iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Cri 🕊🐝🐜📝🎭⚽😷 @crawlieswithcri.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Snakefly Season has arrived! Arguably the best season! This Ms. is Genus Agulla If you're asking, "What the WHAT?" You probably live east of the Rockies. Snakeflies are their own thing, Order Rhaphidioptera found west of the Rockies in NA. Beautiful and beneficial! #inverts #becurious 1/2

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

As is bug of the month 😎

The bug of the month is the black swallowtail, visited May 12, 2026.

favorite food: fennel
likes: pesticide free native habitat
hates: those food delivery robots

A pic of the buttterflt has hearts and flowers around it

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anil oza @aniloza.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

wow — the preprint host, arxiv, is banning authors for a year if they submit papers with hallucinated citations 🤖

Twitter thread from Thomas Dietterich, reading "Attention
@arxiv
authors: Our Code of Conduct states that by signing your name as an author of a paper, each author takes full responsibility for all its contents, irrespective of how the contents were generated. 1/
3:03 PM · May 14, 2026
·
66.7K
Views
Relevant
View quotes

Thomas G. Dietterich
@tdietterich
·
1h
If generative AI tools generate inappropriate language, plagiarized content, biased content, errors, mistakes, incorrect references, or misleading content, and that output is included in scientific works, it is the responsibility of the author(s). 2/
Thomas G. Dietterich
@tdietterich
·
1h
We have recently clarified our penalties for this. If a submission contains incontrovertible evidence that the authors did not check the results of LLM generation, this means we can't trust anything in the paper. 3/
Thomas G. Dietterich
@tdietterich
·
1h
The penalty is a 1-year ban from arXiv followed by the requirement that subsequent arXiv submissions must first be accepted at a reputable peer-reviewed venue. 4/
Thomas G. Dietterich
@tdietterich
·
1h
Examples of incontrovertible evidence: hallucinated references, meta-comments from the LLM ("here is a 200 word summary; would you like me to make any changes?"; "the data in this table is illustrative, fill it in with the real numbers from your experiments") end/"

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Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

For some reason the Unsorted Exotic Diptera is full of microscopic Afrotropical wasps, what lucky individual who wants to ID them for us?? cc @toomanywasps.bsky.social @tapani-hopkins.bsky.social

A weird tiny wasp from a malaise trap in Botswana

A different weird tiny wasp from a malaise trap in Botswana (cynipidae?? Which ones got the thunder thighs, I always forget)

Yet another weird tiny wasp from a malaise trap in Botswana, pleasingly iridescent lady with a loooong ovipositor

A fourth weird tiny wasp from a malaise trap in Botswana, just a lil short one made of several conjoined orb units

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Giovanni Tiso @gtiso.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

10 years is tin, 20 years is china, 50 years is gold and 100 years is wasps.

Parasitic wasp named after Sir David Attenborough for his 100th birthday

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Matt Evers @mattevers.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Talk about spaced out! Found this 23"x 35" painting with no date and no title>Guess I'll call it "PAINTING WITH NO NAME".......Brother #watercolor

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International Society of Hymenopterists @hymenopterists.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

📢ISH executive committee is excited to announce the debut of our PODCAST series "HAMULI LIVE!" 🎥The interviews will be held live, and audience members will have a chance to ask questions live or submit them ahead of time. 🔗Registration link in bio!

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Miles Zhang | 张远濛 @ymilesz.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

I am not a podcast person by any means, but I'm excited about this series, and starting strong with my long time mentor Mike Gates!

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c0nc0rdance @c0nc0rdance.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

This is Achrioptera manga, a giant phasmid or stick insect native to Madagascar. The specific epithet, "manga" means blue in Malagasy & it's not hard to see why. Only males are blue. The tiny back wings ("alae") are an example of brachyptery: they're useless for flight, but have other functions.

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Hannah @wilderhomestead.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

A fabulously weird Myopa (M. pellucida?) Bee Grabber fly - an endoparasite of solitary bees. North Herefordshire

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Terry & Judy Wood @tandjwood.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Very pleased to find another Honeysuckle Sawfly in the garden. Impressive and burnished gold. We have lots of Honeysuckle and it's another great plant for wildlife.

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Most surprising find @ bee aggregation '26 were lots of thick-headed #flies emerging! They're parasitoids of adult bees, grabbing them mid-air to inject eggs into the abdomen. Eww but cool! (I guess not if you're a bee 😂) Here's one on a flower: flic.kr/p/2ocMhfV #Conopidae: #Zodion NC, USA

Two flies a small distance away from each other grasp grass blades above the ground after emerging from bee nests.

A fly grasping a blade of grass is still soft and with shriveled wings. It has just emerged from a bee nest below.

A view of a heavy-bodied brown fly with large red eyes sitting on the tip of a leaf blade.

A grayish brown fly with a yellow face and reddish eyes rests on a white background. It has a long beak held under and behind its head

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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 12/04/2026

Explore a detailed timeline and map of accomplishments from our first 100 days: nyc.gov/100days

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Sam @samd.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

update: it worked

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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 12/04/2026

The “America First,” president wants to cut billions of dollars from American innovation and scientific research. From NASA to NIH, no one would be spared. We cannot let this budget pass. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Nobody tells you that loving to cook means lugging around 2.784 metric tons of pots, pans, and utensils for the rest of your life - only when packing to move is the truth revealed

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University of Iowa Department of Biology @uiowabiology.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Congratulations to Forbes Lab postdoctoral scholar Louis Nastasi (@toomanywasps.bsky.social) for being featured in the 2026 Dare to Discover campaign! 👏 Visit research.uiowa.edu/dare-to to learn more about Louis’ research discovering new insect species using traditional taxonomy and genetics.

research.uiowa.edu

Meet the Hawkeyes who dare to

The Dare to Discover campaign showcases student and postdoc researchers, scholars, and creators from across the University of Iowa. The campaign is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Re...

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

Some good news - a new #gall #wasp paper from our group! This is one of my favorites so far - two new Diastrophus species, a review of “cryptic” galling (galls with no external sign of presence), and some novel hypotheses regarding evolution of gall inquilines. See more here: doi.org/10.1080/0022...

tandfonline.com

Minimalism is in: two new Diastrophus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) species inducing inconspicuous galls on cinquefoils (Rosaceae: Potentilleae), with evaluation of the extended phenotype across gall wasps

While the majority of galling insects induce visible alterations to their host plants, there are many species that induce inconspicuous galls, changing only the internal structure of the host plant...

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Saimi Hanma ⚔️ サイミ @saimihanma.northsky.social · 06/01/2026

This is really cool, it's a display of all the bugs found on a single tree. #Invertebrate

A large display with thousands of insects, most of them tiny

Another section with some of the larger bugs

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Ellen O. Martinson @waspvenom.bsky.social · 06/01/2026

New paper from the Martinson Lab! A fun study where we find a nice example of cascading speciation and describe three new species. Plus some exciting data to suggest that ecological guild may influence the impacts of host-associated differentiation. A 🧵. #galls #insects 🧪 doi.org/10.1111/mec....

Photo of a tank-like black parasitoid wasp, a new species called Eurytoma trixa

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Michael Caterino @mcaterino.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

what a fantastic histerid!

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Charley Eiseman @ceiseman.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Finally published! "Thirty-three new species of Agromyzidae (Diptera) from the United States and Canada, with new host and distribution records for 154 additional species." Now I've got some updating to do on BugGuide and iNaturalist...

mapress.com

Thirty-three new species of Agromyzidae (Diptera) from the United States and Canada, with new host and distribution records for 154 additional species | Zootaxa

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Governor Tim Walz @governorwalz.mn.gov · 16/01/2026

Two days ago it was Elissa Slotkin. Last week it was Jerome Powell. Before that, Mark Kelly. Weaponizing the justice system against your opponents is an authoritarian tactic. The only person not being investigated for the shooting of Renee Good is the federal agent who shot her.

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Fly School @dipteracourse.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Join us in Costa Rica for Fly School IV! Applications are now open. Visit dipterists.org/fly_school.h... for application & info. @dipterists.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @bertonemyia.bsky.social @ariannatc.bsky.social @phorid.bsky.social

Willistoniella sp., ropalomerid fly (Ropalomeridae). Photo taken at Fly School 2024 by @bertonemyia.bsky.social

Limoniinae,bobbing crane fly (Tipulidae). Photo taken at Fly School 2024 by @bertonemyia.bsky.social

Stilt-legged fly (Micropezidae). Photo taken at Fly School 2024 by @bertonemyia.bsky.social

Lauxaniid fly (Lauxaniidae). Photo taken at Fly School 2024 by @bertonemyia.bsky.social

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ron-kichurchak.bsky.social @ron-kichurchak.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

This might be the most metal beetle I've ever seen.

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Kat Dahl @wildkatdahl.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

For #BlueMonday an electric turquoise and cerulean Blue Cuckoo Wasp from the fabulous walled garden @kneppwilding.bsky.social #bluebugs #bugsky @ashwhiffin.bsky.social @waspwoman.bsky.social

A tiny metallic blue wasp on some old wood.

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

This situation is an average Tuesday for a hymenopterist - always glad to see folks working on other groups navigate these fun puzzles

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Laura Cooper @transitionalform.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below! Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage

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Codey Mathis @codeymathis.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

I'm defending my dissertation next Wednesday, EST. I'll record it on Zoom, but also if folks are interested in the Zoom link, please DM me 🙂 Thank you to everyone who supported me through this journey. I currently have no plans post-graduation, but no matter what I'm excited for these next steps!

Dissertation defense advertisement for Codey Mathis. Dissertation is titled "Assessing the impact of floral resources and vertical stratification on insect behavior and biases of common trapping methodologies for insect communities". Defense is scheduled for Wednesday, January 28th, from 10-11am Eastern time at Penn State and on Zoom. Top left image is Codey holding a bunch of ropes that have gotten tangled and botom right image is Codey sitting in the middle of one of her research plots holding her late beagle Remus.

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ascalaphid @ascalaphid.com · 30/11/2025

Prostomis americanus, still one of the weirder beetles I've found in my samples

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Spheal Posting @sphealposting.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

happy birthday spheal

Pokemon rumble spheal wearing a birthday hat sat at a table in front of a giant birthday cake. He is looking at it vacantly

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Big news - I’ll be starting an #insect #systematics lab at University of Nebraska-Lincoln this coming academic year! I’m looking to #recruit #PhDstudents to work in #wasp systematics, especially gall systems, to begin Fall 2026. Please help me spread the word — more details on the flyer below!

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🦋 Alie of the Woods 🦋 (is looking at lichen in the cemetery) @humanbyweight.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

Louis is really great to work with! Go measure antennomeres at his new lab to advance our collective scientific understanding of GALL WASPS - including those with large impacts on agriculture and forestry! 🧪

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

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Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

Like Don Chandler’s books on pselaphines, the volume of writing is inversely proportional to the size of the insect

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Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 10/11/2025

We are watching @toomanywasps.bsky.social’s award acceptance talk at SysEB and folks in the room are shaking their heads in disbelief at the SIZE of this dissertation

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Louis Nastasi @toomanywasps.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

UIowa put out a short news story about our lab’s gall wasp work! Take a look if you want to see the excellent work that our students are doing.

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Scientists! @skypeascientist.bsky.social matches scientists with classrooms, libraries, & more for virtual Q&As! It's easy and fun! We are looking for 750 more volunteers by 8/15 If you're down to chat with 1-5 classrooms this semester, sign up here www.skypeascientist.com/sign-up.html

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