Josh Richards
@josh-r-richards.bsky.social
L is for Labelling
A huge part of the project. We collect samples for 12 weeks of the year and end up with thousands of tubes each season -so labelling everything before each trip is essential. Open our fridges/freezers in Manchester and Edinburgh and you’ll find over ten thousand LABELLED samples!
A huge part of the project. We collect samples for 12 weeks of the year and end up with thousands of tubes each season -so labelling everything before each trip is essential. Open our fridges/freezers in Manchester and Edinburgh and you’ll find over ten thousand LABELLED samples!
December 14, 2025 at 7:23 PM
L is for Labelling
A huge part of the project. We collect samples for 12 weeks of the year and end up with thousands of tubes each season -so labelling everything before each trip is essential. Open our fridges/freezers in Manchester and Edinburgh and you’ll find over ten thousand LABELLED samples!
A huge part of the project. We collect samples for 12 weeks of the year and end up with thousands of tubes each season -so labelling everything before each trip is essential. Open our fridges/freezers in Manchester and Edinburgh and you’ll find over ten thousand LABELLED samples!
K is for Kirkhaven
The jetty on the southeast of the island, where boats arrive in the summer. A great swimming spot at times, but by October it becomes a major seal breeding area - a no-go for landings until the pups have gone. One of the unique parts of fieldwork: adapting to nature around us.
The jetty on the southeast of the island, where boats arrive in the summer. A great swimming spot at times, but by October it becomes a major seal breeding area - a no-go for landings until the pups have gone. One of the unique parts of fieldwork: adapting to nature around us.
December 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM
K is for Kirkhaven
The jetty on the southeast of the island, where boats arrive in the summer. A great swimming spot at times, but by October it becomes a major seal breeding area - a no-go for landings until the pups have gone. One of the unique parts of fieldwork: adapting to nature around us.
The jetty on the southeast of the island, where boats arrive in the summer. A great swimming spot at times, but by October it becomes a major seal breeding area - a no-go for landings until the pups have gone. One of the unique parts of fieldwork: adapting to nature around us.
J is for Jetty
The jetty is how everything and everyone gets on and off the island.
Depending on weather, tides, and what the seals are up to, we sometimes have to switch landing spots - but it’s always where we load the gear and get everyone safely ashore (with lots of help from the boatmen!)
The jetty is how everything and everyone gets on and off the island.
Depending on weather, tides, and what the seals are up to, we sometimes have to switch landing spots - but it’s always where we load the gear and get everyone safely ashore (with lots of help from the boatmen!)
December 14, 2025 at 6:55 PM
J is for Jetty
The jetty is how everything and everyone gets on and off the island.
Depending on weather, tides, and what the seals are up to, we sometimes have to switch landing spots - but it’s always where we load the gear and get everyone safely ashore (with lots of help from the boatmen!)
The jetty is how everything and everyone gets on and off the island.
Depending on weather, tides, and what the seals are up to, we sometimes have to switch landing spots - but it’s always where we load the gear and get everyone safely ashore (with lots of help from the boatmen!)
I is for Interleukin-4 (IL-4)
IL-4 is a key “type 2” cytokine that helps drive anti-helminth immunity. In our study we block IL-4 with an antibody, blunting type 2 responses, to test whether diet supplementation boosts worm resistance via immunity or via other routes, like microbiome changes.
IL-4 is a key “type 2” cytokine that helps drive anti-helminth immunity. In our study we block IL-4 with an antibody, blunting type 2 responses, to test whether diet supplementation boosts worm resistance via immunity or via other routes, like microbiome changes.
December 14, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I is for Interleukin-4 (IL-4)
IL-4 is a key “type 2” cytokine that helps drive anti-helminth immunity. In our study we block IL-4 with an antibody, blunting type 2 responses, to test whether diet supplementation boosts worm resistance via immunity or via other routes, like microbiome changes.
IL-4 is a key “type 2” cytokine that helps drive anti-helminth immunity. In our study we block IL-4 with an antibody, blunting type 2 responses, to test whether diet supplementation boosts worm resistance via immunity or via other routes, like microbiome changes.
H is for Helminth
Isle of May mice are naturally infected with helminths - Trichuris muris (our favourite) alongside pinworms like Syphacia and more. These real-world infections shape a truly wild immune system.
It’s messy and complex but much closer to real life for studying immunity.
Isle of May mice are naturally infected with helminths - Trichuris muris (our favourite) alongside pinworms like Syphacia and more. These real-world infections shape a truly wild immune system.
It’s messy and complex but much closer to real life for studying immunity.
December 8, 2025 at 1:08 PM
H is for Helminth
Isle of May mice are naturally infected with helminths - Trichuris muris (our favourite) alongside pinworms like Syphacia and more. These real-world infections shape a truly wild immune system.
It’s messy and complex but much closer to real life for studying immunity.
Isle of May mice are naturally infected with helminths - Trichuris muris (our favourite) alongside pinworms like Syphacia and more. These real-world infections shape a truly wild immune system.
It’s messy and complex but much closer to real life for studying immunity.
G is for Gut
We’re interested in every part of the gut, from the stomach down. We often find Trichuris in the large intestine of our wild mice, alongside a few other parasites.
Gut samples are stained for IHC, scored for adult worms, or stored in RNAlater for gene expression analysis.
We’re interested in every part of the gut, from the stomach down. We often find Trichuris in the large intestine of our wild mice, alongside a few other parasites.
Gut samples are stained for IHC, scored for adult worms, or stored in RNAlater for gene expression analysis.
December 8, 2025 at 12:56 PM
G is for Gut
We’re interested in every part of the gut, from the stomach down. We often find Trichuris in the large intestine of our wild mice, alongside a few other parasites.
Gut samples are stained for IHC, scored for adult worms, or stored in RNAlater for gene expression analysis.
We’re interested in every part of the gut, from the stomach down. We often find Trichuris in the large intestine of our wild mice, alongside a few other parasites.
Gut samples are stained for IHC, scored for adult worms, or stored in RNAlater for gene expression analysis.
F is for Fluke Street
Home to one of our grids and our base on the island. Originally built for lighthouse staff, the cottages now house researchers year-round.
Where did it get its name? Find out: isleofmaynnr.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/f...
Also, one of the best sunrise spots on the Isle of May.
Home to one of our grids and our base on the island. Originally built for lighthouse staff, the cottages now house researchers year-round.
Where did it get its name? Find out: isleofmaynnr.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/f...
Also, one of the best sunrise spots on the Isle of May.
December 6, 2025 at 8:01 PM
F is for Fluke Street
Home to one of our grids and our base on the island. Originally built for lighthouse staff, the cottages now house researchers year-round.
Where did it get its name? Find out: isleofmaynnr.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/f...
Also, one of the best sunrise spots on the Isle of May.
Home to one of our grids and our base on the island. Originally built for lighthouse staff, the cottages now house researchers year-round.
Where did it get its name? Find out: isleofmaynnr.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/f...
Also, one of the best sunrise spots on the Isle of May.
E is for Eosinophil
We take small blood samples to track changes in leukocytes, focusing on eosinophils and their role in resistance to helminth infection.
Back in the lab, we stain our blood smears and use a slide scanner to find eosinophils and see how the immune response changes over time.
We take small blood samples to track changes in leukocytes, focusing on eosinophils and their role in resistance to helminth infection.
Back in the lab, we stain our blood smears and use a slide scanner to find eosinophils and see how the immune response changes over time.
December 5, 2025 at 7:05 PM
E is for Eosinophil
We take small blood samples to track changes in leukocytes, focusing on eosinophils and their role in resistance to helminth infection.
Back in the lab, we stain our blood smears and use a slide scanner to find eosinophils and see how the immune response changes over time.
We take small blood samples to track changes in leukocytes, focusing on eosinophils and their role in resistance to helminth infection.
Back in the lab, we stain our blood smears and use a slide scanner to find eosinophils and see how the immune response changes over time.
D is for Diet
How does diet shape immunity to helminth infection? We’d love to know!
Feeders are placed across our grids, with one grid given a high-quality supplement. Mice enter through a small hole (so no food for birds… or seals), and an RFID reader logs which tagged mice come in for a snack.
How does diet shape immunity to helminth infection? We’d love to know!
Feeders are placed across our grids, with one grid given a high-quality supplement. Mice enter through a small hole (so no food for birds… or seals), and an RFID reader logs which tagged mice come in for a snack.
December 4, 2025 at 2:34 PM
D is for Diet
How does diet shape immunity to helminth infection? We’d love to know!
Feeders are placed across our grids, with one grid given a high-quality supplement. Mice enter through a small hole (so no food for birds… or seals), and an RFID reader logs which tagged mice come in for a snack.
How does diet shape immunity to helminth infection? We’d love to know!
Feeders are placed across our grids, with one grid given a high-quality supplement. Mice enter through a small hole (so no food for birds… or seals), and an RFID reader logs which tagged mice come in for a snack.
C is for Cytokines
The signalling molecules that tell the immune system what’s going on. As eco-immunologists, we’re especially interested in cytokine responses in our wild mice.
(And yes… C is also for Catan - our go-to evening entertainment when the work quietens down!)
The signalling molecules that tell the immune system what’s going on. As eco-immunologists, we’re especially interested in cytokine responses in our wild mice.
(And yes… C is also for Catan - our go-to evening entertainment when the work quietens down!)
December 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
C is for Cytokines
The signalling molecules that tell the immune system what’s going on. As eco-immunologists, we’re especially interested in cytokine responses in our wild mice.
(And yes… C is also for Catan - our go-to evening entertainment when the work quietens down!)
The signalling molecules that tell the immune system what’s going on. As eco-immunologists, we’re especially interested in cytokine responses in our wild mice.
(And yes… C is also for Catan - our go-to evening entertainment when the work quietens down!)
B is for Box Logger
The unassuming black plastic tubs we place across our grids. Inside each one is a motion sensor and an RFID reader, letting us track our tagged mice as they scuttle around the island.
The unassuming black plastic tubs we place across our grids. Inside each one is a motion sensor and an RFID reader, letting us track our tagged mice as they scuttle around the island.
December 2, 2025 at 9:52 AM
B is for Box Logger
The unassuming black plastic tubs we place across our grids. Inside each one is a motion sensor and an RFID reader, letting us track our tagged mice as they scuttle around the island.
The unassuming black plastic tubs we place across our grids. Inside each one is a motion sensor and an RFID reader, letting us track our tagged mice as they scuttle around the island.
A is for Anstruther
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
December 1, 2025 at 5:02 PM
A is for Anstruther
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
A is for Anstruther
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
December 1, 2025 at 4:59 PM
A is for Anstruther
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.
The small village on the east coast of Fife where every trip begins.
Famous for its chip shop, but for us it’s the harbour where we load our gear and start the 5 km (ish) crossing to the Isle of May.