Never underestimate the power of “huh, that’s weird…” in the hands and head of a scientist.

Itai Yanai@itaiyanai.bsky.social · 2d ago

1. CRISPR came from basic research on bacteria. 2. Optogenetics started with a discovery in algae. 3. The GFP protein comes from jellyfish. The biggest breakthroughs all trace to scientists following their curiosity, and this is one huge reason why we must keep funding basic research!

I cut up the 1554 figures of Hahn/Koch's amazing "Die Arachniden", and built a 42×37 A3/A1 poster and a gallery website from it. These copper engravings were hand-painted for each published copy. #iNaturalist #arachnids #spiders #biodiversity

Die Arachniden: every figure on one poster

1,554 hand-colored figures of spiders, scorpions, harvestmen and mites by C. W. Hahn and C. L. Koch (1831 to 1847), arranged by family, with a searchable key.

koch.kimbaro.com

Let me highly recommend the Biodiversity Heritage Library as another resource, particularly for weird natural history images - here’s a wild person-mantis from around 1715, for example: www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/34387920

My latest @newscientist.com cartoon

How are plants and Fascism related? This is Chile. We went in August and I was surprised to find SO few native plants… THE most effective way to stabilize soil and prevent flooding: Slope-stabilizing native plants. (Keep reading for tips).🧵… Chili is flooding due to so few native plants. Why? 🌱

Essa foto é pra enquadrar. O motorista de olhos fechados, sorrindo, punho em riste, se unindo à manifestação que passa em frente ao ônibus. No reflexo, mulheres sorrindo, felizes, celebrando. Vai dar certo. É preciso dar um jeito, meus amigos.

matheus reis@casadeespelho.com · 3d ago

respostando com alt

Evidence and uncertainty in the future pathways of insects under global change academic.oup.com/aesa/article... #insectdecline #insects #entomology

Evidence and uncertainty in the future pathways of insects under global change

Abstract. Insects are essential for life on Earth, yet anthropogenic environmental changes have led to declines in insect biomass, abundance, and species r

academic.oup.com

"The microscopy community wrote an open letter.... "A potentially misleading portrayal of PCD is shaping public understanding of an already poorly understood rare disease," the letter stated." AI can set science back with it's false "findings" Also, the new winning video is so cool! I 💜 microbes

ABC News Australia@news.abc.net.au · 2d ago

Winner of Nikon's Small World In Motion competition was AI generated

Muy inspirador

Gabriel Cardona@doccaligary.bsky.social · 2d ago

Gracias por tanta inspiración

A Paulo Freire responsabilizo de mi vocación. Cucho! Lo llevo en mi corazón!

There is a lot of doom in the air around the twin existential threats of AI and climate change. Can we use this moment of rapid infrastructure expansion to kickstart our transition to clean energy? My full conversation with climate tech expert Steph Speirs is live on YouTube now!

Can the AI Power Problem Lead to a Cleaner Future? (with Steph Speirs)

YouTube video by Elle Cordova

youtu.be

@zotero.org

Dan Cohen@dancohen.org · 6d ago

On the 20th anniversary of Zotero's 1.0 release on October 5, 2006, I wrote a history of the collaboration and years it took to create the popular research tool now used by over 20 million people: newsletter.dancohen.org/archive/the-...

In the last couple of years, we've seen multiple critical collections (museums, herbaria) close. The IUCN--the global authority on the status of biodiversity--recently published on how important these kinds of facilities are in conservation. Every day, the dead are working to protect the living.

From collections to conservation: the indispensable role of natural history museums

The IUCN Species Survival Commission has published a Position Statement on the vital role of biological collections in biodiversity conservation: a formal acknowledgement that natural history museums,...

iucn.org

So turns out the answer to “if Franklin knew it was a helix why wasn’t it in her notes” turns out to be “because the famous photo was a second, better photograph she took for accuracy and all the useful notes stayed with the earlier flawed photo where she talks about it being a helix.”

Science Magazine@science.org · 7d ago

Exclusive: A new analysis refutes James Watson’s claim that he was the first to recognize the significance of the famed photograph 51. https://scim.ag/4rTKck8

Do you know what to do if you feel earthquake shaking? If you live in North America and the ground starts to shake the recommended action is to “drop, cover, and hold on”.

Biology student Roberto León found a spider while hiking a nature reserve in the Andes. As he maneuvered it out of cover, it jumped straight at his friend's chest. So he named it 'Satanas'. Spanish for "Satan".👹🕷️ Not because it was EVIL, just wily & unpredictable. (📷: Pedro Peñaherrera-R.)

“The American Museum of Natural History is accepting applications for an Assistant Curator in Ichthyology OR Mammalogy. See details of the job post below.” careers.amnh.org/postings/4925

i think it may be conscious

You still have time to submit your abstracts!

They'll never beat _Nanocthulhu lovecrafti_ (Buffington), named for its tentacle like clypeal protrusions

I am looking for graduate students to join my lab in Fall 2027. If your interests lie within the realms of phylogenetics, macroevolution, and/or invertebrate biodiversity please reach out to me!!

You've seen fireworks that look like jellyfish, but what about a jellyfish that looks like fireworks? The E/V Nautilus filmed this rare Halitrephes maasi jellyfish glowing like a firework at a depth of 4,019 feet (1,225 meters) off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. (📷: Ocean Exploration Trust)

The ubiquity of insect-vertebrate interactions makes clear that widespread #insect #declines are likely to seriously affect many vertebrate populations www.nature.com/articles/s44... #biodiversity #ecology #InsectDecline

The importance of insect biodiversity for vertebrates - Nature Reviews Biodiversity

Changes in insect diversity and abundance can affect vertebrates but understanding these consequences relies on having rich information about vertebrate–insect interactions. This Review summarizes the...

nature.com

Exciting news! We here at the LSU Museum of Natural Science @lsumns.bsky.social and Dept. of Biological Sciences are looking for Curator and Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Paleobiology! Come work with us! We are fun, supportive and active! lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/jo...

Assistant Professor

All Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre...

lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com

I did this last year, by which I mean, I did nothing. No raking. No mowing. And guess what? My lawn was fine! And we had lightning bugs and butterflies galore this summer! I am very happy to give up this one tedious chore and never do it again.

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation@xercessociety.bsky.social · 4w ago

Every year we make the case for keeping leaves, branches, & plant stems in your yard. Bugs need them for shelter! That’s not to say you can’t tidy up: rake leaves into garden beds, around trees, or just in a pile out of the way. All we ask is that you #LeaveTheLeaves! 🍂🐝 xerces.org/blog/leave-t...

@amcuervo.bsky.social 👇🏾

Catherine Sheard@sheardcat.bsky.social · 2w ago

I absolutely love this paper -- Menezes & Podos in Evolution demonstrate that loudness is linked to body size and gap width, but apparently not to habitat or mating system, across 123 Brazilian & US species. academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Magical creatures don’t exist, eh? Roughly 400 million years ago, before the birth of trees, there were giant mystery cones called “Prototaxites,” which grew nearly 30 feet tall. We literally have no idea what they were. Plant: no Mushroom: no Animal: no Tell me this isn’t a little bit magic

With all the news of museums being closed and/or defunded, I feel the message of our paper on the importance of natural history research (and the collections housing those specimens) is just as relevant (or more) today as it was when it was published. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Data supporting the point above: “34–40% of our sample would trust research findings and scientists less when AI is used.” doi.org/10.1016/j.re...