The Linnean Society of London

Hybrid Day Meeting | Organismal resilience in a rapidly changing world Join us at the Linnean Society for a one-day symposium focused on the mechanisms and consequences of variation in organismal resilience

Speaker spotlight!
@trishschulte.bsky.social studies how fishes' physiology, biochemistry & genetics adapt to challenging environmental conditions, like high temperature.

Hear from her at our symposium on 20 November. Online & in person tickets available.

Look what I got to see! Fab gardening exhibition at @britishlibrary.bsky.social, closing on Sunday.

Objects pictured are loans from @linneansociety.bsky.social (Darwin’s vasculum, seed packet prob. from Captain Cook’s 2nd voyage, Caribbean art) and the Guildford Museum (Gertrude Jekyll’s boots).

We are looking for people aged 16-18 to form this year's #YouthPanel for Our Local Nature Grant scheme! Help us choose which projects are the most vital to promote #Biodiversity and healthy #Ecosystems based on what is important to you. It's your world.

Learn more and apply here:
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Hi @janevsw.bsky.social‬, yes, you can, and we'd love to welcome you. If you're able to contact us at events@linnean.org and let us know when you plan to visit, that would be great, and we can coordinate a couple of things with you in more detail. Many thanks!

This is a jewel of an exhibition. Do go if you can. A paeon to the vanishing art of quietly waiting, observing, noticing, recording and drawing, with pens and pencils, on paper.

Why Do Birds Have Whiskers? Discover the latest news from The Linnean Society of London.

📣New Blog Day! 🚨

Ever wondered why birds have whiskers? Many theories have been proposed, from eye protection to prey capture, but all lacked conclusive scientific evidence...until now! Guest blogger Michael Sellgren breaks this down in our latest blog, a 🧵(1/6)🌍🧪

www.linnean.org/news/2025/08...

Queer Ecology Evening at the Linnean Society A special guided tour exploring the diversity of nature and its interpretation by scientists throughout history.

Our upcoming Queer Ecology evening will be a real treat, with a special guided tour exploring the diversity of nature and its interpretation by scientists throughout history.

📍 Linnean Society
📆 6pm 25 September
🎟️ £15 (discounts for Members and concessions)

Curator-Led Exhibition Tour | Naturalists' Notebooks An exclusive walk through our exhibition on how naturalists recorded the world on paper from the 18th century to today.

There are still spaces available for our Curator-Led Exhibition Tour next month! Explore the development of the #Notebook throughout history with the expert curators of our current #Exhibition.

🗓 Fri Sept 12 | 16:00
📍 Linnean Society

Last night, we hosted Dr Rosa Vásquez Espinoza for a gripping talk on the Spirit of the Rainforest 🌿 She shared powerful stories from the Amazon - blending Indigenous wisdom, science, and urgent calls for conservation.

Purchase her new book here: buff.ly/y5gQVUi

Rounding off #NationalMarineWeek, enjoy this fantastically fishy #Poem by @claredonnison.bsky.social about Linnaeus exploring a modern supermarket! 🐟

From Doodles to Discoveries: Linnean Society showcases the art of scientific note-taking When you might want to take some notes, you might pull open an app and type, or maybe open a paper book and write – and if you're the latter, your notes could end up in an exhibition like this.

Thanks to @ianvisits.co.uk for a lovely write up of our Naturalists' Notebooks Exhibition.

It's free, and open 10am-5pm, Tuesday to Friday, with a special open day on 20 September.

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Coral reefs are in dramatic global decline, with outbreaks of coral diseases playing a significant and increasingly frequent role in recent decades. This is especially true for Acroporid corals that… Sea Cucumbers: The Janitors of the Sea | Cody Clements

Continuing #NationalMarineWeek, check out this fantastic talk from Cody Clements on how sea cucumbers are unsung heroes - the janitors of the sea.

buff.ly/jYDmLAK

Hybrid Day Meeting | Organismal resilience in a rapidly changing world Join us at the Linnean Society for a one-day symposium focused on the mechanisms and consequences of variation in organismal resilience

📢 Spaces available!🐦

Join us for a hybrid symposium focused on the mechanisms and consequences of variation in organismal resilience, with @biojlinnsoc.bsky.social, @oxfordacademic.bsky.social and supported by @biologists.bsky.social!

🗓 Thu Nov 20 | 9:30am - 6:00pm
📍 Linnean Society

The staircase of the Linnean Society, with images on the wall depicting a toucan, raccoon, octopus, platypus, flying fish, baboon and quetzal, as well as cyanotypes and photography of shells.

The library of the Linnean Society, with double height pillars and a balcony. The walls are lined with books and a table with lamps is in the centre of the image. There are two paintings, as well as a bust of Linnaeus on the back wall.

A close up of a book in the Naturalists' Notebooks exhibition. It is a printed book with a detailed painting of a dandelion in the margin.

A close up of bookshelves in the Linnean Society library. There are brackets with floral details and a tulip shaped lamp overhead.

We're so excited to be taking part in #OpenHouseFestival2025!

Join us on Saturday 20 September, 10am-5pm, for a chance to see our exhibition and a special display about the history of our building.

We'll be running family activities including crafting and a building trail.

buff.ly/KrySsUX

Zabby Allen, a naturalist, keen nature journaler, zine-maker, freelance designer and editor of The Happy Newspaper, as well as a London National Park City Ranger and chairperson of Wild South London.

Turn leaves into lines, birdsong into stories 🍃✍️

Join Zabby Allen for an evening of nature-inspired zine-making after a slow, curious walk through St James’ Park. Create something small, wild, and wonderful. Book now: buff.ly/n7TTfMX

🗓 Thu 28 Aug | 6:30–9:30pm
📍 Linnean Society & St James’ Park

Everyone loves tardigrades (especially at the LinnSoc), but is tardigrade love-making affected by water? Here, the effect of anhydrobiosis (life without water) on mate choice & reproductive stress was studied, finding females laid fewer eggs but no delay on mate choice! 🌍🧪
doi.org/10.1093/biol...

Finding the Original Collectors of Linnaeus' Fishes Discover the latest news from The Linnean Society of London.

For today's instalment of #NationalMarineWeek we have this brilliant blog about the original collectors of Linnaeus' fish specimens! Shockingly well preserved and valuable to taxonomic history, these specimens often have complex origins...

Read about it here:

What a good idea! We'll add it to our line-up of reel-y catchy fish content this week. Thank you, Clare.

The print of 'Hirame' and 'Mebaru' (flounder, mebaru and cherry blossom) relates to the month of March: ‘The taste of fish and the sweet smell of blossoms; both reach their peak in the spring.’

For summer, Hiroshige has chosen to depict a crab and a mackerel, accompanied by morning glory: 'The fish market comes to life at dawn like a great morning glory opening up.'

It’s UK National Marine Week! 🐟 We’re celebrating with rare fish prints from our collections by Hiroshige: the last great master of ukiyo-e woodblock printing, whose work even inspired Van Gogh. In his 'Grand series of fishes', they pair marine life with seasonal plants.

Read more: buff.ly/OYoIF6y

Cryptic biodiversity challenges assessments of global biodiversity & ecosystem health, including in the ocean. Here, morphology & DNA of Ancistrocheirus lesueurii was studied, revealing ~6 cryptic species! You've gotta be squidding me...🌍🧪🦑 (1/2)
academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...

Fellow of the Linnean Society, Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892) is best known for coining the household term 'dinosaur', his foundation of the Natural History Museum and perhaps most famously controversies with his peers. This austere reputation solidifies Owen in the familiar stern tone of the 19th century. However, the Victorian era is often thrown into relief by the century's penchant for the satirical. Publications such as "Punch Magazine", which Owen regularly read, served as a vector for comedic expression via their illustrations. A personal notebook of Owen's is full of lively, entertaining cartoons, drawn by his hand - shedding light on an often unseen aspect of his character; his sense of humour. Leah George Demetriou, FLS is an independent researcher and lecturer specialising in mid Victorian Natural History. Her research interests surround the foundation of the Natural History Museum and its founder, Sir Richard Owen. She is particularly interested in the intersection between his scientific career and personal life. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The Linnean Society works to inform, involve and inspire people of all ages about nature and its wider interactions through our collections, programmes and publications. Founded in 1788, the Society takes its name from the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778). https://www.linnean.org Follow us on social media: https://bsky.app/profile/linneansociety.bsky.social https://www.instagram.com/linneansociety https://www.facebook.com/linneansociety Science & Satire | The Remarkable Cartoons of Richard Owen

You can now catch up on our latest Linnean Lens! Leah George Demetriou took us beyond the stern reputation of the man who coined "dinosaur" and was a founding figure of the Natural History Museum...into the pages of his notebook, with sharp wit and surprising cartoons...

Watch now: buff.ly/K134Ea4

An anole lizard with a protruding orange dewlap sits on a shaded log.

We know we know, you're dying to know what's new in the world of Adaptive Radiation...well wonder no more! Here, Julia Day, @jameststroud.bsky.social, @fishspeciation.bsky.social & María del Rosario Castañeda discuss it in their Editorial below 👇🌍🧪
doi.org/10.1093/evol...

Henry Doubleday, daguerreotype, c.1863, unknown photographer, donated to the Society by Robert Mays (provenance Thomas and Edith Doubleday).

Seeing Double? Our July Treasure of The Month blog uncovers the curious tale of Henry & Edward Doubleday: brothers, bug lovers & collectors with links from Epping Forest to the V&A. A story of moths, museums & mistaken identities.

Read here: buff.ly/8zQYxYF

Green graphic with illustrations of animals surrounding the text: "Linnean Society Family Explorers. Discover science, stories, and a touch of the wild inside our historic rooms! Keep your eyes wide open, your pencils ready, and your imagination switched on. This trail is packed with fun things to spot, draw, imagine and discover together. Let's go exploring!".

Step into the weird and wonderful world of #NaturalHistory this half term with our brand new, self guided #Family trail! Drop in any time from 10:00 to 17:00, Tuesday to Friday, to explore the Linnean Society from a new perspective.

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The text "Nature Lino Printing. 22 September 2025, 14:00-17:00" on a background of lino cutting tools, ink rollers and scissors

Our next Lino Printing Workshop is on 22 September, teaching you how to design, cut & print with lino. Print on paper, or customise an item of your own, with inspiration from our collections.

📆 22 September, 14:00-17:00
📍 Burlington House, Piccadilly
🎟️ From £22 + booking fee

Book: buff.ly/CkAKt9h

Work Experience We offer unpaid work experience placements to people aged 15-18 who are interested in natural history, science education, or libraries and archives.

This year's #WorkExperience application window closes on July 30. Learn all about the work we do at the Linnean Society from every department: Collections, Operations and Engagement!

Follow the link below for more info and how to apply:

Linnean Society Teachers' Evening Are you a primary school teacher or PGCE student looking for inspiring, curriculum-linked workshops for your class?

✨Are you a primary school #Teacher or #PGCE student looking for inspiring, curriculum-linked workshops for your class?

🔎Join us for a FREE, exclusive evening at the Linnean Society, where you’ll get a first-hand look at the exciting educational experiences we offer for KS1 & KS2!

July's Linnean News banner. The text 'Linnean News' is set over an image of a hydrangea.

Missed July's Linnean News? Catch up on AI and salty fish, nominations for the John Spedan Lewis Emerging Leader award, and our upcoming events.

And if you want the latest direct to your inbox once a month, scroll to the end and hit 'Subscribe'.

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Dr Isabelle Charmantier

What did a 22-year-old Carl Linnaeus jot down that would shape the future of botany?

Find out with us on Tues 9 Sept, 2–3pm, in The Spoils of Botany: a free online deep dive into his notebook, Spolia Botanica.

Book now: buff.ly/n5okwq0

"The Night-mare Life-In-Death was she": Nautical Drawings in the… Discover the latest news from The Linnean Society of London.

Hey literature and science people: betcha didn't know that Richard Owen illustrated Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Great article here by @linneansociety.bsky.social archivist Alex Milne: www.linnean.org/news/2025/01...