Kate McMahon

Master's Student in Biodiversity Conservation @SussexUni
Tweeting about the Evolution, Behavior, and Environment seminar series

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

The wealthiest 1% of the global population is responsible for 50% of all emissions, but Attenborough still largely attributes climate change to overpopulation and blames low income countries with high birth rates. Was disappointed in #ALifeOnOurPlanet and found it a bit tone deaf

[SK @samjknights]

Can someone please tell David Attenborough that population growth is the least influential part of the climate change calculation? It is so irresponsible to talk about population growth without explaining that consumption and inequality are far bigger problems.

[Bird Conservation International journal @bci_journal]

⚠️ The European Turtle-dove's population has plummeted by 30% over three generations - but it's still legal to hunt it in 10 European countries. A new study finds that current hunting levels are more than double the sustainable limit: https://t.co/Dk8Mu44ABN #ornithology

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

If the global population stopped eating beef, it would have a bigger immediate climactic impact than if every car in the world disappeared. Beef is always unsustainable & “organic” or “grass-fed” wastes even more resources. #2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

- 16th century colonization killed ~50 million indigenous people
- Atmospheric CO2 levels declined by 47-67% around the same time

Read about the climactic impacts of genocide (and let's change thanksgiving into indigenous people's day):
https://t.co/iQEBysxab8

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

When European settlers colonized the Americas, they killed so many #indigenous people that CO2 decreased and the climate cooled. Climatologists were once perplexed by the Little Ice Age, but they now suggest mass genocide was the cause. Happy #Thanksgiving.

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

The inability of scientists to clearly and simply communicate with the public is a major reason for climate denial! Journalists misrepresenting data and creating false, sensationalist stories further destroys scientific credibility.

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

A news story has circulated referring to koalas as “functionally extinct” - they are endangered, but this was a huge misinterpretation by journalists, maybe looking for clickbait? Exchanging accurate info between scientists and the public matters! #2019EBE
https://t.co/vXx2fm3MTW

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Around 90% of coral will be lost by 2040 w/o intervention. Community-driven conservation can help. Most corals are found near developing countries w/ high poverty. Training citizen scientists to engage their communities is effective - and both corals and people benefit. #2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Coral reefs in the Red Sea are some of the healthiest in the world. This may because they’re already adapted to natural temperature fluctuations (cold winters & hot summers). Could transplanting these #climate resilient species help save other reefs? #2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

America’s obsession with lawns is unsustainable. They are mostly non-native (european turf grasses) & require an extraordinary amount of water - around 9billion gallons per day in the US! We need to reconsider our idea of “beauty” in landscaping. Let it go #wild instead #2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Barbara McClintock discovered transposable elements (jumping genes) when experimenting with color mutations of maize kernels in the 1940s. Being a female geneticist, she received little recognition until she was finally awarded the Nobel Prize in 1983. #WomenInScience #2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Transposable elements - the part of DNA that jumps to different locations within a genome - can trigger mutations & diseases. But they’re not all bad! They create genetic diversity by promoting rapid adaptation under stress, which may help species acclimatize.
#2019EBE #genetics

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Hybrid species are often more productive than their parents: this is a phenomenon called hybrid vigor. When you breed a female horse with a male donkey, you get a mule - which is stronger than both of its individual parents.

#2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Read the paper about the fiery implications of rewilding at @RSocPublishing 👇

https://t.co/CpJF8WNV0F

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Could #rewilding be the new approach to control increasing #wildfires? Large herbivores limit available fuel for fires (reducing leaf litter and density of vegetation) which decreases their frequency & intensity. Current strategies seem inadequate as Cali burns.

#2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Wouldn’t it be useful if nature had created outer protective layers of fruits so we wouldn’t need packaging? No worries though! @Coopuk on @SussexUni’s campus has solved this pressing issue so we can all safely eat banana peels.

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Male & female fruit flies need different diets to maximise their fitness. Females need extra protein to support their eggs, while males need more carbs to have enough energy to chase down mates. Sounds unfair. I want more #carbs too.

#2019EBE

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Mexican archaeologists recently unearthed mammoth bones trapped within hunting pits. This is proof that humans actively hunted mammoths - and will help solve the mystery of who or what lead to the extinctions of the #megafauna.

#2019EBE

https://t.co/KIMI1akvAm

[ScientistsForXR @scientistsx.bsky.social @ScientistsX]

#Rewilding has attracted a lot of attention, but also a lot of hyperbole. This review in @sciencemagazine looks at the science behind the concept, and how we might do rewilding at large scales https://t.co/RsNuTcM80Y

[Kate McMahon @RewildingKate]

Would you rather have a chocolate bar or a kale salad? Unlike humans, fruitflies consistently choose the option that best supports their fitness. In lab experiments, fruitflies opted for the feeding straw w/ the healthiest option for their individual needs.

#2019EBE