Noah Whiteman
@nkwhiteman
Personal account, views are mine alone. Coevolution researcher: www.whitemanlab.org / Author: www.mostdeliciouspoison.com / Professor + Head, Division of Genetics, Genomics, Evolution and Development, Molecular & Cell Biology, UC-Berkeley / 🌍 ☮️ 🕊️.
I turned 50 today! I am truly grateful to be here and feeling better than ever. I hope for more peace, more prosperity, and a flourishing biosphere in the next 50. Sending hugs to all.
Turn volume up when you watch this this slomo video: a bumblebee visits one of our tomato flowers and “buzz pollinates” it by vibrating her wing muscles to knock pollen out of the fused stamens! The moment she does this you can see it and hear it! Coevolution at its finest…
Two amazing native plants at Tomales Point: Cobweb thistle (Cirsium occidentale) and Coastal bush lupine (Lupinus arboreus)…air filled with perfume!
My encounter with some majestic Tule elk bulls at Tomales Point (Point Reyes National Seashore). These elk roam freely on the point and see people every day on the trail, so this was safe. Sorry for the heavy breathing! I was on a run.
Happy 4th in this bewildering era...apropos of that, I've had my own "Finding Your Roots" moment: I am a first cousin (nine generations ago) of Benjamin Franklin, the enslaver, printer, writer, editor, inventor, scientist, Founding Father, diplomat, postmaster general, and eventual abolitionist.
That’s Neil Shubin @neilshubin.bsky.social up there being mobbed by fans at #Evolution2026 @sse-evolution.bsky.social after his Stephen J. Gould Award lecture! It was such an inspiring start to this meeting and I’m so glad the society selected him for this award.
American Robin nest 🪺 with those beautiful blue eggs. Biliverdin is deposited on the developing eggshell and in 2+chicken breeds (1+ in Latin America/Europe and 1 in China), an endogenous retrovirus has inserted itself in different locations near SLCO1B3, affecting its regulation! Papers below:
The artichoke flower (well a composit, so, many flowers) two days ago. Forgot to post an update. It’s progressing. Isn’t it beautiful?
Happy Pride! I don’t get really excited until June 28, actual Pride. I’m about to turn 50 and came of age at height of the AIDS crisis…I was a terrified teenager…So much has been gained but we have a long way to go, especially for my trans brothers and sisters. Love you **all**. Keep being you.
Ok look closely far upper left looks like honeybee but is a harmless hoverfly that has evolved to mimic bees. Lower right and lower left are honeybees. The fly and bees compete for pollen and nectar and you’ll see the fly chase one of the bees away at the end and circle back. The fly cannot sting…
