Jarome Ali 🇹🇹 🏳️🌈
@jarome.bsky.social
Biologist* wondering why the world is so colourful. Currently NYU, formerly Princeton. Generally bird/scienceposting 🧪
Opinions are official Bene Gesserit policy.
📍 Jersey City
*actually three parrots in a parrot suit
Opinions are official Bene Gesserit policy.
📍 Jersey City
*actually three parrots in a parrot suit
Postdoc position available at NYU Anthropology to work on topics related to longitudinal aging in the long-running (>80 years) study of rhesus macaque biology on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico 🧪 #primates #academicsky
apply.interfolio.com/173938
📷: davidraju, wikimedia commons
apply.interfolio.com/173938
📷: davidraju, wikimedia commons
October 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Postdoc position available at NYU Anthropology to work on topics related to longitudinal aging in the long-running (>80 years) study of rhesus macaque biology on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico 🧪 #primates #academicsky
apply.interfolio.com/173938
📷: davidraju, wikimedia commons
apply.interfolio.com/173938
📷: davidraju, wikimedia commons
Summoning both of them at once reveals your true form
August 30, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Summoning both of them at once reveals your true form
Who's out there getting their weather in Kelvin?
"Looks like it'll be a nice day—300 and sunny!"
"Looks like it'll be a nice day—300 and sunny!"
August 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Who's out there getting their weather in Kelvin?
"Looks like it'll be a nice day—300 and sunny!"
"Looks like it'll be a nice day—300 and sunny!"
This optical effect is not news to artists. A white gesso layer has the same effect. I particularly like Dale Chihuly's description of the white underlayer of glass that he uses in his sculptures as a 'cloud layer'.
But, as is so often the case, nature did it first!
But, as is so often the case, nature did it first!
August 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This optical effect is not news to artists. A white gesso layer has the same effect. I particularly like Dale Chihuly's description of the white underlayer of glass that he uses in his sculptures as a 'cloud layer'.
But, as is so often the case, nature did it first!
But, as is so often the case, nature did it first!
In the tanagers we studied, males are often more vibrant. To our surprise, some instances of male-female differences were not due to the pigmented feather tips but rather the hidden layer! So the story of males putting more pigments (re: honest signals) into feathers is more complicated than that...
August 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
In the tanagers we studied, males are often more vibrant. To our surprise, some instances of male-female differences were not due to the pigmented feather tips but rather the hidden layer! So the story of males putting more pigments (re: honest signals) into feathers is more complicated than that...
Using a *bunch* of imaging techniques and optical modelling, we showed that a white layer makes red/yellow/orange brighter by scattering light back through the red feather tips. The black layer prevents this backscatter, which would wash out blue colours, resulting in more saturated 'purer' blues.
August 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Using a *bunch* of imaging techniques and optical modelling, we showed that a white layer makes red/yellow/orange brighter by scattering light back through the red feather tips. The black layer prevents this backscatter, which would wash out blue colours, resulting in more saturated 'purer' blues.
By looking at specimens at the @nhm.org and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel, Philadelphia, we* found that this phenomenon is widespread across passerine birds!
*the looking was really done by Rosalyn and @ajshultz622.bsky.social
*the looking was really done by Rosalyn and @ajshultz622.bsky.social
August 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
By looking at specimens at the @nhm.org and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel, Philadelphia, we* found that this phenomenon is widespread across passerine birds!
*the looking was really done by Rosalyn and @ajshultz622.bsky.social
*the looking was really done by Rosalyn and @ajshultz622.bsky.social
This project began when Rosalyn noticed that red/yellow/orange feathers seemed to have a medial white zone while blue/green feathers had a black medial zone (NB: not the downy part). The value of spending time with your study subjects--even (especially?) if they're museum specimens!
August 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This project began when Rosalyn noticed that red/yellow/orange feathers seemed to have a medial white zone while blue/green feathers had a black medial zone (NB: not the downy part). The value of spending time with your study subjects--even (especially?) if they're museum specimens!
Just trying to watch a show with dinner and Westworld hits me with "You're not a f***ing ornithologist and sure as hell not a coder" 🥲🥲🥲🥲
🪶 🧪
🪶 🧪
July 7, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Just trying to watch a show with dinner and Westworld hits me with "You're not a f***ing ornithologist and sure as hell not a coder" 🥲🥲🥲🥲
🪶 🧪
🪶 🧪
1. Ew
2. It probably took me too long but I'm uninstalling this trash app from my phone.
2. It probably took me too long but I'm uninstalling this trash app from my phone.
July 2, 2025 at 2:42 AM
1. Ew
2. It probably took me too long but I'm uninstalling this trash app from my phone.
2. It probably took me too long but I'm uninstalling this trash app from my phone.
Orb Weaver webs are so impressive—this one is like 20x wider than the spider. I was out running a while back and, like many an unlucky insect, had the experience of getting tangled up in one of these impressive structures. (I survived). 🧪
June 27, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Orb Weaver webs are so impressive—this one is like 20x wider than the spider. I was out running a while back and, like many an unlucky insect, had the experience of getting tangled up in one of these impressive structures. (I survived). 🧪
What's that snail climbing a tree, you ask? Why it's an arboreal snail 🤣 (according to Seek) 🧪
If anyone knows what's up with that shell please share!
If anyone knows what's up with that shell please share!
June 24, 2025 at 8:52 AM
What's that snail climbing a tree, you ask? Why it's an arboreal snail 🤣 (according to Seek) 🧪
If anyone knows what's up with that shell please share!
If anyone knows what's up with that shell please share!
Accidental commentary on the impermanence of academic jobs #academicsky
February 10, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Accidental commentary on the impermanence of academic jobs #academicsky
Dear @microsoft.com I do NOT want this copilot bs, I just want to type my documents and make some slides.
February 4, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Dear @microsoft.com I do NOT want this copilot bs, I just want to type my documents and make some slides.
This is what leadership from a scientific society looks like. Bravo @amornith.bsky.social
🧪
🧪
February 3, 2025 at 9:27 PM
This is what leadership from a scientific society looks like. Bravo @amornith.bsky.social
🧪
🧪
Apropos of nothing, a passage from Levins & Lewontin's Dialectical Biologist
February 3, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Apropos of nothing, a passage from Levins & Lewontin's Dialectical Biologist
It's been about 5 months into my attempt to propagate succulents from leaves and I'm so proud of these babies 🥹
February 2, 2025 at 7:42 PM
It's been about 5 months into my attempt to propagate succulents from leaves and I'm so proud of these babies 🥹
Hi new followers (bots and real people alike 😝). I'm not here to collect followers but it'll take me some time to go through and follow back people with shared interests etc. In the meantime here's a nice bird ✌🏽
Expect more birds, science, politics and occasional shitposting :)
Expect more birds, science, politics and occasional shitposting :)
January 31, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Hi new followers (bots and real people alike 😝). I'm not here to collect followers but it'll take me some time to go through and follow back people with shared interests etc. In the meantime here's a nice bird ✌🏽
Expect more birds, science, politics and occasional shitposting :)
Expect more birds, science, politics and occasional shitposting :)
Partner and I had our annual planning meeting in which we set concrete goals for the year. Of course, the first part of the meeting is seeing what we did...and didn't... achieve last year.
I like to make a pretty document that's pleasant to return to on a semi-regular basis.
I like to make a pretty document that's pleasant to return to on a semi-regular basis.
January 26, 2025 at 10:38 PM
Partner and I had our annual planning meeting in which we set concrete goals for the year. Of course, the first part of the meeting is seeing what we did...and didn't... achieve last year.
I like to make a pretty document that's pleasant to return to on a semi-regular basis.
I like to make a pretty document that's pleasant to return to on a semi-regular basis.
Get ready everyone 🪨
January 26, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Get ready everyone 🪨
January 25, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Please explain why these are the increments on this machine at the gym 🫠
January 21, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Please explain why these are the increments on this machine at the gym 🫠
Posting duck on main 🪶
January 19, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Posting duck on main 🪶
It's giving bird of paradise. Don't ask me why, I don't make the rules. 🪶
January 19, 2025 at 1:27 AM
It's giving bird of paradise. Don't ask me why, I don't make the rules. 🪶