Doc_Beatty

Odonata systematics: past, present, and future: a review of the phylogenetic works in Anisoptera (dragonflies) Abstract. Odonata is an insect order that comprises ~6420 described species distributed among three suborders. Here we review the dragonflies, or Anisopter

So excited to have this #dragonfly paper out! #Odonata systematics: past, present, and future: a review of the phylogenetic works in #Anisoptera (dragonflies) url: academic.oup.com/isd/article/... @ethantolman.bsky.social

Meet the Beautiful Dragonfly That Thrives in Your Pollution

So great to see our work on blue dasher dragonflies highlighted in the New York Times. Excellent piece by @cjgiaimo.bsky.social!

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/s...

Tiny brown moth navigates 600 miles using stars — just like humans and birds | CNN Native to Australia, tiny Bogong moths travel hundreds of miles in an astonishing annual migration by using the starry night sky to navigate, according to a new study.

www.cnn.com/2025/06/20/s...

The Secret Lives of Moths The nocturnal insects with surprising pollination power

nautil.us/the-secret-l...

Did arachnids originate in the sea? A new study suggests so

earthsky.org/earth/arachn...

56 million years ago, Earth underwent rapid global warming. Here’s what it did to pollinators To understand how giant carbon emission events affect climate and life on Earth, scientists went deeper into our planet’s history.

56 million years ago, Earth underwent rapid global warming. Here’s what it did to pollinators
theconversation.com/56-million-y...

Insects and Other Animals May Have Consciousness A new consensus emerges.

nautil.us/insects-and-...

Our new piece is out in @nature.com big mihi to all my co-authors it was a pleasure to work with you on this @lanipai.bsky.social @niiyokamigaabaw.bsky.social @napaaqtuk.bsky.social @sereananaepi.bsky.social @1nativesoilnerd.bsky.social Bradley Moggridge and Brittany Kamai
tinyurl.com/yc4y9kfk

Integrating eDNA and community science to monitor urban Odonata diversity Environmental DNA captured rare and underrepresented taxa often missed by community science observations. Community science revealed adult-stage observations across a broader temporal window. Integr.....

So excited to have this #eDNA #Aquatics paper out led by Rhema Uche Dike, @ethantolman.bsky.social, @chrisdbeatty.bsky.social and many others! doi.org/10.1111/icad...

Manzanitas are California’s Sculptured Survivors At Inspiration Point, Yosemite, sticky whiteleaf manzanita tends to occupy south slopes, greenleaf manzanita tends to occupy north slopes. (Photo: NPS) As an avid hiker in Southern California, I’ve…

californiacurated.com/2025/07/01/m...

‘Things keep evolving into anteaters.’ Odd animals arose at least 12 separate times Findings speak to the dramatic impact ants and termites can have on mammalian evolution

‘Things keep evolving into anteaters.’ Odd animals arose at least 12 separate times | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Check out this great work from @ethantolman.bsky.social 's PhD thesis! I'm excited to have collaborated with him and others on this exploration of gene family expansion in dragonflies.

Very excited about this paper! It has been great to work with colleagues in NZ and around the world to make this happen.

Rediscovery of Melanesobasis Donnelly, 1984 (Odonata: Coenagrionidae) in Vanuatu reveals a pattern of vicariance in insular damselflies Abstract. The Vitiaz Arc provides a compelling opportunity to examine biogeographical patterns in the South Pacific. Previously, however, many groups lacke

Another paper that I am excited to share. This work was a collaboration with colleagues in Vanuatu, Fiji, New Zealand and the US. The Melanesobasis are a beautiful group of damselflies, and it is exciting to understand their distribution in the South Pacific.

academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

@isaaclevesque.bsky.social @jiaweiz.bsky.social, Sam Gallafent, Randy Li, and Atharva Tripathi found that insects sampled from the same habitat have responded differently to anthropogenic change and past climate change!

@gracie-castillo.bsky.social, @harrisonpardue.bsky.social, @eredman3.bsky.social and Liam Williams found alarmingly high levels of inbreeding in Trout, and discuss what this means for the Odonata they live with!

Maleah Wei and @bengallafent.bsky.social shared an awesome talk about urban adaptation and migration in the blue dasher dragonfly, as well as the importance of community science engagement, with their advisor Dick Jordan!

The blueprint for survival: the blue dasher dragonfly as a model for urban adaptation - BMC Ecology and Evolution Background Human alteration of natural environments and habitats is a major driver of species decline. However, a handful of species thrive in human altered environments. The biology, distribution, po...

Excited to have this #entomology #dragonfly paper out! Congratulations to @ethantolman.bsky.social Ellie Gamett and team! bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Glad to see the Idaho Statesmen cover the cool work @gracie-castillo.bsky.social @harrisonpardue.bsky.social @eredman3.bsky.social @jiaweiz.bsky.social @bengallafent.bsky.social @maleahwei.bsky.social and others are doing in Boise!

Excited to see @gracie-castillo.bsky.social @harrisonpardue.bsky.social @eredman3.bsky.social @isaaclevesque.bsky.social @jiaweiz.bsky.social @bengallafent.bsky.social and others present at the annual conference of @odonataamericas.bsky.social after a week of research!

Here’s how fierce T. rex got to North America

earthsky.org/earth/t-rex-...

Nearly 2,000 top researchers call on Trump administration to halt ‘assault’ on science Nearly 2,000 members of the National Academies called on the Trump administration to halt its “wholesale assault on U.S. science" in an open letter.

"In an open letter published Monday, nearly 2,000 of the nation’s top researchers called on the Trump administration to halt this 'wholesale assault on U.S. science,' which they say is threatening America’s position as a global research leader as well as the health and safety of its citizens."

These ancient fish swam with the dinosaurs. They may not survive us. - National Geographic

The Erasing of American Science - The Atlantic

A portion of the rear wing of a male Flame Skimmer Dragonfly, Libellula saturata, Cox Creek, Albany, Oregon, USA. Dragonfly wings are not flat 2-dimensional structures, but rather, they are 3-dimensional, with grooves and ridges running lengthwise along the wing making it rigid, but allowing it to flex from base to tip and front to back without breaking. The membrane of each cell surrounded by veins creates a network that is very resistant to shearing forces. Tiny spines along the veins have very subtle, but cumulative affect on how air flows across each wing The whole wing acts as nature's most perfect airfoil. AND there are 4 of them, each independently movable and they can also rotate about 180 degrees. Dragonflies and damselflies are the only insects whose wings are controlled and powered by muscles that are attached directly to the bases of each wing. Independent sets of muscles raise, lower and rotate and un-rotate each wing. Focus stacks shot with a Nikon D810 and a Mitutoyo M Plan APO 5X infinity microscope objective.

A portion of the rear wing of a male Flame Skimmer Dragonfly, Libellula saturata, Cox Creek, Albany, Oregon, USA. Dragonfly wings are not flat 2-dimensional structures, but rather, they are 3-dimensional, with grooves and ridges running lengthwise along the wing making it rigid, but allowing it to flex from base to tip and front to back without breaking. The membrane of each cell surrounded by veins creates a network that is very resistant to shearing forces. Tiny spines along the veins have very subtle, but cumulative affect on how air flows across each wing The whole wing acts as nature's most perfect airfoil. AND there are 4 of them, each independently movable and they can also rotate about 180 degrees. Dragonflies and damselflies are the only insects whose wings are controlled and powered by muscles that are attached directly to the bases of each wing. Independent sets of muscles raise, lower and rotate and un-rotate each wing. Focus stacks shot with a Nikon D810 and a Mitutoyo M Plan APO 10X infinity microscope objective.

A section of the rearwing of a male #FlameSkimmer #dragonfly, #Libellula-satutara

#Odonata #Insects #Anisoptera #Libellulidae #Skimmer #Invertebrate #Entomology #FocusStacking #NikonD810 #ZereneStacker #BugPics #DragonflyPhotography #Science #SteveValleyPhotography #photography #SciArt #Art

Amazing plesiosaur fossil preserves its skin and scales A remarkable plesiosaur fossil reveals that the extinct reptiles had scales like modern sea turtles, unlike the ichthyosaurs that lived during the same period

www.newscientist.com/article/2467...

Going! We're looking forward to the talk.

So excited for our Neurocordulia Shadowdragon #dragonfly paper to be out! #entomology doi.org/10.48156/138...

This drawing is the oldest known sketch of an insect brain Found in a roughly 350-year-old manuscript by Dutch biologist Johannes Swammerdam, the scientific illustration shows the brain of a honeybee drone.

www.sciencenews.org/article/olde...