann and their team has been published in Advanced Science. We highlight ecosystem-centered design in this work - open access! advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Just in time for the break - I'm excited that a review I've been working on with Florian Hartmann and their team has been published in Advanced Science. We highlight ecosystem-centered design in this work - open access! advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
I forgot to post here, but here is my new medium blog post: medium.com/@SchulzScien...
An Autistic Academic — A Happy? Birthday
My birthday is on November 19 and since I was a child I remember it being a strange time. Before college I don’t think I felt like I had a…
medium.com
November 23, 2025 at 6:23 PM
I forgot to post here, but here is my new medium blog post: medium.com/@SchulzScien...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Excited to have the opportunity to share my perspective on comparative biomechanics in a plenary at this year's SICB meeting. Grateful to my mentors/collabs/students for their support along the way, and very honored to receive the Gans Young Investigator Award!
November 11, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Excited to have the opportunity to share my perspective on comparative biomechanics in a plenary at this year's SICB meeting. Grateful to my mentors/collabs/students for their support along the way, and very honored to receive the Gans Young Investigator Award!
I wrote a new blog post about being an #AuDHD academic and what life is like with and without wearing a mask...I hope to post blogs more regularly going forward!
An Autistic Academic — Mask Off
Experiencing a day at work with and without masking as an autistic academic has made me realize how much energy it takes to keep that…
medium.com
September 4, 2025 at 10:16 AM
I wrote a new blog post about being an #AuDHD academic and what life is like with and without wearing a mask...I hope to post blogs more regularly going forward!
Recently returned from the Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellows Study Tour across Germany with people spanning six contents visiting over 20 Germany cities in 13 days. It was one incredible trip with friends that will definitely last a lifetime! #myfellowfellows
August 30, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Recently returned from the Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellows Study Tour across Germany with people spanning six contents visiting over 20 Germany cities in 13 days. It was one incredible trip with friends that will definitely last a lifetime! #myfellowfellows
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
‼️ Attention ASB’ers! ‼️
Spread the word: The Postdoc Affinity Group will be at Il Tetto at Sienna Mercato (942 Penn Ave) Wednesday night starting at 7pm.
Swing by to meet up with fellow ASB postdocs. Can’t wait to see you there!
FYI: Senior PhD students interested in postdocing are also welcome.
Spread the word: The Postdoc Affinity Group will be at Il Tetto at Sienna Mercato (942 Penn Ave) Wednesday night starting at 7pm.
Swing by to meet up with fellow ASB postdocs. Can’t wait to see you there!
FYI: Senior PhD students interested in postdocing are also welcome.
August 11, 2025 at 7:03 PM
‼️ Attention ASB’ers! ‼️
Spread the word: The Postdoc Affinity Group will be at Il Tetto at Sienna Mercato (942 Penn Ave) Wednesday night starting at 7pm.
Swing by to meet up with fellow ASB postdocs. Can’t wait to see you there!
FYI: Senior PhD students interested in postdocing are also welcome.
Spread the word: The Postdoc Affinity Group will be at Il Tetto at Sienna Mercato (942 Penn Ave) Wednesday night starting at 7pm.
Swing by to meet up with fellow ASB postdocs. Can’t wait to see you there!
FYI: Senior PhD students interested in postdocing are also welcome.
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
✨Some news✨: after finishing my postdoc, I’ll be starting my lab as an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech. Join us in Atlanta to study how joints work and where they come from!
July 2, 2025 at 12:53 PM
✨Some news✨: after finishing my postdoc, I’ll be starting my lab as an Assistant Professor at Georgia Tech. Join us in Atlanta to study how joints work and where they come from!
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
The call for applications has just been released for #CV4Ecology2026!! This three-week intensive program trains ecologists and conservation practitioners to develop their own AI tools for their own data.
When: Jan 12-30, 2026
Where: SCBI @smconservation.bsky.social
When: Jan 12-30, 2026
Where: SCBI @smconservation.bsky.social
May 12, 2025 at 7:08 PM
The call for applications has just been released for #CV4Ecology2026!! This three-week intensive program trains ecologists and conservation practitioners to develop their own AI tools for their own data.
When: Jan 12-30, 2026
Where: SCBI @smconservation.bsky.social
When: Jan 12-30, 2026
Where: SCBI @smconservation.bsky.social
This week has been tough for several reasons. I have been struggling to put it in words, but finally sat down and did some writing.
An Autistic Academic
This week, I read several articles highlighting the press conference of the HHS secretary declaring that autism is a growing “epidemic.”
medium.com
April 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
This week has been tough for several reasons. I have been struggling to put it in words, but finally sat down and did some writing.
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Hey Bluesky! @sicb.bsky.social 's Divisions of Comparative Biomechanics and Vertebrate Morphology are here! We're here to share any position opportunities and keep you updated on DCB and DVM activities. Give us a follow and feel free to send any postings our way.
March 12, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Hey Bluesky! @sicb.bsky.social 's Divisions of Comparative Biomechanics and Vertebrate Morphology are here! We're here to share any position opportunities and keep you updated on DCB and DVM activities. Give us a follow and feel free to send any postings our way.
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
1/46 Hey folks, we have a new paper out on the MuLTEE. Strap in and I’ll tell you the story of how this “little paper on polyploidy” turned into the most data rich paper our lab has produced, largely thanks to the leadership and work ethic of @kaitong25.bsky.social.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Genome duplication in a long-term multicellularity evolution experiment - Nature
In the Multicellularity Long Term Evolution Experiment, diploid yeast evolve to be tetraploid under selection for larger multicellular size, revealing how whole-genome duplication can arise due to its...
www.nature.com
March 5, 2025 at 11:00 PM
1/46 Hey folks, we have a new paper out on the MuLTEE. Strap in and I’ll tell you the story of how this “little paper on polyploidy” turned into the most data rich paper our lab has produced, largely thanks to the leadership and work ethic of @kaitong25.bsky.social.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
What’s that on your tail?
Sidney Leedham, Roger Kissane & James Charles review an exciting #preprint from @schulzscience.bsky.social & team exploring how the development of a scaly-organ at the base of the tail of flying squirrels helps them stick to trees.
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/s...
Sidney Leedham, Roger Kissane & James Charles review an exciting #preprint from @schulzscience.bsky.social & team exploring how the development of a scaly-organ at the base of the tail of flying squirrels helps them stick to trees.
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/s...
Scaly-Tail Organ Enhances Static Stability during Pel’s Scaly-tailed Flying Squirrels’ Arboreal Locomotion - preLights
What’s that on your tail? @sidneyleedham @LivEvoBiomech, and @james_charles90 review this exciting preprint which explores how the development of a scaly-organ at the base of the tail of flying squirr...
prelights.biologists.com
February 28, 2025 at 3:52 PM
What’s that on your tail?
Sidney Leedham, Roger Kissane & James Charles review an exciting #preprint from @schulzscience.bsky.social & team exploring how the development of a scaly-organ at the base of the tail of flying squirrels helps them stick to trees.
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/s...
Sidney Leedham, Roger Kissane & James Charles review an exciting #preprint from @schulzscience.bsky.social & team exploring how the development of a scaly-organ at the base of the tail of flying squirrels helps them stick to trees.
prelights.biologists.com/highlights/s...
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Thank you @gtpols.bsky.social for the thread on @schulzscience.bsky.social’s recent paper on collagen imaging of elephant skin!
🔬🐘🔬🐘🔬🐘
🔬🐘🔬🐘🔬🐘
February 17, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Thank you @gtpols.bsky.social for the thread on @schulzscience.bsky.social’s recent paper on collagen imaging of elephant skin!
🔬🐘🔬🐘🔬🐘
🔬🐘🔬🐘🔬🐘
Reposted by Andrew K. Schulz, Ph.D.
Hello! Making the jump from X along with many in the #science community. I'm a #biodiversity monitoring and #SciComm professional with a particular love for #conservation, #bioacoustics and #lemurs 🐒🔊🌳💚
February 13, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Hello! Making the jump from X along with many in the #science community. I'm a #biodiversity monitoring and #SciComm professional with a particular love for #conservation, #bioacoustics and #lemurs 🐒🔊🌳💚