iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Naim Matasci @nmatasci.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Thank goodness for laser levels

Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Naim Matasci @nmatasci.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Admiring "Portrait of a Human" by the amazing @artologica.net hanging in our living room. @matinadonaldson.bsky.social and I absolutely love it.

The artwork shown hanging on a wall, with a coffee table, lamp and edge of a couch visible.

A series of 16 water color panel arranged into a 4x4 grid. Each panel shows a different cell type in bright colors. LTR-TTB: retina, hair, lung, neuron, white blood cells, neuron, egg and sperm, bone, skin, neurons, red blood cells, inner ear, liver, cardiac muscle, bone marrow, skeletal muscle.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

On Sunday, my student Diya will be graduating from @hmc.edu -- an exciting, though slightly scary, event! In her last HMC Bee Lab blog post, she writes about a much more painful rite of passage practiced by the Sateré-Mawé people of Brazil with #BulletAnts: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/05/comi...

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Coming of Age with Ants: The Sateré-Mawé Tradition of Wearing Bullet Ant Gloves

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

You've probably stumbled across an #ant nest before, but maybe you never stopped to look: what are they doing there, right around the nest entrance? Su writes about what harvester ants do, and how we can tell, in her latest student blog post: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/04/here... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Determing Behavior in Harvester Ant Colonies

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

If you closely at what seems like a weed, you may notice a beautiful #Fibonacci spiral of flowers. In the latest blog post from my Ecology Lab's #NaturalHistory series, Aabhas writes about the Common Fiddleneck and its striking form. hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/04/fidd... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Fiddling with Fiddlenecks: Pondering upon Existential Questions in Evolution

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Detecting ants is a key part of tracking them, but it's not all that matters. You also need to keep track of who's who -- easier said than done! In this HMC Bee Lab blog post, Livia writes about tracking metrics that take ID into account hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/04/how-... #ComputerVision @hmc.edu

Drawing of two ants crossing, with their identity labeled incorrectly after the crossing. By Livia Ordonez

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

What happens when a resource disappears? Wood ant networks reorganize, often recovering well. But if a key resource is lost, the network is reshaped into a less efficient, less robust configuration. It may not recover, even if the resource becomes available again. www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

eurekalert.org

When a key resource disappears: What wood ant networks can teach us

At first glance, the world of ants may seem far removed from our everyday lives. Yet, on closer inspection, they often face surprisingly similar challenges. They live in complex societies where the fu...

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Are you easily distracted by plants? (Yeah, me too.) Go on a virtual #NaturalHistory trip to pHake Lake, our field station's artificial pond, with Ecology Lab student Callie. Enjoy the journey ... and don't focus too much on the destination! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/04/phak... @hmc.edu

Drawing of five-petaled flowers with descriptive notes from field notebook by Callie Dawson

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

Today's edition of my Ecology Lab's #NaturalHistory blog series: Karl, a somewhat reluctant naturalist, faces his fear of "knife flies" head on by choosing to study #pollinators in his final project hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/04/how-... @hmc.edu

The blog post author collects data in the field with a partner, shortly before being stung by a bee. Photo by Brooke Bailey.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Next up in my Ecology Lab students' #NaturalHistory blog series: Lilo writes about the peace that comes from observing bees and butterflies on a black sage plant. Bonus: some great pics with Adobe's new iPhone camera app Project Indigo! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/03/lost... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Lost in the Bushes: Examining the Black Sage and its Pollinators

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Imagine being the size of an ant, and entering an ant nest. Without special defenses or camouflage, you'd probably die immediately. Yet, some beetles do this all the time! Read more in Phoebe's latest undergrad research blog post: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/03/find... #myrmecophile @hmc.edu

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

How does vision shape our understanding of the world? Research student Bonnie writes about the architecture of the brain & how it inspires #ComputerVision: allowing computers to not only identify & categorize objects, but also interact with the world. hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/03/what... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

What Vision Reveals About Intelligence

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Here's the second post in my students' #NaturalHistory blog series! Anna writes about "Ecology Underfoot" -- the surprising plant diversity to be found in a tiny patch of seemingly bare ground: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/03/ecol... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Ecology Underfoot

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

If you've ever walked through a California native shrubland, you might have noticed how good you smell afterwards. Sagescrub is incredibly aromatic -- but does it make good tea? Read Taylor's latest student blog post to find out! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2026/02/smel...

A mug of tea held in front of a white sage plant. Photo by Taylor Baugh.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

What's *your* Ant Navigation style? When you're lost, do you make like an Argentine ant and follow the crowd, or like a desert ant and look for landmarks? Read more about the different ways ants find their way in Paul's latest student blog post: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/12/ant-... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Ant Maps?

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

I always appreciate the first-year students' comments & drawings on the final exam, but *this* one especially 😍 🐜!

Picture of a snowman saying "Have a great winter break" with a pencil drawing of an "ant-snowman" next to it.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

From the surface, ant nests don't look like much. But underground, there's *a lot* going on! Learn about the complex structure & construction of ant nests, and what we have to learn from it all, in Pranay's new blog post: "Antchitecture"! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/12/antc... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Antchitecture: The Building of Harvester Ant Nests

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

California harvester #ants have a powerful sting -- so powerful that Indigenous people of the region ingested hundreds of them to induce visions. Read more in Ananya's latest blog post: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/12/trip... (Don't try this at home!!) @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Tripping on Ants

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

What makes humans "special"? Well, it isn't farming... ants have been doing it a lot longer than we have! Read more about fungus farming ants in Diya's latest student blog post: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/11/hold... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Hold Your Horses: Ants farm too?

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Students in my lab have been observing interactions b/w native and invasive ants in our local field station. First-year student Su writes about the different species they've encountered in the process, including our fave, the California harvester ant! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

The Ants of Harvey Mudd: Which Ones are You Seeing?

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

We've seen our turtle ants, after being bitten, stung and thrown by twig ants, just walk away all nonchalant. What makes them so hard core? Read about our latest exploratory project in Lexie's new blog post: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/11/knig... @hmc.edu

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Want to learn about ant weaponry & wrestling moves? New undergrad student Phoebe interviewed collaborator Dr. Scott Powell to find out how the enemy species she's studying in the lab interact in the field. Read her blog post here: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/10/neve... #ants #wrestling @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Never Gonna Give You Up: Twig Ant Mandibles

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

Hey #ABS2025 are you excited to see some Ant Wrestling?? My undergrad Marissa Douglas made this fun trailer for her thesis presentation: youtu.be/MtBHG3XNVxY?... I'll be talking about it this afternoon at 4pm in Social Aggression.

youtu.be

Thesis Trailer for interspecific competition of Cephalotes varians and Pseudomyrmex gracilis

YouTube video by Marissa Douglas

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Wanna read more about ant wrestling -- and learn how we make science replicable? First-year undergrad Hanna writes about her experience working in the lab this semester & what she learned about the importance of a detailed protocol w/ lots of examples hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/05/wres... @hmc.edu

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Wrestling Ants, The Sequel! Why We Cannot Randomly Score Insect Aggression

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation @xercessociety.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

Protecting habitat is perhaps THE most important conservation strategy. But a proposed change to the Endangered Species Act would stop doing so, allowing people & companies to destroy habitat that endangered species need to survive. Join us in stopping this change ➡️ xerces.org/protect-the-esa

“Say No to Weakening the Endangered Species Act” Endangered Fender's blue butterfly at a restoration site near Fern Ridge

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

"Have you ever watched a WWE wrestling match and wished you could see it at a fraction of the size? Ever wanted to see miniature body slams, tiny submission holds and even small aerial moves?" If so, read on in the latest student blog post by Lexie! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2025/05/wres... @hmc.edu #ants

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Wrestling Ants: How We Score Insect Aggression Like WWE Moves

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

Meet the lab ants, part II! In this blog post, Chloé introduces our three species (turtle ants, two kinds of twig ants) & the personality differences she's observed. Like me, she prefers turtle ants, but her reasons are different... hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/12/flor... #ants @harveymudd.bsky.social

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Floridian Ants: The true test of my patience

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

Tavo joined my lab this semester because he loves insects, so he was super excited to learn how to use the lab's dissecting scope to get up close and personal with *live* turtle & twig ants 🐜🐜🐜. Read his blog post, w/ lots of pics: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/12/up-c... #ants @harveymudd.bsky.social

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Up Close and Personal with the Ant Lab’s Current Residents!

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

The Red Imported Fire Ant is a major invasive pest across much of the US, but it also accomplishes some really cool engineering feats. Read TJ's latest student blog post about fire ant rafts, which they use to survive floods: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/12/when... @harveymudd.bsky.social #ants

hmcbee.blogspot.com

When Hugs Meet Survival: The Science Behind Fire Ant Rafts

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

The prisoner's dilemma is a classic game that emphasizes conflict & shows how hard cooperation can be. In the latest student blog post, Julianne explains how red fire ant queens get around this problem using a green beard: hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/12/ant-... @harveymudd.bsky.social #ants #gametheory

hmcbee.blogspot.com

Ant-agonists: The Line Between Betrayal and Cooperation

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 22/11/2024

Ever wonder: do ants sleep? In the latest student blog post, Diya writes about ants' sleeping habits -- and what college students have to learn from them! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/11/an-a... #ants @harveymudd.bsky.social

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Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Nigel Raine @nigeleraine.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

If you missed Dr. Sue Chan’s poster on cucurbit pollen collection and use by squash #bees (Xenoglossa pruinosa) at #EntSoc24, feel free to check out the @jpollecol.bsky.social open access paper instead: doi.org/10.26786/192... @entsocamerica.bsky.social

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Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Avery Russell @draverbee.bsky.social · 05/11/2024

Want to be my colleague? There are two tenure track Assistant Prof positions opening up at my university - month of 1st consideration is Jan 2025 😄 One for Freshwater Fisheries Biology and the other for Animal Ecology! 😊 jobs.missouristate.edu/postings/78080 jobs.missouristate.edu/postings/78118

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Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Elinor Lichtenberg @dremlichtenberg.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

Two Lichtenberg Lab student presentations at #EntSoc24 on Monday! At 9 in 129A, Avery Pearson is talking about how ranch management alters plant visitation networks. At 11:42 in 132A, Marie Muñiz is talking about bees learning from lady beetles.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 12/04/2024

From Day 1 of my Experimental Ecology class, Chan's been focused on 🌱(and avoiding 🕷️). But in this new student blog post, he discovers that to really understand plants, you need to learn about other organisms too -- like 🍄 & even (gasp)🐞! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/04/yerb... @harveymudd.bsky.social

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 21/03/2024

In the third natural history blog post from my ecology class, Marissa writes about her seemingly fruitless search for coyotes, and how much she has learned about them from, well, their 💩. hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/03/what... @harveymudd.bsky.social #iTeachBio

hmcbee.blogspot.com

What a Waste: My Time Scouting for Coyotes (Canis latrans)

A blog about social insect behavior, especially ants & honeybees, including field ecology, computer vision, and mathematical and simulation models.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 13/03/2024

Calling all grad students in N. America studying #ants, #bees, #wasps or #termites! We're accepting applications for IUSSI-NAS Spring Research Awards, plus nominations for Best Student Paper on behavior/evolution in social arthropods. For more info: iussi.cyberbee.net/2024/03/iuss...

iussi.cyberbee.net

IUSSI-NAS Spring Student Awards » IUSSI-NAS

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 05/03/2024

Here's the second student blog post about keeping a natural history notebook! This week, Josie writes about how she started out *looking* for birds -- but found that *listening* (along w/ Merlin Bird ID app) was more fruitful! hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-... @harveymudd.bsky.social #iTeachBio

Image of bright blue scrub jay flying in front of green vegetation. Photo by Arman Khasru.

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 28/02/2024

Students in my ecology lab are blogging about their experiences keeping a natural history notebook. This week, Sarah writes about lizards: taking a closer look gave her a new appreciation for their individuality & cuteness 🦎😍 hmcbee.blogspot.com/2024/02/avid... @harveymudd.bsky.social #iTeachBio

Sketch of a lizard drawn by Sarah Williams

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Matina Donaldson-Matasci @matinadonaldson.bsky.social · 17/02/2024

It's awful to think that Duke is giving up on their herbarium. So many irreplaceable specimens, and so much more to be gained from them as new methods are developed! If you agree, consider signing this petition to show support for the herbarium: chng.it/7NrcD4jNnM

chng.it

Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?

The decision by Duke University to close their herbarium is deeply concerning. Herbaria are not just repositories of plant specimens, they are living libraries of life on Earth. They hold the keys to ...

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Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Darryl Yong (he/him/his) @dyong.bsky.social · 06/02/2024

My college (Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA) is hiring a Director of Learning Programs, who will oversee our Writing Center and Academic Excellence Program and contribute to the teaching of our first year core writing course. lnkd.in/gxTPRqkE Please help me spread the word!

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Reposted by Matina Donaldson-Matasci

Fay-Wei Li @fernway.bsky.social · 14/02/2024

sad news - Duke University decided to dump their herbarium, which has over 800,000 plant specimens, one of the largest among in America, and includes many type specimens of Lady Gaga ferns. What a shame. Please stop Duke admins for making this horrible mistake!!

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