Adrian Smith
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
π€ 1457
π₯ 422
π 26
Scientist on-exhibit at NC Museum of Natural Sciences & NC State. Creator of Ant Lab on YouTube
New Ant Lab video today about pincer wasps and a new research project. This one has some really cool, newly-filmed insect behavior in it!
youtu.be/9osTBzQ0zbk
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Spring-Loaded Claws on a Wasp β Parasitoid Pincer Wasps
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/9osTBzQ0zbk
12 days ago
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Adrian Smith
Gwen Pearson
25 days ago
Did you consume too much depressing news on your timeline? Here's your palate cleanser from
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNa...
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Caterpillars Are THE BEST! Hereβs why.
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNaDyHARNw
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Adrian Smith
Ksepka Lab
about 2 months ago
Ants: Tiny Creatures, Big Lives is officially open at the Bruce Museum! Enter the tunnel and you will meet "Buckley", our five foot long scaled-up Dinoponera ant. Buckley is named after her creator, the great Dan Buckley. The smaller ant is my daughter, dressed as an alate queen for the opener.
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Matt Bertone
2 months ago
Still looking for horror now that Halloween's over? Fortunately/unfortunately it's all around! π A parasitoid laid a few eggs in a moth egg. As the caterpillar hatched & grew, wasp embryos multiplied inside to 100s of larvae that ate the entire host, eventually killing & turning it into a husk π³ π€’
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Aeon Magazine
2 months ago
In this video, the biologist Adrian Smith
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
provides close-ups of a diverse array of caterpillars and shows how they support healthy ecosystems, employ a range of strategies to protect themselves from predators and transform into seemingly entirely different creatures
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Close-ups reveal how caterpillars live long enough to cocoon | Aeon Videos
From poison spikes to fake snake eyes, caterpillars employ many clever strategies to survive to their dazzling adulthoods
https://buff.ly/i4henw6
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New video today: CATERPILLARS!!!
youtu.be/aJNaDyHARNw
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Why Are Caterpillars SO AWESOME!?!
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/aJNaDyHARNw
3 months ago
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Matt Bertone
3 months ago
π¨ Spicy gummy worm alert! π¨ π Though it may look delicious, the bright colors warn of its ability to sting. Kinda looks like it's wearing pajamas... Thanks to
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
for hosting the specimen. stinging rose
#caterpillar
#Limacodidae
:
#Parasa
indetermina NC, USA
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We put out some social science research via preprint: "Natural history museums are missing an opportunity to present research and collections on YouTube"
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
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Natural history museums are missing an opportunity to present research and collections on YouTube
There have been repeated calls in the US for scientists to communicate the importance of biological collections to both a general public audience and to policy makers. Natural history museums that hou...
https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.16.676522
3 months ago
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Adrian Smith
The Kid Should See This
4 months ago
πβ‘ These Indian jumping ants don't just jump for show β they use powerful leaps to pounce on prey like crickets. Researcher @dradriansmith.bsky.social 's slow-motion footage shows how these predatory ants hunt with the agility of much larger predators. #science #nature π Learn more:
zurl.co/kyQs1
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Adrian Smith
SciAnts Media
4 months ago
From fire ants in Florida to filming batflies in North Carolina, our latest interview is with
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
, who has built a career at the intersection of insect science and storytelling. ππ₯
#scicomm
#science
#sciants
#stem
#YouTube
#twitch
youtu.be/xEXwFel5DEY
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New video today! Megaloptera, owlflies, bioluminescent click beetles, and MORE!
youtu.be/lD8sKzA_FZU
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Bizarre Bugs in Flight! Slow Motion - 14 species
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/lD8sKzA_FZU
4 months ago
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Bhamla Lab @ Georgia Tech
4 months ago
How do tiny ripple bugs surf raging rivers? Check out our new work in
@science.org
Work led by Victor Ortega-Jimenez, Dongjin Kim, Sunny Kumar, Changhwan Kim, Je-Sung Koh, and Saad Bhamla - a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and Ajou University.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
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Ultrafast elastocapillary fans control agile maneuvering in ripple bugs and robots
Rhagovelia ripple bugs use specialized middle-leg fans with a flat-ribbon architecture to navigate the surfaces of fast-moving streams. We show that the fanβs directional stiffness enables fast, passi...
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adv2792
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Adrian Smith
Mark Simmons
5 months ago
I don't think I've ever posted this here on Bluesky, so have some bug-drawing tutorials... (1/3)
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Digital Naturalism Laboratories
5 months ago
Here's a super cool documentary about the Mothbox! Learn about the development and use of this fun
#openscience
#opensource
tool for DIY biodiversity monitoring!
youtu.be/1LGz3aWpeVE?...
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Mothbox - Wildlabs Award 2024
YouTube video by Digital Naturalism Laboratories (Andrew Quitmeyer)
https://youtu.be/1LGz3aWpeVE?si=wIifQvzONLCpMUmq
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Adrian Smith
Gil Wizen
5 months ago
This is such a good video by
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
. Not only does it show cool Harpegnathus jumping and stinging action, but it also features Gigantiops, one of my favorite ants, for a quick comparison!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hBX...
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These Are the Best Ants. Seriously. (Harpegnathos saltator)
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hBXOAJ7l1I
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New video today on one of the coolest ants, Harpegnathos!
youtu.be/-hBXOAJ7l1I
5 months ago
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Adrian Smith
Matt Bertone
5 months ago
Fluffy. Sparkly. Adorable. These are not the things you usually say about a fly, but here we are. Let this little creature warm your heart π₯°
#Psychodidae
#Setomima
nitida North Carolina, USA (w/
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
)
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Adrian Smith
Alex Wild
6 months ago
Adrian Smith
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
is at BugShot Arizona, explaining how to tell stories.
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New Ant Lab video out today: Ants mating and flying at the same time!
youtu.be/bG9I9u-aM8g
7 months ago
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Adrian Smith
SciAnts Media
7 months ago
We will be live tonight with a special SciAnts Thursday! We will be interviewing
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
, insect scientist and behavior expert, on his scientific journey, his incredible YT videos, and more! 9pm EDT
#scicomm
#sciants
#science
#stem
#twitch
www.twitch.tv/sciants_stre...
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Adrian Smith
The Kid Should See This
7 months ago
πͺ²βοΈ Slow-motion footage of 23 flying #insects by @dradriansmith.bsky.social explains the wide variety of flight mechanics out there. From beetles to stoneflies, each species developed different strategies. π Learn more:
zurl.co/OclZV
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Finally checked off "rove beetle wing folding" from my need to film list. New video up now:
youtu.be/uvXxiUjw-xY
7 months ago
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Quote tweeting myself because I β€οΈ MAKING THIS VIDEO!!!
add a skeleton here at some point
8 months ago
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"What's the Point of Natural History Collections?" is out today on the YouTube/AntLab check it out and long live basic research!!!!!!!!!!
youtu.be/dxUbTn7d6Fw
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What's the Point of Natural History Collections?
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/dxUbTn7d6Fw
8 months ago
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Jen C Mars
8 months ago
My favorite πͺ² lump Acrylic ink & pencils on 3x4" hotpress
#InverteFest
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Emily Graslie
9 months ago
Losing the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) would be an act of monumental neglect. I made a video about whatβs at risk, and how orgs like
@amlibraryassoc.bsky.social
and the American Alliance of Museums need us to help advocate for these critical places.
youtu.be/fYLC-KWy-Ks?...
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Trump is gutting museums and libraries.
YouTube video by thebrainscoop
https://youtu.be/fYLC-KWy-Ks?si=7744clLuNcJdnpCy
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Adrian Smith
Matt Bertone
9 months ago
Monkey slug? Hag moth caterpillar? Both phenomenal names. But I β€οΈ the genus name most: Phobetron. Sounds like a malevolent transformer or a giant alien space television. These caterpillars have fleshy deciduous appendages (this one lost a few) & stinging hairs. Watch out! β£οΈβ οΈ North Carolina, USA
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π Alex Smith π
9 months ago
π
#ant
nest architecture came up in a lab meeting today and so we were obviously sharing photos of Walter Tschinkel's work - so beautiful! Also so beautiful is the video that
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
made with Walt of the process and the history of the method! Enjoy!
youtu.be/1LDja40tLAM?...
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The Invention of Ant Nest Architecture
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/1LDja40tLAM?si=A53ejh0_j2g6c5lc
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Neil
10 months ago
Just posted a new video on my Pond Lab channel, all about a special worm that lives on pond snails, and helps stop it getting infected with parasites, including those that can go on to parasitise mammals like us! You can watch it here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsy...
#bugsky
#pondlife
#ukwildlife
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The Worm that lives on a Snail - Chaetogaster limnaei
YouTube video by Pond Lab
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsyiOzqpNk&list=PLcCdc0bOATloExS5FxoCrWQhLQ1bFQES7&index=1
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New video! Flight footage from 23 species across 7 insect orders!
youtu.be/gDI5g3rd0Ls
10 months ago
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Adrian Smith
Ze Frank
10 months ago
True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help!
youtu.be/czt_io0h-CA
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True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help!
YouTube video by Ze Frank
https://youtu.be/czt_io0h-CA
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Matt Bertone
11 months ago
How small can moths get? π Very. shield bearer
#moth
at UV light
#Heliozelidae
:
#Coptodisca
Raleigh, NC, USA
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
finger for scale
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Adrian Smith
Matt Bertone
11 months ago
Never know what you're going to find in the NCSU Insect Collection! π This very charismatic
#beetle
was among many interesting specimens in unsorted drawers. π¬ Anyone want to guess the family?
#Coleoptera
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Finally got an opportunity to use my interests in comics & entomology at the same time!
add a skeleton here at some point
11 months ago
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Adrian Smith
Nancy πͺ²SciBugsπͺ² Miorelli
11 months ago
Here's a weird horsefly (Fidena sp) I found in the EC Amazon. Those with a long proboscis can both blood feed and feed on nectar. Some horse flies are important pollinators. This one is female (likely) because her eyes don't meet in the middle. Often male horse flies have two large eyes that touch.
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Alex Wild
12 months ago
We've opened registration for our annual BugShot insect photography workshop! This summer we'll be in Portal, Arizona for the start of the monsoon. And for the first time, slo-motion video guy
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
is on board as an instructor.
www.bugshot.net/bugshot-port...
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BugShot Portal Arizona β BugShot
4 days in Portal, Arizona photographing cool bugs with Adrian Smith, Alex Wild, and John Abbott!
https://www.bugshot.net/bugshot-portal-arizona
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Adrian Smith
Nathan Harness
12 months ago
A lichen katydid eating the same lichen it has evolved to mimic and live on. Look at those Maxillae- like little mouth fingers
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New social science from the lab! π
add a skeleton here at some point
12 months ago
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New Ant Lab video today: HONEYBEES! I've been meaning to make this video for a long time. One of the reasons to make it was to try to capture slow motion macro footage of the honeybee stinger in action. You'll have to watch to see if I got that footage or not!
youtu.be/EoFsWF1qWWU
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Honeybees Flying & Stinging in Slow Motion!
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/EoFsWF1qWWU
12 months ago
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Adrian Smith
Matt Bertone
about 1 year ago
β 2024 Top Finds/Pics β Easily one of the best photos I've ever taken; amazingly took only 1 shot! These dance
#flies
were hovering slowly, mating mid-air. As many do, the βοΈ is feeding on prey as a nuptial gift π given by the βοΈ Grateful that Geo Rojas Malavasi saw them π
#Empididae
Costa Rica
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Matt Bertone
about 1 year ago
β 2024 Top Finds/Pics β Like a copper bead that comes to life, this little contracile scarab
#beetle
is as charismatic as can be π₯° There's something mechanical & robotic about its transformation into a tight little ball to hide from danger.
#Hybosoridae
:
#Ceratocanthus
Costa Rica (August)
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Derek Hennen, Ph.D.
about 1 year ago
You're probably better off just buying art of insects rather than actual specimens.
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New Ant Lab video out today about jumping parasitoid wasp cocoons!
youtu.be/7FNXl1xes18
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Parasitic Wasp Cocoons that JUMP!
YouTube video by Ant Lab
https://youtu.be/7FNXl1xes18
about 1 year ago
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Adrian Smith
Matt Bertone
about 1 year ago
Proud of most of my papers but the serendipity of discovering a beetle larva that "jumps" using a latch-mediated spring mechanism was pretty darn neat. Plus worked w/the amazing
@dradriansmith.bsky.social
@drstrangeant.bsky.social
&
@americanbeetles.bsky.social
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
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