9 years ago (2016) - Yegua Creek, Brazos River

Our new open-access book has been published today. Please download and share www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi...

When it comes to creative and artistic works I have NO interest in anything included in the AI catchall (caveats required because machine-learning has its place WRT handling data). I will never use it. Do I want an AI copilot? No no no, no I do not; I despise the fact that I am even asked.

I'm a little wrong here, y'all! We have a couple more weeks to fight for the IMLS. It'll be through the House Appropriations Committee on July 21. Get on the phone. Get in inboxes. Your messaging? The Murder Bill is going to make libraries *even more crucial* now. appropriations.house.gov/schedule

did some reporting on the impact of DOGE's cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the court cases that are preserving the agency (for now), Trump's threats to slash federal arts spending, and the importance of IMLS to libraries and schools everywhere: slate.com/life/2025/05...

New paper out by Kole Kubicek, Ralf Britz & Kevin Conway in Biology Letters 🧬 Heterochrony & Innovation: What the Pectoral Fin Spine of Catfish Reveals About Evolution royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/abs/10.1...

I do not ever, ever, EVER want to use Microsoft Copilot. In too much of a hurry to figure out how to turn it off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Middle finger to microsoft

An action of desperation- searching ".cr2" in my Dropbox folder.... looking for a single photo. Needle in a haystack

www.npr.org/2025/04/17/n... But worry not - dems will soon be on board, as signalled by their reception of the bullshit ideas peddled by the authors of "Abundance". Nature will be the first to suffer while the left tries to scrape their wav back

Bad media science takes can kill off whole species. Gene edited puppies are NOT actually dire wolves, any more than an especially hair mouse is a mammoth. Endangered Species Act is NOT rendered moot by this publicity stunt www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

Quite certain there has been a recent influx of bots to Bluesky, based on my recent follows and the content of their pages.

Of course mainstream media keeps rolling over for Colossal, providing uncritical hype and coverage in exchange for exclusivity and “wow.” What Colossal is doing is wrong and they can’t even deliver what they promise. How many times do we have to go over this?

Ancient rat brains ever crossed your mind? If so, you're in luck! Here, brain morphology of Pliocene spiny rats Eumysops chapalmalensis was studied using endocasts, uncovering unique morphology that may indicate a niche not explored by extant species! 🌍🧪🐀 academic.oup.com/zoo...

When I came to Berlin 25 years ago, moor frogs (Rana arvalis) were quite common. After years of predation by invasive racoons (so sweet...) and serious droughts, the populations have collapsed. What to do? No idea.... #stadtnatur, #berlinbiodiversity, #berlin, #urbanbiodiversity

Tiny banan

And here's @joshtpm.bsky.social wrestling with the question. To me, the key sentence is: "The current executive orders explicitly say that the end game is a government the size of the shutdown size." talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/looki...

I'm a lifelong collector, reader and user of field guides. At a young age, as much as anything, field guides ignited a love of wildlife and travel.

The new anthology “Voices of the Rio Grande Valley: Vol.1” lifts up the regional stories written by the folks who’ve lived them.

One of my former students. I’m so proud, and so angry.

Let's talk about this Nature piece in more detail. I've rarely read something so anti-scientific anywhere short of the National Review. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

So that's the beginning of the end for US Old Growth Forests then, prepare for massive biodiversity and carbon loss, here billed as the opposite www.whitehouse.gov/presidential... 🌎

Hey everyone! @co2ley.bsky.social — who was fired by NOAA yesterday as the Director of the Ocean Acidification Program — is now here on Bluesky! Follow her! Also, someone please offer Sarah a job! 🌊

Women in natural history have long been overlooked. FIND researches their stories and brings them into focus. 👩‍🔬✨ @svmering.bsky.social explores this in her talk: 🎤 "Invisible – Forgotten – Rediscovered" (in German) 📅 5 March 2025, 18:30 📍 @nhmwien.bsky.social Watch on the NHM YouTube channel! ▶️

Four years ago to the day, me in Friday Harbor and him in Texas. We are still doing Zoom dates but now I’m in Germany… Bonus FHL fish from that time

zenodo.org/records/1488... Brilliant photos and really cool study.

Snow

Public Statement on Recent Attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives Sincerely, the Executive Board of the ASIH (American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists) #TeamFish #TeamHerps #ASIH www.asih.org/2025-asih-ex...

Current favorite album to listen to while writing 🎼📝

I have never been an author on a monograph before. Kevin Conway and @westozfish.bsky.social let me help out with this description of 4 new clingfish species in a new genus! All are tiny, but the males are showy. The clearing and staining is outstanding. www.researchgate.net/publication/... 🧪🐡

Is the journal Zootaxa on here? If not, why not?

Why

Stayed late at the museum workin on minnow stuff #justminnowthings About to be a cold and wet 15km bike ride home but at least it’s through the forest

For those who missed it: Elon Musk, the Royal Society, and me deevybee.blogspot.com/2024/11/why-...

Chubs too often get a bad rap from anglers, but they play important ecological roles in streams & rivers. I enjoy encountering the different species when I travel and explore small waters.

Scone time. Have a good feeling about this batch #unskilledbaker

Ah…..,,, this ain’t Texas

Our latest CT scan at Senckenbeg Natural Histopry Museum, Dresden Ichthyology section is of a tiny pipefish. Up soon should be a soft tissue scan of the same fish

Bank holiday in Saxony tomorrow… got a scan running at the museum, some editing done on a manuscript… time for a street beer

I have been thinking about clingfish bones lately. Maybe it's time to dig up and finish an old project 🐟 @fishguy.bsky.social

A lot of new faces on here, so there's no time like the present to announce that the NHMLAC is hiring several collections-related positions at the moment, including a Curator of History, Curator of Community Science, and others! Please pass along the link to those interested. nhm.org/careers-our-...

Double quiz time!

Sleep Token, Chemnitz. Plus some fishy street art to round it out…

Just starting here. I’m a long-time writer for The Nature Conservancy. I have a passion for fishing of all kinds, wildlife, outdoor pursuits, good books and conservation communications.

Song that just came made me think of something... (Circle in the Sand - Belinda Carlisle) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgpX...

This is our brand new Skyscan 1273. Same one @sternarchella.bsky.social has. Ours is free to use. Come on over and bring a suitcase of specimens. 🧪

We have been looking at a lot of fishes from India recently. This one is fresh off the scanner, 𝑃𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑜 𝑎𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑎, an eel-loach described in 2012 from the Western Ghats of India. Check out the swimbladder capsule on this guy… (live photo by Ralf Britz)

A polypterid scan to jazz up my bluesky page....

We have 2 spots in the Biological Imaging Apprenticeship. 15 credits. Strong financial aid available. Learn CT, SEM, and other applicable imaging techniques. Now with the correct QR code!! 10 weeks at Friday Harbor Labs. Cutting edge tools at the water's edge. Please retweet.

What awesome phylogenetics papers have you read recently?