iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Assisted visiting scientist with photographing USNM #Megaloptera holotypes on my #GIGAmacro Magnify2 system - used #EntoBalls for holding these large insects (10+ cm) in place - Corydalus australis from Argentina - whole specimen photo stitch of 4 photos (each stack of 24) - n2t.net/ark:/65665/3...

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Karl Magnacca @kmagnacca.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A few years ago a friend was compiling a regional catalog of types for a group, and asked me to check on the ~200 or so that were supposed to be in the museum I work at. It turned out about five of them were actually there.

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Dave Brice @davebriceflies.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Calling ecologists! Diptera backlog? Need ID work done before next season? Planning lots of diptera work next year? We can help! Please contact me for Diptera ID, full species lists and conservation status etc, see dipteraid.co.uk/projects/ Please share Conicera tibialis (Phoridae) for interest.

Conicera tibialis (Phoridae) tiny fly with huge pointed antenna

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Christian Stöcker @christianstoecker.de · 27/09/2026

Kolumne: Es ist längst klar, dass das 21. Jahrhundert dem Strom gehört (Sie lesen diesen Post auf einem Taschencomputer mit Akku, oder?) Und für fließende Elektronen muss man heute kein Wasser mehr kochen. Deutschlands Zukunft hängt (auch) davon ab, das anzuerkennen.

MEINUNG • Energiewende in Deutschland
• Dampf ist out, Elektronen sind in
Eine Kolumne von Christian Stöcker
Moderne Hochtechnologie braucht nur Strom, keinen Brennstoff, keinen Wasserdampf. Wie löst sich unsere vermeintliche High-Tech-Nation von 150 Jahre alter Technik? An der Antwort hängt unsere Zukunft.
27.09.2026, 11.56 Uhr
SPIEGEL bei Google bevorzugen
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Biodiversity Data Journal @bdj.pensoft.net · 24/09/2026

Still at #TDWG2026 in Oslo? Don't miss our new article on GBIF's incredible 25-year journey! 📊 Read the full piece in our open-access journal: doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.... @tdwg.org #GBIF25 #OpenData

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Pensoft @pensoft.net · 25/09/2026

🌿 It's our last day at #TDWG2026 and we've loved sharing #ORPHO, our newly launched scientific writing tool, with the biodiversity community. ✨ Thank you to everyone who tested it at our booth and joined our workshop! @tdwg.org #ScientificWriting #OpenAccess

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#TDWG2026 presenting (virtually) this morning (local time in Oslo) on tool for automated transcription of digitized insect specimen labels - using machine learning to extract, transcribe + itemize data into Darwin Core fields - we call it Labellum - slides at @figshare.com doi.org/10.25573/dat...

presentation slide for a talk at TDWG 2026 meeting

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Christian Stöcker @christianstoecker.de · 24/09/2026

“Auch ein Fusionskraftwerk wäre im Prinzip nichts anderes als ein Tauchsieder“, sagt Harald Lesch bei der KlimaManagementTagung in Hamburg. „Wir müssen den Leuten, die ständig irgendwelche Wunderwaffen versprechen, entschlossen die Stirn bieten“. #Klimakrise #Wissenschaft

Harald Lesch auf einer Bühne, Klimamanagementtagung 2026

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Rob Waterhouse @rmwaterhouse.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Planning the #Libroscope - how to liberate #biodiversity data trapped in PDFs and how to now move toward born-digital #publications at #TDWG #Oslo @plazi-species.bsky.social @pensoft.net

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

How did I not know about iChatBio? ichatbio.org - an AI-assisted collection data query chat presented at SPNHC by Michael Elliot - virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/76295/...

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Great label generation tool presented by Ian Engelbrecht at SPNHC - developed through South African National Science Collection Facility - labels.nscf.org.za - it’s free + labels are customizable + makes nicely standardized labels + works best with larger screens

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

At annual SPNHC (Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections) meeting at Iziko South African Museum - presenting on Pinned Insect Digitization Conveyor used at Smithsonian NMNH to digitize 360,000+ pinned pollinating insects - slides at @figshare.com doi.org/10.25573/dat...

slide of presentation on Pinned Insect Digitization Conveyor

side view of hover fly digitized on Pinned Insect Digitization Conveyor

side view of bee digitized on Pinned Insect Digitization Conveyor

view of Iziko South African Museum with Table Mountain in the background

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Back in Cape Town at Iziko South African Museum - looking through Malaise Trap samples from Tankwa Karoo NP to discover #asiloidflies - 1st Mydidae + several Asilidae species recorded from this vast Succulent Karoo environment

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PIK_climate @pik-potsdam.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Europe's relatively mild climate is enabled by the #AMOC. 🌊 @rahmstorf.bsky.social explains how this oceanic "central heating system" transports immense amounts of energy as heat into the north Atlantic region before cooling and returning southward. Watch in full: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOS...

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Distributed System of Scientific Collections @dissco.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Good to see the #IUCN reiterate what has been our mantra all along: #NaturalHistory Collections are not repositories of the past but research-active infrastructures ready to address current and future global challenges: www.dissco.eu/iucn-natural... #biodiversity #taxonomy @eurotaxonomy.cetaf.org

dissco.eu

ICUN Position Statement on the vital role of biological collections in biodiversity conservation - DiSSCo

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

OK class: which is the male (♂️) and which is the female (♀️)? [BTW - these are the smallest members of this family of flies I have ever seen!] #FlySchool2026

Two small dark gray flies, one on top of the other and mating, rest on a green leaf.

Close up of two small dark gray flies, one on top of the other and mating, rest on a green leaf.

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GBIF @gbif.org · 04/08/2026

👾 Level up your data skills with DataCamp! Thanks to our on-going partnership with #DataCampDonates, GBIF is proud to offer free licenses to biodiversity data users to explore courses hundreds of online courses such as Python, GitHub, data theory, SQL and Power BI. 🔗 gbif.link/datacamp2026

A rainbow beetle with GBIF and DataCamp logos

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The hammerhead condition has evolved numerous times in flies, resulting in various flavors. Last time we found an extreme one (flic.kr/p/2qeN7Hz) but this example is a bit more tame (still lovely, though! ❤️) [Coll.: Khong Lunaria] #FlySchool2026 Costa Rica #Richardiidae: #Richardia cf. telescopica

A yellow and brown fly sits on a white background facing to the right toward the viewer. It has a broad and somewhat triangular head, about twice the width of the thorax.

A yellow and brown fly sits on a white background facing to left. It has a broad and somewhat triangular head, about twice the width of the thorax.

A yellow and brown fly sits on a white background facing away from the viewer. It has a broad and somewhat triangular head, about twice the width of the thorax.

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taz @taz.de · 25/07/2026

2025 haben europäische Flüsse einen neuen Rekord aufgestellt, 603 Hindernisse wurden aus ihnen entfernt. Das ist ein wichtiger Schritt für mehr Umweltschutz.

Grafik mit dem Titel „Mehr Flüsse in Europa werden von Dämmen und anderen Barrieren befreit“. Ein Flusslauf-Design zeigt von links nach rechts die Jahre 2020 bis 2025. Jedes Jahr ist mit einer roten Linie markiert und verknüpft mit einer Zahl: 2020 (101 Hindernisse in 11 Ländern), 2022 (325 Hindernisse), 2023 (487 Hindernisse), 2024 (542 Hindernisse), 2025 (603 Hindernisse in 21 Ländern). Links im Fluss ist eine Illustration eines Dammes mit aufgestautem Wasser. Unten steht: „Dämme und andere Hindernisse, die pro Jahr aus europäischen Flüssen entfernt wurden“.

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Marc A. Milne @forthespiders.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

It may be surprising to some that there are thousands of undescribed species just sitting in museums awaiting description. One of the main reasons this problem exists is that taxonomy is undervalued and underfunded, a trend that coincides with the devaluing of studies on natural history.

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Jack Ashby @jackdashby.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

🚨 #MUSEUMJOBS KLAXON🚨 We're looking for a Senior Digitiser and two Digitisers to work across @zoologymuseum.bsky.social & @camplantsci.bsky.social to help create biodiversity data for the researchers who need it, through #DiSSCoUK. 1. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/senior-... 2. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/digitis...

A pinned moth is positioned within a light box, with a camera positioned above

A museum drawer containing tens of pinned tiger and emerald moths lined up in rows

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Michael E. Mann @michaelemann.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

My comments on the new @nationalacademies.org report on climate change & extreme weather attribution. The TLDR statement: If anything, the academy understates the strength of the science linking increasingly extreme weather events to climate change: michaelmann.net/comments-on-...

michaelmann.net

Comments on National Academy of Sciences Report on Climate Change & Extreme Weather Event Attribution | Michael E. Mann

The National Academy of Sciences has put out a new report assessing the state of understanding of the science of extreme weather attribution, an area of […]

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Christian Stöcker @christianstoecker.de · 05/07/2026

Kolumne: Die Leute, die gestern noch behauptet haben, die Erderhitzung sei kein Problem, erklären jetzt die Leute für doof, die sich nicht auf die Erhitzung vorbereitet haben. Nun will die Anti-Klimaschutz-, die Anti-Wärmepumpen-Fraktion es schon immer gewusst haben.

•Kulturkampf in der Hitzewelle
Wer erklärt den Rechten, dass Klimaanlagen Wärmepumpen sind?

Christian Stöcker
Eine Kolumne von Christian Stöcker
Um Klimaanlagen ist eine bizarre Scheindebatte entbrannt. Rechte lobpreisen die Geräte als Lösung für ein Problem, das es in ihren Augen gar nicht gibt – die Erderwärmung. Dabei funktioniert Abkühlung ganz einfach.

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Erica McAlister @flygirlnhm.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

We gave thanks & celebration on Monday for Peter Chandler - an extraordinary man, a great dipterist & a kind & generous spirit Check out the 10 year old Peter’s answers in his I-Spy entomology book- they made me smile & feel grateful to have known such a great man @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717) was a pioneering naturalist, entomologist & scientific illustrator whose meticulous artwork & observations: 🦋 Revolutionized the study of insects 🐜 Laid early groundwork for #ecology 🐞 Permanently changed how we understand insect life It's #InsectWeek #WomenInSTEM

A side-by-side image of the German-Dutch naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), celebrated for her groundbreaking contributions to entomology and ecology. On the left, a formal historical oil portrait depicts Merian as a young woman from the chest up against a dark, minimalist backdrop. Facing forward with a slight turn to the right, she maintains a calm, serious expression. She wears a black dress accented by a wide, sheer white lace collar draped over her shoulders, a dark jeweled brooch, a double-strand pearl necklace, and large teardrop pearl earrings. Her brown curly hair is partially covered by a black fabric head cap. On the right is a vibrant book cover titled "Maria Sibylla Merian's Metamorphosis." The cream-colored cover features her detailed scientific illustrations, including a large blue and brown butterfly, a yellow butterfly, a lizard, caterpillars, a large blue passionflower, and assorted foliage, showcasing her legacy of documenting insect life cycles and host plants.

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Christian Stöcker @christianstoecker.de · 25/06/2026

Hier ein paar gesammelte Fakten zum Antworten auf die „früher war es auch schon heiß“-Trottel, die aktuell alle sozialen Medien mit ihren Dissonanzreduktionsversuchen vollmüllen.

Statista-Grafik „Es wird öfter heiß“. Anzahl Hitzetage pro 10 Jahre stieg von 31 in der Dekade bis 1962 auf 122 in der Dekade bis 2022

Temperature Change in Germany, in 2025 mehr als 2 Grad über normal.

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

Is this how they’re going to keep the algae out?

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Craig B @mutillidae.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

How many adult pygmy backswimmers can dance on the head of a(n insect) pin? Apparently just one, but look how adorable it is! #NaturalHistoryCollections #FocusStacking #Pleidae

Small, point-mounted bug on the left and the head of a #2 insect pin on the right, against a white background. The bug is tan overall, with slight darker legs. Its dorsum is bulbous and rounded and its eyes are dark. It is about the size of the head of the pin on the right.

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Simon Knott @sjbknott.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Teneral Physocephala rufipes ♂ found today on flowerbed wall in Bengeo garden, fascinating then to watch it change to its full adult colour over next hour. P.rufipes is most wasp-like of conopid parasitoid flies. @flygirlnhm.bsky.social

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Rod Page @rdmpage.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

This is very preliminary, but this is an overview of every species in the Open Tree of Life, colour coded by whether their position in the tree is based on taxonomy only (dark colour) or includes phylogenetic information (blue). Phylogenetic coverage is sparse, mostly plants and vertebrates.

Hilbert curve for every species in the Open Tree of Life, colour coded by whether their position in the tree is based on taxonomy only (dark colour) or includes phylogenetic information (blue)

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Volker Quaschning @volkerquaschning.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Die Energiewende im Master studieren und noch Fragen? Dann kommt heute zum Online-Masterinfotag: 👉 um 16 Uhr.

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

#FlyFriday #InternationalBiodiversityDay #BiodiversityDay Exciting mass digitization project at Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | >325,000 pinned specimens of pollinating insects are being digitized on a conveyor system developed by Picturae #USNMDiptera

tangle-veined fly specimen mounted on insect pin in side view

2 thick-headed fly specimens mounted on insect pin in side view

bee fly specimen mounted on insect pin in side view

Picturae pinned insect conveyor overview. Photo by NMNH Phoot Services

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IPBES @ipbes.net · 20/05/2026

Not all bees are honey-bees. 🐝 Wild bees are most of the +20k bee species in the world. 🌍 They are essential for biodiversity and food systems, yet are declining in many regions. 🏡 On #WorldBeeDay, let’s #SaveTheBees guided by ILK practices: more flower diversity and habitat preservation. 🧪

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Naturhistorisches Museum Wien @nhmwien.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

#weltbienentag Neben der Honigbiene leben in 🇦🇹 rund 700 Wildbienenarten, ~500 davon allein in #Wien Lebensraumverlust, Monokulturen & Pestizide setzen vielen Arten zu. Gemeinsam schützen: 🌿 heimische Pflanzen 🌸 Blühflächen & naturnahe Grünräume 🐝 keine chemisch-synthetischen 🌿schutzmittel

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Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Love a tastefully pinstriped fly

Small orange brachyceran fly from Botswana; thoughtfully decorated with a pair of vivid white dorsal stripes offset by dark brown drop shadows

Same fly as before, but in lateral view. You can see an extra pair of lateral stripes on the thorax.

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Natural History Museum, London @nhm-london.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Have you ever heard of ground beetles? There are around 40,000 named species - and many more yet to be discovered. However, at a time when the world is changing rapidly, waiting for a name might be too late. Find out how a new approach could change that 👇 www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

nhm.ac.uk

How the world’s missing beetles could save the rainforest | Natural History Museum

By speeding up the process of describing new species, scientists can help to protect the precious places they live.

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ZooKeys @zookeys.pensoft.net · 13/05/2026

🕷️ A comprehensive review of pseudoscorpion dispersal via hitchhiking on flies has been conducted, incorporating records spanning over 260 years. ➡️ Check out our guest blog post, written by Jana Christophoryová of Comenius University Bratislava: blog.pensoft.net/2026/05/13/t...

blog.pensoft.net

Tiny Hitchhikers in a Big World: How pseudoscorpions travel on flies | Blog

A new study published in ZooKeys offers the most comprehensive synthesis of pseudoscorpion–Diptera phoresy, including new European records.

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

#FlyWeek Beautiful Miltogramminae flesh fly (Sarcophagidae) photographed in Namaqualand, South Africa in January

grassland habitat where little fly was perching on vegetation

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jtkindt @jtkindt.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Don’t want to let #WorldRobberflyDay pass without sharing another badass creature, this one is a Gnat Ogre, genus Holcocephala. #flyweek #insects #invertefest

Face-on view of a Fly with bulging red compound eyes with facets very visible, that has a pale gnat in its mouthparts, and is holding onto a green stem with its legs.

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Craig B @mutillidae.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Reposting another image for #WorldRobberFlyDay, because who doesn’t love a nice Gnat Ogre?! (Holcocephala sp., and yes, that is their common name) #NaturalHistoryCollections #FocusStacking #AsiloidFlies

A frontal view of a tiny, ferocious robber fly against a light grey background. It’s humpbacked pronotum is yellow with brown maculations, the wings are dusky, and the legs are orange. The ginormous globular eyes dwarf the rest of the head.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Got a shot yesterday of one of North America’s rarest robber flies, the Texas micropirate fly Townsendia pulcherrima. Almost forgot it was #WorldRobberFlyDay, running out of time to post this.

Macro photo of an elongate winged insect standing on the tip of a small stick.

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

#WorldRobberFlyDay Oceanian Leptogastrinae: male Mesoleptogaster meriel Evenhuis, 2006 (Leptogastrinae, AAM-007710) from Fiji - Viti Levu Island - specimen from Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum #asiloidflies

assassin fly mounted on pin in lateral view

assassin fly mounted on pin in dorsal view

assassin fly mounted on pin in frontal view

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

#WorldRobberFlyDay Oceanian Asilidae: female Maira sp. (Laphriinae, USNMENT01115088) from Vanuatu - Espirito Santo Island #asiloidflies

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

#WorldRobberFlyDay Australasian Leptogastrinae: male Lobus sp. (Leptogastrinae, AAM-006589) from South Australia, Australia - Kangaroo Island - specimen from @australianmuseum.bsky.social #asiloidflies

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

#WorldRobberFlyDay Australasian Asilidae: male Chrysopogon albopunctatus (Macquart, 1846) (Brachyrhopalinae, USNMENT00832795) from Western Australia, Australia - an amazing wasp mimic - more info at n2t.net/ark:/65665/3... #asiloidflies

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

#WorldRobberFlyDay Neotropical Leptogastrinae: male Schildia microthorax Aldrich, 1923 (Leptogastrinae, USNMENT01199916) from Costa Rica - more info at n2t.net/ark:/65665/3... #asiloidflies

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Torsten Dikow @tdikow.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

#WorldRobberFlyDay Neotropical Asilidae: male Pseudorus sp. (Dasypogoninae, USNMENT01172686) from Ecuador - more info at n2t.net/ark:/65665/3... #asiloidflies

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