Dr Alice Bridges
@adbridges.bsky.social
Postdoc studying social learning, culture and behaviour in bumblebees & other insects at the University of Sheffield (@minibraincognition.bsky.social) 🌱🐝 She/her, views my own. 🇬🇧🇪🇺
I’m a (very) amateur nature photographer, & I’m also writing a novel!
I’m a (very) amateur nature photographer, & I’m also writing a novel!
Really happy to present my work at @behaviour2025.bsky.social yesterday! Taking our puzzle solving bees on tour, all the way to India. So far a lovely and productive conference! 🐝
August 27, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Really happy to present my work at @behaviour2025.bsky.social yesterday! Taking our puzzle solving bees on tour, all the way to India. So far a lovely and productive conference! 🐝
A new preprint by our group 🧪🪰 and the culmination of many years of work! Learn how houseflies see the world clearly even while they’re dodging our swats…
Flies keep their vision razor-sharp even at top speed: we found their synapses “jump” into higher frequencies during saccades, wiping out delays and boosting acuity. This self-sharpening trick shows how brains sync perception with rapid behaviour.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Synaptic high-frequency jumping synchronises vision to high-speed behaviour
During high-speed behaviour, animals must predict, detect, process, and respond synchronously to rapid environmental changes, including those caused by their own movements. How neural systems achieve ...
www.biorxiv.org
August 22, 2025 at 8:11 AM
A new preprint by our group 🧪🪰 and the culmination of many years of work! Learn how houseflies see the world clearly even while they’re dodging our swats…
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
The aim is to be someone else’s nemesis.
August 13, 2025 at 5:09 PM
The aim is to be someone else’s nemesis.
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Exciting paper from our lab out today:
New insights into how bees use flight movements—such as body, head, and eye wiggles—to actively support their brain’s pattern learning and recognition with remarkable accuracy could inspire advances in next-generation AI.
elifesciences.org/articles/89929
New insights into how bees use flight movements—such as body, head, and eye wiggles—to actively support their brain’s pattern learning and recognition with remarkable accuracy could inspire advances in next-generation AI.
elifesciences.org/articles/89929
A neuromorphic model of active vision shows how spatiotemporal encoding in lobula neurons can aid pattern recognition in bees
Active vision dynamically refines spatiotemporal neural representations, optimising visual processing through scanning behaviour and non-associative learning, providing insights into efficient sensory...
elifesciences.org
July 1, 2025 at 8:45 AM
Exciting paper from our lab out today:
New insights into how bees use flight movements—such as body, head, and eye wiggles—to actively support their brain’s pattern learning and recognition with remarkable accuracy could inspire advances in next-generation AI.
elifesciences.org/articles/89929
New insights into how bees use flight movements—such as body, head, and eye wiggles—to actively support their brain’s pattern learning and recognition with remarkable accuracy could inspire advances in next-generation AI.
elifesciences.org/articles/89929
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Our latest paper reveals how active vision via scanning dynamically refines spatiotemporal neural representations, enabling efficient pattern recognition in minimal systems.
A step forward in understanding embedded cognition & AI
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/new-stu... #bee #ActiveVision #Neuromorphic
A step forward in understanding embedded cognition & AI
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/new-stu... #bee #ActiveVision #Neuromorphic
New study revealing bees' secret to super-efficient learning could revolutionise AI and robotics
A new discovery of how bees use their flight movements to facilitate remarkably accurate learning & recognition of complex visual patterns could mark a major change in how next-generation AI is develo...
www.sheffield.ac.uk
July 1, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Our latest paper reveals how active vision via scanning dynamically refines spatiotemporal neural representations, enabling efficient pattern recognition in minimal systems.
A step forward in understanding embedded cognition & AI
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/new-stu... #bee #ActiveVision #Neuromorphic
A step forward in understanding embedded cognition & AI
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/new-stu... #bee #ActiveVision #Neuromorphic
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
FlyBase, a crucial resource for drosophila research, has lost its funding because its grant is awarded to Harvard. The team is scrambling to find other sources of funds, including donations from labs. Read more: www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl... @flybase.bsky.social
FlyBase funding squashed amid Harvard grant terminations
The team behind the Drosophila genetics database is now requesting donations from labs to keep the resource afloat.
www.thetransmitter.org
June 4, 2025 at 9:11 PM
FlyBase, a crucial resource for drosophila research, has lost its funding because its grant is awarded to Harvard. The team is scrambling to find other sources of funds, including donations from labs. Read more: www.thetransmitter.org/community/fl... @flybase.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
We currently have a call for support that has gone out to European labs, to support FlyBase-UK. We are asking our colleagues from labs in the US and other countries to wait for a similar call to them that will go out in the near future, to support the US sites. We thank you for your patience.
URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below.
This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.
My lab studies bacterial infections. We spend a lot of time looking at (or for) species-specific genetic and genomic databases for hosts and microbes. FlyBase is the best of all—there is literally no comparison. Its existence is under threat. Please donate.
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
www.philanthropy.cam.ac.uk/give-to-camb...
June 3, 2025 at 9:17 PM
We currently have a call for support that has gone out to European labs, to support FlyBase-UK. We are asking our colleagues from labs in the US and other countries to wait for a similar call to them that will go out in the near future, to support the US sites. We thank you for your patience.
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
It's #WorldBeeDay 🐝
But how can you help bees to flourish in your own garden, balcony, or outside space?
An initiative led by our @davegoulson.bsky.social encouraged people to build 'solitary bee hotels', providing practical tips on how to do so. Why not give it a go?
The guidance is below 👇
But how can you help bees to flourish in your own garden, balcony, or outside space?
An initiative led by our @davegoulson.bsky.social encouraged people to build 'solitary bee hotels', providing practical tips on how to do so. Why not give it a go?
The guidance is below 👇
May 20, 2025 at 10:00 AM
It's #WorldBeeDay 🐝
But how can you help bees to flourish in your own garden, balcony, or outside space?
An initiative led by our @davegoulson.bsky.social encouraged people to build 'solitary bee hotels', providing practical tips on how to do so. Why not give it a go?
The guidance is below 👇
But how can you help bees to flourish in your own garden, balcony, or outside space?
An initiative led by our @davegoulson.bsky.social encouraged people to build 'solitary bee hotels', providing practical tips on how to do so. Why not give it a go?
The guidance is below 👇
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Again for #worldbeeday, we wanted to reshare this incredible breakthrough last year about how cognitively sophisticated bees are 🐝
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/bees-ma...
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/bees-ma...
Bees master complex tasks through social interaction
In a groundbreaking discovery, bumblebees have been shown to possess a previously unseen level of cognitive sophistication.
www.sheffield.ac.uk
May 20, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Again for #worldbeeday, we wanted to reshare this incredible breakthrough last year about how cognitively sophisticated bees are 🐝
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/bees-ma...
www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/bees-ma...
Yesterday’s walk in the woods 🐝
May 18, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Yesterday’s walk in the woods 🐝
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Wild! “Researchers have concluded that too many older fish have been removed from these waters, preventing the knowledge of the best spawning grounds being passed to younger, less experienced fish.”
May 11, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Wild! “Researchers have concluded that too many older fish have been removed from these waters, preventing the knowledge of the best spawning grounds being passed to younger, less experienced fish.”
Bluebell season 🪻
April 28, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Bluebell season 🪻
Article in the New Scientist out recently, feat. a few quotes from yours truly :) 🐝
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
The animals revealing why human culture isn't as special as we thought
Even animals with very small brains turn out to have cultural traditions, which poses a puzzler for biologists wondering what makes human culture unique
www.newscientist.com
April 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Article in the New Scientist out recently, feat. a few quotes from yours truly :) 🐝
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
Oh to be a tiny honeybee in a sea of fluffy blossom flowers 🐝
Canon 600d, 75-300 mm lens 📷
From last year? I think.
Roll on more days like this, please.
Canon 600d, 75-300 mm lens 📷
From last year? I think.
Roll on more days like this, please.
March 18, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Oh to be a tiny honeybee in a sea of fluffy blossom flowers 🐝
Canon 600d, 75-300 mm lens 📷
From last year? I think.
Roll on more days like this, please.
Canon 600d, 75-300 mm lens 📷
From last year? I think.
Roll on more days like this, please.
Our new preprint is live! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🐝🧪 “Bumblebee string pulling skill spreads between colonies under open diffusion conditions”! @procenko.bsky.social @minibraincognition.bsky.social @larschittka.bsky.social
March 10, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Our new preprint is live! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... 🐝🧪 “Bumblebee string pulling skill spreads between colonies under open diffusion conditions”! @procenko.bsky.social @minibraincognition.bsky.social @larschittka.bsky.social
Our lab’s latest review is finally out! 🧪🧠
It’s been a long time coming, so please enjoy it 😎
Learn how structural changes and tiny neural movements can help enhance the sensing & behaviour of animals beyond what we might expect is possible…
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
It’s been a long time coming, so please enjoy it 😎
Learn how structural changes and tiny neural movements can help enhance the sensing & behaviour of animals beyond what we might expect is possible…
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Theory of morphodynamic information processing: Linking sensing to behaviour
The traditional understanding of brain function has predominantly focused on chemical and electrical processes. However, new research in fruit fly (Dr…
www.sciencedirect.com
January 3, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Our lab’s latest review is finally out! 🧪🧠
It’s been a long time coming, so please enjoy it 😎
Learn how structural changes and tiny neural movements can help enhance the sensing & behaviour of animals beyond what we might expect is possible…
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
It’s been a long time coming, so please enjoy it 😎
Learn how structural changes and tiny neural movements can help enhance the sensing & behaviour of animals beyond what we might expect is possible…
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Check out this fly boxing away a parasitic wasp who is trying to lay eggs in its abdomen.
I've watched a lot of fly behavior, but never seen anything like this. Makes you wonder how much we miss by studying lab organisms in isolation from their natural threats.
Vid from: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
I've watched a lot of fly behavior, but never seen anything like this. Makes you wonder how much we miss by studying lab organisms in isolation from their natural threats.
Vid from: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
November 18, 2024 at 11:04 PM
Check out this fly boxing away a parasitic wasp who is trying to lay eggs in its abdomen.
I've watched a lot of fly behavior, but never seen anything like this. Makes you wonder how much we miss by studying lab organisms in isolation from their natural threats.
Vid from: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
I've watched a lot of fly behavior, but never seen anything like this. Makes you wonder how much we miss by studying lab organisms in isolation from their natural threats.
Vid from: doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
There are already many articles for which there is more attention on Bluesky than on other comparable micro-blogging sites, meaning the academic community and the general public have clearly adopted Bluesky as one of its core places to disseminate and discuss new research.
A Place of Joy.
A Place of Joy.
December 3, 2024 at 2:00 PM
There are already many articles for which there is more attention on Bluesky than on other comparable micro-blogging sites, meaning the academic community and the general public have clearly adopted Bluesky as one of its core places to disseminate and discuss new research.
A Place of Joy.
A Place of Joy.
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
"Bumblebee population increases 116 times over in 'remarkable' Scotland rewilding project."
Read that again: **116** times.
Why are we STILL having to argue the case for rewilding??
www.scotsman.com/hays-way/bum...
Read that again: **116** times.
Why are we STILL having to argue the case for rewilding??
www.scotsman.com/hays-way/bum...
Bumblebee population increases 116 times over in 'remarkable' Scotland project
‘The sound of traffic and a uniform sea of barley have been replaced by the most beautiful meadows, full of wildflowers, young saplings and the buzz of bees’
www.scotsman.com
November 29, 2024 at 7:19 AM
"Bumblebee population increases 116 times over in 'remarkable' Scotland rewilding project."
Read that again: **116** times.
Why are we STILL having to argue the case for rewilding??
www.scotsman.com/hays-way/bum...
Read that again: **116** times.
Why are we STILL having to argue the case for rewilding??
www.scotsman.com/hays-way/bum...
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Hello!
We are a group of scientists from the University of Sheffield excited about how the brain works, using flies & other insects as our models. 🧪🪰 Looking forward to sharing some of our work in the coming days!
We are a group of scientists from the University of Sheffield excited about how the brain works, using flies & other insects as our models. 🧪🪰 Looking forward to sharing some of our work in the coming days!
November 28, 2024 at 2:04 PM
Hello!
We are a group of scientists from the University of Sheffield excited about how the brain works, using flies & other insects as our models. 🧪🪰 Looking forward to sharing some of our work in the coming days!
We are a group of scientists from the University of Sheffield excited about how the brain works, using flies & other insects as our models. 🧪🪰 Looking forward to sharing some of our work in the coming days!
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Love Bumble bees? 🐝 Dive into pollination, microbiomes, foraging secrets, and ecosystem resilience. A starter pack for buzzing discoveries! 🌼💛 Explore here: go.bsky.app/Gq3vvkj
🐝 Bumble Bee Research Starter Pack 🐝
Join the conversation
go.bsky.app
November 20, 2024 at 2:12 PM
Love Bumble bees? 🐝 Dive into pollination, microbiomes, foraging secrets, and ecosystem resilience. A starter pack for buzzing discoveries! 🌼💛 Explore here: go.bsky.app/Gq3vvkj
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
Woo hoo! 1K new followers, welcome to 💙🦋!
For science-minded folks, there are some very cool tricks 🚀…
If you use any of these emojis: 👩🔬|👩🏻🔬|👩🏼🔬|👩🏽🔬|👩🏾🔬|👩🏿🔬 your post will index on a Women in STEM feed
If you use 🧪 a Science feed
If you use 🧠 a Neuroscience feed
Go get it 🚀🧪🧠👩🔬💙🎊
For science-minded folks, there are some very cool tricks 🚀…
If you use any of these emojis: 👩🔬|👩🏻🔬|👩🏼🔬|👩🏽🔬|👩🏾🔬|👩🏿🔬 your post will index on a Women in STEM feed
If you use 🧪 a Science feed
If you use 🧠 a Neuroscience feed
Go get it 🚀🧪🧠👩🔬💙🎊
November 12, 2024 at 10:25 AM
Woo hoo! 1K new followers, welcome to 💙🦋!
For science-minded folks, there are some very cool tricks 🚀…
If you use any of these emojis: 👩🔬|👩🏻🔬|👩🏼🔬|👩🏽🔬|👩🏾🔬|👩🏿🔬 your post will index on a Women in STEM feed
If you use 🧪 a Science feed
If you use 🧠 a Neuroscience feed
Go get it 🚀🧪🧠👩🔬💙🎊
For science-minded folks, there are some very cool tricks 🚀…
If you use any of these emojis: 👩🔬|👩🏻🔬|👩🏼🔬|👩🏽🔬|👩🏾🔬|👩🏿🔬 your post will index on a Women in STEM feed
If you use 🧪 a Science feed
If you use 🧠 a Neuroscience feed
Go get it 🚀🧪🧠👩🔬💙🎊
For anyone who’s around, I’ll be speaking at #entsoc2024 at 15:45 today! ☺️🐝 presenting some of my PhD work with puzzle solving bumblebees!
November 13, 2024 at 6:39 PM
For anyone who’s around, I’ll be speaking at #entsoc2024 at 15:45 today! ☺️🐝 presenting some of my PhD work with puzzle solving bumblebees!
Made a detour to the desert botanical garden in Phoenix before #entsoc2024 : just a couple of my favourite shots.
November 12, 2024 at 8:57 PM
Made a detour to the desert botanical garden in Phoenix before #entsoc2024 : just a couple of my favourite shots.
Reposted by Dr Alice Bridges
I made a starter pack for animal behaviour researchers / ethologists! please share and feel free to self-nominate or suggest others to be added as this is very much still a work in progress and not an exhaustive list 🌍🧪😊 #SciSky #BioSky #AnimalBehaviour #AnimalBehavior #Ethology
go.bsky.app/Tr8VZpV
go.bsky.app/Tr8VZpV
November 12, 2024 at 5:05 PM
I made a starter pack for animal behaviour researchers / ethologists! please share and feel free to self-nominate or suggest others to be added as this is very much still a work in progress and not an exhaustive list 🌍🧪😊 #SciSky #BioSky #AnimalBehaviour #AnimalBehavior #Ethology
go.bsky.app/Tr8VZpV
go.bsky.app/Tr8VZpV