iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Great to seeing the word go out - come visit!

Back of bus with advert for University Museum of Zoology Cambridge

Reposted by Mark Brown

Corneile Minnaar @cminnaar.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

After months of planning, our bumblebee colonies are out at Thursley National Nature Reserve and surrounds to test the impact of Heathlands as nature's pharmacies for bumblebees. HUGE thanks to @naturalengland.bsky.social, @nationaltrust.org.uk and all the public volunteers for hosting our colonies!

Information sign showing details of research in progress on the impact of an anti-parasitic compound found in ling heather nectar on bumblebee health. The sign is erected in a heathland filled with pink ling heather flowers.

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Reposted by Mark Brown

Patrick Kennedy @patrick-kennedy.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Are you part of a social insect lab group? Is your lab proudly displayed on our shiny new map of all the social insect labs around the world? If not, why not?! Add your lab here! www.socialinsects.org/map #IUSSI

socialinsects.org

Map | IUSSI

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Reposted by Mark Brown

Patrick Kennedy @patrick-kennedy.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I have been tasked by @markjfbrown.bsky.social with making sure that all social insect groups go up on the map. If for some inexplicable reason you're not yet on the map, be warned - I might ambush you in the IUSSI poster session 🤣 #IUSSI2026

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Cinnabar moth caterpillars doing their work on the ragwort

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Reposted by Mark Brown

Karl Magnacca @kmagnacca.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Very important new paper out! The coffee berry borer beetle is the worst pest of ☕️ worldwide, and in Mexico is attacked by the wasp Cephalonomia hyalinipennis. That wasp is supposed to be in Hawaii, so why doesn’t it attack CBB here? Turns out neither are actually C. hyalinipennis!

doi.org

Unraveling a complex of cryptic species near Cephalonomia hyalinipennis (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) and their association with the coffee berry borer and other hosts

Abstract Despite the recorded presence in Hawai'i of Cephalonomia hyalinipennis, a presumed parasitoid of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), it has never been recovered from infeste...

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

If you’re thinking of applying for Senior Research Fellowships to be hosted at a UK university, check out our sponsorship scheme @camzoology.bsky.social Don’t contact me about the scheme, I won’t be able to help. Follow the instructions on the webpage instead 😉 www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/senior-...

cam.ac.uk

Senior Research Fellowship Sponsorship Scheme

The Department of Zoology at the University of Cambridge seeks Expressions of Interest from early career researchers who wish to be sponsored for externally funded fellowships that will allow them to ...

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

One of the things I love about coming to Burgundy is seeing the high density of martins and swallows, and their nests. Reminds me of my childhood in England when we still had lots of insects

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

Which wombat? Wonderful and contrasting examples of taxidermy based on different evidence bases at the Great North Museum

A taxidermy wombat interpreted as bipedal

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Happy Pride! Great fun judging the Neighbourhood Pride Bake-off - and for a great cause! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🌈🧁🍰🥮

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Month! The natural world is full of diversity, and I’m delighted that @zoologymuseum.bsky.social we celebrate this and can show you some highlights beyond the binary. Come and visit!

A poster for pride in nature tours at the University Museum of Zoology Cambridge

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

This sounds amazing - can’t wait to read it. I remember writing essays about pigeon-homing as an undergraduate, when it was all (excuse the pun) up in the air. Exciting that we’re still learning more about it nearly 40 years later 🐦 🧲

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

This is a wonderful book - totally recommend for anyone interested in zoology and museums

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Reposted by Mark Brown

Jack Ashby @jackdashby.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Whoop whoop! My first book, Animal Kingdom: A Natural History in 100 Objects is out again in a new reprint! 🤩 It explores the *astonishing* things we can learn about the natural world from incredible specimens in natural history #museums. Go get your hands on it! #OneHundredAnimals

A stack of the book Animal Kingdom: A Natural History in 100 Objects, fanned out on a table

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Prepping for another roasting day!

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Reposted by Mark Brown

Paul Williams @paulwilliamsnhm.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

New evolutionary tree for all of the world's bumblebee species, from (1) slow-evolving nuclear genes, (2) fast-evolving mitochondrial genes, and (3) results from genomic data, to provide a complete starting point for comparative studies of all bumblebees www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Evolutionary tree for all 289 extant accepted published bumblebee species from 93 million MCMC generations (post convergence) by BEAST 2 for two mitochondrial genes, four nuclear genes, and ge-nomic-supported group priors, with outgroups removed. Bayesian posterior support values for each node are shown with node and descendant branch colours indicating values from blue for high values to red for low values. Selected groups are indicated with larger spots: pale blue LT/LG for long-tongued Lowland Grassland species; pale green ST/MG for short-tongued Montane Grassland species; black spots for parasitic or ‘cuckoo’ species that lack workers, including the subgenus Psithyrus and B. inexspectatus, B. hyperboreus, B. natvigi. Subgenera are named in the outer grey ring. Taxon names not appearing in this figure are interpreted as synonyms (see text).

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

It’s World Bee 🐝 Day! A day to celebrate these amazing insects, and to reflect on how we can support wild populations of 🐝 🐝 for the future. Museum collections are key in showing where bees used to be, setting baselines to understand impacts of stressors and set restoration/conservation targets

A tray of pinned bumblebee specimens from the UMZC

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

To celebrate International Day of Families, a reminder from @zoologymuseum.bsky.social that families come in all shapes and sizes. From life-mated sea horses with paternal care, through oil bird nuclear families, to the mostly female families of social insects, to brooding male sea spiders, & beyond

Oil bird specimens with neat and offspring

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Hi everyone. Please respond to @morganmorrison73.bsky.social if you have info on this, or repost to your networks if you don’t. Thank you 🤩 🐝 🦋🪰🪲

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

My morning commute has been heralded by these glorious singers for weeks - sound on 🤩

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Happy 100th Birthday to Sir David Attenborough from the @zoologymuseum.bsky.social He studied here, re-opened us after our renovation in 2018, loaned his famous reconstructed elephant bird egg to us to share with visitors, and has inspired us all to love and protect biodiversity around the globe 😍

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

A May Day swarm 🐝 There’s a queen 🫅 in there somewhere!

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Happy Beltane! As well as 🔥 this ancient Gaelic festival is associated with animals, including cattle, hares, swallows, and honey bees - all signs of spring, food, and fertility. Cultural associations like this shape how we think and feel about animals. What do these museum specimens do for you?

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Reposted by Mark Brown

George McGavin @georgemcgavin.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Two dance flies (Empis tessellata) in a hedgerow. The male hangs by his front legs as he copulates with a female who is feeding on a nuptial gift (a bibionid fly) he has caught and offered her as a prelude to mating...I watched the whole event..transfixed!

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 22/04/2026

It’s Earth Day. This year’s focus is community action, so let’s look at specimens where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The amazing architecture of corals and wasp nests emerges from combined actions of many individuals. Let’s be inspired by nature to make the world a better place!

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

I was lucky enough to spend some time with our Entomology collection this week, and sometimes it’s the small things that stick. This is a case of ladybirds 🐞 collected by Alfred Russell Wallace (www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/who...) who co-discovered the idea of natural selection and evolution. Just wow 🤩

Pinned ladybirds from the UCMZ that were collected by Alfred Russell Wallace

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Reposted by Mark Brown

University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge @zoologymuseum.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

📢We need you!📢Volunteers are essential at the Museum from providing a warm welcome to visitors, to getting hands on with our specimens. No zoology knowledge is needed, just enthusiasm! Different times & days available. Get in touch 🙂University of Cambridge Museums ow.ly/EB4i50YJPIZ

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Homes and a cloud of sand martins - always uplifted by how small interventions can have big impacts on biodiversity. Great work at Webbs Hole Sluice - incorporate their homes in your industrial architecture and they will come. So, what small thing can each of us do to make a difference?

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Cambridge histories through blur plaques

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

I’ve been thinking about scale this week. And that’s something zoology museums are great at helping us grasp. Many of our public specimens are arranged to help people understand the physical range of closely related animals, so I thought I’d share some of my favourites @zoologymuseum.bsky.social

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

It’s Family Day at the Museum, with lots of fun activities. Having a great time being a volunteer for the day @zoologymuseum.bsky.social

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Today is the International Day of Happiness, a chance to reflect on what makes us happy. Right now, working with all my amazing new colleagues @zoologymuseum.bsky.social @camzoology.bsky.social makes me 😍. This leopard seal is also very happy, and would love to have you visit. What makes you happy?

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

Very sad to learn of Paul’s death. A brilliant mind, a great mentor to so many grad students, and a kind and funny man. Definitely not a life without controversy, but the fields of ecology and conservation are lucky to have had him

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Today is World Sleep Day 😴 and in celebration of that, here are some of the snooziest animals in the world @zoologymuseum.bsky.social

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Never thought that the genus of ants 🐜 I worked on in my PhD would be the target of illegal wildlife trade. ❤️ 🐜 but dont illegally trade them! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Kenya arrests Chinese national over attempt to smuggle 2,000 queen ants

The suspect had packed some ants in test tubes while others were concealed in tissue paper rolls, prosecutor says.

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Reposted by Mark Brown

Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge @camzoology.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Research groups here in Zoology play an important part in Europe’s response to pollinator decline. Read about their recent work: bit.ly/40rpMly @markjfbrown.bsky.social @restpoll.bsky.social @safeguard-pollinators.eu

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Here’s a great PhD opportunity in the crossover between humanities and natural history- please repost 🙏 www.ccc.cam.ac.uk/initiatives/...

ccc.cam.ac.uk

Cambridge University Library, University Museum of Zoology and the University of Cambridge - Collections Connections Communities

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 06/03/2026

So, marsupials are in the news this week, with the discovery of a new genus of possum in New Guinea. Museum specimens were key to the identification of this new species. So, here’s our lovely ring-tailed possum, a relative of the new discovery. For more, read on: theconversation.com/meet-tous-an...

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Reposted by Mark Brown

iBartomeus @ibartomeus.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

IUCN updated Red List of Bees finally published: op.europa.eu/en/publicati...

op.europa.eu

European red list of bees - Publications Office of the EU

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Mark Brown @markjfbrown.bsky.social · 26/02/2026

Katarzyna Biala (European Environment Agency) gives a final stakeholder perspective and suggests how we can build for the future across scales and costs of action and inaction @safeguard-pollinators.eu final meeting #bee 🐝 🪰 🦋

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