I genuinely wish that all snakes would move the way the horned viper does in this figure.
15.02.2026 12:06
๐ 0
๐ 0
๐ฌ 0
๐ 0
I genuinely wish that all snakes would move the way the horned viper does in this figure.
ASIH is soliciting nominations for the 2026 Margaret Stewart Achievement Award for Excellence - to be awarded to a mid-career scientist in Herpetology. Deadline 20 April 2026. Info here: www.asih.org/awards/stewa... ๐ธ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข Please share and repost!
๐จPhD position available!๐จ๐งช
I am seeking a talented PhD student to join my ERC StG project GEMINI, to explore the exciting world of vertebrate genomics and comparative genomics, seeking to understand the genomics of miniaturisation! ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ธ๐๐ฆ ๐ค๐งฌ
Deadline: 4 Jan 2026!
employment.ku.dk/phd?show=153...
Donโt forget about the #FindThatLizard Scholarship!! Please share
#science #scholarship #funding #herps #HERpers #lizards #snakes #frogs #salamanders #game #challenge #education
Figure 1 from a paper published in Nature (linked in post). The figure purports to be an infographic depiction of the "Overall working of the framework" for 'explainably' diagnosing autism spectrum disorder. The infographic is plainly nonsense, containing many spelling errors, nonsense words, meaningless images and graphs. Clearly created using generative AI and (crucially) NEVER CHECKED AT ANY STEP OF THE WRITING OR PUBLICATION PROCESS.
Hey @nature.com, have you got an explanation for how the hell THIS happened? & especially why you accepted a paper with such a bizarre piece of genAI slop in it?!
& more to the point, why we should take you seriously at all going forward?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The Natural History Museum Denmark is seeking a new Head of Conservation Unit! The conservation team here works on a wide array of incredible specimens, and are hard at work preparing for the new museum opening in spring 2027! candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationI...
What a fun study to read while preparing my PhD application:
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
"Yes, we CAM! First evidence of CAM photosynthesis in a carnivorous plant" super happy to have been part of this work with @njorisfleck.bsky.social Prof Gudrun Kadereit, Andreas Fleischmann and Thibaud Messerschmid! I hope it's the first of many at LMU ๐๐๐ต๐ถ
doi.org/10.1111/plb....
Former lab member @njorisfleck.bsky.social and colleagues just showed that some carnivorous plants do CAM photosynthesis! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
๐ฑโ๏ธ๐งช
My first ever lead-author paper got published! ๐
Many thanks to my supervisors and co-workers!
(Also, please note the punny title)
+++ Hissscord๐ NEWS +++
Hissscord just reached 100 members! ๐
That's an international assembly of 100 scientists of various career stages working in herpetology, all joined in one server to network and to support each other.
Wanna join? Send me a message!
(Free, not my attempt to finance my PhD)
A new post about the three #newspecies of toad we have just described from Tanzania, feat @christianthrane.bsky.social, Simon Loader, @alicepetzold.bsky.social, John Lyakurwa, and Michele Menegon! ๐งช๐ธ๐น๐ฟ
www.markscherz.com/archives/6208
A Mossy Leaf-tail Gecko with partially shed skin, resembling a ghost
Happy Halloween!๐๐ฌ
We found this stunning Mossy Leaf-tail Gecko (Uroplatus sikorae Boettger, 1913) โฃshedding its skin in Madagascar, 2024. I waited a whole year to post this photo for Halloween! ๐ป
Ever hear a snake heartbeat? ๐ ๐ซ (Sound UP)
Our vets have noticed some irregular heart activity in Arroyo, the California King snake, so theyโre using a doppler ultrasound machine, which allows them to hear the heart rate easily and count the amount of time between heartbeats.
๐ข๐ข๐ข #YSF2025 ABSTRACT SUBMISSION CLOSES THIS SATURDAY OCT 25TH 11:59PM GMT+1 ๐ข๐ข๐ข
If you are a student or early career researcher working on phylogenetics/taxonomy/systematics, join us online on Nov 14th for this year's (free!) Young Systematists' Forum!
REGISTER: tinyurl.com/2w5n3e8
Applications for the MEME programme (www.evobio.eu
) are now open! MEME is a research- and mobility-oriented masterโs in evolutionary biology (& Iโm a proud alumna!), jointly run by the Unis of Groningen, Uppsala, Montpellier, and LMU Munich, with Harvard and Lausanne as partners. Spread the word!
๐จ Postdoc in evolutionary genomics of heat stress adaptation position at @ucddublin.bsky.social.
๐ Dublin, Ireland
Closes: 15th Oct 2025
๐ www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOV094/u...
Join us Nov 14th for #YSF2025, a completely free, online conference where postgraduate students (and other early career researchers) present their work on systematics, taxonomy and/or phylogenetics.
Abstract submission closes Oct 25th!
REGISTER: tinyurl.com/2fvmmthc
systass.org/young-system...
That comment made my day, cheers! ๐
๐ธ ๐
๐ซ๐๐, ๐ง๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐-๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ง๐จ๐ง-๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ: This is not my business-plan to finance my PhD, but a platform for our scientific community
Whether youโre doing your first field project or leading your own lab, this is a place to connect and collaborate with others who share your passion. ๐โจ
#hissscord
๐ธ ๐๐๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ฒ from the community, instead of waiting weeks for a cryptic response from your supervisor
๐ธ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
๐ธ ๐๐๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค with herpetologists worldwide
๐ธ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ with different sub-channels for, e.g., coding help, fieldwork, methodology-related questions and more
+++ Hissscord๐ NEWS +++
Second call for joining our server! ๐ธ
Hissscord is open to everyone in the scientific herpetological community, from students to established researchers.
๐ฌ DM me for an invite to the Discord channel, or reach out via email: hissscord[at]gmail.com
Please share!๐ฃ
Most of my group gathered in one place for the first time possibly ever. From left to right, former master's student Collin Bos, current postdoc Alice Petzold, me (Mark D. Scherz), former bachelor's student Joris Fleck, and current master's student and former bachelor's student Clara Keusgen.
Having a diffuse research group means that I rarely get to spend any time with my group in 3D. It was a great delight therefore to be joined by @collinbos.bsky.social @alicepetzold.bsky.social @njorisfleck.bsky.social and @clarakeusgen.bsky.social together in Bonn for the #SEH2025! ๐งช๐ธ๐ฆ๐๐งฌ
Herpetology is the science of reptiles and amphibians, and usually unrelated to herpes. That said, some reptiles can catch herpesvirusesโitโs actually quite feared among turtle keepers, for example. ๐ข
+++ Hissscord๐ NEWS +++
Our new server is live! ๐
A free space for young and experienced herpetologists to connect, collaborate, and get quick help.
๐ฌ DM me here on Bluesky or elsewhere for an invite to the Discord channel!
Please feel free to share and repost!
#Herpetology #SEH2025 #Hissscord
We are hiring!! ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ 2 year postdoc to work on on the evolution of brains in snakes and lizards (on our current ARC Discovery project).
Applications close 25th March 2025!
careers.adelaide.edu.au/cw/en/job/51...
That'd be awesome! I'll start distributing the link to the channel soon.
Iโm setting up a Discord server for young herpetologists, derived from an idea at #SEH2025. The goal is to create a space for quick help, collaboration, and networking. If youโd like to give input or get involved, let me know!
#herpetology
Iโve been spending A LOT of time in scientific collections.
Outside, the weather keeps changing. Inside? Permanent chill.
35ยฐC? Iโm freezing my butt off in the collections.
-4ยฐC? Still freezing my butt off in the collections.
The only constant in my life right now is museum-grade air conditioning.
A lizard hanging onto a plastic fence in Italy.
An Italian wall lizard (Podarcis siculus) found in Castiglione della Pescaia, Italy
#Herpetology #lizard #herping
