ICZN call for new Commissioners:

A Buff-tailed bumblebee queen has landed on your feed! It has taken her over six months to reach you. Having hibernated alone in the soil, she will now spend her first days above ground resting to recover her strength, searching for a suitable nest site, and feeding on new flowers. 📷 Caroline Byrne

What can spider names tell us about the tangled web of author inequalities? A recent paper in @biojlinnsoc.bsky.social by Montana et al. looked at every spider described from the Americas in 1946-2021, analysing over 9,000 species and nearly 600 researchers. Read more:

As part of the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub project (ArCH), @theul.bsky.social has been collaborating with @zoologymuseum.bsky.social to explore the use of AI to unlock its collections. Read more about this in our latest blog: specialcollections-blog.lib.cam.ac.uk?p=31537

In just two weeks’ time - on #WorldRewildingDay - @scotrewilding.bsky.social are hosting a special, non-partisan hustings bringing together representatives from all major Scottish political parties 👉

If you think the BBC should be impartial then this is the place to let them know. If you don’t want to pay for the BBC or have to watch adverts then this is the place to let them know. You can‘t complain about the BBC unless you get involved

Women in Red is a global volunteer project dedicated to turning red links—articles which don't yet exist—into blue links, making the history of women more openly accessible. Get more info at WomenInRed.org and help make the internet more equitable.

While black market sale of jaguars, tigers and other big cats has been carefully tracked for decades, trade in small and medium-sized felines has gone largely undocumented. Many are threatened or endangered species. news.mongabay.com/2026/02/big-...

This #WorldBookDay you can support bumblebees just by choosing your next read 💙 When you buy books through our Bookshop UK affiliate page, 10% of every purchase supports our charity – plus indie bookshops and authors too! Help save bumblebees, one book at a time: https://ow.ly/HIJU50YiHhz

The Climate Change Committee’s recent report warns Scotland’s farming policies lack plans to cut emissions post-2030. Farmers and crofters face big hurdles with just 5% of funding for climate friendly farming. We need urgent and decisive government action. Read the article: tinyurl.com/55tf79cs

#ChancelotPath This is very worrying 🤔 Could local councillors organise a meeting with local community groups, police, etc [Like former Cllr @lesleyhinds.bsky.social did years ago for similar problem near Red Bridge] @jackrmcaldwell.bsky.social @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @spurtle.bsky.social

🙋 DROP-IN, Sat 7 March, 10.30-2pm, Botanics #ArboretumPlace sustainable drainage #SUDS - will this include 🚲 lane? @edi.bike @julebandel.bsky.social @vicnicsnp.bsky.social @stephenjenkinson.bsky.social @sw20.info @harryjwilliams.bsky.social @marklazarowicz.bsky.social @robbieainsworth.bsky.social

Join us for a day meeting about Restoring British Nature, April 29. For centuries the Linnean Society has shaped Britain’s understanding of the natural world. Now, it will again be the crucible of a national conversation — this time not about cataloguing nature, but restoring it. buff.ly/UBh31Y2

Lord Vallance laid out his five overall priorities for the research and innovation system. 🧵 #SHAPEConference26

Here is my run-down of today's Science, Information & Technology Committee hearing (House of Commons) where @jonbutterworth.bsky.social @si-wills.bsky.social & I argued for no funding cuts, & Prof. Michele Doughtery explained why they were needed. The public gallery again packed with physicists 🔭👩‍🔬⚛️

Scotland’s seas need urgent protection. After a decade of delays, Scottish Environment LINK calls on party leaders to start a public consultation on coastal marine protected areas within 100 days of the May 2026 elections. Let’s protect marine life and support coastal communities. #SaveScottishSeas

Taking advantage of the good weather to install more bee hotels at the Lauriston Farm allotments, hopefully the local Red mason bees will move in and help pollinate the nearby fruit trees #Edinburgh

Research supports more of our everyday lives than many of us realise. Across the UK, publicly funded research is protecting livelihoods and improving lives in ways that often go unseen. That's why we’re sharing stories that make the impact visible. Read the latest: www.ukri.org/news-and-eve...

'Funerals during genocide' by Gazan poet Mohammed Moussa The Scotsman's Poem of the Week on Sat 21st Feb

Summary: "it's this question of the [PPAN] partition.... I think it's a very legitimate concern because of the tensioning between the increasing facilities cost: that's what she's trying to work through at the moment to come up with solutions" (sadly no offer of a magic money tree solution though)

Governments sure are into betraying their natural constituencies these days, huh?

Flesh-fly egg, Lepidolite, Sweet-scented Violet -- What's your Werner Purple colour today? Follow the link in our bio to see more of Werner's Nomenclature of Colours in our Digitised Special Collections. #NatureInArt

"Planned cuts to physics and astronomy funding threaten to undermine a core UK government strategy to harness innovation to boost economic growth, leading researchers have warned ministers." Thanks @financialtimes.com for covering this really important story 🗞️: www.ft.com/content/a235...

And if you want to know more about the #planetaryparade and why the planets always parade along a line that arcs across our sky, check out this thread from last year's 7-planet parade.... bsky.app/profile/astr...

🔴NEW: Far-right groups are increasingly using coded language and imagery on gaming platforms to bypass content moderators and radicalise young people, experts have warned.  Our latest investigation: www.theferret.scot/far-right-using-gaming-to-recruit/

Medicine manages HIV. Compassion heals the spirit. Yet: 🔹 1 in 4 face discrimination in healthcare 🔹 24% experience community exclusion This #ZeroDiscriminationDay we stand together to ensure that nobody walks this path alone. Let’s create an environment of support.

March sees the return of bumblebee queens as they emerge from hibernation – here are some of the common species you can spot this month 👀 Have you spotted your first bumblebee of 2026? 🔎 Brush up on your bumblebee identification skills: https://ow.ly/af3U50Yi2iq

We agree it’s the best news, but BHL provides an even greater date range of invaluable research materials than many know. BHL’s 63+ million page “incredible free open treasure trove of nature papers and books” spans the 1100s to 2026!

I have tea & chocolate: ready to start a day of prep for my Wed appearance at the UKGov Science, Information and Technology select committee. I'll be making the case for the economic and scientific benefits of funding (not cutting) UK astronomy. Keen to hear your Sunday thoughts on the matter!🔭⚛️🎢👩‍🔬

"Following reports that the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is facing significant cost pressures, the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee will hold a one-off evidence session exploring scientific research funding." committees.parliament.uk/event/26683/...

Bumblebees have many hidden talents. Here are five things you didn’t know they can do 🐝 Which one of these bumblebee talents blew your mind the most? 🤯

How can birdwatching help protect our planet? Join us on 11 March (12:30–1:30pm) for our next online lunchtime lecture with Dr Debankur Saha. Learn simple bird ID tips, discover citizen science tools, and see how watching birds can make a real conservation impact:

#histsci 🧵

🎉 Huge news for BHL: The Field Museum is taking over the hosting of BHL’s website, servers & infrastructure, ensuring long-term stability and access for its 63+ million pages of open biodiversity literature. Learn more: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/02/tran... #BHLTransition #ILoveBHL 🌍 📚 🧪

Want to join us at RASreach 2026? 🪐🔭🗣️ Bookings are now open for the one-day conference on science communication on 27 March, which is being hosted by @manchester.ac.uk in partnership with @royalastrosoc.bsky.social. ℹ️ & 🎟️ at: ras.ac.uk/events-and-m...

New post from Herbarium World on US moon trees at herbariumworld.wordpress.com/2026/02/23/t... @plantperspectives.bsky.social

Three weeks ago I spent a few days in one of our global dark sky sanctuaries in Rakiura Stewart Island New Zealand. Never has deep time felt so real or so close. But every now and then one of Elon's dumbfuck satellites would interrupt the eternal rhythms of the stars. Let's not let it get worse.

The night sky over Edinburgh in March Phil Daly explains what you might see in the astronomical sky over Edinburgh and Lothians in the next month. We retain our parade of 6 planets during the first week of March and witnessthe arrival of astronomical spring beginning on the Vernal Equinox. The…

Digging up peat to sell as garden compost is bad for bumblebees, it releases centuries of stored CO₂ and destroys habitats – and more than 16,700 people have shown they care. Time for the Government to deliver on its promise and #endpeatsales, once and for all. #PeatFree #Gardening #ClimateCrisis

Israel responsible for two-thirds of record 129 press killings in 2025, says CPJ

A bar chart shared by Labour ahead of tomorrow’s Gorton and Denton by-election shows the party polling one percentage point ahead of Reform UK. But the graph omits the Green Party, which was level with Labour in the same poll. Our fact check 👇

We’re telling the Government to put an end to peat sales now! 📢 The destruction of peatlands has got to stop! We've handed in a petition with 16,000 signatures, calling for the government to ban peat sales in 2026.⚠️ Read more👇 https://loom.ly/KMRiz34 & email your MP to support

And we're off! My most favourite telescope, the Vera Rubin Observatory, has turned on its public alert stream and boy, were there a lot of changes in the Universe last night. More coming: ~7 million a night 😮: exploding stars, belching black holes, asteroids cruising through the solar system. 🤗🔭🧪

Car bonnets are becoming 0.5 cm higher every year. A study by @transenvuk.bsky.social and @cleancitiescampaign.org found that car bonnets were 83.8 cm high, on average, in 2024 – up from 76.9 cm in 2010. Higher bonnets are a danger to pedestrians, cyclists and other car users. #carspreading #SUV

Just a reminder that this stuff doesn’t stop until men acknowledge the problem and start calling each other out on it.

We're less than 100 days away from elections in Scotland. But nature doesn't get a say. Join the Hope for Nature hustings in Pitlochry on 20 March to help us put rewilding firmly on the national agenda👇 https://f.mtr.cool/peihkxqnkt

Every letter in the Gaelic alphabet is linked to a tree. 🌳 The very structure of the language reflects a deep connection between people and the natural world, and an understanding of the practical and cultural importance of trees. #WorldGaelicWeek #SeachdainnaGàidhlig #Gàidhlig #ScottishGaelic

I love that William Beebe employed women historians, scientists and artists on his Arcturus expedition. Images via @biodivlibrary.bsky.social & #WikiCommons L:Ruth Rose diving at Cocos and R:Illustration by Isabel Cooper. #Legend

First moth trap of the year at Lauriston Farm, good selection of species 5/8, March, Spring usher, Satellite and Chestnut were new for the Farm list as I've not trapped so early before. 🦋

Another important story unfolded this week: the cabinet office is now investigating. By @henrydyer.bsky.social & @dansabbagh.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/politics/202...