The Prime Minister, @andyburnham.bsky.social, has spoken about being honest about the challenges we face. So, as we welcome our new Prime Minister and cabinet, let's start there: Nature is disappearing. The climate crisis is accelerating. The UK cannot thrive while both continue unchecked.

Did you know that wasps can recognise faces?! 🤯 There's much more to these insects than just being the uninvited guests at your summer picnic... Listen to Beauty of the Beasts by @jowimpenny.bsky.social now on Spotify (listed as a Spotify Best Nonfiction Book of the Year So Far! 🥳)

Just realised that BOTB is both the only nature/science book in this list and also the only Bloomsbury title - I’m feeling very happy to be flying both flags! open.spotify.com/playlist/37i...

Editors' Picks: Best Nonfiction Books of the Year So Far

Playlist · Spotify · 17 items · 10 saves

open.spotify.com

Jo Wimpenny@jowimpenny.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Umm, so this happened 🤯 Still pinching myself - what a way to end the week!

Umm, so this happened 🤯 Still pinching myself - what a way to end the week!

Bloomsbury Wildlife@chiffchat.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Huge congratulations to @jowimpenny.bsky.social - Beauty of the Beasts has been selected as a Spotify Nonfiction Book of the Year! Listen to the audiobook here: open.spotify.com/show/5BFkYUw...

LOVE that this was inspired by my book 😍 Can’t wait to hear how these beasts are received…

ASAB Education Committee@asabeducation.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It’s Big Bang 💥in Schools! We’re here in Hackney - what young people know about animal behaviour and why studying it is important. Inspired by @jowimpenny.bsky.social ‘s book Beauty of the Beasts. Vultures, slow loris, wasps and rats - cute? or not? And why we should think about it 🐝🐀🦅🙊

Wind and solar have now beaten fossil fuels in Great Britain for a record 15 months in a row Just a decade ago, fossil fuels were generating four times more than wind + solar Now that's flipped: Since the Iran war, wind and solar generated twice as much as fossil fuels

Hello, my new book, Beauty of the Beasts, was released in the US today! And it is VERY excited to meet its readers. Pick up a copy now and discover if 🦈 have friends, why 🐍 like to cuddle, how 🪳 are sometime cute, how 🐝 keep our gardens pest-free and much more! @chiffchat.bsky.social

✊ EVERY HUMAN So delighted with this wonderful review by Jaz 💚

Jaz 🐞@jazzyinthewild.bsky.social · 4mo ago

'This book needs to be read by every human.' An instant new favourite, Beauty Of The Beasts is an excellent read for all nature lovers & haters 📚🌿 Click to read my full review: www.instagram.com/p/DXJd2X6CMB... Thank you @chiffchat.bsky.social for the #gifted copy! @jowimpenny.bsky.social 💚

‘There were talon marks in the chocolate!’ Recounting when a red kite tried to steal John’s magnum for today’s Tweet of the Day www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC Radio 4 - Tweet of the Day, Jo Wimpenny on the Red Kite

Zoologist and writer Jo Wimpenny on a close encounter with a red kite.

bbc.co.uk

This 👇

Helen Czerski@helenczerski.bsky.social · 4mo ago

It's only worth going back to the Moon if it makes us look properly again at Earth, and appreciate how beautiful, precious and fragile what we have here is. The most famous images from Apollo aren't about the Moon - they're pictures of Earth. We need to stop taking our home for granted.

“…it should be noted that this book is extremely fun. Wimpenny approaches her subjects (whether maggots, otters, cockroaches or humans) with an openhearted tone that manages to be equal parts playful and informative.” Love this review - informative and fun is exactly what I wanted!

British Wildlife@britishwildlife.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Sam Hackney reviews @jowimpenny.bsky.social's Beauty of the Beasts, a celebration of underappreciated and unloved animals from @chiffchat.bsky.social - www.britishwildlife.com/beauty-of-th...

A sneaky peek into some of the beasts in my book 👇 Available now!

Bloomsbury Wildlife@chiffchat.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Snakes have complex social bonds, rats giggle when tickled, and maggots can heal wounds... Read this piece from @jowimpenny.bsky.social about the remarkable lives of misunderstood animals! 🐍🐀✨ https://bit.ly/47lJQt9

The world could be such a nice place if we allowed it. It's all so goddamn unnecessary. There's no need for any of it. It's so beautiful here. It should be so cool to be alive

Tbh this almost makes me want to take up running

Turns out that Oxford is a hot spot for beauty in/of the beasts 🤣 The only reasonable thing is to read them both!

Hugh Warwick@hedgehoghugh.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Thrilled that @jowimpenny.bsky.social has a new book - so much good in Beauty of the Beasts ... even if the title reminds me of something!!! hughwarwick.substack.com/p/beauty-of-...

Oh hey, it’s just my new book taking flight into the world - read on to find out why these beautiful beasts deserve so much more from us… Available today in all good bookshops! And don’t take my word for it - New Scientist picked it as one of the best pop-sci books released this month, woohoo! 🥳

Bloomsbury Wildlife@chiffchat.bsky.social · 6mo ago

A love letter to misunderstood animals 💛 From wasps that offer free pest control to snakes whose venom could help cure cancer, this book shows why the least‑loved creatures deserve our respect. Beauty of the Beasts by @jowimpenny.bsky.social is out now!

And while it’s still February, I’m going to keep bumping this 🤣

Jo Wimpenny@jowimpenny.bsky.social · 6mo ago

And, incredibly, me! Yes, Beauty of the Beasts is included in New Scientist’s best new popular science books of Feb 2026 🤯 *pinches self*

The second #kakapo chick of the #kakapo2026 breeding season hatched this morning: Hine Taumai-A1-2026 on Ako's nest on Te Kākahu. We transferred the egg from Anchor two nights ago. This is Ako's first-ever chick, which is just a few hours old in this video. #conservation #birds #parrots

A reminder of one of the loveliest pairs of siblings in the dictionary: ‘muscle’ and ‘mouse’. To the Roman imagination, the flexed biceps of a (typically naked) athlete resembled a rodent scuttling under the skin. ‘Musculus’, in Latin, means ‘little mouse’.

notopalantir.goodlawproject.org/email-to-tar...

Say no to Palantir in the NHS

NHS England is rolling out software to run our health records from Palantir - fight back

notopalantir.goodlawproject.org

Egg-cellent news! The first California condor eggs of the season have been laid at our wildlife conservation center, and more could be on the way.

‘A charming, entertaining glimpse into the lives of unjustly scorned animals.’ Beauty of the Beasts comes out in the UK on Feb 26th, and in the US on April 28th! 🥳 Pre-orders and shares very welcome! #booksky #nonfiction @chiffchat.bsky.social www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews...

BEAUTY OF THE BEASTS | Kirkus Reviews

Sharks and mosquitoes get their time in the spotlight in this lively natural history.

kirkusreviews.com

Let’s pretend - the animal version! Fascinating new study finds that Kanzi (the superstar bonobo) can play along on a make believe tea-party, keeping track of imagined juice and grapes. Extremely cool work! 👏 Looking forward to seeing if the same is found in other individuals/species.

Chris Krupenye@chriskrupenye.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Imagination in bonobos! I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko

Extreme weather disasters and climate tipping points aren't in economic models of the impact of climate change on the global economy The result "is widespread complacency amongst investors and policymakers" We will all suffer as a consequence www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn

States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points

theguardian.com

And, incredibly, me! Yes, Beauty of the Beasts is included in New Scientist’s best new popular science books of Feb 2026 🤯 *pinches self*

New Scientist@newscientist.com · 6mo ago

Readers are spoiled for choice when it comes to popular science reading this month, with new titles by major names including Maggie Aderin and Michael Pollan

Veronika has been promoted 😆

Current Biology@currentbiology.bsky.social · 6mo ago

This is who runs this account

‘Why would anybody write a book about the creatures that people don’t like? That’d never sell. Well, reader, I did just that…’ Beauty of the Beasts comes out next month! 🥳 Find out more and pre-order here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beauty-of... 🦈 🐊 🐍 🕷️ 🦟 🐛 🐝 🐀 🪳 @chiffchat.bsky.social

We’re working on a story about how children’s immune systems and microbiomes develop and we want to hear from you. Have you let your kids eat food that was dropped on the ground? 🍭 Argued with grandparents about cleanliness? 🧼 Saw your child do something incredibly gross? 🤢 Call us at 877 4 SCIFRI.

‘The risks have become too extreme to be ignored.’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Guardian view on risks from biodiversity collapse: warnings must be heeded before it’s too late | Editorial

Editorial: Inadequate food supplies and collapsing rainforests must be recognised as national security threats – not pigeonholed as green issues

theguardian.com

Haha, these words might come back to bite me 🤣 Though I suspect the lack of engagement is more about my nonexistence here. Fortunately, social media abilities rarely correlate with book writing abilities! But given it comes out 4 weeks today, I’d love a bump, if you didn’t mind sharing the below 🥳

Jo Wimpenny@jowimpenny.bsky.social · 7mo ago

‘Why would anybody write a book about the creatures that people don’t like? That’d never sell. Well, reader, I did just that…’ Beauty of the Beasts comes out next month! 🥳 Find out more and pre-order here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/beauty-of... 🦈 🐊 🐍 🕷️ 🦟 🐛 🐝 🐀 🪳 @chiffchat.bsky.social