Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Jonathan C Slaght @jonathanslaght.com · 5d

super cool study found human artifacts in Bearded vulture nests, incl. "weaponry like a crossbow bolt and wooden lance, decorated sheep leather, and parts of a slingshot....a shoe made from twigs and grass is ~675-years-old." link to paper: doi.org/10.1002/ecy..... www.popsci.com/environment/... 🧪🌍🦉

Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts

Crossbow bolts, sandals, slingshots, and more.

www.popsci.com

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Aug 21

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/why-repetiti...

The Pleasure of Patterns in Art

The interplay between repetition and variation is central to how we perceive structure, rhythm, and depth across mediums.

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Aug 21

arstechnica.com/science/2025...

Physics of badminton’s new killer spin serve

Adding a pre-spin affects shuttlecock’s oscillating behavior, depending on direction of rotation.

arstechnica.com

Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Dr. Catherine Scott @cataranea.bsky.social · Aug 18

🕷️#Arachnews alert! 🦂
New Foelix (the definitive reference for general spider biology, a must-have for every arachnologist & arachnophile) just dropped.

Now called Spider Biology, this is an completely rewritten & updated version of the Biology of Spiders (2011).
link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Spider Biology

This attractive book covers all aspects of spider biology and will appeal to general readers interested in spiders as well as specialists (arachnologists).

link.springer.com

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Jul 30

congrats!

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Lucibee @lucibee.bsky.social · Jul 27

AI abuse to skirt copyright law - macro photography by @nickybay.bsky.social

Not only does AI steal photographers' work, it gets them wrong and introduces features that don't exist.
#wildlifephotography

www.nickybay.com/ai-abuse-to-...

AI Abuse to Skirt Copyright Law - Macro Photography by Nicky Bay

In the past week, a number of prominent nature photographers showed how their photographs were being stolen and mangled into "AI-nonsense", deceiving countless others into believing the made-up storie...

www.nickybay.com

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Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Sam England @samjakeengland.bsky.social · Jul 24

Why do treehoppers look so weird?! Our latest paper, out this week in @pnas.org, suggests a perhaps unexpected reason - static electricity ⚡ We show that treehoppers can detect the electrostatic cues of predators and that their crazy shapes may boost their electrosensitivity! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Electroreception in treehoppers: How extreme morphologies can increase electrical sensitivity | PNAS

The link between form and function of an organism’s morphology is usually apparent or intuitive. However, some clades of organisms show remarkable ...

doi.org

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Journal of Experimental Biology @jexpbiol.bsky.social · Jul 10

We all have our favourite colours, but Adam Blake & Jeff Riffell have discovered that mosquitos can change their favourite colour, preferring to land on green when they smell flowers or dirty pond water, but love every colour when they smell dirty socks

journals.biologists.com/jeb/article/...

A photo of a female yellow fever mosquito. Photo credit: Adam J. Blake.

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Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · Jul 8

We’ve been on a deep dive in the museum archives this week and you would not believe the letterhead game some of these gentlemen had

Custom stationery of a Parisian insect dealer, exquisitely decorated with Aubrey Beardsley style insect illustrations

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Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · Jul 2

Foundations: please step up and take over the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). This is an absolutely essential scanned archive of all of the old journals and books from the 1500s to about 1920. Has been indispensable for my research.
about.biodiversitylibrary.org/call-for-sup...

Call for Support: – About BHL

about.biodiversitylibrary.org

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Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Dr Christopher Taylor @mimicryin3d.bsky.social · Jul 2

Why do imperfect mimics (such as many hoverflies) exist? We created 3D printed replicas of flies, wasps and our own custom intermediates and then "asked" various predators what they thought of our 3D stimuli. Read all about it here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Mapping the adaptive landscape of Batesian mimicry using 3D-printed stimuli - Nature

Birds have an excellent ability to learn to discriminate harmless insects from those that they mimic on the basis of subtle differences in appearance.

www.nature.com

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Jun 30

Probably a habronattus jumping spider

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Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Jenny Winder she/her @ladyastrojenny.bsky.social · Jun 27

What puzzles can the Vera Rubin Observatory help solve?
In just its first 10 hours of observations, the Vera Rubin observatory discovered more than 2000 new asteroids. What else will it teach us?

bigthink.com/starts-with-...

Ask Ethan: What puzzles can the Vera Rubin Observatory help solve?

In just its first 10 hours of observations, the Vera Rubin observatory discovered more than 2000 new asteroids. What else will it teach us?

bigthink.com

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Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Morgan M. Oberweiser @mmoberweiser.bsky.social · Jun 24

PhD position open with Dr. Jutta Schneider and @mherberstein.bsky.social in Hamburg, on sub-social behavior in crab spiders 🕷️ It even includes field work in Australia! Application deadline is 15 July, more info at the link:
www.uni-hamburg.de/en/stellenan...

A crab spider with bright yellow/green prosoma and legs and a light brown opisthosoma sits on a leaf

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Emily M. Bender @emilymbender.bsky.social · Jun 11

"Part of our task in the face of generative AI is to make an argument for the value of thinking – laboured, painful, frustrating thinking."

activehistory.ca/blog/2025/06...

On Generative AI in the Classroom: Give Up, Give In, or Stand Up

Edward Dunsworth Two approaches dominate discussion about how professors should handle generative “artificial intelligence” in the classroom: give up or give in. Give up. Faced with a powerful new …

activehistory.ca

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Reposted by Dinesh Rao

EZ Lab @ezlab.bsky.social · Jun 11

Interested in arachnid silk structures? Read this editorial by our @matjazgregoric.bsky.social, @dinrao.bsky.social, and André Walter, and see what articles appear in the new research topic at Frontiers in Arachnid Science.

www.frontiersin.org/journals/ara...

Frontiers | Editorial: Function and diversity of arachnid silk structures

Silk has independently evolved multiple times among arthropods, but only spiders and spider mites use silk throughout all stages and aspects of their lives (...

www.frontiersin.org

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · May 17

currently reading The Ten Thousand Things, by Maria Dermoût, I found this book the traditional way, tucked away in an unexpected second hand bookstore , just like in the olden days youmightaswellread.com/2019/02/01/m...

Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · May 6

New review paper out in collaboration with @pipilika.bsky.social : The relevance of goal directed movement for insect pest control. The paper is part of a special issue on behavioural ecology and pests www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

The relevance of goal directed movement for insect pest control

Efficient locomotion is a fundamental feature and requisite of all insects. Some insects, such as mosquito larvae, travel just a few centimetres, wher…

www.sciencedirect.com

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · May 2

Paraphidippus aurantius

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Apr 26

Thank you!

Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Apr 26

#invertefest

Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Apr 26

@waynemaddison.bsky.social Any idea what this is ? Veracruz, Mexico www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Typical Jumping Spiders (Subfamily Salticinae)

Typical Jumping Spiders from Coatepec, Ver., Mexico on April 25, 2025 at 07:13 PM by dinrao

www.inaturalist.org

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Dinesh Rao @dinrao.bsky.social · Apr 25

@mayuyaya.bsky.social

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · Aug 26

Don't have an invertebrate artwork to post for #InverteFest?

I got you covered. I teamed up with multiple experts to create guides to comprehend various invertebrate anatomy.

Links to the full posts in the reply below.

complex crab anatomy guide, covering the basic parts of the arms, legs, body shape, and tail.

complex bivalve anatomy guide covering the basic jargons of the anatomy, the shape, shell margin, and ribbed texture called sculpture.

complex crinoid anatomy guide focusing on the different jargons used to describe their body parts like the stalk, calyx, and arms

complex cephalopod anatomy guide primarily concerning the basic anatomy, eye shape, and how some of them are shelled while most are naked

Reposted by Dinesh Rao

Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · Apr 25

#invertefest

Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · Jul 28

I made 4 more in my series of related prints about leafcutter bees 🧪🐡🌿🦋Similar to the print in the pollinator garden, but on lovely Japanese washi paper & feature different plants. These prints are both about & a sort of collaboration with leafcutter bees! These small, but multifarious native bees..

As described: This work features 2 large linocuts of two leaf cutter bees: Megachile relativa and Megachile brevis. These linocuts are made on collaged Japanese washi papers and cellophane to capture the colours in their bodies and wings. Each print has its own array of leaf and petal prints from leaves and petals used by leaf cutter bees from my garden. The plants used include raspberries, roses (leaves and petals), lily of the valley, lilac, hollyhock, cone flowers and more. Each print is 17" tall by 12" wide

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🍓🍂🎃Yumi🇵🇷🐉🦜🔞 @omegayumiart.bsky.social · Apr 25

Old art (2022)
Another moth dragon based on endemic species in Puerto Rico
This one is based on Composia Credula
#dragon #moth #composiacredula #PuertoRico #creaturedesign #omegayumiART

A black dragon with long body and covered with white spots. It have 6 limbs and 4 wings

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