iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

We can't unsee this, but Judith probably can

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The Devon and Exeter Institution @dexinst.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Are you a student interested in the history of science, entomology, or changing attitudes to the natural world? 🔎📜Why not drop in to our free Dissertation Inspiration session, Tuesday 20th October, 2-4pm!

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University of Exeter Special Collections @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

We are delighted to announce that 7 letters from our Agatha Christie business papers are going on display at the British Library's exhibition 'Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery', opening later this month! ✨ You can find out more about the collection here ➡️ lib-archives.ex.ac.uk/Record.aspx?...

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Time to celebrate our photosynthesising pals as today is #WorldAlgaeDay Please enjoy these illustrations from 'Nereis Britannica; or a botanical description of the British marine plants, in Latin and English: accompanied with drawings from nature' by J. Stackhouse, 1795

Antique two-page botanical plate with text and labeled watercolor seaweed illustrations titled Capillary Fucus.

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

The Marine Biologist Issue 38 has been shortlisted for Cover of the Year at the PPA Independent Publisher Conference & Awards. Please vote for us and our partners CLP One! ppaindpub.co.uk/2026/en/page/front-… #CoverOfTheYear

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Sepia officinalis* 🤦🏻‍♀️

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

📸 BL.48/F: Sepia offcinalis from 'A History of British Mollusca and their shells' by Forbes & Hanley 1853 📸E.I:Gy.3: Mastigoteuthis glaukopis from 'Wissenschaftliche Ergebnisse der Deutschen Tiefsee-Expedition, auf dem Dampfer "Valdivia" ', 1898-1899

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Wrapping up our week of cephalopod celebrations we have #SquidAndCuttlefishDay Please enjoy these illustrations of our eight-armed, two-tentacled friends 🦑

Vintage illustration of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) with a arms posed upwards and tentacles trailing downwards, blue eyes and a brown and white ripple pattern body

Scientific illustration of four specimens of a whiplash squid. Each squid had a vibrant red body and head and two long and thin tentacles

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University of Exeter Special Collections @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Did you know our archives contain thousands of letters, just waiting to be read? 💌 Why not get started now by visiting our online PenPals exhibit, which explores correspondence between South-West writers! ➡️ specialcollectionsarchive.exeter.ac.uk/exhibits/sho... #WorldPostDay #PostDay #Archives

Cropped image from an exhibition board relating to Charles Causley. It shows a black and white photograph of Causley as a young man sitting at a writing desk, with a siamese cat sitting on top of the desk. The photograph has been fashioned into a stamp. Above the photograph is typed: 'EUL MS 50a/PERS/2/2/2/10 Photographer: R.L. Knight Ltd'. And below the photograph is typed 'Causley at his writing desk with pet cat'.

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DASSH @dassh-at-the-mba.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

This week Chloe and Julie attended the DTO-BioFlow General Assembly in Ostend, Belgium. DASSH has helped unlock 303 biodiversity datasets for the Digital Twin of the Ocean, improving access to vital marine data. Safe travels both, and don't forget the Belgian chocolate! 🍫 @thembauk.bsky.social

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

📖BL.48/K Les delices des yeux et de l'esprit, ou collection generale des differentes especes de coquillages que la mer renferme, communiquee au public

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Continuing with the cephalopod love it's #NautilusNight To shell-ebrate we have this beautiful illustration of the shell of the chambered nautilus, taken from the 18th Century book on shells by GW Knorr

Two colored scientific illustrations of nautilus shells in cross-section, showing spiral chambers and handwritten labels.

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Dr Bryce Stewart vs Sebastien Lowe octopus bloom or invasion? Over the last 18 months, octopus numbers off the south coast of the UK have surged. Octopus footage ©Paul Naylor 🐟👔 Ep. 14! #FishyBusiness #SciComm #WorldOctopusDay

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

@exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social celebrating our octopus chums with this fantastic illustration 🐙

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Thank you. They really are fabulous aren’t they 🐙

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Happy #WorldOctopusDay to all our eight armed friends 🐙 Given the recent attention on octopus blooms in south west England we thought we would share this wonderful illustration of the common octopus 📖 Histoire naturelle generale et particuliere des cephalopodes acetabuliferes vivants et fossiles

Vintage scientific illustration of an octopus with spread arms, detailed textured skin and muted brown-green coloration.

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Happy #InternationalRaccoonAppreciationDay to all who celebrate (that would be us now too😊)

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Wow, October really crept up on us. But that means it's time for a new Reading Room display @thembauk.bsky.social This month we're celebrating our spectacular (and occasionally tentacular) chums - the #cephalopods #octopus #squid #cuttlefish 🐙🦑

A photograph of three bookshelves lined with books, covers facing out, all about cephalopods

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University of Exeter Special Collections @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Today is World Heart Day, which raises awareness of the risks of cardiovascular disease. This heart-shaped box is from our archives and once belonged to the poet Jack Clemo. It contains two conkers that inspired one of his poems. 📷 EUL MS 68/PERS/11/1 #WorldHeartDay #Archives #LiteraryArchives

Opened heart-shaped box. Inside the box are two conkers and some folded pieces of paper.

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A copy is also available in the library. For information on our collection, and how to access it head to www.nmbl.org

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Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @whoi.edu · 24/09/2026

Celebrating oceanographer Marie Tharp’s induction into the 2026 Women's Hall of Fame! 🥳🎉 Born in 1920, at a time when there were few options for women in science, Tharp revolutionized our understanding of the ocean floor. Learn more about this year’s inductees: go.whoi.edu/womens-hall-of-fame

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Look at that face! And, look at this face ⬇️ 📖 BL.65/D 'The Natural History of British Fishes' by E.Donovan, 1808. Volume 4, plate 86

a colour illustration of a tompot blenny. The fish's head is facing to the right and had the characteristic tufts on top. It is a mottled red and brown on top, with a paler belly

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

The titles are: 📖Teaching and Mentoring Writers in the Sciences by Merkle, B.G & Heard, S.B (2025) 📖The Dark Frontier. Unlocking the Secrets of the Deep Sea by Marlow, J (2026) 📖The Visual Elements - Abstraction. A Handbook for Communicating Science and Engineering by Frankel, F.C (2026)

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

We've just received three fantastic new books into the library, covering a range of subjects. You can find details of these and the rest of the print collection at www.nmbl.org

a photograph of three books, leaning against cushions on an armchair. The books are titled: teaching and mentoring writers in science; the dark frontier - unlocking the secrets of the deep sea and the last book is titled the visual elements

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We haven't disappeared, we promise 😊 We've been busy with ongoing projects and this week we have the pleasure of providing tours to students from the University of Liverpool during their fieldwork week. The "potentially poisonous" books have been a hit (these aren't those, sorry!)

A row of books on a shelf in the foreground, with filled bookshelves in the background.

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Artist David Cotterrell talks about intertidal, a new public artwork that has transformed four ageing Ford Fiestas into tidal instruments. 🐟👔 Fishy Business Ep. 8! #FishyBusiness

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

If you're in #Plymouth this weekend and interested in rare books, make sure to visit @theppl.bsky.social

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Some #MondayMotivation We'd love to hear about yours 😊

A picture with two pie charts. the top has a list of things nobody will remember, which are: your salaray, how 'busy' you were, how may hours you worked and how many Gucci bags you owned. The bottom list says people will remember: how much you love books, the number of books in your collection, if you had any cool book facts and how you also have a really cool archive

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Stromness Museum @stromnessmuseum.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Here are pressed seaweed specimens (collected 1839-1962) of seaweed found on/near #shooglyholm Stromness mooring this year, artist Jenny Pope's project in oisf.org. They inc. Mermaid's Tresses🧜‍♀️and Sea Lettuce 🥬 📷 via our Natural History Digitisation Project. Read about this at: shorturl.at/CCP7o

Specimen, seaweed - Chorda filum 'Mermaids Tresses'
Other name(s):
Chorda filum (Linnaeus) Stackhouse

Specimen, seaweed - Plocamium coccineum
Other name(s):
Plocamium cartilagineum (Linnaeus) P.S.Dixon

Specimen, seaweed - Ulva lactuca 'Sea Lettuce'
Other name(s):
Ulva lactuca Linnaeus

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

👏 the fabulous MarLIN team. Working from the equally fabulous Library @thembauk.bsky.social 😉

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

We're a day late having just discovered it was #IguanaDay yesterday. Thanks to @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social for keeping us informed and for sharing this lovely woodcut illustration 😊

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We've just found out about #SciArtSeptember and today's prompt is: Fawn We've taken the literal route and found this lovely illustration of Roe deer from - 📖Millais, J.G. 1906. The Mammals of Great Britain and Ireland. Volume 3

A colour illustration of an adult roe deer and two fawns

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

And so, the annual 'you'll grow into it' season begins...

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

We have a small sample of maerl in our Herbarium collection @thembauk.bsky.social. Collected in 1955 in Sweden, the specimens have lost some of their vibrancy. A handwritten note on the box says 'first Swedish find of this species' 📷R.60A

Photograph of a closed brown box on the left, with a handwritten label that reads Phymatolithon calcareum date 9. 7. 1955 and location Sweden. The image on the right is the open box with a collecton of pale pink and white coral-like specimens of maerl

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Phew, we're off for a snack break in that case! We'll be feeling 2 by the afternoon 😴

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Imagine our #EYASurprise when planning for what we thought would be Dr Marie Lebour's 150th birthday celebrations this year. Her obituary states she was born 1876, but our archives reveal we've got to wait another year for the big event. Make sure to put a reminder in your calendar

Typed thank you letter, signed my Marie Lebour and dated 21st August 1957. The letter thanks the recipient for the gifts and messages received.

Typed letter from F.S. Russell and dated 25th February 1957. The contents of the letter inform the recipient that Dr Marie Lebour will be 80 years of age on 20th August 1957 and is asking for contributions of up to one guinea and a copy of their signature.

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

🌾 Species Spotlight: Weedy Seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) It's no wonder this stunning camouflage expert is tied to the theme of the July issue of The Marine Biologist! #SpeciesSpotlight #MarineLife #WeedySeadragon #TheMarineBiologist

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The Plymouth Proprietary Library @theppl.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

The film 'The Odyssey' has received critical acclaim recently, and the PPL currently has a display of related books for members to browse and borrow.

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University of Exeter Special Collections @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

This colourful map by Rutger Hermannides shows a bird's eye view of Exeter and dates back to 1661. Can you identify any landmarks that still exist today? 👀 📷 Townsend Maps T14f #MapMonday #MondayMaps #Maps #MappingOurExeter #Exeter

Colour image of a mid seventeenth century map of Exeter. This bird’s-eye view from the southwest shows Exeter surrounded by a city wall with gates. Exeter is dominated by the cathedral of St Peter. At the top left is Rougemont Castle. Surrounding the city are hills, fields and the river Exe.

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

We've recently added 'Nudibranchs of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe' by Bernard Picton and Christine Morrow to the collection. Included is an entry on B. anadoni and its range distribution 📖BL.48/P

Cover of the book Nudibranchs of Britain, Ireland and Northwest Europe. There is a photograph of a seaslug with a white body and light red/brown cerata (finger-like projections) on it's dorsal side.

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Today is #WorldElephantDay so, of course, we've found a photograph of the Southern Elephant Seal, Mirounga leonina. This image taken, we believe, by Edward A. Wilson during his time in the Antarctic 📷U.M.30 linked to the Elsie Sexton archive collection Shout-out to all the actual 🐘 out there too!

black and white photograph of an elephant seal, emerging from the sea onto a beach, with its mouth wide open

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

We've just received a copy of Underwater Lives by Clare Brant and we can't wait to dive in 🌊 If you're interested in reading about human relationships with the marine world you can find this copy on the new arrivals shelf in the Reading Room @thembauk.bsky.social 📖B.65/B

Cover a book titled Underwater Lives. Humans, species, ocean. Author Clare Brant. The cover image is of a scuba diver swimming near a manta ray. underneath the cover there is 'new to the NMBL'

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

The CPR Survey has tracked recurrent Alexandrium blooms in the Bering Sea. Warming Pacific Arctic waters are driving harmful algal blooms, posing a risk of toxin transfer from marine life to humans. 🦀🚨 www.mba.ac.uk/warming-seas-fuel-spr…

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

It's #BooksLoversDay! We're big fans of books, but it would probably be a bit embarrassing if we weren't. We'd love to hear about your favourite book(s) 📚

collage of photographs - a library reading room with book shelves and seating, a display of marine biology books and an open book, with a text banner in front that says we heart symbol books

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Catfish are found in freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats around the world. Some species can tolerate a wide range of salinities, allowing them to survive in both freshwater and marine environments – such as Sea Catfish (Family Ariidae) and Eel Catfish (Family Plotosidae)

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MBA Library @nmbluk.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

It's #InternationalCatDay so of course we've put our spin on it and our fabulous library volunteer Liv has taken a dive into the collection to found some purrrfect books 📖 BL.65/A: Catfishes, Volume 1, by Arratia, G et al, 2003 📖 BL.65/A: Catfishes, Volume 2, by Arratia, G et al, 2003

Two hardcover books titled 'Catfishes' (Volume 1 and Volume 2) on a shelf. Underneath, the text reads dive into the world of catfish

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The Marine Biological Association @thembauk.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Did someone say it's take an octopus to work day? AK Wildlife Cruises Falmouth photos show illustrate the extent of the octopus surge is in the southwest - and Risso's dolphins are cashing in. Report your sightings on iNaturalist - 🌊 uk.inaturalist.org #SpeciesSpotlight

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