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Alex Wild

@alexwild.bsky.social

15K followers 2K following 7.4K posts

Curator of Entomology at the University of Texas at Austin, personal account. Biology. Insects. Photography. https://www.alexanderwild.com

www.alexanderwild.com

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · Jul 9

The thing about entomology is, there are always weirder bugs than anything you could imagine on your own.

Here's Cysteodemus wislizeni, a blister beetle from west Texas.

Photograph of a metallic blue/green beetle with a very spider-like body, a huge fake "abdomen" that is swollen and dented with even pits over its bulbous surface. It is otherwise ant-like, standing on a pure white stylized background.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 2h

Not his flight. His tickets.

Reposted by Alex Wild

Aman Batheja @amanbatheja.bsky.social · 2h

As the shutdown continues, all of the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are about to run out of funding, They're all set to close to visitors starting this Sunday—in the middle of a holiday weekend—and won't reopen until the government does.

Screenshot of top of Smithsonian's homepage: "Our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo are open today and will remain open through Saturday, October 11. If the government shutdown continues past October 11, Smithsonian locations will be closed starting Sunday, October 12."

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 2h

Bizarre seeing a fascist organization being treated as mainstream by the U.S. press.

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 2h

While Turning Point is in the news, I will again point out that one of the founding members of the UT Austin Turning Point chapter was later arrested for animal cruelty at a neo-Nazi training camp in Georgia:

Texas man jailed in Rome after cutting Rams Head off

Duncan Christopher Trimmel, 23 of Frisco Texas, was arrested in Rome for animal cruelty charges. Reports said Trammel is accused of shooting and beheading a ram, which had been stolen from a Floyd…

coosavalleynews.com

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 3h

The border is being redesigned to keep Americans in.

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Reposted by Alex Wild

Michelle A. Rodrigues 🐒 @marspidermonkey.bsky.social · 7d

As a primatologist, Jane Goodall was a huge inspiration to me. I admired the way she describes chimpanzee behavior with such detail and empathy, and she’s inspired so many people and advocated for chimpanzee conservation and welfare.

However, I'm dismayed at what her narrative leaves out (1/10)

Photo of Jane Goodall in the center, signing a book, with three women standing slightly hunched behind her. A very young Michelle is to the right, smiling.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 3h

KUT has been out in front. NPR has been both-sidesing us to death and I don't understand why.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 4h

That's #atxwx

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 4h

Texas sky update. #atxw

Photo of a green urban treeline under a morning blue sky of rows of high stratus clouds lit by the rising sun.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 5h

Benny Johnson is an actual traitor, an asset of foreign adversaries in a hybrid war. He hates Americans, he hates the United States, and he is working hard to end it. That is his project.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 5h

Russian intelligence was paying Benny Johnson $400,000 a month prior to the 2024 election. Don’t think for a minute this isn’t about our geopolitical foes trying to destroy the US.

Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social · 5h

Benny Johnson and Oregon MAGA activist (and convicted J6 felon) David Medina accompanied Kristi Noem during her visit to Portland. Here they are amplifying a local MAGA influencer with some, well, interesting ideas about race and religion.

Benny Johnson @bennyjoh...•17h
Huge shoutout to@basedinportland
She and her family drape themselves in American flags and walk the streets of Antifa-overrun Portland, showing fearless support for ICE agents. They spend countless hours outside the ICE facility, thanking the agents working tirelessly to Show more
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Based. In Portland. o
2,998 posts
BENNY SHOW..
日
Follow
Based. In Portland.
@basedinportland
Christ is ALL #MAGA mom in PDX
§ Wife tryin' to be His
dream girl. Mother x 4 life schoolers. Portiand TPUSA Chapter
3:31
INER
Family Leaders.
© Portland, OR # Joined September 2024
日*
if you wouldn't mind clicking on the account their client uh
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2.4K
Ill 69K

Based. In Portland.
White Pride
@basedi... •8/30/25
Celina10101
@celina1010...•8/30/25
It's so over for multiculturalists, the surfer bros are waking up Ö&
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Ill 646

Based. In Portland.
We read our Bibles - we know.
@basedin... •9/8/25
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No one asked for mass Islamic migration.
Now we must fight legally before the fight requires a well regulated militia.
Wall Street Apes &
@WallSt.. •9/8/25
American Pastor has traveled all over the Europe and has a warning, "The enemy of the world is Islam, 1000%"
"There are places in Texas, there are places in Dearborn, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota that are nearly fully Islamic. They are trying to institute all of their Sharia Show more

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 5h

I’ve… I’ve seen these guys before.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 15h

This is an amazing track.

Khruangbin & Leon Bridges - Texas Sun (Official Video)

YouTube video by Dead Oceans

m.youtube.com

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 16h

DON’T GIVE ALL YOUR MONEY TO THE QUEEN AGAIN THIS TIME MARTHA

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 16h

You’d think I’d know more about this.

Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 16h

Antifa? What’s that? An ifa for ants?

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Reposted by Alex Wild

Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social · 1d

Drought is climate change's biggest threat: If this winter is as dry as last winter, and no major reductions in use occur, Lake Powell by 2027 would have no storage left and “would have to be operated as a ‘run of river' facility” in which only the inflow from the river could be released downstream.

‘No One Comes Out of This Unscathed’: Experts Warn That Colorado River Use Needs Cutting Immediately - Inside Climate News

A new report finds that Lakes Mead and Powell, the nation’s largest reservoirs, could store just 9 percent of their combined capacity by the end of next summer.

insideclimatenews.org

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 20h

I, personally, would like these folks to issue a statement about the dozens of students the University of Texas had physically assaulted and jailed because of their political opinions. Perhaps an apology, or some recognition of the tremendous harm they have already caused.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 20h

As if the main problem is academics acting without integrity, instead of murderous fascists trying to take over the university.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 20h

University of Texas admins are confronting the collapse of academic freedom by creating a working group of people hand-picked by the administration to, at some point, craft a statement about "academic integrity".

Dear UT Faculty and Staff,
I am pleased to announce a new initiative, inspired by conversations with faculty, that reaffirms our commitment to the enduring values of academic freedom and responsibility, and our shared calling to present our students with intellectually honest discussions of broad and varied perspectives in the classroom. Today, we are establishing a Faculty Working Group on Academic Integrity at The University of Texas at Austin.
The group’s charge is to develop a statement on academic integrity that affirms both the importance of academic freedom and its responsible exercise in teaching at UT.
We all recognize that higher education in general is under scrutiny. Some question whether our University has strayed from our duty to steward curiosity, open inquiry, and productive debate, while others worry that we have narrowed or even excluded opportunities for dialogue or dissent. This is not the Texas way.
We must define our character, or it will be defined by others. And how we live out that character in our classrooms will reveal our commitment. As the flagship university of our state and one of the world’s greatest universities, UT holds a critical position of public trust. That trust can be earned and sustained through a renewed commitment to academic integrity.
To guide this effort, I have invited a select group of faculty leaders, representing a broad range of academic units, to serve on the Working Group:

The Working Group will be chaired by Provost William Inboden.
I want to express my gratitude to the members of this Working Group for offering their time and expertise to this important initiative. The future of our University is incredibly bright, and the establishment of our statement on academic integrity will serve our academic mission well for years to come.
Sincerely,
Jim Davis
President

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 21h

They’re all good replies Brent

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Reposted by Alex Wild

Eric Goldman @ericgoldman.bsky.social · 23h

From @sivav.bsky.social :

The education "compact" is "like an invitation to borrow money from the mob, with substantial control & future penalties assured... Any university leader who signs on to this compact would...do deep & permanent harm to the US & the world"

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Reposted by Alex Wild

Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 23h

This is a five alarm fire.

Serious implications here: a sitting governor saying basically that the U.S. president is planning to use the military to overthrow democracy in America.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23h

Pritzker: "He wants to militarize major cities because he wants us to get used to the idea of troops on the streets. I believe he's gonna post people outside of polling places and if he needs to in order to control those elections, he'll assume control of the ballot boxes & count the votes himself"

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 23h

Maybe they're still recording it.

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Reposted by Alex Wild

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · May 8

One of my fave Twitter moments was when Steelers Hall of Famer Alan Faneca critiqued my squirrel's three-point stance

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