I like bugs and burgers. And DNA. But mainly burgers 🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔🍔 Lecturer in Micro and Molecular Biology at Manchester Met. All views my own.

Joined April 2018
17 Photos and videos
Waiting for a refill of their Royal Robin Mix 🤣 #giddygatefarm instagram.com/p/CNnrdLJpcmbv…

A couple of blue tits loving their new bird feeder. A jackdaw and magpie free zone! #giddygatefarm instagram.com/p/CNnrI_AJVEjP…

One of today's visitors, a chaffinch loving the Royal Robin Mix #giddygatefarm instagram.com/p/CNnqcCsJeT1G…

Let’s turn good news into great news! @CadburyUK, please make #TwirlOrangeForever 👇
@micromelling retweeted
A Bat CATastrophe? @RobynAnneGrant & @drkirstyshaw blog about the impact of domestic #cats on #bats: buff.ly/2O1Gnab

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@micromelling retweeted
There is a Bat CATastrophe going on! Find out more in our new paper in @Ecol_Evol about how we used forensic DNA analysis to find cat DNA on lots of bat wing tears: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/… @ran777no @drkirstyshaw @GaryDougill @micromelling @_BCT_
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Bat box finally up. The local cats will need stilts to get up there! 🦇
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@micromelling retweeted
29 May 2020
5/5 #WBTC1 #Conserve4 Forensic 🧬 analysis can complement 👀data, potentially giving a more accurate estimation of 🐱 predation on 🦇. Thanks to #MMUBatResearch @ran777no @robynannegrant @micromelling @garydougill and all the #batrehabilitators

ALT csi miami GIF

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@micromelling retweeted
29 May 2020
4/5 #WBTC1 #Conserve4 We then looked at 11 short tandem repeat markers in the 🐱🧬(similar to those used in crime scene investigation in humans) and were able to produce partial 🧬profiles for 1/3rd of samples. This could be used to link predation events to individual 🐈🐈‍⬛
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@micromelling retweeted
29 May 2020
3/5 #WBTC1 #Conserve4 Using real-time PCR (a sensitive detection technique), we looked for the presence/absence of 🐱🧬. We found 🐱🧬 in 2/3rds of wing swab samples. There were no significance differences due to the species, age or gender of the 🦇
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@micromelling retweeted
29 May 2020
2/5 #WBTC1 #Conserve4 We asked #batrehabilitators in 🇬🇧 to take swabs of injured wings from 🦇 in their care. The majority were Pipistrellus pipistrellus. The wings showed a variety of injuries including holes and tears – check out @robynannegrant in #EvoBeh1 from Wed for 📷
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@micromelling retweeted
29 May 2020
1/5 #WBTC1 #Conserve4 🐱predation upon 🦇species has been reported to have significant effects on 🦇populations in both 🏞️ and 🏙️ areas. Can forensic 🧬 analysis tell us ‘whodunnit’? #BatCATastrophe @MMUEcolEnv @_BCT_ @mammal_society @wildwoodtrust
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@micromelling retweeted
12 Feb 2020
Congratulations to @LPat012 who successfully defended her PhD today #proudsupervisor with @micromelling @captain_ion @Alexander_Iles and Kathryn Whitehead! 🥳 @MMU_NATSCI @MMUEngage @MMU_Research
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@micromelling retweeted
2 May 2020
Check out our latest paper looking at bat wing tears and flight 🦇🦇 @micromelling @MMUEcolEnv @EcolGenLab @MMU_Research
Exciting! Our new paper on bat wing tears affecting flight is out now! @ran777no @drkirstyshaw @GaryDougill #BatCatastrophe
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@micromelling retweeted
28 May 2020
1/5 #WBTC1 #EvoBeh2 Bat wings are thin, delicate and prone to tearing. Thousands of bats with wing tears are admitted to rescue centres annually in the🇬🇧. But how do we measure their effect on flight? And when are bats ready for release? @MMUEcolEnv @_BCT_ #BatCatastrophe
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@micromelling retweeted
5/5 #WBTC1 #EvoBeh1 So why more tears in the plagiopatagium? We propose that cats are targeting bats bodies and their claws are tearing the wing. This is also confirmed by #batcarer observations. Sad, but great work by @ran777no @_BCT_ #BatCatastrophe 🦇🐱
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@micromelling retweeted
4/5 #WBTC1 #EvoBeh1 Material testing P.pipistrellus wings showed that the plagiopatagium was not weaker than the other wing sections. Although tears here are likely to take longer to heal.
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@micromelling retweeted
3/5 #WBTC1 #EvoBeh1 Unfortunately the plagiopatagium has few, large blood vessels, so is likely to be prone to bleeding and not heal quickly. Thankfully a network of fibers stops tears from ripping too much in all the wing sections
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