Alanna Frick 🦎
@lannerslizzies.bsky.social
Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. Student Tulane 🩵💚 Evolution & toxicology in urban organisms
I believe in science and cheeky magic (aka sass). 🏳️🌈🦎🐸🐦⬛🐢🐊🐍💖
She/Her | #firstgen | #herps | #scicomm
linktr.ee/lannerslizzies
I believe in science and cheeky magic (aka sass). 🏳️🌈🦎🐸🐦⬛🐢🐊🐍💖
She/Her | #firstgen | #herps | #scicomm
linktr.ee/lannerslizzies
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
🐔🧬 What happens when you block a feather gene?
Scientists turned off a gene in chicken embryos – and the chicks started growing dino-like fuzz instead of feathers.
It later reversed, but shows how ancient traits can reappear.
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#SciComm #Evolution 🧪
Scientists turned off a gene in chicken embryos – and the chicks started growing dino-like fuzz instead of feathers.
It later reversed, but shows how ancient traits can reappear.
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#SciComm #Evolution 🧪
In vivo sonic hedgehog pathway antagonism temporarily results in ancestral proto-feather-like structures in the chicken
The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway is a key regulator of feather development. These authors show that in vivo Shh inhibition during early chicken embryogenesis temporarily results in unbranched and non-...
doi.org
March 22, 2025 at 11:24 AM
🐔🧬 What happens when you block a feather gene?
Scientists turned off a gene in chicken embryos – and the chicks started growing dino-like fuzz instead of feathers.
It later reversed, but shows how ancient traits can reappear.
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#SciComm #Evolution 🧪
Scientists turned off a gene in chicken embryos – and the chicks started growing dino-like fuzz instead of feathers.
It later reversed, but shows how ancient traits can reappear.
🔗 doi.org/10.1371/jour...
#SciComm #Evolution 🧪
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
Happy Friday - our paper on the role of range size, population fluctuation & introgression in determining genetic diversity in Gehyra geckos is online in early view @journal-evo.bsky.social, led by my fabulous student Ching Ching Lau - her first first-author paper! academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
March 21, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Happy Friday - our paper on the role of range size, population fluctuation & introgression in determining genetic diversity in Gehyra geckos is online in early view @journal-evo.bsky.social, led by my fabulous student Ching Ching Lau - her first first-author paper! academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
Transcription: The plusses and minuses of DNA torsion
Take a look at this recent Insight article delving into ‘fundamental’ research into the ways that the genome responds to the torsion generated by RNA polymerase II.
Take a look at this recent Insight article delving into ‘fundamental’ research into the ways that the genome responds to the torsion generated by RNA polymerase II.
Transcription: The plusses and minuses of DNA torsion
A new method for mapping torsion provides insights into the ways that the genome responds to the torsion generated by RNA polymerase II.
buff.ly
March 21, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Transcription: The plusses and minuses of DNA torsion
Take a look at this recent Insight article delving into ‘fundamental’ research into the ways that the genome responds to the torsion generated by RNA polymerase II.
Take a look at this recent Insight article delving into ‘fundamental’ research into the ways that the genome responds to the torsion generated by RNA polymerase II.
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
"Last week, Vance said foreign students at elite U.S. universities are 'not just bad for national security,' but also 'bad for the American dream, for American kids who want to go to a nice university but can’t because their spot was taken by a foreign student.'"
www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
Universities are caving to Trump with a stunning speed and scope
Some of the nation’s oldest and wealthiest institutions are swiftly bending to President Donald Trump, who is acting on longstanding conservative criticisms of universities as elitist and progressive.
www.politico.com
March 21, 2025 at 8:50 AM
"Last week, Vance said foreign students at elite U.S. universities are 'not just bad for national security,' but also 'bad for the American dream, for American kids who want to go to a nice university but can’t because their spot was taken by a foreign student.'"
www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
yeah
March 21, 2025 at 10:32 AM
yeah
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
How much Elon Musk makes from the government a day: $8 million.
How much a senior on Social Security gets a day: $65
Guess which budget Musk and Trump want to cut?
How much a senior on Social Security gets a day: $65
Guess which budget Musk and Trump want to cut?
February 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
How much Elon Musk makes from the government a day: $8 million.
How much a senior on Social Security gets a day: $65
Guess which budget Musk and Trump want to cut?
How much a senior on Social Security gets a day: $65
Guess which budget Musk and Trump want to cut?
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world.
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
January 31, 2025 at 7:04 PM
I honestly believe our most powerful position in a toxic time that feeds on cynicism, apathy,& despair is to genuinely care and act for a better world.
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Cynicism is our enemy. We should check it, incl. on the left. It’s not intellectually superior. It’s the virus they’re trying to infect us with. NO
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
“… male spiders use olfactory hairs called wall-pore sensilla on their legs as a "nose" to detect the sex pheromones released by female spiders.”
www.sciencealert.com/mystery-of-s...
🧪 🕷️ 🐙
www.sciencealert.com/mystery-of-s...
🧪 🕷️ 🐙
Mystery of Spiders' Sense of Smell May Finally Be Solved in New Study
Spiders have always lived alongside humans, so it's surprising how much we still don't know about them.
www.sciencealert.com
January 10, 2025 at 2:32 AM
“… male spiders use olfactory hairs called wall-pore sensilla on their legs as a "nose" to detect the sex pheromones released by female spiders.”
www.sciencealert.com/mystery-of-s...
🧪 🕷️ 🐙
www.sciencealert.com/mystery-of-s...
🧪 🕷️ 🐙
December 23, 2024 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
We were seeing a 98% drop in exposure over on Twitter. The censorship was so extreme we thought it best to start over somewhere else. We chose Bluesky.
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
December 20, 2024 at 11:36 PM
We were seeing a 98% drop in exposure over on Twitter. The censorship was so extreme we thought it best to start over somewhere else. We chose Bluesky.
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
Help us gain our following back
Follow
Retweet
Repeat
Join the park side
@altyellonatpark.org
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
🎉 Meet Henry, the legendary 124-year-old Nile crocodile! 🐊 Discover his incredible journey, a milestone birthday celebration, and the importance of conservation efforts at Crocworld. Don’t miss this remarkable story! 🌿➡️ scienceagenda.net/news/124-yea...
124-Year-Old Crocodile Celebrates Remarkable Milestone Birthday » Science Agenda
Discover the incredible story of Henry, the 124-Year-Old Crocodile, celebrating his milestone birthday at Crocworld Conservation Centre!
scienceagenda.net
December 21, 2024 at 9:08 PM
🎉 Meet Henry, the legendary 124-year-old Nile crocodile! 🐊 Discover his incredible journey, a milestone birthday celebration, and the importance of conservation efforts at Crocworld. Don’t miss this remarkable story! 🌿➡️ scienceagenda.net/news/124-yea...
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
Yesterday was the 3rd publication anniversary of our 2021 review paper on ecological light pollution💡 AND we also received our 100th citation on Google Scholar📈🎓 Therefore I thought it quite fitting to reproduce the original🧵 published on the other site
www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco... 🔓🧪
1/
www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco... 🔓🧪
1/
December 9, 2024 at 12:54 PM
Yesterday was the 3rd publication anniversary of our 2021 review paper on ecological light pollution💡 AND we also received our 100th citation on Google Scholar📈🎓 Therefore I thought it quite fitting to reproduce the original🧵 published on the other site
www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco... 🔓🧪
1/
www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco... 🔓🧪
1/
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
World Wildlife Conservation Day brings awareness to species in danger. 2 in 5 amphibians are at risk of extinction globally. Oregon has a plan to protect our frogs and salamanders, but we can’t do it alone. - oregonconservationstrategy.org/overview/
📸Cascade torrent salamander/USFWS Pacific Region
📸Cascade torrent salamander/USFWS Pacific Region
December 4, 2024 at 8:28 PM
World Wildlife Conservation Day brings awareness to species in danger. 2 in 5 amphibians are at risk of extinction globally. Oregon has a plan to protect our frogs and salamanders, but we can’t do it alone. - oregonconservationstrategy.org/overview/
📸Cascade torrent salamander/USFWS Pacific Region
📸Cascade torrent salamander/USFWS Pacific Region
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
also it is frankly embarrassing that no OTHER country has a designated snake especially for the children, let's get it together people en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childre...
Children's python - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 9, 2024 at 3:35 AM
also it is frankly embarrassing that no OTHER country has a designated snake especially for the children, let's get it together people en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childre...
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
🩸 Microplastics Found in Blood
A new #OA study in @natureportfolio.bsky.social found that microplastic particles (MPs) are present in 88.9% of human blood. Researchers found links between higher MP levels & blood clotting, which could affect health.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SciComm 🧪
A new #OA study in @natureportfolio.bsky.social found that microplastic particles (MPs) are present in 88.9% of human blood. Researchers found links between higher MP levels & blood clotting, which could affect health.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SciComm 🧪
Microplastic particles in human blood and their association with coagulation markers - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Microplastic particles in human blood and their association with coagulation markers
www.nature.com
December 6, 2024 at 2:04 PM
🩸 Microplastics Found in Blood
A new #OA study in @natureportfolio.bsky.social found that microplastic particles (MPs) are present in 88.9% of human blood. Researchers found links between higher MP levels & blood clotting, which could affect health.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SciComm 🧪
A new #OA study in @natureportfolio.bsky.social found that microplastic particles (MPs) are present in 88.9% of human blood. Researchers found links between higher MP levels & blood clotting, which could affect health.
🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#SciComm 🧪
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
“In the highlands of Ethiopia, carnivorous Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) dine almost exclusively on rodents. But the predators also have a sweet tooth, sometimes slurping nectar from Ethiopian red hot poker flowers (Kniphofia foliosa)”
#scicomm
www.sciencenews.org/article/ethi...
🧪 🌼 🐺 🦊
#scicomm
www.sciencenews.org/article/ethi...
🧪 🌼 🐺 🦊
Ethiopian wolves are the first large carnivores found to slurp nectar
Wolves from three different packs were seen licking red hot poker flowers. That sweet tooth could make them the first known large predator pollinators.
www.sciencenews.org
December 6, 2024 at 1:48 AM
“In the highlands of Ethiopia, carnivorous Ethiopian wolves (Canis simensis) dine almost exclusively on rodents. But the predators also have a sweet tooth, sometimes slurping nectar from Ethiopian red hot poker flowers (Kniphofia foliosa)”
#scicomm
www.sciencenews.org/article/ethi...
🧪 🌼 🐺 🦊
#scicomm
www.sciencenews.org/article/ethi...
🧪 🌼 🐺 🦊
Coolest thing I learned about yesterday?
Boquila trifoliolata
Final presentation week for all my classes and there were some awesome presentations, but the one that blew my mind the most: Boquila trifoliolata!
#coolscience #nature #plants #biology #ecology #ecoevo
www.vox.com/down-to-eart...
Boquila trifoliolata
Final presentation week for all my classes and there were some awesome presentations, but the one that blew my mind the most: Boquila trifoliolata!
#coolscience #nature #plants #biology #ecology #ecoevo
www.vox.com/down-to-eart...
The mystery of the mimic plant
There’s drama in the plant world — and a shape-shifting vine is at the center of it.
www.vox.com
December 6, 2024 at 2:03 PM
Coolest thing I learned about yesterday?
Boquila trifoliolata
Final presentation week for all my classes and there were some awesome presentations, but the one that blew my mind the most: Boquila trifoliolata!
#coolscience #nature #plants #biology #ecology #ecoevo
www.vox.com/down-to-eart...
Boquila trifoliolata
Final presentation week for all my classes and there were some awesome presentations, but the one that blew my mind the most: Boquila trifoliolata!
#coolscience #nature #plants #biology #ecology #ecoevo
www.vox.com/down-to-eart...
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
🦎Sungazer (Smaug giganteus). Smaug is named after the dragon in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
Max. size ~40 cm (~15.7").
Found in grasslands in only three provinces in South Africa
Considered Vulnerable by the IUCN.
📷by KatyaRagdoll on Pixabay
Max. size ~40 cm (~15.7").
Found in grasslands in only three provinces in South Africa
Considered Vulnerable by the IUCN.
📷by KatyaRagdoll on Pixabay
December 6, 2024 at 4:57 AM
🦎Sungazer (Smaug giganteus). Smaug is named after the dragon in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.
Max. size ~40 cm (~15.7").
Found in grasslands in only three provinces in South Africa
Considered Vulnerable by the IUCN.
📷by KatyaRagdoll on Pixabay
Max. size ~40 cm (~15.7").
Found in grasslands in only three provinces in South Africa
Considered Vulnerable by the IUCN.
📷by KatyaRagdoll on Pixabay
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
We are cold and it’s rainy! And iguanas are falling from the trees 😳😂
December 6, 2024 at 1:21 PM
We are cold and it’s rainy! And iguanas are falling from the trees 😳😂
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
Amazing findings about how bats can use echolocation at large scales 🧪🌎
Bats make mental maps using echolocation
There’s enough information in echolocation to help bats identify landmarks and travel between them.
arstechnica.com
November 17, 2024 at 1:30 PM
Amazing findings about how bats can use echolocation at large scales 🧪🌎
Reposted by Alanna Frick 🦎
Howling coyote! Caught on one of my trail cams at our place in Wisconsin. Rare to catch them in the act. (Sound up)
🦊🌿🌎
🦊🌿🌎
November 16, 2024 at 8:45 PM
Howling coyote! Caught on one of my trail cams at our place in Wisconsin. Rare to catch them in the act. (Sound up)
🦊🌿🌎
🦊🌿🌎