Rush Dhillon, PhD   |   Cartoonist & Illustrator's Avatar

Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator

@rushstudio

Biologist, bicyclist, cartoonist at Rush Studio (rushstudio.ca).

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05.10.2023
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Latest posts by Rush Dhillon, PhD | Cartoonist & Illustrator @rushstudio

Canadian Science Publishing

This is figure is a non-exhaustive chart of quality of habitat tiers that can be implemented to evaluate habitat potential. Check out in the latest from @sjcfishy.bsky.social lab by Lemieux et al in Environmental Reviews: doi.org/10.1139/er-2025-0220

27.02.2026 19:06 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Freshwater habitats are in serious decline, and while many projects aim to restore them, it’s often unclear whether they actually work. This paper explains how measuring habitat quality can better show if restoration efforts are truly helping habitats recover.

27.02.2026 19:06 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Temperature sensing Part 3: Physiological processes and ecological conditions can alter thermoTRP channels, affecting temperature perception. Check out the latest from Currie and York! doi.org/10.1242/

17.02.2026 18:15 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Temperature sensing Part 2: TRP channels across fish from a wide range of thermal habitats show species-specific temperature activation thresholds. In this way, TRP channels are excellent targets for understanding evolutionary adaptation. Check out the latest from Currie and York! doi.org/10.1242/

13.02.2026 17:40 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Temperature sensing in fishes: mechanisms and modulation in a warming world Summary: We highlight temperature sensing in fishes and comment on how this critical sensory modality may be modulated by environmental change and physiological state, influencing how fishes respond t...

This figure shows how the nerve is activated by TRPs to send a signal to the brain. These proteins have been found in a number of fish organs. Check out the latest from Currie and York! doi.org/10.1242/jeb....

12.02.2026 19:19 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

But it is not only the degree of warming that matters, but also the animal’s ability to accurately detect and respond to these changes. Enter transient receptor potential (TRP) channels.

12.02.2026 19:19 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Temperature sensing Part 1: Climate change is warming the environment faster than many animals can adapt, and ectotherms, like most fish, are especially at risk because their physiology depend directly on the surrounding temperature.

12.02.2026 19:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Fun fact - I was inspired by Archibald Motley’s work that I had the privilege of viewing at the MET during my visit to NYC a couple years ago. DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2025.05.007

06.02.2026 16:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Their study reveal potential functional roles when these sites undergo functional modifications, which can pinpoint targets for treating metabolic disease. We couldn’t get this image finished in time for the cover, but it was a fun piece to work on regardless!

06.02.2026 16:44 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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This piece was illustrated for Tigist et al.’s recent paper in Molecular Cell. The dynamic regulation and fine-tuning of proteins via phosphorylation can turn metabolism into a coordinated and often improvised rhythm.

06.02.2026 16:44 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The figure shows the low reproduction and erosion that has occurred at a startling rate over the last several decades doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

30.01.2026 15:45 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Excellent piece by Matz @heatshok.bsky.social and colleagues discussing the dire status of Caribbean reefs, and potential plans and policies that can be implemented if these reefs are to have any chance. Check it out in PNAS!

30.01.2026 15:43 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 5 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

πŸ§ͺ🌎 All western Atlantic coral reefs are on the same decline trajectory, although Florida is one of the most further along: doi.org/10.1111/cobi...
illustration by @rushstudio.bsky.social

28.01.2026 12:21 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 7 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Latest paper from Toews et al @davetoews.bsky.social. Their study into microenvironments within the forest canopy revealed that these warbler species opportunistically feed upon the spiders they encounter in their preferred strata in the canopy. Check it out in Ornithology!!! doi.org/10.1093/orni...

23.01.2026 18:29 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
A comic graphical abstract by illustrator Rush Dhillon showing two wood warblers and their spider prey. The graphs illustrate the read abundance of these spiders in the warbler's fecal samples.

A comic graphical abstract by illustrator Rush Dhillon showing two wood warblers and their spider prey. The graphs illustrate the read abundance of these spiders in the warbler's fecal samples.

I could give you a great summary of our new warbler diet paper… but if a picture says a thousand words, this awesome graphical abstract by @rushstudio.bsky.social tells the whole story. πŸ¦‰πŸ§ͺ
academic.oup.com/auk/article/...

21.01.2026 15:59 πŸ‘ 93 πŸ” 32 πŸ’¬ 4 πŸ“Œ 4
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Life stages of Fundulus heteroclitus. Mummichog, killifish, call it what you want, but know it is among the mightiest inhabitants of North America’s east coast estuaries

07.11.2025 16:11 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Waddinton epigenetic landscape… for salmonids! The concept is that cells can roll downhill to their β€œendpoint” differentiated state. However, the landscape itself can be modified by various factors, β€œnudging” the ball into different valleys. Figure for Schulte Lab.

31.10.2025 18:34 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Sturgeon
#archives #fish

24.10.2025 16:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Forest Genetics Conference 2025

forestgeneticsconference2025.com

20.06.2025 15:36 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Logo for the Forest Genetics Conference 2025. The logo is a nod to the Western Forest Genetics Association (WFGA), the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Committee (SFTIC), & the Northern Forest Genetics Association (NFGA). June 23-27th, hosted by the Schatz Centre at Penn State, in State College, PA

20.06.2025 15:36 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Understanding animal physiology in all its forms necessitates asking hard-to-measure questions. Until his retirement last year, @zoology.ubc.ca was lucky enough to have Bruce Gillespie create custom equipment for over 25 yrs, assisting us in quantifying our research. Here are a few of his creations.

04.04.2025 17:05 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

28.03.2025 17:42 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Van Kam Collaborates with Artist Rush Dhillon to Visualize Core Values - VAN KAM FREIGHTWAYS LTD. At Van Kam, we understand that the soul of a company lies not just in its services or its history, but in the values it upholds and lives by each day. Recently, we embarked on a creative journey to re...

It was fantastic to work with a local company so committed to their employees and the communities they serve.
www.vankam.com/portal/van-k...

21.03.2025 17:59 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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From the archives - a little different from my usual projects, but a rewarding one: Van Kam is a Canadian company owned and operating out of Western Canada for almost 70 years. A while back they asked me to help them visualize their core values: Care, Achieve, and Develop.

21.03.2025 17:59 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

rightwhalegenomes.ca/static/site-...

14.03.2025 22:09 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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14.03.2025 22:09 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Recent paper from the lab of @tfrasierdna.bsky.social. The endangered North Atlantic right whale suffer from low genetic diversity and high mutation load, which can impact recovery. However, genetic purging has reduced harmful mutations, potentially contributing to future recovery.

14.03.2025 22:09 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Great evening with some @y2y.bsky.social friends discussing wildlife conservation and coexistence in the Elk Valley and beyond. Awesome to have graphics from @rushstudio.bsky.social and Fuse consulting anchoring our discussions. Exciting solutions for highway collisions and bear conflicts brewing.

09.03.2025 17:34 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Erosion of Threatened Southern Mountain Caribou Migration Migration enables animals to access seasonally and spatially varying resources, resulting in greater abundance compared to analogous non-migratory wildlife. Both Western science and Indigenous knowle...

Thus, conservation efforts need to protect these migratory behaviours with landscape-level protections that preserve this flow of biomass and the communities that benefit from their movement. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.70095

07.03.2025 19:15 πŸ‘ 0 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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New paper by Lamb et al. (@claytontlamb.bsky.social). Southern mountain caribou exhibit both vertical and horizontal migration, but migratory behaviours are under threat due to disturbances, particularly at lower elevations.

07.03.2025 19:15 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0