You're trying your best, Steve...

Ready to meet our third plenary speaker? We are delighted to announce it's.... 🥁 🥁 🥁 The extraordinary @mherberstein.bsky.social

Today's online coworking session included a cat that likes to tip her water bowl by grabbing the rag under it. It was a very productive session 😊

New publication! Updated taxonomy of “coin spiders” (genus Herennia, family Nephilidae). This group is known for extreme size dimorphism, ladder-like webs, and varied distributions across Asia and Australasia. Check out what’s new in their taxonomy in biogeography. www.ezlab.si/post/new-spe...

“If you love it so much why don’t you marry it?” Because my country currently doesn’t recognize spider marriage

Why use AI to write when you can use Written? Kitten! writtenkitten.co

#macromonday Orchard #orbweaver - Leucauge venusta (Shot near Cincinnati 5-31-24) 🕷️ #photography #macrophotography #wildlifephotography #wildlife #nature #animal #invertebrate #arachnid #spider #spidersky #ento

I potato you, part II

I beg the average American to use at least a single neuron and consider that the pentagon isn't using a SHIELD helicarrier over the Caribbean. Puerto Rico has been remilitarized by your rotting country and is being used as an island of human shields to protect the interests of the continental 48.

Consider, an an't 🥹 #EmotionalSupportSpood

finally, we're living through precedented times

Putting my insomnia to good use I guess

I swear to every god this planet worships that I will smite every dumb idiot that keeps conflating citizenship and national identity in the context of Puerto Rico. Our national identity is Puerto Rican, we are not your “fellow Americans”.

I 🥔 U

It's official - my new book is officially published today! If you mentor science students who write - grad or undergrad - you're the reason we wrote this. Mentoring/teaching writing is hard; but we can make it easier!

Shades of Grey 🕷️ Was industrial melanism really just about soot? Join our FREE entoLIVE webinar on Thu 26 Feb 2026 with Dr Geoff Oxford for a fresh look at moths, spiders & classic biology stories. Sign up: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1968443417... @britishspiders.bsky.social @nbntrust.bsky.social

WeTransfer did a 2025 Recap. I had no idea my warmth could be perceived through transfers with no message that I mostly sent to myself 😆

We present: The Art of #InverteFest - December 2025 Edition A digital art book showcasing the work of 100 artists from around the world, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna. Thank you to the artists who contributed to our book! Download: drive.google.com/file/d/1JCXz... #Art #SciArt

#InverteFest throwback to this mega commission I got for a father and son. The peacock jumper plushie is TWICE its original size! It easily lays on a persons chest it's that big #plushart #inverts 🪲🦐

Yesterday evening, Israeli police arrest Palestinian Christians during Christmas celebrations in Haifa, Palestine.

Batey de Bomba en Calle Loíza. I am HOME.

#ArtAdventCalendar day 18 is one I believe I’ve featured here before. From June of 2024. Still one of my favourite manis - this one is known by my nail friends as my “Priders” mani. For Pride spiders, naturally.

In Puerto Rico, gas costs about 1/3 of what it does in Slovenia. Everything else costs two to three times more. These views and the warmth of my people are priceless tho

If you need a happy science story today - another piece how male dolphins who bond better with their mates* age slower @aunz.theconversation.com piece by @liviagerber.bsky.social @kjpeters.bsky.social and Lee Rollins *Aussie dolphins, so the Aussie meaning of mates 🐳🦑🧪

GRANDE, NIKA!! (and everyone who worked on this campaign) There is HOPE!

New publication! 🕷️ In the Analamazaotra National Park, Madagascar, we investigated how kleptoparasitic spiders choose host webs. The answer isn’t random! Which web to invade? Argyrodine kleptoparasites differentiate amongst architecturally different host webs. bdj.pensoft.net/article/1721...

Just when I couldn't be happier, my favorite artist released this video featuring our most beloved character from the 90's. Guille, interpreted by Victor Alicea, was among the first queer characters on Puerto Rican TV. Morí full!

Benedikt Pleyer/Nomadic Nostoc filmed these tiny ostracods collected from the beach of a Japanese island. Vargula hilgendorfii live in marine sand & emit a mix of luciferase & luciferin that lights up to deter predators. The same chemicals produce firefly glow. 海蛍: umihotaru = "Sea fireflies"

Well established competing countries, potential acts for this year in national finals, vast swathes of fan media, and rabid obsessive fans, all walking away. And still the EBU will learn nothing.

Share this with a colleague. This org does grants for academic moms to help with things like childcare at a conference, covering unpaid days off with a sick kiddo, or just getting through a rough patch. We need more stuff like this. 🧪 #WomenInSTEM #BlueSci #SciMom iamas.com/academic-mam...

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Here is a Youtube video describing our new research. Enjoy! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rWG...

Check out our new paper! Not only do we describe a cool spider (new genus) from Madagascar, related to an Australian one, but we also make a deep dive into orb weaver morphology to better understand family relationships and synapomorhpies. Proud of this one!

📢 NEW SPIDER GENUS JUST DROPPED

Científico del CONICET 🇦🇷

It's been 7 days since surgery. The pain is still a good 6/10 and I would definitely wish this on my worst enemies 😈

I really enjoyed the songwriting too. Not a single line was wasted on meaningless rhyme.

New paper on bark spiders, who build the largest webs made out of the toughest silk. We show that their extremely tough silk, which is potentially metabolically costly, is limited to large females. Juveniles and males use inferior silk.

Wisdom teeth removal at this age is brutal. 0/10. Do not recommend.

Our study of time processing in bumblebees 🐝 covered by @cnn.com here edition.cnn.com/2025/11/12/s... . Our summary is here youtu.be/hsGxU65OMQk and the original paper royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.... @royalsocietypublishing.org

Some indoor fun for the cold days

I personally dislike doing merch myself so thank you to @nervousjessica.bsky.social for doing all the hard work for me! You won't find these anywhere else. #Art #SciArt

Folks, today (20 Nov) is Transgender Day of Remembrance and I hope everyone can take some quiet moments to reflect and acknowledge on the violence and harm that has taken many from our wonderful Trans+ communities historically. And a reminder that it costs nothing to be kind to everyone. 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️ 🩵💜🤍

I feel this is a common theme in academia. The worst shit is imposed on us, and we take it upon ourselves to solve the problem. And I think this is because we’re all huge nerds who love to solve problems and who see ourselves as people who should be able to! We accidentally weaponised our own values

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It was a tough ADHD/ASD parenting day. I just wish the world met us with the same understanding and compassion that we pour into our children

Always here for a giant spider web story www.livescience.com/animals/spid...