People who keep pointing out that golf courses use as much water as data centres as some sort of defence of data centres drastically underestimate the amount we also hate golf.
Dr Morgane Merien
@morganemerien.bsky.social
Science Communicator at Canterbury Museum, presenter of Bug Hunter on TVNZ+, Entomologist, research on camouflage & colour in NZ stick insects 🌿💚she/her 📍Ōtautahi, Aotearoa New Zealand
I’m French and even though we lost, the small finale yesterday was so much better than what I’m watching right now.
I'm convinced AI is our generation's radium - a discovery with genuinely useful applications in specific, controlled circumstances that we stupidly put in everything from kid's toys to toothpaste until we realised the harm far too late where future generations will ask if we were out of our minds.
Dan Nguyen@dancow.bsky.social · 6mo agoVC, founder, dumbass
I had a great 2.5 days at the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand Conference here in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Met lots of lovely people and had some very nice convos! My only gripes were the needless use of AI in some presentations and the tiny cups of tea! #scanz26
The first record of #GSB2025 is in! 📍 Mangawhai, New Zealand 🦋 Pūriri Moth (Aenetus virescens) — NZ’s largest moth! 📸 by young naturalist Joseph Knight Read more 👉https://www.greatsouthernbioblitz.org/group/great-southern-bioblitz-explorers/discussion/6f1af2e4-f75f-410a-b0cc-d4eb53dc3395
Pūriri moth (Aenetus virescens)
Pūriri moth from Mangawhai, New Zealand on October 24, 2025 at 12:00 AM by Joseph Knight
inaturalist.org
My neighbour across the road is sweeping her driveway… in 140km/h winds. A driveway lined with large trees… Definitely the thing to do with a red warning in place for Christchurch 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ #Oct23storm
Airports are such strange places that seem to exist outside of reality. Why did this cost me $15? We will never truly know…
This year I have the pleasure of watching stick insect hatch from their tiny eggs! These are native species Acanthoxyla inermis according to @morganemerien.bsky.social very cute! #NZLabLife #Insects en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acantho...
Proud of France, but sad to see Latvia being so shafted.. also feel sad for Iceland #Eurovision
#Eurovision has a way of grinding down your sense of normality, to the point where you see an Italian puppet mouse delivering votes, and only register surprise by the fact they gave 12 points to the UK entry.
My #Eurovision top 6 are: 1. Latvia 2. Estonia 3. Sweden 4. Luxembourg 5. Armenia 6. Austria. Obviously France is in my top because I love Louane, but I can’t vote for my own country!
“Keep it straight guys, said no one ever at Eurovision” with a Swiss deadpan did in fact send me
This gorgeous creature is the prickly stick insect (Acanthoxyla prasina), one of New Zealand's 23 species of stick insect. Huge thanks to @morganemerien.bsky.social for pointing this out on a recent University of Canterbury field trip - it's great fun teaching entomology! #Invertebrate 🧪
Ngāokeoke Velvet worm is the New Zealand bug of the year for 2025! Congratulations to the champion! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...
Do you work in ecology/evolution? Did you do a study that is too small to publish as a full manuscript? Negative results? Part of a larger effort? Consider publishing in microPublication Biology: EEB! www.micropublication.org/journals/bio... Short papers, one figure. And we peer review! Please RT
microPublication - Get Your Data Out, Be Cited
micropublication.org
it genuinely sucks that basically nothing on the internet works well anymore. search? barely works. social media? filled with garbage engagement-bait designed to game the algorithm. news websites? pages that refresh at random or so covered in video ads that it’s impossible to read stories
When you take a new route on your walk, you unlock new houses to view and that’s pretty fun.
“When low on water, some plants make high-pitched clicking noises, inaudible to humans. Female moths… appear to key in on the distressed din and steer clear in order to lay their eggs on plants that will better feed their caterpillars after hatching” #scicomm www.sciencenews.org/article/thir... 🧪
The screams of thirsty plants may prompt some moths to lay eggs elsewhere
Female moths may pick up on the ultrasonic wailing of distressed plants and opt to lay their eggs on different, healthier plants.
sciencenews.org
'When Notre-Dame reopened on 7 December, it was thanks, in part, to the efforts of 175 researchers with expertise across a range of disciplines: acoustics, art, data, history, archaeology, anthropology.' Example of why blue-skies research matters for 'real-life' problems we've not yet imagined. 1/2
The academics who helped breathe new life into Notre-Dame
Five years after a devastating fire, the Paris cathedral has finally reopened, with the help of a vast team of researchers
timeshighereducation.com
I have NZ native stick insects in a terrarium in my office and I could not be more pleased. Fascinating wee beasts! Many thanks to Mike for his stick insect hunting leadership! #StickFriends @adzebill.bsky.social @robcruickshank.bsky.social @morganemerien.bsky.social
The long wait is over- #Bug of the Year 2025 nominee list is now live! Voting opens January 1st, so you have until February to decide on your top three nominees & place your votes! Winner announced on Valentine’s Day! 💚 Who will steal the crown from Kahukura? bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-...
Question for people with uteruses - have you experienced #period symptoms getting worse with age? 😭
Gisèle Pelicot graces the cover of Vogue Germany, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
So exciting to hear Sandra Anderson give her plenary talk at #NZES2024 - as last year’s winner of the society’s Ecology in Action award. She has supported & inspired so many students & researchers over the years- amazing talk!
