Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
@pbeasleyhall.bsky.social
subterranean insect biodiversity, taxonomy, and evolution | #1 ensifera friend 🦗 | horror & sci-fi fan 👻 | green politics enjoyer 🗳️🌱
adelaide, australia📍 | they/them 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
adelaide, australia📍 | they/them 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Pinned
Meet the weird, wonderful creatures that live in Australia’s desert water holes. They might not be there much longer
From water fleas to seed shrimp, Australia’s desert rock holes shelter unique animals found nowhere else. But as the climate warms, their homes are at risk.
theconversation.com
My first article in The Conversation! I was a co-author on this paper led by the fantastic @dr-brock-hedges.bsky.social. We used environmental DNA to detect invertebrates reliant on rock-holes as freshwater sources in Australia's arid lands. #bugsky
theconversation.com/meet-the-wei...
theconversation.com/meet-the-wei...
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
I know it’s intentional but we should stop calling everything AI, lumping useful machine learning techniques for science with large language models that tech companies are trying to cram into everything.
AI to track icebergs adrift at sea.
British scientists say a world-first AI tool to catalogue and track icebergs as they break apart into smaller chunks could fill a "major blind spot" in predicting climate change
u.afp.com/S2sA
British scientists say a world-first AI tool to catalogue and track icebergs as they break apart into smaller chunks could fill a "major blind spot" in predicting climate change
u.afp.com/S2sA
February 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM
I know it’s intentional but we should stop calling everything AI, lumping useful machine learning techniques for science with large language models that tech companies are trying to cram into everything.
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Tucked in little claws 🦀
A crab sitting like a cat loaf. So cute𓈒𓏸︎︎︎︎
A crab sitting like a cat loaf. So cute𓈒𓏸︎︎︎︎
February 5, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Tucked in little claws 🦀
A crab sitting like a cat loaf. So cute𓈒𓏸︎︎︎︎
A crab sitting like a cat loaf. So cute𓈒𓏸︎︎︎︎
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
What's that you say!
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
Trans athletes may not have fitness advantage in women’s sport, landmark study finds
Findings suggest physical performance in trans women converges toward that of cis women over time
www.independent.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 8:44 AM
What's that you say!
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
It was all just fear pushing by bad faith groups and that trans women pose no threat to cisgender women.
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Highlights from #Edinburgh cemeteries last week: Male Pale Brindled Beauty, Ocys quinquestriatus (nationally scarce), cluster of 2-spot, Harlequin, 10-spot & Cream-spot Ladybirds & Buchananiella continua with Anthocoris nemorum. #insects #CemeteryWildlifeWatch recording activity on #iRecord.
February 1, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Highlights from #Edinburgh cemeteries last week: Male Pale Brindled Beauty, Ocys quinquestriatus (nationally scarce), cluster of 2-spot, Harlequin, 10-spot & Cream-spot Ladybirds & Buchananiella continua with Anthocoris nemorum. #insects #CemeteryWildlifeWatch recording activity on #iRecord.
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
The infamous human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis). This specimen is from a rainforest in Honduras, deposited at the Biological Museum, Lund University.
[MZLU 00131504]
#Diptera #Oestridae 🪰
[MZLU 00131504]
#Diptera #Oestridae 🪰
February 3, 2026 at 2:56 AM
The infamous human bot fly (Dermatobia hominis). This specimen is from a rainforest in Honduras, deposited at the Biological Museum, Lund University.
[MZLU 00131504]
#Diptera #Oestridae 🪰
[MZLU 00131504]
#Diptera #Oestridae 🪰
Recently got a copy of the out-of-print #Dune Encyclopedia (1984) and am obsessed with the design of these tarot cards. These are the only ones there are illustrations for, but the entire major arcana is described in-text. The book even provides sample spreads for divination!
February 2, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Recently got a copy of the out-of-print #Dune Encyclopedia (1984) and am obsessed with the design of these tarot cards. These are the only ones there are illustrations for, but the entire major arcana is described in-text. The book even provides sample spreads for divination!
Taxonomists, which names are you workshopping right now? For this cave cricket I'm thinking aedituens (temple-keeper). Found in the same caves as the oldest known fossils of coral reef fish, so I like the idea of it "guarding" them and their memory. #bugsky #taxonomy
📷: Hannah Zurcher
📷: Hannah Zurcher
February 2, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
These three stories were all published this week. Abolishing ICE is a reproductive justice issue
January 25, 2026 at 4:04 AM
These three stories were all published this week. Abolishing ICE is a reproductive justice issue
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
It can get lower!
Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
www.independent.co.uk
January 26, 2026 at 6:43 PM
It can get lower!
First, the Board decided not to implement motions passed by members to make trans rights a key focus of this year's festival - intended as a response to rising persecution in the US. Now, the only openly trans director has not only been censured by the Board but also misgendered in the process.
January 28, 2026 at 9:34 AM
First, the Board decided not to implement motions passed by members to make trans rights a key focus of this year's festival - intended as a response to rising persecution in the US. Now, the only openly trans director has not only been censured by the Board but also misgendered in the process.
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
The last thing we need right now is a reason for MAHA/MAGA to discredit science further.
Please, for the love of microscopes, don’t cite shit you haven’t read.
Please, for the love of microscopes, don’t cite shit you haven’t read.
Do not cite an academic paper unless you’ve read it
AI Is Inventing Academic Papers That Don't Exist -- And They're Being Cited in Real Journals
Academic articles from authors using large language model are creating an ecosystem of fake research that threatens human knowledge itself.
www.rollingstone.com
December 20, 2025 at 1:31 AM
The last thing we need right now is a reason for MAHA/MAGA to discredit science further.
Please, for the love of microscopes, don’t cite shit you haven’t read.
Please, for the love of microscopes, don’t cite shit you haven’t read.
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
That peanut worm is a little too exciting for me you got anything else?
December 24, 2025 at 8:22 PM
That peanut worm is a little too exciting for me you got anything else?
Common Eucalyptus longhorn beetle (Phoracantha semipunctata) relaxing near my regular cafe on campus. This species is invasive pretty much anywhere Eucalyptus has been introduced - that is, anywhere except Australia. #entomology #bugsky
January 27, 2026 at 10:25 PM
Common Eucalyptus longhorn beetle (Phoracantha semipunctata) relaxing near my regular cafe on campus. This species is invasive pretty much anywhere Eucalyptus has been introduced - that is, anywhere except Australia. #entomology #bugsky
New paper out! 🦀🦐💧
Read the #OpenAccess research @marinefreshwater.bsky.social:
'Environmental DNA reveals temporal & spatial variability of invertebrate communities in arid-lands ephemeral water bodies'
connectsci.au/mf/article/7...
@dr-brock-hedges.bsky.social @pbeasleyhall.bsky.social @jamesbeedorey.bsky.social
'Environmental DNA reveals temporal & spatial variability of invertebrate communities in arid-lands ephemeral water bodies'
connectsci.au/mf/article/7...
@dr-brock-hedges.bsky.social @pbeasleyhall.bsky.social @jamesbeedorey.bsky.social
January 27, 2026 at 10:15 PM
New paper out! 🦀🦐💧
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
Majority of local insect biomass decline linked to species loss
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function.
www.idiv.de
December 8, 2025 at 1:38 PM
A new study shows that over 90% of insect biomass declines are driven by shrinking species numbers, posing a risk to ecosystem function. www.idiv.de/majority-of-... #biodiversity
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
This is a perfect example as to why we need AI regulation yesterday.
AI cannot be the arbiter of whether human beings can live or die. This is an excuse for insurance companies to fire human workers and make our healthcare system even more nightmarish for a quick buck.
AI cannot be the arbiter of whether human beings can live or die. This is an excuse for insurance companies to fire human workers and make our healthcare system even more nightmarish for a quick buck.
"Starting Jan. 1, in six states selected to take part in a federal pilot program, traditional Medicare recipients will face a new hurdle to get certain procedures covered --
private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny..."
www.kuow.org/stories/thou...
private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny..."
www.kuow.org/stories/thou...
Thousands of Washington state Medicare users could soon have claims denied by AI
Starting Jan. 1, traditional Medicare recipients in Washington state will face a new hurdle to get certain procedures covered — private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny.
www.kuow.org
December 8, 2025 at 8:19 PM
This is a perfect example as to why we need AI regulation yesterday.
AI cannot be the arbiter of whether human beings can live or die. This is an excuse for insurance companies to fire human workers and make our healthcare system even more nightmarish for a quick buck.
AI cannot be the arbiter of whether human beings can live or die. This is an excuse for insurance companies to fire human workers and make our healthcare system even more nightmarish for a quick buck.
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
December 7, 2025 at 5:17 PM
TIL about a memorial ceremony in Iceland in 2019 to mark the end of a glacier, changing the place name from Okjökull to Ok (jökull = glacier). Uncompromising wording on the bronze plaque:
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
"This is to acknowledge that we know what is happening and what needs to be done. Only you know if we did it".
now that I'm back from this conference I can finally get back to my real passion: checking inaturalist multiple times a day for new orthopteran observations in need of an ID
December 7, 2025 at 11:38 PM
now that I'm back from this conference I can finally get back to my real passion: checking inaturalist multiple times a day for new orthopteran observations in need of an ID
My first article in The Conversation! I was a co-author on this paper led by the fantastic @dr-brock-hedges.bsky.social. We used environmental DNA to detect invertebrates reliant on rock-holes as freshwater sources in Australia's arid lands. #bugsky
theconversation.com/meet-the-wei...
theconversation.com/meet-the-wei...
Meet the weird, wonderful creatures that live in Australia’s desert water holes. They might not be there much longer
From water fleas to seed shrimp, Australia’s desert rock holes shelter unique animals found nowhere else. But as the climate warms, their homes are at risk.
theconversation.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:20 PM
My first article in The Conversation! I was a co-author on this paper led by the fantastic @dr-brock-hedges.bsky.social. We used environmental DNA to detect invertebrates reliant on rock-holes as freshwater sources in Australia's arid lands. #bugsky
theconversation.com/meet-the-wei...
theconversation.com/meet-the-wei...
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
Rhipidioides sp.
This very small male Rhipidioides sp. beetle was a new visitor to our moth light this week. This is the only recorded observation in Western Australia. The larvae of this species parasitises cockroaches🪳
#ausinverts #wildoz #beetle #coleoptera #inaturalist
This very small male Rhipidioides sp. beetle was a new visitor to our moth light this week. This is the only recorded observation in Western Australia. The larvae of this species parasitises cockroaches🪳
#ausinverts #wildoz #beetle #coleoptera #inaturalist
December 7, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Rhipidioides sp.
This very small male Rhipidioides sp. beetle was a new visitor to our moth light this week. This is the only recorded observation in Western Australia. The larvae of this species parasitises cockroaches🪳
#ausinverts #wildoz #beetle #coleoptera #inaturalist
This very small male Rhipidioides sp. beetle was a new visitor to our moth light this week. This is the only recorded observation in Western Australia. The larvae of this species parasitises cockroaches🪳
#ausinverts #wildoz #beetle #coleoptera #inaturalist
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
I will never tidepool at night without a uv light again
🌊🌿🦀🐙🦑
🌊🌿🦀🐙🦑
December 7, 2025 at 4:48 AM
I will never tidepool at night without a uv light again
🌊🌿🦀🐙🦑
🌊🌿🦀🐙🦑
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
CEO of KillCorp: “If you’re not willing to work for slave wages, you should be ground up for meat and served to subhumans who are”
Normal_Guy: “Oh man, it’s not good for society to have people in charge who think like this. I hope something happens to him”
[Normal_Guy’s account has been suspended]
Normal_Guy: “Oh man, it’s not good for society to have people in charge who think like this. I hope something happens to him”
[Normal_Guy’s account has been suspended]
December 7, 2025 at 7:15 PM
CEO of KillCorp: “If you’re not willing to work for slave wages, you should be ground up for meat and served to subhumans who are”
Normal_Guy: “Oh man, it’s not good for society to have people in charge who think like this. I hope something happens to him”
[Normal_Guy’s account has been suspended]
Normal_Guy: “Oh man, it’s not good for society to have people in charge who think like this. I hope something happens to him”
[Normal_Guy’s account has been suspended]
I’ve seen so many of these weirdly shaped flyers on trees advertising this band and finally met the frontman 🔊
clicking ambertail cicada, Yoyetta robertsonae #bugsky
clicking ambertail cicada, Yoyetta robertsonae #bugsky
December 5, 2025 at 4:56 AM
I’ve seen so many of these weirdly shaped flyers on trees advertising this band and finally met the frontman 🔊
clicking ambertail cicada, Yoyetta robertsonae #bugsky
clicking ambertail cicada, Yoyetta robertsonae #bugsky
Reposted by Perry Beasley-Hall, PhD
And for #ArtAdventCalendar day 2, some fishing lures 😅 Variations on this design have trended on social media for a while. I used creme polishes for the bases, some with gradients, and topped them all with a sheer holographic magnetic polish. Then I added details using more creme polishes.
December 4, 2025 at 6:41 PM
And for #ArtAdventCalendar day 2, some fishing lures 😅 Variations on this design have trended on social media for a while. I used creme polishes for the bases, some with gradients, and topped them all with a sheer holographic magnetic polish. Then I added details using more creme polishes.