Simon Evans
@sevans.bsky.social
Evolutionary ecologist at Exeter Uni. Loves Dartmoor, Sweden, XC skiing, fell running, sunsets, knitwear, teaching & cream teas.
Reposted by Simon Evans
![[Scene is a kitchen - a middle aged woman called JANET is boiling peas at the stove. A younger more colourfully dressed woman named LIZ approached her.]
JANET:
Ugh...
LIZ:
What's up?
JANET:
I am so bored of cooking peas!
LIZ:
Have you tried...
AI peas?
JANET:
AI peas?
LIZ:
They're peas with AI!
[Liz holds up to us a packet of peas labelled: Pea-i AI - Peas with AI].
LIZ:
Al-powered peas harness the potential of your peas
JANET:
What
LIZ [Now a voiceover as we cut to a whizzy technology diagram of peas all connected by meaningless dotted lines]
Why not take your peas to the next level with Al Peas' new Al tools to power your peas?
[Show a techno diagram of a pea with a label reading 'AI' pointing to a random zone in it]
LIZ:
Each pea has Al in a way we haven't quite worked out yet but it's fine
[Show Janet and Liz now in a Matrix-style world of peas]
LIZ:
With Al peas you can supercharge productivity and make AI work for your peas!
JANET:
What
LIZ:
Shut up
LIZ:
Our game-changing Pea-Al gives you the freedom to unlock the potential of the power of the future of your peas workflow
From opening the bag of peas
to boiling the peas
to eating the peas
To spending millions on adding Al to the peas and then having to work out what that even means.
JANET:
Is it really necessary to-
LIZ [Grabbing Janet by the collar]:
THE PEAS HAVE GOT AI, JANET
[Cut to an advert ending screen, with the bag of peas and the slogan:
AI PEAS: Just 'Peas' for god's sake buy the AI peas.
[Ends]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreiayqa37f7kik7l7s7fbtfp2sir5ckb662ry2lylinyjrfa2rkvvka@jpeg)
Reposted by Simon Evans
How much carbon budget do we have left if we want to stay below 1.5˚C?
Just 2 more years at current rates. It is essentially impossible to avoid global temperature rise exceeding 1.5˚C.
climatelabbook.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
Just 2 more years at current rates. It is essentially impossible to avoid global temperature rise exceeding 1.5˚C.
climatelabbook.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
November 13, 2025 at 1:19 PM
How much carbon budget do we have left if we want to stay below 1.5˚C?
Just 2 more years at current rates. It is essentially impossible to avoid global temperature rise exceeding 1.5˚C.
climatelabbook.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
Just 2 more years at current rates. It is essentially impossible to avoid global temperature rise exceeding 1.5˚C.
climatelabbook.substack.com/p/the-shrink...
If I could just have a firecrest pop by, we'd unarguably have moved beyond day-my-eldest-child-was-born territory.
Watching goldcrests through my office window! A new candidate for best day of my life.
November 12, 2025 at 1:37 PM
If I could just have a firecrest pop by, we'd unarguably have moved beyond day-my-eldest-child-was-born territory.
Watching goldcrests through my office window! A new candidate for best day of my life.
November 12, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Watching goldcrests through my office window! A new candidate for best day of my life.
Reposted by Simon Evans
NO WAYYYY! 🤯🤯🤯
Is this the COOLEST stick insect ever?? 💚
This mossy girl (Taraxippus sp.) from Peru was the most incredible phasmid I have ever seen, I could not get over how perfectly camouflaged it was on the mossy trees! 🌳
So in awe of our natural world! 🌿
Is this the COOLEST stick insect ever?? 💚
This mossy girl (Taraxippus sp.) from Peru was the most incredible phasmid I have ever seen, I could not get over how perfectly camouflaged it was on the mossy trees! 🌳
So in awe of our natural world! 🌿
November 11, 2025 at 10:19 AM
NO WAYYYY! 🤯🤯🤯
Is this the COOLEST stick insect ever?? 💚
This mossy girl (Taraxippus sp.) from Peru was the most incredible phasmid I have ever seen, I could not get over how perfectly camouflaged it was on the mossy trees! 🌳
So in awe of our natural world! 🌿
Is this the COOLEST stick insect ever?? 💚
This mossy girl (Taraxippus sp.) from Peru was the most incredible phasmid I have ever seen, I could not get over how perfectly camouflaged it was on the mossy trees! 🌳
So in awe of our natural world! 🌿
Reposted by Simon Evans
November 12, 2025 at 12:32 AM
Reposted by Simon Evans
This came up as a memory on my phone just now. 👌
If we get a real cold snap this winter, and i get roadkill. I'm gonna try again.
#goldeneagles
If we get a real cold snap this winter, and i get roadkill. I'm gonna try again.
#goldeneagles
November 9, 2025 at 5:26 PM
This came up as a memory on my phone just now. 👌
If we get a real cold snap this winter, and i get roadkill. I'm gonna try again.
#goldeneagles
If we get a real cold snap this winter, and i get roadkill. I'm gonna try again.
#goldeneagles
Reposted by Simon Evans
oh yeah ok this is super cool
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
#Science #Entomology #Arachnids #Spiders
Scientists Found a Half-Male, Half-Female Spider in Thailand and It’s Fascinating www.zmescience.com/science/news...
Scientists Found a Half-Male, Half-Female Spider in Thailand and It’s Fascinating www.zmescience.com/science/news...
Scientists Found a Half-Male, Half-Female Spider in Thailand and It’s Fascinating
Scientists named the half-male, half-female spider after an One Piece anime character who can change sex at will.
www.zmescience.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
oh yeah ok this is super cool
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
not only did they find a gynandromorph spider, it also turned out to be a new species! 🤯🧪🕷️
Reposted by Simon Evans
Griffon Vultures crossing The #Straits yesterday- pure migratory magic! ….or youth dispersal magic 😉 1,687 Griffon Vultures crossed over our heads!
November 8, 2025 at 6:05 PM
Griffon Vultures crossing The #Straits yesterday- pure migratory magic! ….or youth dispersal magic 😉 1,687 Griffon Vultures crossed over our heads!
"An ecologist who shot to fame after discovering that spiders have human-like personalities"
Umm...think it was a little while later that we all heard of Pruitt. And "infamy" is probably a more appropriate noun.
Umm...think it was a little while later that we all heard of Pruitt. And "infamy" is probably a more appropriate noun.
I hadnt seen this particular take on this story till now. A minimalist apology. Not impressed.
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
nationalnews.co.uk/news/shamed-...
Shamed Scientist Apologises For The First Time About The Academic Scandal That Destroyed His Career And Shocked The World
An ecologist who shot to fame after discovering that spiders have human-like personalities has made an emotional apology after being
nationalnews.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 10:19 AM
"An ecologist who shot to fame after discovering that spiders have human-like personalities"
Umm...think it was a little while later that we all heard of Pruitt. And "infamy" is probably a more appropriate noun.
Umm...think it was a little while later that we all heard of Pruitt. And "infamy" is probably a more appropriate noun.
Reposted by Simon Evans
a century of glaciers melting 🧪🌐
November 3, 2025 at 5:21 PM
a century of glaciers melting 🧪🌐
😞
🧪You may have heard that large-carnivore recovery in Yellowstone National Park triggered one of the world’s strongest trophic cascades. Our new open-access article explains why that story doesn’t hold up: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
November 3, 2025 at 7:17 PM
😞
It is terrifying that Farage’s planned imitation of such a lawless government is so broadly appealing in the UK.
In Chicago, a woman was driving to get coffee when a DHS vehicle fleeing an angry crowd crashed into her car. Armed agents jumped out of the vehicle, yanked her door open, pulled her by the legs out of her car at gunpoint, held her incommunicado for hours, then released her with no charges.
November 3, 2025 at 7:14 PM
It is terrifying that Farage’s planned imitation of such a lawless government is so broadly appealing in the UK.
Reposted by Simon Evans
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Attention Authors: Updated Practice for Review Articles and Position Papers in arXiv CS Category – arXiv blog
blog.arxiv.org
November 1, 2025 at 5:28 PM
arXiv will no longer accept review articles and position papers unless they have been accepted at a journal or a conference and complete successful peer review.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
This is due to being overwhelmed by a hundreds of AI generated papers a month.
Yet another open submission process killed by LLMs.
Apparently, behavioural ecologists are just now turning their attention to individual heterogeneity.
Opening sentence of an abstract published 6 weeks ago. But not open access. Like a restricted-access rubbish dump, I suppose. direct.mit.edu/posc/article...
Opening sentence of an abstract published 6 weeks ago. But not open access. Like a restricted-access rubbish dump, I suppose. direct.mit.edu/posc/article...
October 30, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Apparently, behavioural ecologists are just now turning their attention to individual heterogeneity.
Opening sentence of an abstract published 6 weeks ago. But not open access. Like a restricted-access rubbish dump, I suppose. direct.mit.edu/posc/article...
Opening sentence of an abstract published 6 weeks ago. But not open access. Like a restricted-access rubbish dump, I suppose. direct.mit.edu/posc/article...
“I’m not prejudiced. Some of my best friends are swivel-eyed loons.”
October 30, 2025 at 4:30 AM
“I’m not prejudiced. Some of my best friends are swivel-eyed loons.”
Annual citation counts for an article published in 1991. Are fluctuations attributable to random noise or is there cyclical variation, and would this suggest 'collective remembrance' of the article's insights (unique, but broadly forgotten/ignored/misunderstood) via citation borrowing?
October 29, 2025 at 9:17 AM
Annual citation counts for an article published in 1991. Are fluctuations attributable to random noise or is there cyclical variation, and would this suggest 'collective remembrance' of the article's insights (unique, but broadly forgotten/ignored/misunderstood) via citation borrowing?
Reposted by Simon Evans
We are still interested in any found twite feathers for a study on the relationships and genetic diversity between the British groups - particularly now for birds of Scottish origin in the NE of England or, birds on the Avon.
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
October 28, 2025 at 7:20 AM
We are still interested in any found twite feathers for a study on the relationships and genetic diversity between the British groups - particularly now for birds of Scottish origin in the NE of England or, birds on the Avon.
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
DM me for me more info.
#birdringing
Happy Simon Day to all who celebrate.
October 28, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Happy Simon Day to all who celebrate.
Reposted by Simon Evans
Egg abandonment leads to biased estimates of hatching failure in birds | doi.org/10.1017/S095... | Bird Conservation International | #ornithology 🪶
Egg abandonment leads to biased estimates of hatching failure in birds | Bird Conservation International | Cambridge Core
Egg abandonment leads to biased estimates of hatching failure in birds - Volume 35
doi.org
October 27, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Egg abandonment leads to biased estimates of hatching failure in birds | doi.org/10.1017/S095... | Bird Conservation International | #ornithology 🪶
Is there a bird that sounds like the laugh of a cartoon character? Last week I thought it must be a kids toy but I'm back to thinking it's real
October 27, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Is there a bird that sounds like the laugh of a cartoon character? Last week I thought it must be a kids toy but I'm back to thinking it's real
"There are few bodies of mathematics that seem to give applied mathematicians more day-to-day pleasure than the calculus of variations".
Rose et al. 1987.
Rose et al. 1987.
October 27, 2025 at 10:40 AM
"There are few bodies of mathematics that seem to give applied mathematicians more day-to-day pleasure than the calculus of variations".
Rose et al. 1987.
Rose et al. 1987.
Bleak outlook, but the level of scientific insight is also deeply impressive.
🧪🧵 Future change to #ThwaitesGlacier, Antarctica constitutes the largest uncertainty in #sea-level rise forecasts. The Science Coordination Office of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration recently issued a briefing document summarising some key findings - thwaitesglacier.org/findings
October 27, 2025 at 8:18 AM
Bleak outlook, but the level of scientific insight is also deeply impressive.
Reposted by Simon Evans
My main PhD work @monteirolab.bsky.social is now in @natecoevo.nature.com! We found a Hox gene promoter that helps butterflies🦋adjust their wing eyespots in response to seasonal temperatures🍃🍂, shedding light on the evolutionary origin of phenotypic plasticity. 1/9 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
October 24, 2025 at 10:16 AM
My main PhD work @monteirolab.bsky.social is now in @natecoevo.nature.com! We found a Hox gene promoter that helps butterflies🦋adjust their wing eyespots in response to seasonal temperatures🍃🍂, shedding light on the evolutionary origin of phenotypic plasticity. 1/9 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Simon Evans
Do you like quantitative genetics, stats, experiments, and long-term studies? Check out this post doc opportunity with the wonderful Anja Felmy!
Exiting career-boosting opportunity for a a skilled and highly motivated postdoctoral researcher: We're hiring a Post-doctoral fellow in Evolutionary Biology!
Please apply no later than 31 October!
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
Please apply no later than 31 October!
lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...
October 22, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Do you like quantitative genetics, stats, experiments, and long-term studies? Check out this post doc opportunity with the wonderful Anja Felmy!