James Fleming

Benítez-Álvarez et al. (2026-10, Systematic Biology) A New “Asexual Scandal”: Independent Evolution of Ancient Planarian Fissiparous Lineages Challenges Phylogenetic Reconstruction Methods doi.org/10.1093/sysb...

Now online: The #openaccess #ZoologicaScripta paper by Lamb et al 'The Paralicella Paradox: Broadly Distributed Lineages Without Clear Geographic Partitioning in Paralicella tenuipes and the Paralicella caperesca Species Complex'. doi.org/10.1111/zsc.... #marinebiology #deepsea #Amphipoda

Sato et al. (2026-07 preprint, SSRN) 「微顎動物と顎口動物のゲノムが，動物における小型化への道筋を強調する」 Genomes of Micrognathozoa and Gnathostomulida Highlight the Path of Miniaturization in Animals dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn... は？？？は？？？7月に出てたのに見逃してた．

PhD position in arctic protists at the Natural History Museum in Oslo #arctic #marine #protists #diversity #ecology #metabarcoding

We're publishing new guidance to support trans people who do fieldwork (any work outside the office)! Now we need your help to get them seen so please share! inclusivefieldwork.leeds.ac.uk/trans/

[New Paper] Presents the first record of tubeworm-parasitic copepod Dirivultus spinigulatus from Japan! A range extension from Papua New Guinea. And a new Japanese name, based on a devil fruit from the manga series ONE PIECE! OPEN ACCESS in the journal Species Diversity: doi.org/10.12782/spe...

Now online: The open access Zoologica Scripta paper by Araújo et al. 'Integrating Phylogenomics and Biogeography of Spectracanthicus (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) Reveals Complex Evolutionary History in a Brazilian Shield Endemic Genus'. doi.org/10.1111/zsc.... @felipearaujoictio.bsky.social

This. 💯 this. "Our work highlights an important knowledge gap: we still lack integrative, cross-taxon genomic time-series datasets linking deleterious variation, fitness, and demography." 👏 Maëva Gabrielli et al @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social 👀 #ConSERTeam🧬

Do you think if I included Damm Lemon in the acknowledgements of my next paper that they would send me some free bottles all the way in the UK?

Today I will be heading back to the UK for a few months! The longest stay there since I left in 2018. Feels strange

Are you into mathematical modelling of ecological and evolutionary systems? Look at this job ad for a senior lecturer in Lund. I've visited many times, splendid compact city, splendid department! lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

Curator of Marine Invertebrates position at the NHMLA. Great opportunity for marine invertebrate zoologists, especially echinoderm researchers! (see post below)

It had never really occurred to me that you can get full colour banknotes rather than shaded ones! I'm still in love with the Irish Punt coin designs before the transition to the Euro, especially the 1p with the Kells-Bird and the 50p Woodcock

BEAGLE is a new #HorizonEurope project starting on 1 October 2026 🌟 With a consortium of 17 partners coordinated by @au.dk, it aims to advance EU #BiodiversityMonitoring across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.

This statistic is wild.

Attention phellow phylo meth-heads 🧪

Produced a #genome of a European species? Publishing a Genome Report for the assembly? Benefitted from ERGA @ergabiodiv.bsky.social resources or networking? If so, consider listing the Genome Report in the ERGA Collecion riojournal.com/topical_coll... Learn more: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO6d...

Brought the backside of the El Nino back with me from Japan, I fear.

Your Grandad Cyclops talks about his school days

Interested in how species diversity is split between major animal groups? Here is the infographic for you! 🧪⚒️🦀🦑 #evosky

Hey, Bluesky! I just realized there is no Docktober presence over here and I need the 🌿🐙🦑 communities to know that we are bio-blitzing docks all of October to document urban marine biodiversity. Luan Roberts has a website and iNaturalist project about it: www.naturelookings.com/docktober

Bristol is a beautiful city ruined by landlords. Hopefully this kind of thing results in something.

And just as soon as I arrived, I am leaving Japan again! Flying visit, but hopefully a really useful one for the future!

The Tree of Life Web Project is back online! tolweb.org Thanks to Travis Wheeler (@wheelerlab.org), Danny Mandel, and Andrew Lenards, the original programmers for ToLWeb, for retooling the code to work on a modern OS! It is hard for me to believe it lives again.

Are you a mathematical modeller in ecology and evolution looking for a job? My department has an opening! Please spread the word! lu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

The Darwin Medal 2026 is awarded to Professor Michael J Benton OBE FRS for his contribution to many aspects of palaeontological science, as well as authoring the standard textbooks in the field, popular science and children’s books. #RSMedals https://royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/darwin-medal/

If your mentor is vehemently opposed to you being in a union, that's a red flag, frankly. Everything we achieve, as scientists, academics and humans, we achieve together. Solidarity or bust, folks.

My new book, Phylogenetic Biology, is now published. Available online for free at dunnlab.org/phylogenetic... . Physical copies can be purchased at shop.lightningsource.com/b/085?params... or your favorite bookstore.

Last Friday, 21. August, the seminar 'Parasitology in Modern Times' was held at the Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, on the occasion of my retirement. I am particularly grateful to Torsten Struck for organising the seminar and to all speakers and participants. #parasitology

Ortega-Hernández (2025-12 preprint, bioRxiv) 「Hallucigeniaの食性により，カンブリア紀の葉足動物の摂食生態が明らかになる」 Hallucigenia's diet illuminates the feeding ecology of Cambrian lobopodians doi.org/10.64898/202... www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Zhai et al. (2026-08, Communications Biology) 「raptorial anteriormost appendagesをもつカンブリア紀のクラウン汎甲殻類Sunella chimera sp. nov.（新種）」 The Cambrian crown-group pancrustacean Sunella chimera sp. nov. with raptorial anteriormost appendages doi.org/10.1038/s420... ファ？？？Sunellaはクラウン汎甲殻類！？！？

Couple thoughts on the recent resurgence of "scientific" racism. 1) This is usually treated as a science=head/humanities=heart problem. It is increasingly clear that this is a false framing. Lot of major players are emerging within the humanities (esp phil. depts). Biosci is largely steering clear

Every time I look at deep sea nematodes I feel the inexorable pull to retrain as a nematodologist. How are they so beautiful?

Ordoñez & Wollesen (2026, Communications Biology) 「毛顎動物Spadella cephalopteraの前後軸パターン形成により，左右相称動物の神経系および尾部の進化に示唆が与えられる」 Anterior-posterior patterning in the chaetognath Spadella cephaloptera informs bilaterian nervous system and tail evolution doi.org/10.1038/s420...

The longer you look, the better it gets. A farcical reminder that the LinkedIn Class are the people firing you to replace you with AI because they look at this and think it makes you replaceable.

Guess who's back? Back again

The timescale of #nematode #evolution reveals late and convergent radiations of #parasitism: dx.doi.org/10.1038/s415... You should be able to access it here: www.researchgate.net/publication/... #Fossils #Evolution #Parasites #Genomics #Nematodes

This 👇, and Europe should also have more scheme to finance those essential "infrastructures" (rathen than implementing 10 millions single person grant...) www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Today the paper by Sługocki et al. 'Integrative taxonomy of the Eurytemora velox (Copepoda, Calanoida) species complex reveals a new cryptic species' was published in Organisms Diversity & Evolution. Congrats to all co-authors!! doi.org/10.1007/s131... #taxonomy #biogeography #systematics

Excited to share that our paper on Horizontal Gene Transfer is now out in its final form in @gigascience.bsky.social! 🥳 By analysing 163 high-quality ant genomes, we show that HGT from bacteria is widespread across the ants and likely has adaptive functions! doi.org/10.1093/giga... 🐜📸: Alex Wild

Schultz et al. (2026-08, Science Advances) 「動物の染色体進化におけるtopological mixingと不可逆性」 Topological mixing and irreversibility in animal chromosome evolution doi.org/10.1126/scia...

I'm thrilled to share that I've started as an Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences and the Oceans Research Center at Lehigh University! I'm building a group in evolutionary genomics to study the origin of animals, and to use those concepts to better understand human disease. More: evogeno.me

I think it shows very clearly how under-sampled the ocean is as an environment, and how much work we still have to do to understand invertebrate diversity in particular! Thrilled to have been involved (a little bit) - Javi and the whole Barcelona group are really driving this exciting frontier!

Thereuopoda longicornis, also known as the long-legged centipede - a beautiful moulting moment! #biodiversity #genomics #evolution

Autumn 2027 can't come fast enough. I can't wait to see Cross Country "Trains" evaporate and be renationalised. Waste of space