tomjwebb
@tomjwebb.bsky.social
Professional marine biodiversity data scientist and academic @sheffielduni.bsky.social. Amateur dad, musician, natural historian, cricketer, kayaker, gardener, cook, haver of opinions.
Reposted by tomjwebb
I wrote an article for The Conversation about birds' often overlooked sense of smell. From vultures that detect gas leaks to citrus-scented seabirds - read more below:
The brilliant and bizarre ways birds use their sense of smell – from natural cologne to pest control
Humans and birds both have an underappreciated sense of smell.
theconversation.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:36 AM
I wrote an article for The Conversation about birds' often overlooked sense of smell. From vultures that detect gas leaks to citrus-scented seabirds - read more below:
Looks like Scotland are supposed to be wearing white but someone left a red sock in their kit wash.
February 7, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Looks like Scotland are supposed to be wearing white but someone left a red sock in their kit wash.
Reposted by tomjwebb
#NBNawards26 are open! Know someone making a real difference to UK wildlife recording? A dedicated recorder, brilliant verifier, inspiring young naturalist? The NBN Awards celebrate the people and groups helping us better understand the UK’s biodiversity. Nominating is simple. bit.ly/NBNawards26n...
February 6, 2026 at 9:35 AM
#NBNawards26 are open! Know someone making a real difference to UK wildlife recording? A dedicated recorder, brilliant verifier, inspiring young naturalist? The NBN Awards celebrate the people and groups helping us better understand the UK’s biodiversity. Nominating is simple. bit.ly/NBNawards26n...
Anyone else shut one eye to avoid ITV’s split screen in-play advert in the rugby?
February 5, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Anyone else shut one eye to avoid ITV’s split screen in-play advert in the rugby?
Reposted by tomjwebb
Some thoughts on the select committee appearance by the boss of UKRI, Ian Chapman yesterday. It’s a long watch but can be seen here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...
Thread 🧵
Thread 🧵
Parliamentlive.tv
Science, Innovation and Technology Committee
parliamentlive.tv
February 4, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Some thoughts on the select committee appearance by the boss of UKRI, Ian Chapman yesterday. It’s a long watch but can be seen here: parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...
Thread 🧵
Thread 🧵
Found this map of street trees in Sheffield. Really handy if you see a tree you like and want to know what it is! www.andygreenwood.co.uk
Sheffield Street Tree Data - Home
www.andygreenwood.co.uk
February 2, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Found this map of street trees in Sheffield. Really handy if you see a tree you like and want to know what it is! www.andygreenwood.co.uk
Really enjoyed this paper which highlights the importance of properly understanding the gaps and biases in our biodiversity databases, cautioning against extrapolating from the few taxa we know well to the many that we don't.
New paper out:
The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation
with @fossildetective.bsky.social, @bigfacecats.bsky.social, Curtis Congreve & @jonhendricks.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44... 🦑⚒️
The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation
with @fossildetective.bsky.social, @bigfacecats.bsky.social, Curtis Congreve & @jonhendricks.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s44... 🦑⚒️
The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation - npj Biodiversity
npj Biodiversity - The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation
www.nature.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:59 AM
Really enjoyed this paper which highlights the importance of properly understanding the gaps and biases in our biodiversity databases, cautioning against extrapolating from the few taxa we know well to the many that we don't.
Reposted by tomjwebb
Nothing I love more than a scathing, borderline-petty academic book review. Truly the best tradition in the genre.
A Pedagogy of the Inevitable
Over the last couple of years, two altogether incompatible discourses of “AI literacy” have emerged. One seeks just enough literacy to support a smooth, perhaps even joyful, integration with new techn...
read.dukeupress.edu
February 2, 2026 at 4:47 AM
Nothing I love more than a scathing, borderline-petty academic book review. Truly the best tradition in the genre.
Could have picked a dozen quotes from this thoughtful piece, maybe I’ll go with this one: “These companies often suggest that things we have always done are too hard to do” www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
What technology takes from us – and how to take it back | Rebecca Solnit
The long read: Decisions outsourced, chatbots for friends, the natural world an afterthought: Silicon Valley is giving us life void of connection. There is a way out – but it’s going to take collectiv...
www.theguardian.com
February 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Could have picked a dozen quotes from this thoughtful piece, maybe I’ll go with this one: “These companies often suggest that things we have always done are too hard to do” www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Tag-team paper writing with the one and only @drcraigmc.bsky.social - was great to have him here for a few days this week, even if Sheffield’s weather didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet…
January 30, 2026 at 2:39 PM
Tag-team paper writing with the one and only @drcraigmc.bsky.social - was great to have him here for a few days this week, even if Sheffield’s weather didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet…
Reposted by tomjwebb
🌊 New paper in Ecosphere!
Understanding biodiversity patterns is vital for informed decision-making. Our latest study offers a new perspective on biodiversity, developed as one of four Cefas outputs under the OWEC POSEIDON project.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
#Biodiversity
@cefasgovuk.bsky.social
Understanding biodiversity patterns is vital for informed decision-making. Our latest study offers a new perspective on biodiversity, developed as one of four Cefas outputs under the OWEC POSEIDON project.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
#Biodiversity
@cefasgovuk.bsky.social
January 26, 2026 at 9:44 AM
🌊 New paper in Ecosphere!
Understanding biodiversity patterns is vital for informed decision-making. Our latest study offers a new perspective on biodiversity, developed as one of four Cefas outputs under the OWEC POSEIDON project.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
#Biodiversity
@cefasgovuk.bsky.social
Understanding biodiversity patterns is vital for informed decision-making. Our latest study offers a new perspective on biodiversity, developed as one of four Cefas outputs under the OWEC POSEIDON project.
🔗 doi.org/10.1002/ecs2...
#Biodiversity
@cefasgovuk.bsky.social
Trawling the depths of some biodiversity data again today. This seems needlessly hurtful.
January 29, 2026 at 4:47 PM
Trawling the depths of some biodiversity data again today. This seems needlessly hurtful.
Looking for an old bit of R code I wrote somewhere I came across this gem
January 29, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Looking for an old bit of R code I wrote somewhere I came across this gem
Reposted by tomjwebb
After all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?
January 28, 2026 at 7:29 PM
After all, why not? Why shouldn't I keep it?
Still got a couple of days to start, and finish, all those important bits of work I was going to get done in January. Could still happen, as long as I don't look at the list of things other people have asked to be done 'by the end of Jan'…
January 28, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Still got a couple of days to start, and finish, all those important bits of work I was going to get done in January. Could still happen, as long as I don't look at the list of things other people have asked to be done 'by the end of Jan'…
Reposted by tomjwebb
Interested in evidence-based conservation practice and want to work with a forward looking organisation? The Woodland Trust has a position as Conservation Outcomes Manager. Link eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Jobs at the Woodland Trust
The UK's largest woodland conservation charity. We want to see a UK rich in native woods and trees. For people. For wildlife. We can't achieve our vision without you.
eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:05 AM
Interested in evidence-based conservation practice and want to work with a forward looking organisation? The Woodland Trust has a position as Conservation Outcomes Manager. Link eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...
Might crack open a box of wine tonight to mark three years since the end of the Christmas holidays, three weeks ago.
January 23, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Might crack open a box of wine tonight to mark three years since the end of the Christmas holidays, three weeks ago.
Before this image properly loaded in an email I could just see the alt text which read 'laughing monkey' but I'm not sure it looks like it's in particularly good humour. Perhaps because someone called it a monkey?
January 23, 2026 at 5:05 PM
Before this image properly loaded in an email I could just see the alt text which read 'laughing monkey' but I'm not sure it looks like it's in particularly good humour. Perhaps because someone called it a monkey?
Why do figure legends go below figures, but table captions go above tables? Students often get this wrong, and I correct it, but I have no explanation for why it's wrong other than 'it's just not the done thing'.
January 23, 2026 at 4:43 PM
Why do figure legends go below figures, but table captions go above tables? Students often get this wrong, and I correct it, but I have no explanation for why it's wrong other than 'it's just not the done thing'.
New paper! Mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development, in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecosphere. By colleagues @cefasgovuk.bsky.social, with contributions from myself and PhD student Connor here @sheffielduni.bsky.social esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development
Human activities in the marine environment are expanding rapidly, with much of the growth in the Northeast Atlantic driven by offshore wind development. While offshore wind is critical for achieving ....
esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 23, 2026 at 9:03 AM
New paper! Mapping benthic biodiversity to facilitate future sustainable development, in @esajournals.bsky.social Ecosphere. By colleagues @cefasgovuk.bsky.social, with contributions from myself and PhD student Connor here @sheffielduni.bsky.social esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
My institution did this last year and so far I've noticed… nothing much? Occasional very minor inconvenience maybe, but as @theblochian.bsky.social notes in follow up posts, uni libraries already have systems in place (ILLs etc.) to deal with these.
And so it begins... 3 UK universities (Essex, Sussex & Kent) have just gone public about walking away from their Elsevier Read & Publish deals, despite Jisc's recently announced agreement. Expect to see more of these over the coming months. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/three-m... #OpenAccess
Three major research universities opt out of new Elsevier deal
Complaints over ‘price increases’ and open access models spur UK institutions to walk away from offer from publishing giant, despite nationally negotiated agreement
www.timeshighereducation.com
January 23, 2026 at 8:50 AM
My institution did this last year and so far I've noticed… nothing much? Occasional very minor inconvenience maybe, but as @theblochian.bsky.social notes in follow up posts, uni libraries already have systems in place (ILLs etc.) to deal with these.
Reposted by tomjwebb
The deep sea runs on mucus...
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
January 22, 2026 at 4:15 PM
The deep sea runs on mucus...
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
Marine snow, larvacean houses, feeding nets, even snail armor...slime is infrastructure down there.
Everyone should have a companion cow
Cover girl Veronika is making headlines across the globe🐂
(animal cleverness trumps human stupidity)
Notably, she is a 'companion cow' not used for meat or dairy.
Maybe if we saw other creatures less as a means to an end, we could appreciate their richness better...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
(animal cleverness trumps human stupidity)
Notably, she is a 'companion cow' not used for meat or dairy.
Maybe if we saw other creatures less as a means to an end, we could appreciate their richness better...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 22, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Everyone should have a companion cow
Reposted by tomjwebb
If anyone here is interested, we have an online open event for prospective students on our @ucllifesciences.bsky.social biodiversity and ecology Masters courses. 28th January at 10:00 GMT Free and easy to register on the link below
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
Gecko
app.geckoform.com
January 22, 2026 at 10:56 AM
If anyone here is interested, we have an online open event for prospective students on our @ucllifesciences.bsky.social biodiversity and ecology Masters courses. 28th January at 10:00 GMT Free and easy to register on the link below
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...
app.geckoform.com/events-embed...