Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 1d

Huh, guess that explains why my family all remarked that the moon felt extra “moon-like” for this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival! 😆

bsky.app/profile/rebe...

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 2d

Anyways, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival/中秋節快樂 to all who celebrate!🎑🏮

May the holiday bring you happiness and joy with loved ones under the full moon! 🌕
祝大家在這個節日中，與家人和朋友共享一個愉快溫馨的佳節！🥰

(Related, but love that the official HK public holiday is the day 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 the festival, so you can properly sleep in!😜)

Photo of the remarkably bright full moon taken in Hong Kong at while walking along the coastline with family earlier tonight.

Colorful lanterns strung up near a brightly lit blue and yellow dragon sculpture (also made with lanterns), taken by my parents earlier in the week.

1

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 2d

Though for those looking for this option to turn on:

"Settings" (Gear icon) → "Accessibility" (Person in a circle, 7 down) → "Require alt text before posting" (first check box)

6 13

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 2d

Anyways, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival/中秋節快樂 to all who celebrate!🎑🏮

May the holiday bring you happiness and joy with loved ones under the full moon! 🌕
祝大家在這個節日中，與家人和朋友共享一個愉快溫馨的佳節！🥰

(Related, but love that the official HK public holiday is the day 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 the festival, so you can properly sleep in!😜)

3

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 2d

Getting "jump-scared" by moon cake boxes left and right these last few days. 🤣

Like whad'ya mean they sometimes contain actual moon cakes🥮 , not entomological specimens?!

Thread with context:
bsky.app/profile/rebe...

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Mar 21

#MuseumConversations @ the HKBM
-
Q: “Uhhh… why are there dozens of mooncake/月餅/🥮 boxes stacked up on your desk? In late March??”

A: “Right... So you know how those blue Danish butter cookie tins always contain sewing supplies? Like magic? Without fail?

Well...”

A cluttered desk. On the left is a stack of paper labels and identification sheets. In the center is various stationary items (like scissors, pencils, highlighters). On the right are the aforementioned moon cake boxes stacked up high.

Blurred in the background are a bunch of other entomology supplies (including small tubes containing ethanol preserved specimens, wooden display case, more moon cake boxes) etc

1 1 2

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 2d

"Don't give up.
There is a future for you.
Do your best while you're still on this beautiful planet Earth that I look down upon from where I am now."

-Jane Goodall.

bsky.app/profile/koja...

KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 3d

Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 4d

Deeply saddened to hear about Dr. Jane Goodall's passing a few days ago.💔

Had the honor of hearing her speak last year. One of my science heroes, a wonderfully empathetic researcher who helped us realize that we are not alone in the world.

Thank you Jane for everything.👩‍🔬🦍
youtu.be/d_FzzLeA6pk?...

1 1

Reposted by Rebecca Wang 王思寧

Ainsley S @americanbeetles.bsky.social · 24d

this is cheese phenetics and I won't stand for it

Luke Steuber @lukesteuber.com · 26d

EVERYONE STOP

cheese wheel of cheeses

A circular infographic chart categorizing cheeses by type of milk and texture. At the center, four sections are labeled cow, sheep, goat, and buffalo, radiating outward into concentric rings for textures: soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, and hard. Each cheese name is placed within its corresponding segment, with illustrated wedges of cheese circling the outer edge. Cow’s milk occupies the largest portion, featuring well-known varieties like Brie, Camembert, Taleggio, Havarti, Gouda, Cheddar, and Parmesan. Sheep’s milk includes cheeses such as Roquefort, Manchego, and Pecorino Romano. Goat’s milk features options like Chèvre, Crottin de Chavignol, and Humboldt Fog. Buffalo is represented by Mozzarella di Bufala Campana and Buffalo Blue. The cheeses are organized visually so that softer varieties appear closer to the center and harder ones toward the edge. Small colored drawings show each cheese’s texture, rind, and tone, from creamy whites and soft rounds to golden blocks, crumbly wedges, and blue-veined interiors. The background is a deep charcoal gray, making the warm oranges, yellows, and creams of the cheeses stand out clearly.

3 29 120

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 25d

ehh... go forth & apply anyways? 🤷‍♀️

Best bit of advice I got when I was UG sci student was to just try applying for things, esp. if/when you feel underqualified.

End of the day, least you get a definitive result instead of wondering "what could of been".👍Miss 100% of the shots you don't take etc.

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 25d

^ whoops 2nd link doesn't seem to be working properly for some reason, so here's that same @naturalhabitat.bsky.social short I mentioned on Bluesky!

bsky.app/profile/natu...

Natural Habitat Shorts @naturalhabitat.bsky.social · Feb 6

Fun Fact: When threatened the hognose snake will writhe in pain and turn over onto its back sticking its tongue out. If it's turned back onto its stomach it will flip back over insisting its really dead! They even emit a smelly odor really selling the whole corpse thing 🐍☠️🤪

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 25d

Side note:
Wanna see really good thanatosis/playing dead behavior? Watch a hognose snake in action! 🐍

Such dramatic little divas who put on good show! 😆
youtube.com/shorts/LB7Xl...

(+ a funny cartoon short by @naturalhabitat.bsky.social about it here youtube.com/shorts/ScW4_... ) - "Blehhh!"🤣

Snake Plays Dead: Meet The Western Hognose!

YouTube video by Museum of Science

youtube.com

1

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · 25d

Not sure if it's cus this beetle's "Spiderman" colors are making me think of superhero movies...

But just hit me that Thanos the Marvel villain & thanatosis the behavior prob share a similar "death related" root origin?! 🤯

And yeah: Thanatos = Greek personification death, son of Nyx (night). TIL!

Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum @hkbm.bsky.social · 29d

Seek out the shining leaf beetle, 𝘓𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢 (Fabricius 1792), in sunlit clearings along the edges of woods and fields. If you approach too closely, do not be fooled by its sudden, dramatic act. It will drop and play dead in a clever defensive trick, a behaviour known as thanatosis.

1 1

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 30

Also fun fact: those stones plus the 毛公鼎/Máogōng dǐng (lit. 'Lord Mao's cauldron', a vessel from 805 BCE & longest example of bronze script) make up the museum's "Three Treasures".

So there kinda this running gag that people visit the 故宮 to get their "pickled cabbage & pork hotpot"/ 酸菜白肉鍋 fix! 🤣

The Mao Gong ding/毛公鼎, a bronze tripod ding vessel (wide, cauldron-like container in a metallic dark grey color) from the Western Zhou dynasty (c. 1045 – c. 771 BCE). "The vessel has an inscription of 500 characters arranged in 32 lines, the longest inscription among the ancient Chinese bronze inscriptions. The ding dates from the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, and was presented to him by the Lord Yin of Mao"

Image source: https://digitalarchive.npm.gov.tw/Collection/Detail/1438?dep=U

A example of the real 酸菜白肉鍋(Suāncài báiròu guō)/"pickled cabbage & pork hotpot". A metal hot pot container containing fatty pork, nappa cabbage, tofu and over vegetables simmering in a broth.

Image source: https://www.ytower.com.tw/recipe/iframe-recipe.asp?seq=A02-3187

1

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 30

Still remember getting an plastic souvenir of it during a visit to the 故宮 as a kid haha! 😆
~
Btw if you enjoyed that, check out its cousin: the Meat-Shaped Stone/肉形石 (Ròuxíngshí).

*Note: Man, human-made art is so cool! Guy looks at a funny rock: "Huh, looks like food... guess imma carve it!🤷"

The Meat-Shaped Stone/肉形石 a piece of jasper rock (various shades of brown with striations) carved into the shape of a piece of Dongpo pork. It sits atop a gold colored pedestal which is covered with repeating wave like patterns.

Image source: https://theme.npm.edu.tw/selection/Article.aspx?sNo=04001103&lang=2

A piece of real dōngpōròu/東坡肉, a red-braised pork belly dish (slow cooked in soy sauce, wine and sugar) named after a famous Song dynasty poet. The dish is known for its even distribution of fat and meat.

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongpo_pork#/media/File:DongPoRou.jpg

2 3

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 30

Ooh! Going with the famous Jaddite Cabbage/翠玉白菜 (Cuìyù Báicài), which a flawed piece of jade carved to resemble a nappa cabbagge/bok choi with a kaddid and locust in its leaves.

If you're ever in Taipei 🇹🇼 , be sure to visit it in the National Palace Museum/故宮博物院!

theme.npm.edu.tw/exh106/npm_a...

The Jaddite Cabbage/翠玉白菜 (Cuìyù Báicài) - a piece of jade (translucent green and white stone) carved into the shape of a Chinese cabbage head (also known as nappa cabbage or bok choi). Hidden nside it's leaves are a locust and a katydid carved out of the same material. It is perched on a wooden pedestal (dark coffee colored) which itself is carved into an ornate flower-like stand.

The real life "Katydid" from the cabbage, which actually is modeled off of the Chinese bush cricket (Gampsocleis gratiosa) pictured here, a forest green insect with long legs adapted for jumping and thick abdomen. They were common sights in the Qing dynasty, captively breed for their musical singing abilities.

The corresponding "locust" is too small/improperly scaled to be matched to a specific insect species, but was likely a migratory locust.

3 8 39

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 29

oh dear... 🫠

ummm, silver lining, at least the labels aren't missing and legible I guess? 😆

2

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 29

oh wow - that is a thing of beauty! 🤩 Massive kudos to the designers & carpenters who worked on it!

As a person who tried some woodworking in high school for D&T... yeah, it's definitely a labor of love and one of those skills where the masters make it look easy. It is not. 😅

1 4

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 29

Side note: Pausing my attempt to daily post for Aug fest (may try again in the future!) 👍

Cus some days the news is too much (CDC + USA sci) & constant Bsky reminders is not healthy 😅

Go on that walk, you might just find cool critters like this old one while doing so! ❤️
bsky.app/profile/rebe...

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Jun 3

... for my photo, this "common rose" butterfly (P. aristolochiae) I spotted just chillin' with a puddle while setting out on a classic "stupid walk for mental health" to clear my head.

Probably some metaphor there about beauty after the storm? IDK just find bugs really cool 😆 (shocker I know😂)

A closeup of the Common Rose butterfly (Pachliopta aristolochiae) mentioned in the post, resting on some wet concrete near leaves. The butterfly is black and red in colored, relatively large with a shape characteristic of other swallowtail butterflies (hind wings have a part that sticks out, a bit like the tail of a swallow).

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 29

Whoop! #InverteFest Art book is out now! 🎉

Go check it out & show your support for all the amazing artists who contributed! 😍

(And if you haven't seen the previous ones before, they are at invertefest.com#artbook👍 lots of amazing stuff there too!)

franz @franzanth.bsky.social · Aug 28

We present: The Art of #InverteFest - August 2025 Edition
A digital art book showcasing the work of 100 artists from around the world, in celebration of overlooked invertebrate fauna.

Thank you to the artists who contributed to our book!

Download here drive.google.com/file/d/19wfG...

#Art #SciArt

a promo image showing various pages from the book, each page showcasing different animals like an orchid mantis, opabinia, a butterfly. the art featured shows a range of different medium, including digital, plushie, papercraft, 3D render, comic, and so on.

1 2

Reposted by Rebecca Wang 王思寧

Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · Aug 28

day 4 #InverteFest #invertebrate weird fact:
there is plenty of research into invertebrate sleep, but so far the most well studied invertebrates DREAMING are cephalopods (we don't yet know WHAT they dream about, but they have the same sleep patterns as humans!) 🦑🐙

#SciArt doodle of a sleeping orange stripey cuttlefish and red pink octopus wearing a sleeping hat and holding a teddy bead. the cuttlefish is dreaming of a hot romantic cuttlefish holding a rose, while the octopus is dreaming of fried shrimp.

5 21 50

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 27

2x posts today to catch up with Day 3 of #Invertefest -

Saw some people lamenting how arthropod/insect-centric the hashtag has gotten (whoops! 😅)…

So here are a few chill HK snails I saw recently to mix things up a bit! 🐌🐌🐌

Three striped snails (dark brown and tan) sitting on a brick wall with leafy vegetation nearby)

1 4

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 27

For Day 2(-ish) of #Invertefest : Enjoy this brilliant, “beetle-full” photo a family friend took of me earlier this summer! 😂

My first time ever visiting Pittsburgh & the Carnegie Museum of Natural History! ❤️

Who needs Dippy the Dino 🦕 & halls full of gemstones when there are BUGS to see?! 😜

Me with a huge grin, gesturing while standing in front of a ginormous wall display of thousands of insects at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s Bug Hall

1 1 8

Reposted by Rebecca Wang 王思寧

🌻OK MR. SUNSHINE!🌻 @entobiologist.bsky.social · Aug 24

picked up this eastern tailed blue and felt like i picked up a kitten by the scruff of its neck :T the little legs tucked in is too cute #invertefest #invertebrates

photo of a very tiny white butterfly between my fingers facing the camera

digital sketch of the same butterfly except much bigger being held by a hand

4 38 130

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 26

Here are the samples I worked on today + the groups I was splitting them into (including a "?" vial for stray insect parts).

Note: Not the final stage, just a preliminary pass through (goal is quantity).

They will be checked & passed on to respective experts for further ID-ing down to sp. level!

A small cardboard box consisting of a gridded insert and several small vials placed in each section. On top of the box is a label identifying
1 = Coleoptera (Beetles)
2 = Non-Ant Hymenoptera (Wasps etc)
3 = HymenopteraL Formicidae (Ants)
4 = Hemiptera (true bugs)
5 = Thysanoptera (Thrips)
6 = Ephemeroptera (Mayflies)
7 = Acari (Mites)
8 = Trichoptera (caddisflies)
9 = Lepidoptera (moths etc)
. = T+ L

D1+ D2 = Diptera, rough nematocera vs brachycera/Cyclorrhapha spilt.

* = insect with mites
? = Not sure/no good.

2

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 26

Without magnification, the insects just look like tiny specks of unassuming dust or dirt. 🌱

(For reference, the petri dish is about 10 cm/~4 inches/two side-by-side credit cards across.📏 )

However....

Take a closer look through the lenses & this is (just some) of the magic you will see! 🤩

A petri dish (clear plastic circle with raised lip) containing ethanol with small insects in it, sitting on the stero microscope stage.

Closeup of the insects as viewed through the microscope lenses.

A further assortment of insects from a variety of different orders as viewed from the microscope.

1 2 7

Rebecca Wang 王思寧 @rebeccawang.bsky.social · Aug 26

For Day 1 (-ish) of #Invertefest, I’m taking you inside the insect lab with me! 🪲🪳

Today I sorted some bug samples from Tung Chung/東涌 🇭🇰 into different arthropod orders, using a stereo microscope + some featherweight forceps.

(As part of a ongoing @HKBM.bsky.social project)

A stereo microscope (black and white scientific instrument consisting of 2 binocular-like lenses aimed at specimen illuminated by a light) in the center of the image, flanked to the left by my laptop and the right by various entomological instruments (including forceps, a box full of vials, markers and a wadded up paper towel)

1 8