Masha Levene
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mashalevene.bsky.social
Masha Levene
@mashalevene.bsky.social
250 followers 490 following 150 posts
Nature and science enthusiast, here to learn and discover
She/her
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Reposted by Masha Levene
dhilrukshi.bsky.social
Scientists @febiologia.bsky.social @teamswiftparrot.bsky.social from the Difficult Bird Research Group and landowners are working on Tasmania's Bruny Island to help the forty-spotted pardalote species.

Difficult Birds: www.difficultbirds.com

#conservation #ecology #birds
'So, I had this idea': Scientists dispense insecticide-coated feathers for birds to build nests
Donning a helmet and a well-equipped harness, Dr Fernanda Alves looks like she is set to take on an extreme sport. Instead, she is climbing trees to check nesting boxes for a tiny and very rare bird.
www.abc.net.au
January 4, 2026 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
annejefferson.bsky.social
Highly recommend this graphic novel for the young nerd in your life. The book is based on a wild but little known industrial accident in Louisiana in 1980, when drilling for an oil well intersected a salt mine... under a lake.
By it from your local bookshop: bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Vanishing of Lake Peigneur by Allan Wolf
January 2, 2026 at 1:03 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
bittelmethis.bsky.social
Um, cookie cutter shark teeth are a single, intact unit!? And when it needs to be replaced, they swallow it whole?! What! 🧪
January 2, 2026 at 5:38 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
ichnologist.bsky.social
Only 18 days (Jan. 20, 2026) until publication of OCEAN: FROM THE SHORE TO THE ABYSS, by @ashadevos.bsky.social, with contributor chapters by @helenscales.bsky.social, @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social, @drandrewthaler.bsky.social, & me! Preorder here: www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/ocean-... 🧪🌊🏝️🐚 🪸🐠🐬🐋
Ocean: From the Shore to the Abyss
Water covers more than 70 percent of the Earth but three quarters of our oceans’ depths have never been explored by humans. This stunning book takes readers on a deep dive through the different depth ...
www.thamesandhudsonusa.com
January 2, 2026 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
carlbergstrom.com
"I don’t know why my fellowship was terminated. I suspect that it has something to do with studying a species that doesn’t fit the binary of what we expect to see in nature, with completely different males and females."

@carlzimmer.com profiles my wonderful coauthor @jjinsing.bsky.social Gift link.
He Studied Why Some Female Birds Look Like Males
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
theplanetaryguy.bsky.social
Open up this picture fully.

Then look at the surface of Mars.

Then look up to the top right.

Spot Mars' moon Phobos high in the sky.

Then notice the bright spot beside Phobos.

That's Earth.
A forlorn landscape of layered rocks in the foreground, with hills fading into the background haze. At upper top right, a small crescent moon, and a bright star.
December 30, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
sarahmackattack.bsky.social
You ready for our 2026 Valentines??

The art is ready for ya 😍

As with everything on our shop, sales of these valentines support @skypeascientist.bsky.social!

This year's cards were designed by Philly artist @aprilfinfrock.bsky.social! Obsessed with how these turned out.

order at SquidFacts.net
4 valentines in a grid, a pelican eel with the words "You make my jaw drop", an anglerfish that says "You're my light in the darkness", a grimalditeuthis that says "I find you a LURE ing" and two octopuses and a snailfish on the skeleton of a whale that says "I've Whale Fallen for you" lmao. The octopuses are making a heart with their arms together.
December 28, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
kristinamuise.bsky.social
Finished reading book #21 of the year 🦇🌎🧪

It’s exciting how ideas that framed my research questions were presented in one part of the book

My MSc was literally on researching the underlying mechanism of resistance to white-nose syndrome in big brown bats!
A photo of the front cover of a book “The Genius Bat, The Secret Life of the Only Flying Mammal, by Yossi Yovel”. A screenshot of text with the following highlighted: “Another question that troubled researchers and still remains unanswered is why certain bat species are more resistant to white-nose syndrome than others. The fungus simply skips over some species such as the big brown bat… No one knows for the reason for this difference in morbidity.”
December 28, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
irishrainforest.bsky.social
Rivers with beavers can have up to 6x more species of fish, amphibians, water insects, water plants, and dragonflies, and up to 60x more abundance, than those without.

What the beaver does for nature is absolutely mind-blowing.
share.google/zRvScq1fvarX...
Something gnawed your oak tree? Sink hole in your road? How Zurich’s beaver hotline is reassuring residents
As the number of the semi-aquatic creatures soars so can tensions. But the Swiss have a tried and tested system to calm the neighbours and restore harmony
share.google
December 25, 2025 at 11:06 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
jrowing.com
This morning I learnt another great example of why units matter - the flight of Air Canada 143 ran out of fuel at an altitude of 41.000ft.The Pilots managed to glide the plane down safely with their 70 passengers. The jet had been loaded with 22,300 pounds of jet fuel instead of 22,300kg
December 21, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
Friendly neighborhood biologist here. I see a lot of people are talking about biological sexes right now. Lots of folks make biological sex seem really simple. Well, since it’s so simple, let’s find the biological roots, shall we? Let’s talk about sex...[a thread]

(Reposted from the other site)
August 9, 2024 at 10:34 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
kristinamuise.bsky.social
Day 16 #BatMas: Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)🦇🌎🧪

They can fly at very high altitudes (around 3,300 m) & have the record for the fastest horizontal speed of any animal - ground speeds over 160km/h!

Up to 1.5 million roost under a bridge in Austin, Texas too!

📸: Micheal Durham
A brown bat situationed ontop of a light brown rock.
December 16, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
theseabirdgroup.bsky.social
Attention any of our Australian members 🚨📣

#Australia #Seabirds
adriftlab.bsky.social Adrift Lab (Marine Science) @adriftlab.bsky.social · 20d
Apologies for the sad photo, but we need your help. Right now, #seabirds are washing up on beaches in SE Australia (particularly around #Newcastle)
December 16, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
josie.zone
I try to avoid linking to Substacks but this essay is FASCINATING
I'm Kenyan. I Don't Write Like ChatGPT. ChatGPT Writes Like Me.
I'm calm. I'm calm. I promise.
marcusolang.substack.com
December 16, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
ascolotl.bsky.social
Learned today that “Galápagos” comes from a Spanish word for tortoise, meaning that “Galápagos Tortoise” is,

in fact,

a tortology
December 13, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
seismatters.bsky.social
Having appeared on it three times, I can 100% confirm that @robinince.bsky.social *IS* the #InfiniteMonkeyCage.

Without him, it doesn’t even exist as a concept 🤷🏾‍♂️
wishusdonna.bsky.social Donna Scott @wishusdonna.bsky.social · 23d
I just want to say @robinince.bsky.social is the very best of humans. How the BBC could have a problem with him is beyond me. The IMC will wither on the vine without the rich, nutritious value of Robin's brain. Go see him perform, and buy all his books. Your soul will feel like it has been hugged.
Robin Ince on stage and his book Normally Weird and Weirdly Normal.
December 13, 2025 at 2:16 PM
mashalevene.bsky.social
Heartbreaking to loose such an incredible science communicator and host. One of my favourite podcasts comes to an end 😔
robinince.bsky.social Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 23d
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 14, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
robinince.bsky.social
Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.
This is the saddest day of my professional life. Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage. I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys. I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show, A show that I named and helped develop over all those years. Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry. These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices. Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'. • I chose the latter. It broke my heart. I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make. I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer. I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence. One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career. I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more. I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost". James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice. Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences. I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness. Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire. I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal. I am so sorry to let you down. I hope that you can understand my reasoning. I have to accept that I am not what the current BBC expects of their freelance presenters. Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not "just a job" I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world. From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too. The strawberry is dead. Long live the strawberry. B
December 13, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
cephalopodsdaily.bsky.social
Diamondback Squids (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) lay their eggs in giant pink slinkies. These egg masses are made up of two threads of eggs wrapped around a cylinder of mucus.

These egg masses contain 35,000 to 75,000 eggs and have a length of 60 cm to 180 cm long with a diameter of 11 to 30 cm.
An egg mass of a diamondback squid (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) floating in the water. It is a large tube made out of thousands of tiny pink eggs that are in a coiled thread, forming a tube that looks not unlike a slinky. The photo as taken from one of the ends, and the coil goes into the background and to the right. It is just below the surface of the water, and you can see the reflection above it. An egg mass of a diamondback squid (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) floating in the sea just below the surface of the water. The egg mass is magenta and is a coiled thread of squid eggs, forming a tube that looks not unlike a slinky. It is making an S bend. A close up of an egg mass of a diamondback squid (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) floating in the water. It is a large tube made out of thousands of tiny pink eggs that are in a coiled thread,forming a tube that looks not unlike a slinky. The photo is taken from inside the tube. An egg mass of a diamondback squid (Thysanoteuthis rhombus) floating in the water. It is a large tube made out of thousands of tiny pink eggs that are in a coiled thread, forming a tube that looks not unlike a slinky. The coil descends from the upper left, then turns and goes right, then turn left and goes down and back, then goes slightly up
December 13, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
davidbflower.bsky.social
Tonight into tomorrow night is the peak of the Geminids meteor shower. Look up. Weather permitting. 🔭 🧪
December 13, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
thegmcconnachie.bsky.social
Robin Ince reveals to last night’s audience at a recording of Infinite Monkey Cage that the BBC has forced him to resign over his support of trans people
December 13, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Reposted by Masha Levene
admirablewomen.bsky.social
Who invented non-reflective glass?

American physicist & chemist Katharine Burr Blodgett in 1938.

It revolutionized optics--& led to the coatings used today in everything from eyeglasses to phone screens. She was the first woman to earn a PhD in #physics from Cambridge, 1926. #WomenInSTEM #inventor
Black-and-white 1950s photograph of physicist Katharine Burr Blodgett in her General Electric laboratory. Seated at a desk, she wears glasses and a striped short-sleeved blouse, holding a ruler and examining papers with focused intensity. Shelves of bottles and equipment line the background — the workspace of the woman who invented non-reflective glass. Side-by-side demonstration of Katharine Burr Blodgett's 1938 invention: non-reflective glass. Left: three colorful yarn balls (red, blue, yellow) are clearly visible through coated glass with no glare. Right: the same balls appear blurred and distorted by reflections through ordinary clear glass. A powerful visual proof of the invisible coating that revolutionized lenses, windows, and screens.
December 12, 2025 at 11:46 PM
Reposted by Masha Levene
samthielman.com
I saw a lot of people posting their favorite cover songs and thought I’d add mine to the mix
December 10, 2025 at 3:57 AM