Thanks, New Yorker

You also can’t see bacteria or viruses with the naked eye, but they still exist and can have massive social and economic impacts. Why on earth does an organism being small mean it’s worthless??

Valuable info about the Physics Nobel Prize today from Prof. Joseph Barranco at SFSU on Martinis and Devoret being a grad student and postdoc in Clarke's lab at UC Berkeley & Clark and Devoret being immigrants. "California *public* education made this happen. Immigration made this happen." ⚛️

Craig Bennett, CEO of the Wildlife Trusts: “It is... shocking to hear the chancellor boast allowing people with privileged access to try & circumvent some of the processes that have been put in place by parliament, & to hear how she just dismisses ecological science as if it somehow doesn’t matter.”

It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social Read our tribute to the visionary Nobel Laureate and watch an interview from 2012, just after he won: https://bit.ly/4mM8o3r

"The work I was involved in had no obvious therapeutic benefit. It was purely of scientific interest. I hope the country will continue to support basic research even though it may have no obvious practical value." - John Gurdon

Leaked video from speech to Tech bosses at JP Morgan Tech Stars event appears to show Chancellor Rachel Reeves boasting of a "good relationship with the developer" as one of the rarest creatures in Britain "some snails on the site that are a protected species or something" could pay the price.

WOW. Posting also to the 🧪 feed

Talk time at our Wicken Fen field meeting, with Richard Gallon on how to look for spiders in the variety of GB habitats and the one and only Graeme Lyons on the how and why of #PanSpeciesListing

Picked up our copy of the excellent new Bedfordshire avifauna at the launch event today. It is 31 years since the last was published and this is so much more. 500 pages and a superb job with all monies going to 2 reserves in the county. Get it now via the Bedfordshire Bird Club website.

In case you missed this, natural areas equivalent in size to Cyprus have been lost across Europe in just 5 years (2018-2023). www.theguardian.com/environment/...

A study from the @danielkronauer.bsky.social lab has revealed a new form of olfaction gene regulation that may be broadly shared across insect species—opening up a new window into studying connections between genes and social behaviors. Read a Q&A with the scientists:

Cambridge City and South Cambs Councils are running a consultation on a new Climate & Nature strategy engage.cambridge.gov.uk/en-GB/projec...

It's that time of the year again – look out for blackened veins on yellowed leaves of Ribwort Plantain, caused by the fungus Spilopodia nervisequia! #FungiFriends

Project Officer - Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms - RSPB - environmentjob.co.uk/jobs/107624-... #entomology #ScottishBirding

What a lovely find! I adore that I’m always seeing new things, even after 3 years of looking at plankton. This is a ciliate from the family Folliculinidae (thanks for the ID @microbe_guru !). I adore its colour! #marineplankton 🦑

To his horror, Irving suddenly realized he had failed to check his own boots before putting them on just minutes ago.

I'm so sad to have lost my brilliant, mercurial friend, poet Brian Patten, with whom I worked for 39 years. This is how he signed off his last email to me: "It's dragonfly time here. The lake down the lane is alight with them..." Brian, you left the world alight with your words. Obit in comments. 💙📚

A relatively short lunchtime walk at Cambourne led by @brianecambs.bsky.social - especially brilliant because I learnt a new gall! And I'm a little obsessed by galls currently. Caused by a mite gall (Aculus tetanothrix) on willow (specifically a Bay x White Willow hybrid).

From Orkney voles to interrupted brome grass, Endemic is a fascinating dive into Britain’s unique biodiversity. James Harding-Morris blends science, storytelling, and conservation into one unforgettable read.

This is so exciting! I've been hoping for this for years! Please share share share so people know.

Sphagnum balticum taken yesterday in a wetland nature reserve #moss #bryophyte

I may have found my defining quote. Pair this with my pinned post and you will see what I mean!

The Wasp Spider's steady progress north and west continues, with much consolidation of its occupancy of the south east as well:

Only a few days to go… please share!!!

#ResistanceRoots Today in history, 1962: Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is first published, showing the damage widespread pesticide use inflicts on the environment. It helped expose man’s impact on ecosystems, launching the modern environmentalist movement in the U.S. /1

Banking on Trumpington Meadows. One of the best sites for butterflies in Cambridgeshire, has just got better. @tonyjuniper.bsky.social @brianecambs.bsky.social @craigbennett3.bsky.social

The Far Side cast

Suddenly, Bobby felt very alone in the world.

Coming soon: 'Wild Roses of Great Britain and Ireland'. This latest title, no.26 in the series of #BSBIHandbooks for tricky plant groups, has just gone to the printers! Available for #BSBImembers to pre-order now at the discount price of £16 (vs RRP £25). Sample pages here: bsbi.org/bsbi-handboo...

Did you know Britain is home to 700+ endemic species? In Endemic, James Harding-Morris journeys across the UK to spotlight the plants, animals, and fungi found only here—and the urgent need to protect them. 🕷️

With 2 weeks until the UKBMS 50th Anniversary conference we're sharing details of the talks and speakers. Fist up, Prof. David Roy from @ukceh will be giving the keynote talk looking back at the last 50 years of the UKBMS Book your free place here ⬇️ www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-butterf...

🧑‍🎨Fancy something a bit different & getting on your creative side? ✍️An introductory workshop to nature writing at the beautiful Paxton Pits Nature Reserve next week. Book a spot here www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2025-...

Steve Silberman is not here to shout it — so it’s up to all of us. Vaccines don’t cause autism. Neither does Tylenol. (I mean seriously WTF?!?!) The “epidemic” of autism is the result of increased testing, broader definitions, and raised awareness. LOUDER.

PLEASE READ! No more #BeeWashing. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

me telling my grandkids what it was like to have vaccines

A group of youth climate researchers affiliated with UC Davis is trying to fix climate models to correct for fossil fuel industry propaganda that has snuck its way in. But... of course their funding was just cut. :( So they're doing a GoFundMe. www.gofundme.com/f/support-Ba...

There's a great Substack piece by Adam Rutherford debunking all this nonsense. arutherford.substack.com/p/dire-wolve...

Hilarious and alarming in equal measure.

HISTORIC HEAT IN MIDDLE EAST 48.1C Jahra KUWAIT 47.7C Semawa IRAQ Crazy MINIMUMS up to 32C at 600m asl at Iranshar,IRAN. It's the harshest heat wave IN WORLD HISTORY for this time of the year And tomorrow it can be even hotter: World record (just broken) at risk again !

#AncientRome Intaglio: Two #cicadas fighting as gladiators Roman Republic, 1st c. BCE Carnelian, 17 x 21 x 3.5 mm “Rare subject referable to the late republican repertoire of #insects that perform human actions.” www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/...

Quakers in Britain has been refused permission to give evidence in a landmark legal challenge to the UK government's proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group. We are disappointed with this decision, which means our concerns around freedom of religion will not be heard in court.

This is a really great piece. I never saw Slender-billed Curlews outside of museums. Writing the paper that declared them extinct was a sad and unexpectedly emotional thing. As scientists we dream of discovering new species, not writing being the ones to declare them lost forever.

Something beautiful for the weekend! An extraordinary Acheulean handaxe knapped around a fossil shell c. 500,000-300,000 years ago! The shell’s central display has been described as an example of aesthetic intention by the toolmaker. West Tofts, Norfolk. 📷 MAA Cambridge University #Archaeology

This frontispiece in my book just made me laugh a lot. Is this Buddhist reincarnation, or some other form of afterlife?

Oh to be a little Tardigrade scratching its back on a bubble. 🫧🐻🧪

...having had a look, the only aphid usually found on duckweed (Lemna spp.) is Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae (influentialpoints.com/Gallery/Rhop...), a species that host alternates between Prunus and a variety of water plants. These were mostly immatures.

Turning flags into battenburg - could this be the solution? Battenburg is both patriotic, whilst also kind and reassuring! #MoreCake #BeKind

Absolutely unbelievable to see egregious anti-science nonsense being given an airing like this. Well done @lewisgoodall.com for calling it out. “A broad church… freedom of speech” - and that’s the excuse for platforming not just misinformation but disinformation.