Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA) header
Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA) profile picture

Craig Smith

@Smith_CraigA

Teaching and research academic (developmental biology/genetics), evolution fan, globe-trotting nature lover, animal fanatic . 🧬🔬 🐣🏳️‍🌈. Views are my own.

 Monash University, Melbourne
monash.edu/discovery-institute/smith-lab
Joined August 2019
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Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)Photo by Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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PNASNews (@PNASNews) profile picture
PNASNews@PNASNewsNov 6
Red blood cells have been found in a 115-million-year-old theropod dinosaur from Brazil. The researchers also identified heme B—a key molecule in blood. Manganese mineral stabilization of the red blood cells likely helped preserve the heme. In PNAS: ow.ly/tEwf5104eFp
Illustration of heme and heme breakdown products in individual red blood cells preserved in limb bone material of the theropod dinosaur Aratasaurus. CREDIT: Victor O. Leshyk.

ALT Illustration of heme and heme breakdown products in individual red blood cells preserved in limb bone material of the theropod dinosaur Aratasaurus. CREDIT: Victor O. Leshyk.

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Well, what have we here? A White-bellied Sea Eagle sharing a branch with a Wedge-tailed Eagle. Swansea, Tasmania, Australia (2022). #tasmania #DiscoverTasmania #birdphotography #birds
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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After a sunny Sydney day, there’s a storm a’ comin.
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Jacarandas in flower on my walk to the SRB ( Reproductive Biology) conference this morning. Sydney, Australia.
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Nothing like conferences to fire up one's enthusiasm for science. One this past week and one again next week ! Happy Friday to all. Craig's wildlife photo of the week. A greater FlamIngo, Walvis Bay, Namibia (Africa, 2017). @NTBSA @namibia_tourism
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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For anyone interested in Bali, Indonesia, here are my pics from August (animals, mainly !) flic.kr/s/aHBqjD8nhT
Bali (8/2026)

Bali (8/2026)

Seminyak, Ubud, Nusa Penida, Sanur, Uluwatu.

flickr.com
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Happy Friday to people near and far. Craig's wildlife photo of the week. Leopard, Kwai, Botswana, Africa (2017) #Botswana.
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Green jungle Fowl, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. @Ubud_tourism @worldbirds32 @birdsoftoday
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Introducing the Spiny-cheeked honeyeater. (Victoria, Southern Australia)
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Portrait of a Mallee Ringneck. (Victoria, Australia, 2025).
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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Well, that was a productive week in the lab. Some successes, one failure. But that's science !! Happy Friday. Craig's wildlife photo of the week. This is a Cerulean Kingfisher with breakfast. Flores, Indonesia (9/2026). #BirdsSeenIn2026 #komodo
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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Portrait of a Red-Rumped Parrot. Australia ( land of parrots!)
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Our latest paper is out , in PLOS Genetics! @MonashBDI journals.plos.org/plosgeneti…
New insights into Müllerian duct differentiation provided by single cell transcriptomics in the...

New insights into Müllerian duct differentiation provided by single cell transcriptomics in the...

Author summary In vertebrate embryos, Müllerian ducts give rise to the female reproductive tract. Aberrations in duct development cause reproductive disorders, many of which have an unknown etiology....

journals.plos.org
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Craig's wildlife photo of the week. This "panther" (melanistic leopard) appeared completely black to the naked eye. But the camera sees more colours and shades than our eyes can. You can see its spots in this image. (Tadoba National Park, India, 2019).
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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Regent bowerbird incoming. (Lamington National Park, SE Queensland, Australia).
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Sahul sunbird, North Queensland, Australia.
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After giving you the pink robin, flame robin and eastern yellow robin, today I present the scarlet robin. ( Plenty Gorge, Victoria, Australia.)
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I usually see white-faced herons strutting demurely or standing still in a pond. These two were actively duelling. (Victoria, Australia.)
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Behold, the Tenggara paradise flycatcher. (Flores, Indonesia, 8/2026)
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
Image from Craig Smith (@Smith_CraigA)
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These little ravens and magpies were not very pleased that someone had sent a drone up this morning. (Melbourne , Australia)
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