In terms of what cures are being lost: - Epstein-Barr virus is perhaps the major trigger for multiple sclerosis - herpes simplex virus causes cold sores, genital herpes, infections in babies, deadly meningitis - shingles virus causes an intensely painful disease

With the shuttering of the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit last year by the US Army we are loosing a lot of expertise and future expertise in insect taxonomy and ecology.

This is a devastating blow to Canadian dipterology, entomology, ecology, and beyond. Please share. #diptera @dipterists.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social @canentomologist.bsky.social @entsocamerica.bsky.social @entsocontario.bsky.social @entsocbc.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social

"Grass Snake" Hand embroidery thread painting artwork #StunDay #embroidery #NationalSerpentDay #WildlifeArt

"Despite her groundbreaking work, West was long left out of histories that discussed the development of GPS." What a remarkable woman. RIP Gladys Mae West.

As these teens describe, AI can diminish human relationships; devalue art; threaten the environment; lead to laziness; give unreliable results; pose privacy concerns; and be misused. So, please, stop with the narratives of inevitability and let's embrace a pedagogy and politics of refusal.

Discworld QOTD, from The Last Continent ‘“We put all our politicians in prison as soon as they’re elected. Don’t you?” “Why?” “It saves time.”’

Equity, Ethics, & genAI “students & staff are reminded of the risks & advised of ‘prohibited’ uses at the same time as inhouse genAI tools are actively promoted […] ethical responsibility is passed on to staff & students, with few clear guidelines...” ecologyisnotadirtyword.com/2026/01/30/e...

Early Arthropods xkcd.com/3199/

As state terror amps up, here's a list of actions you can take now-- a lot of resources and a list of upcoming virtual trainings on a number of topics:

The biggest challenge Canadians face right now involves the utter disconnect between Carney’s rhetoric and his actual policies. It makes it so difficult to even begin a debate about what actually standing up to the US would look like.

@thetyee.ca is hiring a biodiversity reporter! We're looking for someone who can bring a good sense of curiosity & narrative to the role, and also do some investigative/accountability reporting. Deets here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...

43. Stop appeasing Trump and stop trying desperately to negotiate a deal with an unreliable lunatic www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...

36. Stop dumping money into recruiting researchers from outside Canada and instead properly fund our existing research community www.science.org/content/arti...

35. Increase, not decrease, capacity for food safety and pathogen surveillance, especially given US erosion of both www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

31. Stop being complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza canadianmuslimpac.ca/2025/06/29/c...

30. Cancel the F-35 and stop buying military equipment from the US ottawacitizen.com/public-servi...

27. Move Canada's economy away from fossil fuels and extractive industry rather than making us more reliant on those thenarwhal.ca/build-canada...

26. Actually listen to Indigenous people rather than trying to convince them to accept pipelines, mines, and oil tankers thewalrus.ca/a-subjugatio...

24. Stop cutting support for women's issues ywcacanada.ca/news/departm...

19. Stop pushing AI as a panacea, and definitely stop viewing AI as a replacement for human workers thetyee.ca/Opinion/2025...

18. Keep election promises on biodiversity conservation www.cbc.ca/news/science...

17. Stop backtracking on climate commitments www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

16. Stop undermining environmental protections thenarwhal.ca/carney-budge...

13. Tax the wealthy, including reinstating the increase to the capital gains tax -- trickle down economics has never worked ever www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

11. Stop undermining labour rights to strike www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

5. Stop pushing for pipelines and west coast oil tankers, and definitely don't offer this to Trump www.cbc.ca/news/politic...

2. Reject Trump's "Golden Dome" www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

1. Reject Trump's "Board of Peace" globalnews.ca/news/1161965...

Great thread on what Canada needs and expects from Mark Carney, for those who keep asking what our Tiny Banker Bean is supposed to do 👇🏼

What is this feeling in my chest? Could it be… hope? Thank you, Minnesotan volunteers. Everyone else, let’s join them. Thread:

🙏📯a few non-spider arachnid orders🎺 🙇 Amblypygi - (w/ young!) feeding on a cricket, in cave, Belize Solifugae - under rock(?), Anza-Borrego, California Pseudoscorpiones - forest floor, Oklahoma Schizomida - under log, forest floor, Costa Rica

Today a friend and I had lunch and discovered the true form of liquid categorisation. Join me on a journey of stupidity.

1. Did you know that Girl Scouts has, for a long time, accepted trans girls and nonbinary scouts? Trans kids are under attack. Every year, I make a thread of trans and nonbinary girl scouts you can get your cookies from. Lets get our cookies from them this year in solidarity!

I am a huge, huge fan of iNaturalist, but Alex's post is absolutely true. Keep collecting those bugs, please! (but keep submitting photos, too, because we've learned a lot from iNaturalist as well... including where to go back and collect voucher specimens)

Great 3 part thread! 🧪 I'll add #4. You cannot predict how your work may impact how people see the world. Sparking interests in critical thinking and/or the natural world for the majority who will never become professional scientists, but who are part of society, is still an impact.

It's so basic, so true, that we should be terrified our leaders have shown us they are not up to the task.

I just don't know what to do with the gulf between "World leaders need to remain peaceful and diplomatic and intentionally vague because we can't piss off the US" and "the US is clearly not going to stop committing illegal acts of invasion and murder and making up lies to justify it"

Mexico managing to have more spine than every western nation despite being in the immediate crosshairs, fuck every cowardly world leader that tries to play this safe

Poilievre lights emergency flares to beg Trump to invade Canada

The US has attacked a country, kidnapped its head of state, and is seizing its oil. Trump has invoked the Monroe Doctrine. This is a moment for Canada to stand up: condemn this act of imperialism. Reject impunity and the politics of brute force.

Please take some time to look through some of the discoveries photographed in 2025. It should interest some invertebrate enthusiasts. yes? yes? bit.ly/nickybay2025

Help the SciArt Feed 🐡 reach 5,000 subscribers! The intersection of art & science. No generative AI, no NFTs; a curated Feed of great visual art by skilled people. 🧡 Please share, pin & like today:

Day 26 of my 2025 Favorites: Parenthood be like– When I first catch a glimpse of a giant Hogna wolf mom absolutely covered in babies, my brain refuses to process what I'm seeing, it's just bizarre. And then realization dawns and it's sweet. That's just the invertebrate experience. 🖤 #InverteFest

A list of climate programs Carney has scrapped ... #cdnpoli www.nationalobserver.com/2025/12/24/n...

tired: you should watch Die Hard because it's a Christmas movie wired: you should watch Die Hard because it is a perfect action movie

A small (personal) example of this book’s intellectual dishonesty: My father-in-law is reading In Covid’s Wake, and excitedly told me he found a passage where I’m quoted. The quote in question is me saying the FBI worked to censor speech on social media. Huh? When did I say that?!

Pack your bags, charge your batteries, #InverteFest begins at midnight your time. If you're going out to spot critters, join our community science project here: www.inaturalist.org/projects/inv...