Rafael Marcondes
@rafamarcondes.bsky.social
Lecturer at Barnard College. College teaching, birds, evolution, life in NYC, and pics of my cat, Rosalind Franklin. 🇧🇷
(The R in Rafael is pronounced like the h in "hat")
(The R in Rafael is pronounced like the h in "hat")
Pinned
New office decor Ive long fantasized about having!
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
Happy to see this out in early view in Evolution! We tested the roles of signaling and camouflage in the evolution of iris color in Tyranni songbirds. Our findings suggest that bright irises are social/sexual signals mostly associated with species less vulnerable to predation
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Evaluating the roles of signaling and camouflage in the evolution of iris color in Tyranni passerines
Abstract. Iris color is a conspicuous and diverse trait across animals, but its evolutionary drivers are poorly understood. In over 1000 species of Tyranni
doi.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Happy to see this out in early view in Evolution! We tested the roles of signaling and camouflage in the evolution of iris color in Tyranni songbirds. Our findings suggest that bright irises are social/sexual signals mostly associated with species less vulnerable to predation
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
doi.org/10.1093/evol...
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
we're snailposting, post your snails
Do you ever just stop and take a moment to think just how weird it is that we live on the same planet as snails?
November 9, 2025 at 6:42 AM
we're snailposting, post your snails
November 9, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Roz—who’s named after Rosalind Franklin—is very nonchalant about James Watson dying
November 7, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Roz—who’s named after Rosalind Franklin—is very nonchalant about James Watson dying
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).
Rosalind Franklin and the damage of gender harassment
Spurred by a recent report on sexual harassment in academia, our columnist revisits a historical case and reflects on what has changed—and what hasn’t
www.science.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Thinking only of Rosalind Franklin today, and what was stolen from her (and so many other female scientists alongside her).
Accidentaly found a subreddit called "male living spaces". Just literally what the names says. Dudes posting photos of their living spaces to be rated or receive suggestions. I'm set for the next 8 hours.
November 6, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Accidentaly found a subreddit called "male living spaces". Just literally what the names says. Dudes posting photos of their living spaces to be rated or receive suggestions. I'm set for the next 8 hours.
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
Wonder why this scene looks so familiar...
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
November 5, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Wonder why this scene looks so familiar...
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
#WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
TRIBECA ALREADY EMPTY. THOUSANDS OF PATAGONIA VESTS ABANDONED. SOHO HOUSE TAKEN OVER BY EXOTIC ZOO ANIMALS. BATTERY PARK SHAKE SHACK NOW A BISEXUALS-ONLY CERAMICS STUDIO
NEARLY A MILLION NEW YORKERS TO REPORTEDLY FLEE NYC AS MAMDANI BECOMES MAYOR — POSSIBLY IGNITING MASS EXODUS, PER NYP
November 5, 2025 at 3:17 AM
TRIBECA ALREADY EMPTY. THOUSANDS OF PATAGONIA VESTS ABANDONED. SOHO HOUSE TAKEN OVER BY EXOTIC ZOO ANIMALS. BATTERY PARK SHAKE SHACK NOW A BISEXUALS-ONLY CERAMICS STUDIO
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
You have to admire the bloody-minded ambition of a pelican trying to eat a whole capybara (who seems utterly unconcerned).
The thing with pelicans is that they have ONE super-power & their brains default to "get it in your mouth & deal with it later."
Let's talk about the gular sac of the pelican.
The thing with pelicans is that they have ONE super-power & their brains default to "get it in your mouth & deal with it later."
Let's talk about the gular sac of the pelican.
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
You have to admire the bloody-minded ambition of a pelican trying to eat a whole capybara (who seems utterly unconcerned).
The thing with pelicans is that they have ONE super-power & their brains default to "get it in your mouth & deal with it later."
Let's talk about the gular sac of the pelican.
The thing with pelicans is that they have ONE super-power & their brains default to "get it in your mouth & deal with it later."
Let's talk about the gular sac of the pelican.
Teaching about the action potential today. Wish me luck.
November 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Teaching about the action potential today. Wish me luck.
So when does he start confiscating the means of production?
November 5, 2025 at 11:47 AM
So when does he start confiscating the means of production?
found a way to sneak my favorite wikipedia article into a lecture!
November 4, 2025 at 7:01 PM
found a way to sneak my favorite wikipedia article into a lecture!
Are there any real attempts to implement triple-blind peer review in any EEB (or EEB-adjacent) journals?
November 1, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Are there any real attempts to implement triple-blind peer review in any EEB (or EEB-adjacent) journals?
I’m pretty thick-skinned about microaggressions, and despite being “brown” and an immigrant, my social status thankfully insulates me from most of them. But one that happens a lot and really grates me is when ppl assume i speak Spanish, and start talking in Spanish without asking 🤬🤬🤬🤬
October 31, 2025 at 8:43 PM
I’m pretty thick-skinned about microaggressions, and despite being “brown” and an immigrant, my social status thankfully insulates me from most of them. But one that happens a lot and really grates me is when ppl assume i speak Spanish, and start talking in Spanish without asking 🤬🤬🤬🤬
Should I start using "Howdy" as my default greeting up here in NYC, since I used to live in Texas?
October 29, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Should I start using "Howdy" as my default greeting up here in NYC, since I used to live in Texas?
What’s for lunch? Microwave mac and cheese with a side of synapses
October 29, 2025 at 4:02 PM
What’s for lunch? Microwave mac and cheese with a side of synapses
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
Men may seem detestable as joint stock-companies and nations
October 29, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Men may seem detestable as joint stock-companies and nations
Prepping this lecture has been great. It helped me realize what I *personally* consider to be the two most important problems with peer-review today: (1) lazy, unhelpful or simply straight-up harmful reviews, and (2) gender, geographic, language etc biases. 1/2
Planning a lecture+discussion on peer review w/ my senior seminar stdts next week. Im pretty sanguine about pr so while i want to model a critical stance about it, i also don’t want stdts to leave thinking pr is completely use- or hopeless. What points/examples should i highlight?
October 28, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Prepping this lecture has been great. It helped me realize what I *personally* consider to be the two most important problems with peer-review today: (1) lazy, unhelpful or simply straight-up harmful reviews, and (2) gender, geographic, language etc biases. 1/2
I always start my lecture on human evolution and genetics for Intro with this question, and leave it up as students trickle in. It's so funny to see their confused faces when they look at the screens.
October 27, 2025 at 9:08 PM
I always start my lecture on human evolution and genetics for Intro with this question, and leave it up as students trickle in. It's so funny to see their confused faces when they look at the screens.
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
naming my kid Test Student so they never miss an assignment in Canvas
October 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
naming my kid Test Student so they never miss an assignment in Canvas
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
Here's the direct link to the Manhattan plot of Manhattan kieranhealy.org/blog/archive...
October 25, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Here's the direct link to the Manhattan plot of Manhattan kieranhealy.org/blog/archive...
Accidentally wandered into a doggie parade today, and i swear it was the most wholesome scene I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life #OnlyInNYC
October 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Accidentally wandered into a doggie parade today, and i swear it was the most wholesome scene I’ve ever witnessed in my entire life #OnlyInNYC
Reposted by Rafael Marcondes
Planning a lecture+discussion on peer review w/ my senior seminar stdts next week. Im pretty sanguine about pr so while i want to model a critical stance about it, i also don’t want stdts to leave thinking pr is completely use- or hopeless. What points/examples should i highlight?
October 25, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Planning a lecture+discussion on peer review w/ my senior seminar stdts next week. Im pretty sanguine about pr so while i want to model a critical stance about it, i also don’t want stdts to leave thinking pr is completely use- or hopeless. What points/examples should i highlight?