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Peter

@peterlcoffey.bsky.social
160 followers 74 following 81 posts

I do horticultural science and take photos of bugs. If I mess up, please call me on it! @peterlcoffey on Instagram

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Reposted by Peter
Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
tiny brown creatures who all kind of look the same and you can only tell them apart by dissecting the genitalia? CHIPMUNKS ARE NOW BEETLES
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Listening to James Acaster explain Heated Rivalry to Sanjeev Bhaskar is why I listen to that food podcast.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Attention Philly Families! It is critical that we show Drexel and city government that our enthusiasm for the Academy of Natural Sciences is going strong! Bring your kids, friends, & neighbors down to the parkway on Saturday from 2-6pm. It's a kid-friendly rally to support the academy!
dinosaurs and bugs happily party together at the Save the Academy family rally. Saturday September 26, 2-6pm 1900 ben Franklin parkway, come dressed as your favorite dinosaur, insect, animal, or just yourself! There's a duck billed dino, a triceratops, a brachiosaurus, a pterodactyl, a millipede, dragonfly, and beetle!
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
What do people without insect pins in their house use to remove dirt from their phone charging port?
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
They say that Bluesky is attracting fewer users, but that can’t be. I’ve been out here posting my best fly on poop photos, like this lovely Calliphora vicina on possum droppings in Australia.
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Watermelon milkshake should not be as good as it is.
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Job! Beetle systematics, Australia:
jobs.csiro.au
Research Scientist in Coleoptera
Research Scientist in Coleoptera
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
🚨🦐🚨🦐🚨🦐🚨 This is a Shrimp ALERT 🚨🦐🚨🦐🚨🦐🚨 Anyone who buys a shirt in the final day of our pre-sale gets entered to win a shrimp plate, handmade by the shrimp artist The 666 Cat! These shirts fund science education in Philly & are cool as hell. It's last call for shrimp! Get one at SquidFacts.net
a shrimp sweats on a square 4 inch platea cream colored t-shirt with a bunch of shrimp all over it. It's titled "Shrimp City (& friends)" with himbo shrimp, yeti shrimp, mantis shrimp, pistol shrimp, and a hermit crab living in a skull
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Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 05/05/2026
BREAKING: in April 2026, *every single one* of the 1,570 refugees admitted in the United States were white South Africans. In FY 2026, the U.S. has admitted a total of 6,066 white South Africans, three Afghans (back in November 2025), and nobody else.
rpc.state.gov
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🌾 Dr. Liz Anna Kozik 🌾 @chaseprairie.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Are you also gearing up for Bombus queen season? The ladies are already flying around Chicagoland, so I collaged together the queen IDs from Colla, Richardson, & Williams for quick reference. See the full pdf here on @xercessociety.bsky.social : www.xerces.org/sites/defaul...
April-emerging Bombus queens id guide showing color patterns on bees for identification. Species included are Bombus impatiens, ternarius, bimac, perplexus, fervidus, vagans, affinis, fraternus, terricolaMay emerging Bombus Queens from "Bees of Eastern North America" showing id patterns for Bombus griseocolis, rufocinctus, auricomus, borealis, pensylvanicus, sandersoni, and frigidus
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Jacob Tennessen @jacobphd.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Really excellent paper on the genetics of caterpillar butt ornaments journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Figure showing the evolutionary diversification of Lepidopteran larval appendages.
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Attention Science Communicators! We are conducting a survey on the landscape of science communication & need your help gathering experiences. Please send this to #SciComm ppl you know. We want to get as thorough a sense of the state of the field as we can. umiami.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
A block of text that says "Scientists at the University of Miami are carrying out a research study on trends in the field of science communication. 

For this survey we are defining science communication as work that is done: 

• by a technical subject area expert in some field related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, 
• outside of classroom settings 
• aimed at the public 

If you are 18 years of age or older and work or recently worked in this field (full-time, part-time, or as a side project), please click the link below to complete a short survey. If you are interested in learning more about this research study, please e-mail us at Julia.wester@miami.edu. In the body of your email please provide your full name, and if you would prefer to be contacted by phone, your phone number and the best time to reach you. Contacting us for more information does not commit you to participating, and should you decide to participate you may terminate your participation at any time."
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Grant Hamilton 🐨 @ecologygrant.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
Celebrate the positive when it comes along: Two charismatic marsupial species that had been thought extinct for 6,000 years are alive in rainforest in remote West Papu www.theguardian.com/environment/... 🧪
theguardian.com
Marsupials previously thought extinct for millennia discovered in New Guinea
The chances of finding one mammal species thought to be lost was ‘almost zero’ and finding two is ‘unprecedented’, biologist Tim Flannery says
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
EntSoc's Chrysalis Fund gives out grants to K-12 educators for insect-themed projects. Applications due June 1st.
entsoc.org
Chrysalis Fund: Apply for Funding
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Elf M. Sternberg @elfsternberg.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
The Ford Pinto had a death rate of 85 people for 10 million cars sold. The Cybertruck hasn't sold 10 million, but the fatality rate so far maths out to 1,452 people killed per 10 million sold. The Cybertruck may be the deadliest road car, for the occupants, ever sold. fuelarc.com/evs/its-offi...
fuelarc.com
It's Official: the Cybertruck is More Explosive than the Ford Pinto - FuelArc News
We now have a full year of data for the Cybertruck, and a strange preponderance of headlines about Cybertrucks exploding into flames, including several fatalities. That’s more than enough data to comp...
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
This was lovely and made me cry.
youtube.com
Richard Dawson - Polytunnel (Official Video)
YouTube video by Richard Dawson
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SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️‍⚧️ @skwinnicki.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Found an additional graphic that gets even more of these quotes together. I've kept "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" pinned above my desk since I first started studying evolutionary biology as an undergraduate. So relatable to get extremely frustrated with your study system.
Image of Charles Darwin quotes, with the recipient of the letter and the date the letter was written. He said "I hate every wave of the ocean" to W.D. Fox on 15 February 1836, "Oh my God how I do hate species and varieties" to J.D. Hooker in 11 March 1858, "I am very tired, very stomachy, and hate nearly the whole world" to Thomas Huxley on 10 September 1860, "I am very poorly today and very stupid and hate everybody and everything" to Charles Lyell on 1 October 1861, "I hate myself, I hate clover, and I hate bees" to John Lubbock on 3 September 1862, and "I am languid and bedeviled and hate writing and hate everybody" to J.D. Hooker on 23 June 1863.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Dipterology has been handed a major blow: as a result of the Federal Gov.'s Work Force Adjustment Program, research on Diptera (true flies) at the Canadian National Collection, a hub of excellence in this field, is being discontinued Please sign the letter to support our fly friends & colleagues! ❤️
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NPR @npr.org · 10/02/2026
An invasive insect called the rice delphacid was a major problem for some farmers in 2025. With low prices for their crop and a high cost of doing business, many are wondering how they’ll make a profit in 2026.
n.pr
Tiny pests are destroying American rice fields. It's another hit for farmers
An invasive insect called the rice delphacid was a major problem for some farmers in 2025. With low prices for their crop and a high cost of doing business, many are wondering how they’ll make a profit in 2026.
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Question for Entomology curators: what printers are you using these days for archival specimen labels?
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Caroleeena @caroleeena.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
Scotland has passed a law that all new buildings must install ‘swift bricks’ which are hollowed out bricks to help nesting swifts and other endangered birds! Swifts are especially endangered because so many chimneys now have chimney caps. Swifts return to the same nesting spot year after year.
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Postdoc job: Insecticide resistance genomics, Australia.
jobs.csiro.au
CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Insecticide Resistance Genomics
CSIRO Postdoctoral Fellowship in Insecticide Resistance Genomics
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
This is not what the problem is. We have many excellent, talented, engaging science communicators. Their reach is deliberately truncated by the social media companies, and billionaire-owned news outlets do not platform them.
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
We've had quite a few samples of roses coming into the lab showing symptoms of Rose Rosette Disease. Symptoms vary by cultivar, but overgrowth of prickles is one of them.
Rose stem covered in prickles Rose stem covered in prickles Two rose stems covered in prickles on a white background
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NPR @npr.org · 22/10/2025
The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed this week by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight. n.pr/4qeQhWS
n.pr
Iceland reports the presence of mosquitoes for the first time, as climate warms
The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed this week by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
ATTENTION: The deadline to submit talks for this session is tomorrow! Please DM me for the link if you would like to submit a presentation for consideration. Thanks and please share!
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Fundamentally, Republicans are trying to bring forms of slavery back.
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Clare Fieseler, PhD @fieseler.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Not sure people realize how INSANELY DRAINING data centers will be on our planet. If you imagine data centers as their own country, they'll rank fourth in global electricity use by 2035 — outranked only by China, India, and the U.S. Read this in @bloomberg.com👇 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
AI Data Centers Are Sending Power Bills Soaring
Wholesale electricity costs as much as 267% more than it did five years ago in areas near data centers. That’s being passed on to customers.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
We're still looking for presentations! Please share 😊
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Teagan Mulford @teaganmulford.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Tired of doom scrolling? Want to help a PhD student out? Check your collection for Promachus (and friends) and I'll be forever indebted! If you need an excuse to get outside and go collecting this weekend, this is it! #Asilidae #Diptera
A poster saying "Wanted: Robber flies, Promachus and Allies. Wanted: freshly caught specimens of Promachus or other large robber flies for DNA extraction. Contact Teagan Mulford at teaganmulford@gmail.com with any questions or leads. Thank you! PC: Steve Collins"
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Kingfisher & Wombat @tkingfisher.com · 12/09/2025
Sedation dentistry is no longer weird. Phone cameras are really good. The price of solar panels has dropped by tens of thousands. Southern white rhinos, giant pandas, Arabian oryx and Stellar sea lions are no longer endangered. And, I can testify, modern cancer treatments are fucking amazing.
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Two new simple guides to growing and harvesting vegetables (and other specialty crops) for farmers in the Northeast US. Written by small/mid-sized farmers for farmers and published by NE SARE. Emphasis on organic practices, but useful to anyone.
sare.org
The Northeast Crop Production and Harvest Manual - SARE
These two guides—the Northeast Crop Production Manual and the Northeast Harvest Manual—provide in-depth information on the production, harvest and post-harvest handling of dozens of common specialty c...
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
There's a person on inaturalist identifying Scyphozoa with the username "readyforthisjelly" and that's just... very good.
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Am I the only field scientist who hates every scale they've ever used?? I want one that can handle abuse, doesn't weigh a ton, doesn't have a masthead to catch the wind, and is precise to 1g and ~10 kg aaaaaaand ideally has a rechargeable battery. Does that exist?
A photograph of a scale on a table.
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franz @franzanth.bsky.social · 28/05/2025
this is very close to being the best selling item ever in the squid shop, and it's not even about a squid help my bee reach the top lmao
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Alexis Nikole 🌻 @blackforager.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
“I asked ChatGPT-“ okay well I asked the big oak tree at the center of the woods and she said you’re a lazy dork
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Brandon Friedman @brandonfriedman.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
These stories landed today, within 11 hours of each other. This presidential administration is a clear and present danger to the American people.
NBC News: A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize itReuters: US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts
April 17, 2025
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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Alright I need to use this website for something that this website is actually good at: brainstorming examples of things in a category. The category is: mechanisms of small-scale information delivery. Examples: Fortune cookies Advent Calendars Jokes on popsicle sticks What else is there?
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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
The Texas Senate has passed a bill banning one of most common native trees, the Texas mountain laurel, which grows abundantly wild around Austin and is among the most common landscape trees.
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Brian Lovett @lovettbr.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
With a heavy heart, I am sharing that I have taken the USDA deferred resignation program. Soon I will go on administrative leave and “retire” later this year.
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Bengi Kendrick @fungiwithbengi.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Brian deserves a job. Super qualified. Boosting to hopefully get this seen by the right lab
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StrictlyChristo 🇺🇦🌻 @strictlychristo.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Narrator: "It did not make them rich."
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
okay i didn't really get the milchick crush talk until the band happened and now I get it.
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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
We're hiring a plant pathologist! Looking for someone w/passion for diagnosing vegetable diseases & communicating results to clients. There's lots of other duties & opportunities. I also think it's a great lab 🤔☺️ jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/215... @quesadalabncsu.bsky.social @plantdisease.bsky.social
Four tiles showing a tomato with chlorosis in upper left, a squash with powdery mildew in the upper right, broccoli with necrotic leaves on the lower left, and a pepper leaf with spots and mild chlorosis on the bottom right.
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Mark Peifer (He, him) @peiferlabunc.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
This is a disaster and its happening right now. Having spoken with some folks in Congress, this is a message they have not received--they are still back in Indirects and USAID (also important, BTW). Call Congress today unless you want ot lose colleagues one by one till all are gone
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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
It has been an emotional rollercoaster following the USDA freeze earlier this week. Staff feared layoffs; grad students wondered if they’ll make rent. We just learned that USDA funds will be restored. This is a win for Maine’s farmers, growers, and kids, too! www.bangordailynews.com/2025/03/12/p...
bangordailynews.com
Donald Trump’s USDA reverses freeze on funding to Maine’s public universities
It was an abrupt reversal of the funding freeze that was announced in a Monday notice to the University of Maine System.
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Peter @peterlcoffey.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
I flippin' love listening to a podcast all the sudden hearing one of my friend's voices!
pca.st
A Beetle By Any Other Name - 99% Invisible
Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. ...
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Armando Rosario-Lebrón @rosariolebronentomology.com · 07/03/2025
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... Two of the top National Taxonomists in the U.S., represented by the National Association of Agriculture Employees, have gone public about their controversial firings. #entomology #malacology 🧪 #taxonomy
nbcnews.com
They were working to ensure invasive pests didn't destroy U.S. crops — until they were abruptly fired
USDA experts have been swept up in the Trump administration’s frenzied and turbulent efforts to drastically shrink the federal workforce.
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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Efficiency: driving to an office to fill out paperwork to get a number you used to get from checking a box at your hospital. “It was not clear Thursday whether this is a nationwide change, unique to Maine, or if it is a change being piloted in Maine that would expand to other parts of the country.”
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