iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Barbara J. King

womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Lepiota procera, 1894 watercolour by Beatrix Potter. Best known for her children's books. Potter also studied mycology, the scientific study of fungi and was a keen conservationist #WomensArt

Watercolour featuring a study of three mushrooms or toadstools of the same species against a cream background

4746147

Reposted by Barbara J. King

womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 21h

Otomi embroidery is a traditional Mexican embroidery style known as "Tenangos", featuring vibrant colors, and unique floral and animal designs #WomensArt

Colourful embroidery with birds, animaks and plants against a white background

71180227

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 10h

"In a study of Africans + S. Americans, researchers identified more than 600 species of bacteria that may once have been common in the gut but are now rare or missing entirely from people in most societies." Research by Justin Sonnenburg et al., scicomm by @carlzimmer.com #anthropology #microbiome

nytimes.com

Was the Human Gut Healthier in Ancient Times? (Gift Article)

The microbiome isn’t what it used to be in many parts of the world. The shift of species may be affecting the well-being of people in industrialized countries.

030

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Here's an osprey in Gloucester, VA, where I live, my photo, set to the #BirdoftheDay theme of blue skies by @atlanticbirding.bsky.social to start off our week. #birds #birding #nature #naturephotography

2462

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

More like peering around life's corner with a pocket mirror in order to get a sense of the colors, the shape, the speed of the thing that is hurrying inexorably toward me. -- Lieke Marsman, 1990-2026. #SundaySentence, On Another Planet They Can Save Me. (Soon from @catapultbooks.bsky.social)

The cover features a large ringed pink planet looming over a pink car driven by an alien with in the passenger seat, maybe Death. The book is translated from Dutch by Sophie Collins.

0181

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Appalling and wrong. #highered #ColumbiaUniversity

064

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I thought so too. So sad she has died.

010

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I can scarcely breathe after finishing On Another Planet They Can Save Me, by Lieke Marsman (1990-2026), translated by Sophie Collins from Dutch, coming soon from @catapultbooks.bsky.social.On dying, but more:being open to all possibilities, all imagination, all life. #books #memoir #death #medicine

The cover features a large pink ringed planet looming over a pink car driven by an alien with a figure, maybe Death, in the passenger seat.

161

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

"Neither fully land nor fully water, neither fully alive nor fully dead, boglands' ambiguity made them powerful in the human imagination"- beautiful essay on boglands and their role today in climate and ecology by @queenofpeat.bsky.social. #nature #naturewriting #bogs #climate #climatescience

nytimes.com

Opinion | Boglands Are Museums That Help Protect Us From Climate Change (Gift Article)

Bogs store carbon, and preserve histories too.

0185

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Eric LaRocca @ericlarocca.com · 02/10/2026

Not sure how long this discount will last, but my novel WRETCH is less than two dollars across all platforms on ebook 🖤🪲🕯️ That’s a pretty good deal to get reverse haunted…

1163

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Birding folks: our yard visitor is sharp-shinned not Cooper's? Or am I wrong? #birds #birding #nature

A hawk landed on grass in our yard in southeastern Virginia: grayish body, bright yellow eye, stripy breast and legs I think?

0110

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Levi Stahl @levistahl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Good morning, friends!

A detail of a panel from a December 1992 Peanuts comic strip showing Sally shouting “I should have known!”

0184

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

For #WindowsonWednesday, here is the fabulous House of 7 Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. Great museum, lovely grounds. #museum #Houseof7Gables #SalemMA

The grey-colored gables house has many, and many-paned, windows. In front is a colorful flower garden under a blue sky.

0131

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

On chimpanzee + bonobo mothers carrying dead infants, by @tpuschel.bsky.social + Reece Hammond. Length of time "depends on how strong their bond was, [mom's] life experience, the physical risks of holding onto the body and how quickly it naturally breaks down." #primates #deathstudies #anthropology

theconversation.com

Why do some chimpanzee mothers carry their dead infants for months?

New research looks for patterns in this sad phenomenon.

0156

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Jordan Hoffman @jhoffman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Reading Alan Sepinwall's biography of Rod Serling is s-l-o-w g-o-i-n-g. Because it is boring? No, absolutely not. Because it gets me jazzed up to rewatch old episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, and next thing you know it is 1am.

2304

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Grew up in Shrewsbury/ Red Bank, so, no contest. From here in southeastern Virginia, with visceral bolts out of the blue I miss Monmouth County ... all the time.

001

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I believe 'our' groundhog has now achieved proper pre-winter plumpness. #animals #nature #autumn

A robust brown groundhog makes their way through green grass.

0181

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Such a loss, for all animals, the planet..."The US no longer leads the world in vegan-friendly cities. That honor goes to #London and #Berlin. LA has clawed its way back to 3rd place after it was bumped out by Barcelona. But no one’s bringing out the confetti." #food #plantbased #vegan #reducetarian

vegnews.com

The Hard Truth About Why the Vegan Restaurants We Love Keep Closing

Headline after headline. Goodbye post after goodbye post. News of shuttered plant-based restaurants doesn’t seem to end. But while the crisis is real, so is the determination. We spoke to six vegan re...

091

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I use your map weekly. Thank you. My county has shot up precipitously- I don't really understand what could be the cause of this sudden sharp increase!

020

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Oh Anthropic. Get real. "Anthropic said Claude’s key contribution was identifying an array of RNA molecules and a protein associated with reverse transcriptase in a system. But Dr. Mestre said he and his colleagues had made that discovery over a year ago." #Anthropic #Claude #LLM #science #AI #noAI

nytimes.com

Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)

An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.

281

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

nytimes.com

Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)

An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.

281

Reposted by Barbara J. King

John @birdingjohn.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Since today's #BirdOfTheDay theme is #BokehBirds (any bird captured with a soft, muted or blurry background), I'm posting another photo of this black-and-white warbler! 🪶 #birds #birding #nature #wildlife #photography #birdphotography #backyardbirds #BlueskyMonday

Side view of a black-and-white warbler perched on a bare branch in front of blurred green foliage.

1504

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For now, she imagined the song that everything sang, for as long as it could: I'm alive, I'm alive, I'm alive. -- Chloe Benjamin, from her amazing, immersive new novel of love, grief, and alternative universes, Under Story. #SundaySentence #Booksky

The cover features two partial circles that touch, with blue clouds and sky as inverse images in each and with UNDER right side up, STORY upside down.

1301

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

For those of us w/ bird feeders, something to wrestle with, by Lia Leendertz: "We have been helping birds to survive harsh winters, but in the process, we may have exported wild bird decline to our own woodlands, farmlands + to countries that supply our vast appetite for bird seed." #birds #nature

nytimes.com

Opinion | Maybe We Should Leave Birds Alone (Gift Article)

One of Britain’s favorite national pastimes is hurting as well as helping.

0113

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Canitb? @canitb.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Shadow cat has her freaking out!! Happy #caturday #catsofbluesky

1123

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Leg position is everything! Caroline, age 13. #Caturday #cats

A larger calico cat rivets her gaze outside through glass doors. She is sitting but in the middle of grooming and one leg is held in the air straight out some inches from the ground.

0170

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

For fans of catios--and of fresh air for our cats without allowing them to hunt or become prey themselves: "Covered enclosures designed to allow felines to safely spend time outdoors, catios, or cat patios, were valued as a $1.12 billion industry globally in 2024." #cats #pets #nature

nytimes.com

Indoor Cats Are Getting Outside, Thanks to ‘Catios’ (Gift Article)

The global “catio” industry could grow by roughly $1 billion in the next decade.

081

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yes it's the rich corporations, indifferent governments, I want to push hardest; I know 'personal responsibility' is fraught, a trap. But still, if you live comfortably and fly frequently and eat industrial meat/dairy, could you keep these people in mind...? And other #animals. #plantbased #nature

071

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"More than 450,000 people are projected to die from the additional heat brought by the super El Niño by February." Nigeria, Indonesia, Sudan top list of countries affected. Please, let us think in terms of families, of real living individuals, at risk. #climate #climatescience #ElNino #extremeheat

theguardian.com

Huge El Niño projected to cause more than 450,000 deaths by February

New report predicts a heavy toll from Nigeria to the US – and comes on top of existing impacts of the climate crisis

182

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Ignore photo, here is a BBC interview on behavior of the wild humpback whale mother coping with a stillbirth. Good to discuss (starts 37m30s at link) w/ colleagues Olaf Meynecke + Jennifer Vonk. (Spoiler: Yes I think it's likely maternal grief.) #anthropology #whales #grief #nature #podcast #BBC

bbc.com

BBC Audio | Outside Source | US TV networks suspend White House pooled coverage of Trump

We explain what is behind the boycott by major US television networks

061

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The Americans- yes absolutely. I still think about it years later and make everyone in my family watch it. Will rewatch.

010

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

bbc.com

BBC Audio | Outside Source | US TV networks suspend White House pooled coverage of Trump

We explain what is behind the boycott by major US television networks

061

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

They are well worthy of fascination! In winter we get many pairs sharing space together in our thickets.

010

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Here is my backyard northern cardinal male and his mate, for the #redheads theme, #birdoftheday. #birds #nature

A bright-red (with black mask on face) northern cardinal male sits just inches above a lighter-colored female in a green bush.

1483

Reposted by Barbara J. King

Mike DiCuccio @dicuccio.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Here's a pileated woodpecker, skipping up an angled tree trunk, for #RedHeads / #BirdOfTheDay #birds #nature #photography

A pileated woodpecker with a bright, flaming red crest skips up a sloped tree trunk. Its feet are blurred with motion and not contacting the trunk; its head is seen in sharp focus.

0372

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

On ancient Roman board games: "Researchers used high-resolution 3D scans that mapped microscopic imperfections on the limestone board, revealing telltale grooves. 'Those line indicated the most heavily played routes, Dr. Crist said." #archaeology #boardgames #gaming

nytimes.com

Archaeologists Decode Rules of an Ancient Roman Board Game (Gift Article)

They scanned the pattern of microscopic imperfections on an ancient limestone slab, and used A.I. to figure out how a game might have been played.

2103

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

So many readers/ viewers out here awash in GRATITUDE for decades of amazing reading/ viewing, very much including me! Happy birthday!

010

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

The interactive map provided by @michael-hoerger.bsky.social at pmc19.com is invaluable for planning travel during a #COVID wave. I'm #immunocompromised and just canceled a getaway to a 'very high' county in North Carolina. I'll go another time. #publichealth #COVIDcautious

pmc19.com

Pandemic Mitigation Collaborative - COVID-19 Data Dashboard

0121

Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

My #SundaySentence this week comes from @krysmalcolmbelc.bsky.social 's memoir What I Made for Dinner: Beginning testosterone at twenty-eight was less an act of defiance than one of conformity. #memoir #queerlit

The cover features the title in large light blue letters and the author's name in red. Photo images of food are: macaroni pasta, green leaves of some sort, red tomato, carrot rounds, and onion.

090