iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Alaska Public Media @alaskapublic.org · 22h

Meet Backpack, your 2026 Fat Bear Week champion. Backpack is 20 years old, weighs about 1,000 pounds and got his nickname because, as a cub, he loved riding on his mom's back across the Brooks River.

akpub.io

Meet Backpack, Fat Bear Week’s chunky champ

Backpack went from hitching a ride on his mom’s back to cross the Brooks River to winning the hearts of fat bear fans around the world.

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

New review article! 📚 Majoe & @phdbee.bsky.social argue that wing-fanning is a plastic behaviour that can serve as a model system to understand how insect societies respond to their environment 🌬️ 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Plasticity #Thermoregulation #ColonialBehaviour #Biology

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

A parasitic Apocephalus ant-decapitating fly closes in on her target, a Camponotus chromaiodes carpenter ant. Sand Ridge State Forest, Illinois.

Macro photo of a large black and red ant, slightly backlight, standing with antennae raised as a small black and yellow striped fly approaches from the right.

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Check out our labs newest review paper!! Join the #fandom.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I have photographed the infamous German yellowjacket before, as it is widely invasive around the world. But I'd never photographed one in Germany until this summer. This rather cooperative colony didn't mind my hanging around to shoot the workers cleaning excavated soil from the nest. Freiburg.

Macro photograph of a large black and yellow wasp standing alert in a crack between two limestone rocks, its mouth full of a clump of wet sand.

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Nicole 🪲 @fossilforager.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Jumping spiders of the world! 🕷️🌎

An illustration by me featuring 16 different species of colorful jumping spiders of all shapes, sizes, and colors. They are illustrated on a light orange background. Species featured from left to right, starting from the top row:

Ilargus coccineus

Regal jumping spider (Phidippus regius)

Horned-owl peacock spider (Maratus bubo)

Metallic blue jumping spider (Thiania bhamoensis)

Second row:

Flying peacock spider (Maratus volans)

Magnolia jumping spider (Lyssomanes viridis)

Apache jumping spider (Phidippus apacheanus)

Red-backed jumping spider (Phidippus johnsoni)

Third row:

House jumping spider (Pseudeuophrys lanigera)

Jade jumping spider (Siler semiglaucus)

Paradise jumping spider (Habronattus americanus)

Ant-mimic jumping spider (Myrmaplata plataleoides)

Fourth row:

Bold jumping spider (Phidippus audax)

Coastal jumping spider (Maratus speciosus)

Green jumping spider (Mopsus mormon)

Golden jumping spider (Paraphidippus aurantius)

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Army ants (Eciton mexicanum) are specialist predators of other ants. Here, a group of workers take down a Neoponera huntress ant in an Ecuadorian cloud forest.

Macro photo of four dark red ants with orange casters surrounding a larger metallic blue/black ant on a mossy rock.

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Jen Cross @jencross.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

One of the things you aim for in photography is leading lines that guide the eye. This petunia seems custom colored for Dramatic Bee Framing. Sweat Bee (Augochlora sp.)

A small metallic bee in the middle of a flower. The flower is yellow with deep pink coloring seeming to explode out from the middle.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

An army ant worker plugs a hole in the trail using her own body, allowing her sisters to run more efficiciently on their way to the raiding front. Amazonian Ecuador.

Macro photo of a small, dull black and orange ant spanning a hole in a dead brown leaf, with two larger ants running over her.

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Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 15/09/2026

Given all the *flails hands* you all deserve one of the most adorable pictures I took of Baby Bird Season 2026. A snowy ploverlet peeking through a little sand shrub. Perhaps a once in a lifetime shot. 🪶 🐣

a tiny snowy plover chick, about 2 inches tall, looks through a shrub as if theyr hiding, on a beach

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beespeaker @loriweidenhammer.ca · 08/09/2026

Leafcutter bee interventions on fireweed leaves. #cochranealberta

Evidence of leafcutter bees gathering nesting material from fireweed leaves turning red in the fall sunlight.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

There's a group of braconid wasps, the Alysiinae, that attack maggots, develop inside the hardened puparia, and have to force their way out. So their mandibles open away from the head to push rather than crush, the teeth appearing to face the wrong direction.

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Ash Whiffin @ashwhiffin.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

We currently have TWO collections-based vacancies at National Museums Scotland! As part of the upcoming DiSSCo UK program, we’re seeking a Digitiser and Senior digitiser to work with our insect collection: careers.nms.ac.uk/vacancies (Apply by 31st August) #Digitisation #Insects #MuseumJobs

Preserved bumblebee specimens with data labels below each individual

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

As one of the world's most active specialist photographers of ants, I have embarassingly few photographs of European species in my galleries- basically none- even as I frequently get requests for them. European ants are perhaps the most studied of any fauna in the world. So, finally...

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George McGavin @georgemcgavin.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Had a bit of luck with the Giant Oak Aphid (Stomaphis quercus) - this time a young one with an attendant ant (Lasius fuliginosus). They live very deep in bark fissures where they feed on phloem. The mouthparts are so long that, when not in use, they are held pointing backwards under the body.

A tiny aphid with long mouthparts rests in a fissure of oak bark. A jet black ant stands guard over it.

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Dryland Plant Ecophysiology Lab @hultinelab.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The Desert Botanical Garden is hiring!! 🌵🌻🏜️ We are looking for a new Chief Research Officer - somebody to lead our fantastic research dept. which encompasses work on plant conservation, climate adaptation, biodiversity, and more! Please share the link below with anybody that may be interested!

recruiting.paylocity.com

Desert Botanical Garden - Vice President & Chief Research Officer

Desert Botanical Garden is seeking a visionary scientific leader to help define the future of desert research. As Vice President & Chief Research Officer, you will set the strategic direction for ...

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PLOS Biology @plosbiology.org · 20/08/2026

Wherever we look, insect numbers are declining... but most insect life on Earth is found in locations we aren't actively monitoring. @justinmcrocker.bsky.social discusses the #insect decline and how can we build the planetary observatory that #biodiversity requires @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4qzS2yv

Long-term insect monitoring sites and global pesticide use intensity. Total pesticide use per area of cropland (kg ha−1), most recent year available per country (2015–2023), from the FAOSTAT Pesticides Use domain; gray indicates no reported data. FAOSTAT totals exclude seed-applied systemic pesticides and so understate exposure to the neonicotinoids emphasized in the text. White points mark representative long-term insect monitoring programs. Base map: Natural Earth (public domain).

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Honestly this #IUSSI26 has some of the best student presentations I’ve seen. Really impressive research and science communication!

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Volker Nehring @volkernehring.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

#IUSSI26 is almost over. Kind of sad..

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Chinmay Hemant Joshi @chjoshi.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I just gave a talk on how different errors may affect collective foraging outcomes and how communication mitigates the effect of these errors. In case we did not get a chance to chat after the talk, I'm at the conference. So do say hi! Also, check out the pre-print of this work! #IUSSI26

biorxiv.org

Frequent errors are the worst: robustness to individual failures in collective foraging

The collective behavior of complex systems emerges from the actions and interactions of their individual components. But what if these individuals make mistakes, or deviate from behavior tuned to lead...

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Rob Denton @rddenton.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

[JOB!] I'm hiring for a really exciting postdoc position. A combination of breeding experiments, conservation genomics, and student mentorship. Room/board at the @amnh.org Southwestern Research Station each summer, 40 months of support, new science building at BSU. Share broadly! ad: bit.ly/4hKaUIL

A human hand holds a medium sized green frog with distinct gray spots and yellow eyes. This is a Chiricahua Leopard Frog, a threatened species native to the southwest US and Mexico.

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Mark A. Hanson @hansonmark.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Three positions advertising in friendly lab on butterfly rearing & experiment support, image-based identification platform development, developing transgenic insects. PDRA/PDRF (2x): careers.exeter.ac.uk/vacancies/13... careers.exeter.ac.uk/vacancies/13... GRA: careers.exeter.ac.uk/vacancies/13...

careers.exeter.ac.uk

Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow in Cornwall | University of Exeter

View details and apply for this Postdoctoral Research Associate / Fellow vacancy in Cornwall. Postdoctoral Research Associate or Fellow This Advanced Research and Innovation Agency funded full...

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

This was a really nice talk!!

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findlatergroup.bsky.social @findlatergroup.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

🚨HIRING NEWS🚨 Come be my colleague! The Dept of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC Merced is hiring for two positions in Biochemistry! One is at the assistant professor level and the other is open rank... if you have questions, let me know! Link: aprecruit.ucmerced.edu/JPF02218

aprecruit.ucmerced.edu

2 Positions - One Assistant Professor Ladder Rank & One Open Professor Ladder Rank (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor in Biochemistry)

University of California, Merced is hiring. Apply now!

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Sarah Whorley, Ph.D. 🦬⚔️ @dralgaegirl.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Tenure Track job alert! We're hiring someone to teach Microbiology and Genetics! Know someone on the job market? Must have a PhD. Position is mostly teaching (65%) but research expected. Send them my way! Will have official ad details soon 🧪🦠🧬

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Jane Waters 🏳️‍⚧️🐜🇵🇸 @lovetheants.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Anna Dornhaus making the case that *evolution shapes variation*, even among individuals within a colony at the same time. Absolutely stunning examples of diligent tracking of variation in ant walking speeds vs. activity, corpulence, and even antenna sensilla density! @dornhaus.bsky.social #IUSSI26

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

@nstroeymeyt.bsky.social is hiring! Collective behavior, disease, and social organization - if you’re looking for a PhD or postdoc! #IUSSI26

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Man I am so disappointed - I apparently missed that even if you reserved a shirt they were selling them broadly - so no shirt for me 😭 it’s such a good shirt! #IUSSI26 @uissi-social.bsky.social

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Jane Waters 🏳️‍⚧️🐜🇵🇸 @lovetheants.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Putting up my lab’s poster for this afternoon at #IUSSI26!

How much energy do clonal raider ants use? Poster today at IUSSI26!

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Work with Liz! She’s the best!

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

So great to finally a talk by @yukoulrich.bsky.social - #IUSSI26 is the best place to see comprehensive journies of science you’ve been reading forever!

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Jane Waters 🏳️‍⚧️🐜🇵🇸 @lovetheants.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

In Freiburg and for #IUSSI26 participants, there is a service to help folks get home safe at night. Haven’t tried it yet, but sharing a link in case anyone needs. Feel free to find an ally with a pink heart on badge if you need anything else! www-vag--freiburg-de.translate.goog/fahrplan/nac...

www-vag--freiburg-de.translate.goog

Nachtverkehr

safer traffic – nachts unterwegs mit der VAG

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Scientists are incredibly resilient - when Matthieu Lihoreau’s honey bee colonies were attacked by giant hornets, he turned the hornets into biosensors of radioactivity contamination in Japan. #IUSSI26

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Jane Waters 🏳️‍⚧️🐜🇵🇸 @lovetheants.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

“Females contain multitudes, even into adulthood.” RJ Milena (Rochester) speaking at #IUSSI26, sharing longterm vs short-term Polistes host neurotranscriptomics; their hitchhiking Xenos riding the endocrine wave to differentiation & development. @entomolrj.bsky.social @avispatica.bsky.social

RJ on a platform stage at the conference, title slide showing two beautiful Polistes wasps

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Jane Waters 🏳️‍⚧️🐜🇵🇸 @lovetheants.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Many folks interested in ants recently credit AntsCanada and YouTube as inspiration… but decades ago for me and so many others it was Alex Wild and his website cataloging gorgeous insect ecology & behavior through macrophotography. Roberto Keller thanked @alexwild.bsky.social and I do too! #iussi26

Website screenshot for Alex Wild’s beautiful insect macrophotography (showing a gorgeous Cephalotes turtle ant)

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Cool findings @dgkontopoulos.io showing the interaction of temp and humidity on ant physiology and behavior #IUSSI26

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Wow - what an excellent talk by @victoriamallinson.bsky.social showing that cold snaps dramatically impact bumblebee colonies for several weeks! Impressive design and images to explain a sophisticated experiment! #IUSSI26

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Everyone at #iussi26 who wants to learn about honey wasps (yes! They are real!) should attend @joholley.bsky.social ‘s talk at 4:15 this afternoon in hall 4.

A dozen or so fuzzy black wasps with tasteful yellow war stripes standing about on mottled grey wasp nest paper, though awaiting a scientific seminar on their own biology at IUSSI.

Honey of different colors in hexagonal cells BUT WAIT THATS NOT WAX ITS PAPER

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Adria LeBoeuf @adriatica.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

#iussi2026 @joanstrassmann.bsky.social “if what you love changes, go with it” “there’s nothing worse than stopping enjoying what you do”

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Jeffrey Ross-Ibarra @jrossibarra.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

I am excited to announce a job for an Asst Prof in Plant Evolution in the dept. of Evolution and Ecology at @ucdavis.bsky.social. We're looking broadly, from macro (speciation, comparative genomics, evo-devo) to micro (pop biology, adaptive evolution, evo-eco). recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07777

recruit.ucdavis.edu

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Chris Jernigan @chrisjernigan.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

if you are at #iussi26 come to my talk on Thursday at 15:00 in K9 and hear about how the brains of wasps who have never seen another wasp respond to wasp images

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Bahl Lab @bahllab.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

🚨 4 new positions for postdoctoral research available at our @zukunftskolleg.bsky.social in beautiful Konstanz! If you are interested in exploring collective behaviour at the interface of theory and experiment, then consider applying! ⚠️ Deadline October 12 stellen.uni-konstanz.de/jobposting/4...

stellen.uni-konstanz.de

Four 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowships at the Zukunftskolleg

Application Deadline: 12 October 2026, 11:00 am (CET)

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Emilie Ellis @e-ellis1.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

🦋 I’m recruiting a fully funded PhD student at the University of Helsinki: understanding how butterflies respond to climate change across Europe. Apply by 30 Sept: Full details: jobs.helsinki.fi/job-invite/5... Please share! #ecology #job #phd

jobs.helsinki.fi

Doctoral Researcher (PhD student) in Butterfly Ecology and Climate Change across Europe

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Jane Waters 🏳️‍⚧️🐜🇵🇸 @lovetheants.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The language we use matters: It can convey precision about nature, but too-often, when muddled with metaphor, it causes harm. As a community of social insect scientists, we need to do better, and we can by speaking with more diverse communities of academics and the public. -J. Herbers #iussi26

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

#IUSSI26 IUSSI NAS section meeting happening in Hall 4 at 645

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beespeaker @loriweidenhammer.ca · 17/08/2026

An intimate moment with a Triepeolus cuckoo bee at Nanaimo Estuary during Native Bee Society of BC bee school taught by Bonnie Zand. Still buzzing from meeting such awesome beeple. #bees

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David Baracchi @davidbaracchi.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Lunch time! Paper wasps (Polistes dominula)

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Chelsea Cook @phdbee.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

🎉🐝 The Cook Lab is giving 2 talks at #IUSSI26! Come see how honey bee brains are dealing with stress and driving task performance to collectively behave and regulate hive environment.

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