Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Stephen Collins @stephencollins.bsky.social · 1h

All my comics have happy endings!

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

James Harding-Morris @bsbicountries.bsky.social · 4h

The Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail - one of a series of photographs I commissioned whilst working on the Back from the Brink project so that people could actually *see* some of our most threatened and beautiful species.

📷: Alex Hyde/Back from the Brink

Little Whirlpool Ramshorn Snail on a fingertip

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 57m

with the official IUCN listing for the slender-billed curlew now being Extinct here is the rather sad piece I wrote about what went into this decision

I tried to include everything we know about their behaviour and biology, which is tragically little 🪶🧪
www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/new...

A picture of two slender-billed curlews in the Natural History Museum's collections.

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 1h

Devastating news: the Slender-billed Curlew has just been declared extinct. This Slender-billed Curlew is from "A history of the birds of Europe, not observed in the British Isles" (1863). #SciArt by Benjamin Fawcett #ExtinctionIsForever www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42530095

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 2h

oh gosh

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Dr Alex Bond @thelabandfield.bsky.social · 2h

Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.

Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Jane Duke @janeduke.com · 2h

*bangs drum*
There is absolutely a need for art that shocks, disturbs and challenges, but THIS is why I unashamedly continue to create 'pretty pictures' of natural scenes. The lovely messages I get from people who have felt better after looking at them tell me I'm doing something worthwhile.

From BBC article:
Research shows that looking at pictures of nature on your laptop or simply gazing out at something green can trigger the same calming brainwave changes and reduce stress.

"Every bit seems to help," says Prof Ming Kuo.

From BBC article:

Of course, not everyone can head into the woods on a whim but the good news is, you don't have to.

Even small touches of nature at home can make a difference, according to Willis.

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 12h

yeppp 🫠

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 14h

this is gorgeous!

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Nicole 🪲 @fossilforager.bsky.social · 17h

Whale Fall pin 🦀🐋🦑

A photo of a large gold-plated enamel pin photographed on top of a lichen-covered rock. The enamel pin features a whale skeleton covered with various deep sea creatures, such as octopuses, hagfish, a giant isopod, a crab, and chimaeras.

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 14h

I would love to know at what point the right wingers will finally accept that fossil fuels are dying, but never underestimate the power of obstinance I guess lol
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity

Developing countries lead the historic clean energy charge but the US and EU rely more on fossil fuels than before, a think tank study shows.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Dave Hemprich-Bennett @davehb.bsky.social · 15h

More evidence of bats chasing down and eating migratory birds at night 🦇 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Greater noctule bats prey on and consume passerines in flight

Despite billions of passerines seasonally migrating during the night at high altitudes, only three bat species have been found to consistently tap into this rich prey resource. However, it remains unk...

www.science.org

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Izzy Jayasinghe @ijayas.bsky.social · 15h

Ah, a classic moment of @nature.com recognizing the scientific contributions of both genders: man and machine.

Prof Anna Watts @profannawatts.bsky.social · 16h

Lol the Nobels can't even acknowledge women's contribution to discovery. But sure let's acknowledge The Machines.

Headline from an article in Nature this week that states "Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery. The future of science will be written by humans and machines together. Awards should reflect that reality."

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Joanna Bagniewska @joannabagniewska.com · 21h

⚠️Losing Nemo: Almost all aquarium fish in the US are caught in the wild⚠️

"Across all platforms and 13 popular fish taxonomic families, we found 734 unique species for sale, 89.2% (655 species) of which were sourced exclusively from the wild."
🧪🐠🌍
conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes @lemoustier.bsky.social · 1d

Noticed the other week that there's not nearly enough #HistoricalHotties content here on Bluesky, so am posting one of the OGs, Antinous
(amirite @emmasouthon.bsky.social )

Following Hadrian @followinghadrian.bsky.social · 2d

Marble bust of Antinous depicted as Dionysus with a bronze vine wreath on his head.
The bust, found at Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, was part of Marquis Giampietro Campana's collection and was regarded as one of his finest sculptures. Emperor Alexander II of Russia bought it in 1861 for the Hermitage.

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Richard Fallon @richardfallon.bsky.social · 1d

A literary Iguanodon at the Earth Sciences Library. Do any other libraries have dinosaurs or other antediluvian creatures carved into the furniture?

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Ben Fenton @benfenton.bsky.social · 1d

If a news organisation is making -200% margin after five years, it is not a commercial operation and should be assumed to have a different purpose.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

The channel lost £33 million to communicate its content to a large audience
www.business-live.co.uk/enterprise/g...

GB News suffers huge loss despite doubling revenue and growing audience

The TV channel, whose well-known presenters include Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, fell to a pre-tax loss of £33.4m in the year to 31 May, 2024

www.business-live.co.uk

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The Seabird Group @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social · 2d

Pour yourself a coffee and have a read of this tragic story about the last pair of Great Auks for #Auktober ♥️

Niels de Winter @nielsjdewinter.bsky.social · 3d

Such a sad story, but good that it can be told in full in museums now.
doi.org/10.1126/scie...

Fate of the last female great auk is finally solved

DNA and historical sleuthing have traced the extinct bird’s remains to a museum in Ohio

doi.org

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 1d

erm, so 3D scans from the Scottish Maritime Museum (!!) have been used by the IDF to create animations of supposed terror sites, tunnels and bunkers they've destroyed (!!!) 🫠

Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 1d

As someone who works with satellite and 3D imagery, this project reinforced how crucial it is to question what’s rendered as truth.

Keep an eye out for some follow ups in different mediums looking ahead

Full story w/ @972mag.com via Oren Ziv:

www.972mag.com/israeli-army...

How a Scottish maritime museum ended up in Israel’s 3D propaganda

An analysis of dozens of Israeli army animations discovered digital assets sourced not from classified intelligence but commercial libraries and content creators.

www.972mag.com

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 1d

erm, so 3D scans from the Scottish Maritime Museum (!!) have been used by the IDF to create animations of supposed terror sites, tunnels and bunkers they've destroyed (!!!) 🫠

Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 1d

As someone who works with satellite and 3D imagery, this project reinforced how crucial it is to question what’s rendered as truth.

Keep an eye out for some follow ups in different mediums looking ahead

Full story w/ @972mag.com via Oren Ziv:

www.972mag.com/israeli-army...

How a Scottish maritime museum ended up in Israel’s 3D propaganda

An analysis of dozens of Israeli army animations discovered digital assets sourced not from classified intelligence but commercial libraries and content creators.

www.972mag.com

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 1d

As someone who works with satellite and 3D imagery, this project reinforced how crucial it is to question what’s rendered as truth.

Keep an eye out for some follow ups in different mediums looking ahead

Full story w/ @972mag.com via Oren Ziv:

www.972mag.com/israeli-army...

How a Scottish maritime museum ended up in Israel’s 3D propaganda

An analysis of dozens of Israeli army animations discovered digital assets sourced not from classified intelligence but commercial libraries and content creators.

www.972mag.com

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Reposted by Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈

Jack Sapoch @jacksapoch.bsky.social · 1d

NEW: Since October 2023, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit has released dozens of 3D animations illustrating alleged Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iranian sites

The style is now unmistakable: satellite zoom-ins, black & white wireframes, and red-textured houses - a new visual language of war

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 1d

yeah they're a huge, very well funded organisation, but if you search for 'African Parks + Baka people' you'll get a bunch of news reports

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 1d

for those who might not know, African Parks is a somewhat, uh, controversial conservation org who basically persuade African nations to sign over large bits of land in a public-private partnership and have been accused of some, ah, Very Serious crimes

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Josh Luke Davis 🏳️‍🌈 @joshlukedavis.com · 1d

innnnteresting news today about African Parks, in which the government of Chad has terminated their contract to run three national parks in the country only 6 months after it was renewed 👀

Screen grab from a Time article that reads: "In a statement announcing the end of the 15-year partnership “with immediate effect”, Hassan Bakhit Djamous, Chad’s environment minister, said the charity, African Parks, had displayed a “recurring, indelicate and disrespectful attitude towards the government”.

Over four pages, the ministry alleged grave breaches of contract and financial irregularities, accusing the charity of keeping unaudited accounts and not being transparent over how funds were raised, managed and spent.

It alleged that the charity illegally collected tourism revenues, used tax-haven bank accounts in the Isle of Man and transferred capital and foreign exchange abroad “to the detriment of Chad and in flagrant violation of national banking and tax regulations”. The ministry also claimed African Parks had prioritised tourism over conservation, banned Chadians from certain sites and failed to invest in essential equipment for rangers as poaching surged across its parks."

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