#ethology — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ethology, aggregated by home.social.
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🦧 New study on #bonobo #SocialBehavior: Arias-Vélez et al. show that #bonobos actively intervene in #SocialInteractions to enforce group norms and reduce conflict. Rather than reacting only to direct threats, bystanders often stepped in during socially disruptive situations, suggesting a form of third-party social regulation resembling proto-norm enforcement.
📝 https://critica.filosoficas.unam.mx/index.php/critica/article/view/1788 (https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads4414)
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6-May-2026
How do #climate extremes alter animal societies?
A 33-year study of wild capuchin #monkeys in #CostaRica shows how the costs and benefits of living in a group are reshaped by climate fluctuationshttps://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126744
#science #climatecatastrophe #conservation #collectiveBehaviour #ethology #ecology
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6-May-2026
How do #climate extremes alter animal societies?
A 33-year study of wild capuchin #monkeys in #CostaRica shows how the costs and benefits of living in a group are reshaped by climate fluctuationshttps://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126744
#science #climatecatastrophe #conservation #collectiveBehaviour #ethology #ecology
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6-May-2026
How do #climate extremes alter animal societies?
A 33-year study of wild capuchin #monkeys in #CostaRica shows how the costs and benefits of living in a group are reshaped by climate fluctuationshttps://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126744
#science #climatecatastrophe #conservation #collectiveBehaviour #ethology #ecology
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6-May-2026
How do #climate extremes alter animal societies?
A 33-year study of wild capuchin #monkeys in #CostaRica shows how the costs and benefits of living in a group are reshaped by climate fluctuationshttps://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126744
#science #climatecatastrophe #conservation #collectiveBehaviour #ethology #ecology
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6-May-2026
How do #climate extremes alter animal societies?
A 33-year study of wild capuchin #monkeys in #CostaRica shows how the costs and benefits of living in a group are reshaped by climate fluctuationshttps://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1126744
#science #climatecatastrophe #conservation #collectiveBehaviour #ethology #ecology
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Chemical evidence of shared traits includes:
◦ Crayfish: Display clinical anxiety and elevated serotonin when subjected to shocks.
◦ Honeybees: Become pessimistic after simulated attacks.
◦ Tiny Worms: Use oxytocin-like chemicals to seek mates despite having only 302 nerve cells.
◦ Dogs: Can suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Case Study: The Elephant Mind -
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By recognizing these shared emotions, we take a giant stride toward understanding the living web we inhabit. So, let's dive into the animal mind and see the world through a completely new light.The Paradigm Shift: From "It" to "Who"
• Science is moving away from viewing animals as biological "its"—mechanical beings driven solely by instinct—to recognizing them as conscious "whos".
#animals
#AnimalBehaviour
#AnimalRights
#AnimalEthics
#ethology
#video -
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This isn’t just sentiment—it’s biological truth. Modern neurology reveals that we inherited our nervous systems from the same evolutionary tree as the creatures around us. From crayfish experiencing clinical anxiety to elephants making strategic alliances, we are finding that the biological trails of human emotion are built upon ancient trails shared by all living things.#animals
#AnimalBehaviour
#AnimalRights
#AnimalEthics
#ethology
#elephants
#video -
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This shift becomes clear when you look at the life of an elephant. Consider Echo, a matriarch who slowed her entire family's pace for three days just to allow her crippled calf to survive. This wasn't a mechanical reaction; it was a choice fueled by profound empathy and wisdom.#animals
#AnimalBehaviour
#AnimalRights
#AnimalEthics
#ethology
#elephants
#video -
FROM 'IT TO 'WHO'
For the longest time, science viewed animals as biological "its"—living machines driven entirely by automated instinct. But today, field research is providing undeniable evidence that demands a massive paradigm shift: looking at them not as objects, but as conscious "whos".
#animals
#AnimalBehaviour
#AnimalRights
#AnimalEthics
#ethology
#video -
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The Final Realization: Our dependency on connection is not a weakness; it is the most powerful evolutionary tool in our lineage. As we remove physical touch from our modern lives, we must ask: are we unintentionally starving our million-year-old primate systems?#animals
#primates
#ethology
#touch
#podcast
#connection
#touch
#humans -
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• The "Kiss Through the Wire": The episode culminates in a study of cross-species connection. We analyze unambiguous displays of assistance—like an orangutan offering a hand to a submerged human—and the profound "Kiss Through the Wire" between a chimpanzee and an elderly woman. These moments prove that empathy is an ancient, hardwired survival reflex that transcends species' borders.
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• Biological Substitutes: When natural social networks are destroyed, we analyze how human sanctuary workers step in to provide the life-saving physical touch needed to prevent neurodevelopmental collapse in orphaned primates. -
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• Defending the Fragmented Forest: We confront the catastrophic impact of rapid environmental destruction, such as industrial logging. We discuss the harrowing image of a lone orangutan on a fallen tree, physically standing his ground against a massive orange bulldozer—a stark documentation of a primate attempting to defend his territory as his world is fragmented. -
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• The Biological Thermal Shield: Through the "Golden Huddle" of snub-nosed monkeys and the hot-spring adaptations of Japanese macaques, we prove that the "fittest" primate isn't the most aggressive, but the most socially integrated. Those who fail to build social capital through grooming are denied access to life-saving huddles and face lethal isolation. -
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• Grooming as a Biological Interface:Moving beyond simple hygiene, we reframe social grooming as a direct biological connection. By stimulating specific nerves in the skin, grooming triggers the brain to release a flood of relaxation hormones like oxytocin and endorphins. This chemical exchange builds alliances and deepens the bond between individuals.
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Key Discussion Points:• The Altricial Infant & "Baby-Wearing": We examine why primate infants are born profoundly underdeveloped and helpless. This "biological liability" allows for the development of massive, complex brains. The mother acts as an external life support system, where constant physical contact builds the infant's neural pathways for stress management and trust.
https://youtu.be/o4uQ2t2iOI0 -
HOW PHYSICAL TOUCH POWERS PRIMATE SURVIVAL
This episode explores the non-negotiable biological imperatives that drive primate survival and social cohesion. By stripping away the "cute" veneer of wildlife imagery, we dissect these frozen moments as raw data points capturing evolution in action.
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Community Reliance: Survival in extreme conditions, such as the freezing mountains of China, is made possible through community reliance and huddling for shared body heat and trust.
Cognitive Milestones: Primates display high intelligence through behaviors like bonnet macaques recognizing themselves in mirrors and orangutans selflessly sharing food.
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Society and SurvivalComplex social structures are essential for surviving the world's harshest environments.
Social Dynamics: Societies range from the meditative ritual of grooming used by Japanese macaques to build trust, to the aggressive reality of organized warfare among chimpanzees in Uganda.
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Maternal Tenderness: Maternal care is universal, seen in the profound comfort of a mother's embrace in Sri Lanka's toque macaques or the protective grip of a powerful gorilla cradling its fragile infant.Social Compassion: Caregiving extends beyond biology; mountain gorillas in the Congo face the rare challenge of raising twins, while Bornean orangutans demonstrate social compassion by adopting orphans.
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By examining their complex societies and intimate bonds, we can uncover what it truly means to be part of this shared family and what remains of our core nature when modern technology and anxieties are stripped away.Description: Bonds, Society, and a Fragile Future
The Ties That Bind
The foundation of primate society is built on fundamental social bonds and intimate caregiving.
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REFLECTIONS OF HUMANITY
Intro: The Living Mirror
We share a staggering amount of DNA and an evolutionary tree with primates, our closest biological relatives. Beyond mere biology, exploring the primate world allows us to look into a "living, breathing mirror" to see an ancient version of ourselves.
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Decoding Animal Behaviour:
The Four Pillars of Ethology -
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• The Evolutionary Flow: Traces the progression from genotype through developmental plasticity to the behavioral phenotype. This phenotype is tested by natural selection; successful traits lead to allele frequency shifts in a population.
https://youtu.be/SPWd6CjrJd8#animals
#ethology
#genotype
#plasticity
#phenotype
#allele
#instinct
#evolution -
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• The Mathematics of Altruism: An explanation of "Hamilton’s Rule" (rb>c) and how kin selection explains seemingly selfless behaviors like meerkat babysitting.• #Eusociality and the Colony-as-Organism: A study of naked mole rats and Macrotermes termites, where individuals function as disposable "skin cells" within a singular, sprawling survival machine.
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• The Mathematics of Altruism: An explanation of "Hamilton’s Rule" (rb>c) and how kin selection explains seemingly selfless behaviors like meerkat babysitting.• #Eusociality and the Colony-as-Organism: A study of naked mole rats and Macrotermes termites, where individuals function as disposable "skin cells" within a singular, sprawling survival machine.
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• The Mathematics of Altruism: An explanation of "Hamilton’s Rule" (rb>c) and how kin selection explains seemingly selfless behaviors like meerkat babysitting.• #Eusociality and the Colony-as-Organism: A study of naked mole rats and Macrotermes termites, where individuals function as disposable "skin cells" within a singular, sprawling survival machine.
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• The Mathematics of Altruism: An explanation of "Hamilton’s Rule" (rb>c) and how kin selection explains seemingly selfless behaviors like meerkat babysitting.• #Eusociality and the Colony-as-Organism: A study of naked mole rats and Macrotermes termites, where individuals function as disposable "skin cells" within a singular, sprawling survival machine.
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• The Mathematics of Altruism: An explanation of "Hamilton’s Rule" (rb>c) and how kin selection explains seemingly selfless behaviors like meerkat babysitting.• #Eusociality and the Colony-as-Organism: A study of naked mole rats and Macrotermes termites, where individuals function as disposable "skin cells" within a singular, sprawling survival machine.
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• #Tinbergen’s Four Questions: An analysis of the logical framework used to interrogate behavior through the lenses of function, development, mechanism, and evolution.• The Selfish Gene Paradigm: A breakdown of how George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins shattered the "good of the species" illusion, proving that evolution operates at the level of the gene.
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• #Tinbergen’s Four Questions: An analysis of the logical framework used to interrogate behavior through the lenses of function, development, mechanism, and evolution.• The Selfish Gene Paradigm: A breakdown of how George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins shattered the "good of the species" illusion, proving that evolution operates at the level of the gene.
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• #Tinbergen’s Four Questions: An analysis of the logical framework used to interrogate behavior through the lenses of function, development, mechanism, and evolution.• The Selfish Gene Paradigm: A breakdown of how George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins shattered the "good of the species" illusion, proving that evolution operates at the level of the gene.
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• #Tinbergen’s Four Questions: An analysis of the logical framework used to interrogate behavior through the lenses of function, development, mechanism, and evolution.• The Selfish Gene Paradigm: A breakdown of how George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins shattered the "good of the species" illusion, proving that evolution operates at the level of the gene.
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• #Tinbergen’s Four Questions: An analysis of the logical framework used to interrogate behavior through the lenses of function, development, mechanism, and evolution.• The Selfish Gene Paradigm: A breakdown of how George C. Williams and Richard Dawkins shattered the "good of the species" illusion, proving that evolution operates at the level of the gene.
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From the upcoming Animal Behaviour Illustrated (Primates):
#photography
#SnowMonkeys
#Japan
#grooming
#AnimalBehaviour
#ethology -
The observation and analytical study of a captive chimpanzee spontaneously utilizing environmental tools to produce structured, rhythmic instrumental sounds in conjunction with vocal expressions.
#Primatology #EvolutionaryBiology #Ethology #Bioacoustics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/ebio03272601.html -
"Ethology" referring to the study of animal behaviour is about a century old and was (somewhat) popularized through the work of Niko Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz, which is where I first saw it.
But it never quite caught on. Even now, as de Waal writes, spell-checkers "regularly change it to ethnology, etiology, or even theology".
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A deadpan De Waal on independent-mindedness in dogs and cats
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Hot spring bathing behaviors in Japanese #macaques actively reshape the host "holobiont," specifically modifying lice distribution and gut #microbiota composition beyond simple thermoregulation or stress relief.
#Zoology #Ecology #BehavioralScience #Primatology #Ethology #MicrobialEcology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/01/zoo01202601.html -
From Encyclopedia Britannica:
The queen of Bothriomyrmex decapitans of Africa, for example, allows herself to be dragged by Tapinoma ants into their nest. She then bites off the head of the Tapinoma queen and begins laying her own eggs, which are cared for by the “enslaved” Tapinoma workers.
#ants #beauty #biology #britannica #entomology #ethology #insectpolitics #insects #naturalbeauty #nature #regicide #slavery
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Dogs with a large vocabulary of object labels learn new labels by overhearing like 1.5-year-old infants | Science
Neuroscientists investigated whether dogs can learn new words not through direct instruction, but by "eavesdropping" on human conversations, much like young children do. The study focused on a small group of dogs "gifted" for word learning (Gifted Word Learner dogs)—animals with an unusually large vocabulary of object names. Such dogs are rare and are not associated with a specific breed or living conditions.
The results showed that these dogs are able to learn new object names by observing their owners' interactions, even when the conversation is not addressed directly. Moreover, the dogs successfully formed associations between a word and an object, even when they were not presented simultaneously. In terms of learning efficiency, some dogs were as effective as, and sometimes even superior to, human children around eighteen months old.https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq5474
#ethology #zoology #biology #dogs #intellect #research #science -
Baby Great Apes 🐵
In the forests, new lives unfold as gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos, and orangutans begin in circles of care and connection. Their earliest days reveal how families form, lessons pass on, and bonds endure among the most intelligent and social of mammals.
🎥 Explore the full Baby Great Apes series: https://TPC8.short.gy/WswQau5z
✨ A glimpse into beginnings fragile and profound.
#GreatApes #Primates #Wildlife #AnimalBehavior #Animals #Conservation #Ethology #Biodiversity #TPC8
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_Ethical responsibility_
Incest is settled by a perverse disconnect between words and deeds.
According to Cécile Cée, ‘the situation does not depend on what the victim has to say about it, but on what society should say about it’ (p. 181). Once the act of naming is not:
* the result of interpersonal negotiation (to what extent may I call incest what the victim does not designate as such?),
* but rather a collective statement (‘It is up to society, to third parties, to you, to enunciate,’ p. 182), which alone can ‘put the world back the right way up’ (p. 227),
* then we move away from individual conscience and into the realm of social and political ethical responsibility.#community #relationships #ethology #anthropology #family #domesticViolence #parenthood #denial #incest #incestCulture #patriarchy #publicHealth #mentalHealth #acquaintance #taboo #attachment #invisibility #kinship #incest #ethics #responsiblity #involvement #CélineCée #book
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Thought provoking essay on anthropomorphism and our interpretation of animal behaviour. Make sure to read the comment section as well.
Clearly, the way in which we ascribe - or identify - animal emotions will help shape our thinking about how we ought to treat them.
Less obviously, revising our views about anthropomorphism might change our thinking about moral responsibility. What are we thinking and doing when we say "Good dog!"?
https://aeon.co/essays/when-is-enjoying-funny-animal-videos-not-anthropomorphism
#Animals #Ethology #Philosophy #Bioethics #CognitiveScience #Psychology #Ecology #MoralPhilosophy #Ethics #Science
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L’elefante non è solo un gigante della savana.
È memoria che cammina, è affetto che si tramanda.
Un essere sociale, sensibile, dotato di una mente che ci somiglia più di quanto crediamo.#elefanti #neuroscienze #animali #etologia #memoria #cervello #intelligenzaanimale #elephants #brain #science #empathy #animals #ethology #memory #animalintelligence #scienza#empatia #michiyospace
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CW: Incest silentiation 🧶
‘Each person is […] bound by different moral commitments towards the aggressor – depending on the position held and the relationship with one or the other’.
‘In the extended family, friendship and professional circles within which incest is reported, some, now adults, have obviously themselves been victims of abuse, others have been or still are abusers. In the vast majority of cases, these incestuous acts, whether suffered or imposed, have not been reported to the courts or made public. These incestuous acts are also known to others, who talk about them, have talked about them or will talk about them in the future. Circles of acquaintance and gossip intersect.’
Léonore Le Caisne (fr) https://blogs.mediapart.fr/leonore-le-caisne/blog/130121/qu-est-ce-que-le-silence-de-l-inceste
#ethology #anthropology #LeCaisne #family #domesticViolence #parenthood #denial #incest #incestCulture #patriarchy #publicHealth #mentalHealth #domesticViolence #aggressions #acquaintance #taboo #community #attachment #fawning #silentiation #silentiate #invisibility #kinship
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CW: Long Hashtag List for the Life Sciences
Life Sciences Hashtags
• Animal Behaviour
#AnimalBehavior #AnimalBehaviour #AnimalCognition #AnimalPsychology #AnimalResearch #AnimalSocieties #AnimalStudies #BehavioralEcology #BehaviouralEcology #BehavioralScience #BehaviouralScience #CameraTraps #ComparativeCognition #CriticalAnimalStudies #Learning #Memory #PositiveReinforcement #Sociobiology #TrailCam• Astrobiology
#AlienLife #Astrobiology #Biosignatures #Cryosphere DeepIce #EarthScience #Exoplanets #GeoScience #Habitability #Karst #MicroHabitats #OceanWorlds #OriginOfLife #PlanetaryCaves #PlanetaryScience• Behaviour Science
#AnthroZoology #Behavior #Behaviour #Behaviour2023 #BehavioralScience #BehaviouralScience #Biopsychology #CognitiveDevelopment #ComparativeCognition #DevelopmentalPsychology #Ethology #Learning #Memory #Neuroethology #PhilosophyOfMind #PleasureActivism #Psychology #SelfOrganisation #SelfOrganization #SocialNetwork• Biochemistry | Group: @biochemistry
#Actin #AminoAcids #Biochemical #Biochemistry #Catalyst #Catalysis #DNA #Enzyme #Enzymes #Hormones #IonChannels #Kinetics #Metabolism #Metabolomics #mRNA #Peptides #Polymer #Protein #Proteins #RNA• Bioinformatics | Group: @bioinformatics
#BigData #Bioinformatics #RStats• Biology | Group: [email protected]
#Biochemistry #Biology #Biomes #Botany #Ecology #Ecosystem #Evolution #Genetics #Habitat #LifeCycle #MarineBiology #Microbiology #Zoology• Biomaterial Science
#Biofilm #Biofilms #Biologics #Biomaterials #Biotechnology #MaterialsScience #Nanotechnology #SustainableDesign #SyntheticBiology• Biomedical Science
#Biomedical #BiomedicalEngineering #BiomedicalScience #NetworkMedicine #SystemsBiology• Botany
#Botany #Botanical #Botanist #FloraIncognita #Florespondence IAmABotanist #Phenology #PlantBiology #PlantCells #PlantID #PlantIdentification• Cell Biology | Group: @cellbiology
#CellBiology #CellDivision #CellMigration #Chloroplast #Cilium #Cytoskeleton #EndoplasmicReticulum #Eukaryotes #Golgi #Lipids #Macrophages #Membrane #Membranes #Microtubules #Mitochondria #Nucleus #Organelle #Organoids #Ribosome #SingleCell• Developmental Biology
#ChildDevelopment #Connectome #Connectomics #DevelopmentalBiology #Embryology #Embryos #EvoDevo #GeneRegulation #Pregnancy #Proteomics #ReproSci #SexDet #StemCells #Transcriptomics• Ecology | Group: @ecology
#AgroEcology #BehavioralEcology #BehaviouralEcology #Biodiversity #BiodiversityCrisis #BiodiversityLoss #Biogeography #ConservationBiology #Ecocide #EcoGrief #Ecological #EcologicalMonitoring #EcologicalSurvey #Ecology #Ecosystem #ForestEcology #Habitat #InvasionEcology #InvasiveSpecies #MassExtinction #OldGrowth #Riparian #WildCounts• Entomology | Group: @entomology
#Beetles #Bugs #Coleoptera #Crustaceans #Entomologia #Entomology #Hemiptera #Hymenoptera #iNaturalist #Insect #Insects #InsectPhotography #Invertebrates #Isopods #Lepidoptera #Metamorphosis #Orthoptera #Pupa #Taxonomy• Genetics
#BasePair #CellDivision #Chromosome #Chromosomes #Clone #Epigenetics #DNA #Gene #GeneExpression #GeneRegulation #GeneticallyModified #Genetics #Genome #Genomics #GMO #Meiosis #Mitosis #Mutation #RNAseq #Telomeres #Variants• Immunology
#Antibodies #Antibody #Antigen #AutoImmune #BCells #Immune #ImmuneSystem #Immunity #ImmunoCompromised #Immunology #ImmunoTherapy #Interferon #Macrophages #Monoclonal #MonoclonalAntibodies (#mAbs) #Neutrophils #TCell #Vaccinated #Vaccine #Viralimmunology• Marine Science
#Acidification #Algae #Aquatic #Cetaceans #Coral #CoralBleaching #CoralReefs #DeepSea #Diatoms #Estuary #Eutrophication #Kelp #KelpForest #MarineBiology #MarineLife #MarineMammals #MarineScience #MarineTaxonomy #Oceanography #Oceans #OceanWarming #Phytoplankton #Reefs #SeaBed #SeaFloor #SeaGrass #Seaweed #ScubaDiving #Snorkeling #UnderWaterPhotography #Zooplankton• Microbiology | Group: @microbiology
#Antibiotics #AntiMicrobial #AntiMicrobialResistance (#AMR) #Bacteria #Bacterial #Bacteriophage #Bacteriology #Cilia #Microbes #Microbial #MicrobialEcology #Microbiology #Microbiome #Microbiota #MicroOrganisms #Phage #Protists#EColi #Legionella #Pseudomonas #Salmonella #Streptomyces
• Molecular Biology | Group: @molecularbiology
#Biophysics #CellBiology #MolecularBiology #MolecularEvolution #ProteinEngineering #ProteinStructure #Proteomics #StructuralBiology• Mycology | Group: @mycology
#Fungi #Fungiverse #Mushrooms #Mycelium #Mycologists #Mycology #Mycophile #Spores #Sporespondence• Ornithology | Group: @ornithology
#BirdID #Birding #BirdMigration #BirdPhotography #BirdResearch #BirdsOfMastodon #Corvid #eBird #Migration #Nesting #Oology #Ornithology #Raptor #SeaBirds #ShoreBirds• Virology | Group: @virology
#AntiViral #AvianFlu #Bacteriophage #BirdFlu #CoronaVirus #COVID #COVID19 #GiantViruses #HIV #InfectiousDisease #Ebola #Measles #Phage #SARS #SARSCoV2 #Vaccine #Vaccines #ViralLoad #Viralimmunology #ViralPersistence #Variants #Virology #Virome #Virus #Viruses• Zoology
#Animals #Biology #Zoologist #Zoology(Click to access Scientists in the Formal, Natural & Social Sciences)
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#Welcome to #immigrants!
You may worry that your conversation suddenly is cut off from the rest of the #Fediverse.
I like to offer solutions:
- register an account at an instance likely to stay federated: https://mastodon.help/instances/en?lang=112&desc=&minu=800&maxu=80000&minau=800&minki=8000&black=1&creg=1&appr=0&lcok=0&ord=rand&advc=1&p=1
- and go to your #MastoAdmin and ask them to improve on #moderation #guidelines.
You may build from:
https://hachyderm.io/about/more
https://zirk.us/about
https://myna.social/about
#TwitterMigration #DSA #discoverability #safety #networkPolitics #benevolence #birds #ethology