Yet another devastating science news cycle day, but I’m choosing to focus on today’s Undergrad Research Symposium and all the incredible rising stars I had the chance to interact with. 3 of our lab’s wundergrads presented today! 🧪 🌊 @cmarinescience.bsky.social @bellathebiologist.bsky.social

Is Banana Slug Monday a thing? We should make it a thing! And yes, they come in quite a variety of colors and spots are optional! Note to dogs (and people) DO NOT LICK THE SLUG If dog does lick slug - DO NOT USE WATER TO REMOVE SLIME #inverts #becurious

When I was younger, I naively assumed that every non-beetle species on earth had grad students doing this at some point, and it came as a great shock that there were bugs in my yard that NO ONE HAD STUDIED. I’m so glad the shrew got some!

So this colourful wee beastie is Mexichromis lemniscata that I found in the United Arab Emirates. It was super small and happened to be hiding under a piece of coral rubble. A lot of #Nudibranch I find in less than 5m of water under rubble and stones where they hide during the day. #SeaSlugs #🦑 #🦐

Hi Bluesky! I create detailed drawings of the natural world, focusing on at-risk species and ecosystems. Prints and original drawings are available at zoekeller.com. My clients include Texas Monthly, The NYT and Hachette. I am always open to discussing new projects! Email: [email protected]

A friend hiding in the leaves wishing you a good morning and a calm week

おはよう, Skylings! You should know by now of my love for tiny sea creatures. Big ones too, though. Anyway, for my UW pic of the day, here´s the second smallest seahorse ever found. Hippocampus pontohi. He was named after Pontoh, a divemaster! Batu Tiga, North Sulawesi, 2006. 🦑🌊 #UnderwaterPhotography

What do barnacles parasitize? ✅️ corals ✅️ burrowed into whale flesh (and sharks, and turtle shells) Some that no longer resemble arthropods ✅️ inside of/mimicking sea stars shape ✅️ inside of crabs, making them turn into females and reproduce barnacle babies instead of their own ❎️ you? #Crustmas 🧪🦑

So here we have a Bubble Snail - which is a type of primitive sea slug - but not a #Nudibranch. This prey on polychaete worms that it finds in the substrate. It is able to sequester toxic compounds from its prey that it utilises for defence. This one was from Oman. #MarineLife #Inverts #SeaSlug

Excited to share our new paper showing the unfortunate spread of scuticociliatosis to Diadema setosum in the Sea of Oman. #urchin #USFCMS 🦑🧪 #protistsonsky @bellathebiologist.bsky.social @brayan-vilanova.bsky.social @drchriskellogg.bsky.social @ianhewson.bsky.social academic.oup.com/ismej/articl...

It’s urchin experiment time! #USFCMS @drchriskellogg.bsky.social @ianhewson.bsky.social @bellathebiologist.bsky.social @brayan-vilanova.bsky.social 🧪🦑 🧬 🦠

It's finally out, my first first-author paper as a grad student! 🤓🥳 Unfortunately more sea urchins are dying at the hands (or should I say cilia?) of the scuticociliate "Philaster apodigitiformis" in the Sea of Oman, as we report here: academic.oup.com/ismej/articl...

“Ecological Insights and Technological Advances in Coral Reef Monitoring and Restoration” session at #OSM24 tomorrow - come hear about the ciliate causing disease in Diadema from @bellathebiologist.bsky.social @drchriskellogg.bsky.social @ianhewson.bsky.social @brayan-vilanova.bsky.social

Great day at the St Petersburg Science Festival today with local school groups! Free event open to the public tomorrow from 10-4. Come join our lab to learn about seagrass ecosystems and food webs! There’s truly something for everyone at this fantastic annual event! @bellathebiologist.bsky.social

Fantastic lab holiday party today - and so happy to have 2 new micro/molecular/phytoplankton lab groups to celebrate with this year! @margaretbrisbin.bsky.social @bellathebiologist.bsky.social @lydiaruggles.bsky.social @microbusta.bsky.social

I know @bellathebiologist.bsky.social is working on her application right now! 🤞

RIP to my first MacBook 🤧 And please learn from my mistakes: 1. BACK UP EVERYTHING ON A CLOUD DRIVE 2. Close your water bottles fully before placing them in the same bag as your laptop 3. Buy a waterproof case for your laptop 2 and 3 may be completed in any order BUT 1 is required 🥲

4 day old sea urchins. This is how they look like while travelling through the oceans looking for a place to settle and start their benthic life.

Let me introduce myself: I’m a PhD student in @viromegirl.bsky.social lab at USF, where half of my research focuses on the interactions between long-spined sea urchins and a scuticociliate parasite!

My awesome PhD student @bellathebiologist.bsky.social just joined BlueSky! Her research focuses on sea urchin parasites and seagrass viruses, plus she posts cute cat photos 🧪🦑🦠

The swimming snail know as a sea angel. So cute. So sweet. So casually everting a crown of tentacles, encircling another helpless snails, and ripping it’s still-living body from its shells to be shredded alive and swallows. Nature, so beautiful. So soothing. 😇 📸 http://bit.ly/2CJhWfc 🧪