bug_gwen 🪲

This is mind blowing. A map of how 100s of publishing houses were assimilated into just 5 massive US book publishers. https://almossawi.com/big-five-publishers/

Fantastic news! The Field Museum will host Biodiversity Heritage Library's servers after they were cut loose by the Smithsonian last year. https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/02/transition-update-8-field-museum-to-host-technical-infrastructure.html

I know that the Long S is common in historic printing and writing, but GOSH I just can't stop giggling when I read Fingular Fymptoms from Fwallowing.

An incredible read. This early career geneticist found a way to teach genetics in a way that increased understanding, and helped reduce racism. And then Trump happened. https://www.statnews.com/2026/04/07/brian-donovan-fighting-racism-with-genetics-education/

Another day, another jaw-dropping little weirdo insect. The video is very cool. https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/tiny-pearls-macro-forcipomyia-biting-midge-larvae

I don't post about mammals much, but this was just so sweet-- all the other whales supporting her through the birth and keeping the baby above water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlM9sBhhx1g

Amazing butterfly fossil! 🦋 https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fossilized-emperor-butterfly.html

Shocked. Shocked! That Generative AI sucks at crediting original newsrooms and authors https://www.niemanlab.org/2026/03/chatgpt-claude-gemini-and-grok-are-all-bad-at-crediting-news-outlets-but-chatgpt-is-the-worst-at-least-in-this-study/

A significant amount of helium -- used in NMRs, MRIs, and other advanced diagnostic machines-- has to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Guess what? Yeah. https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/helium-and-strait-hormuz

The latest in a series of big busts in ant smuggling. Yes. Ant Smuggling 🐜 . Big 💰 https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/kenya-arrests-man-trying-smuggle-over-2000-live-ants-his-luggage-2026-03-12/

This is fantastic news. This could make sleeping sickness treatment more accessible and shorter, especially in rural areas. https://www.science.org/content/article/truly-spectacular-drug-sleeping-sickness-simplifies-treatment-raising-hopes-eradication

a cool use of technology for a change: the first tagged monarch has returned! https://xerces.org/news/organizational-news/incredible-journey-of-monarch-xsti009

"We found that 76% of the men we reviewed are professionally active, 41% are in the same or an elevated role since the allegations were made public" I'm just so.... exhausted of men being terrible and never being held accountable. https://sfstandard.com/2026/04/20/70-powerful-bay-area-men-accused-sexual-misconduct-happened-next/

data for wildlife species from the past 40 years shows the longer a species was legally traded, the greater the likelihood that humans and the trade species will share some sort of pathogen https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw5518

Yes to everything in this. If you want to "save the bees" don't take up honey beekeeping. https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/05/19/urban-beekeeping-save-wild-bees/

Son of a 🤬. The border wall will be extended, like it or not, right through the National Butterfly Center 🦋 🐛

https://www.valleycentral.com/border-report/cbp-border-wall-will-go-through-national-butterfly-center/?sfnsn=mo

Sometimes all you can say is "WTF." CDC stopping rabies and mpox testing for states. Staff reductions have consequences! https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/01/health/cdc-rabies-mpox-tests-paused.html?unlocked_article_code=1.XlA.kbEW.mUfmhkFtpofH

Looking for a delightful Middle Grade-High School book about head lice? Here you go. Honestly, I enjoyed it a lot and I am definitely not the target audience age 😀 #LiceLiceBaby https://bookshop.org/p/books/lice-how-to-survive-on-humans-berta-paramo/713087f70e172c1b

Want to create pollinator habitat, but don't have a lot of space? Check out this free webinar on habitat in tiny spaces from Xerces, April 30th https://xerces.org/events/creating-habitat-in-yards-containers-and-other-tiny-spaces

Hey Astronomy and Physical science friends: this Pine Ridge Rez school needs help with supplies to learn about physics and the solar system 🪐 📐 https://www.donorschoose.org/project/stem-tastic-adventures-start-here/10192121/

Just a shout out to KnownAgents, for building an incredibly useful tool for blocking scrapers. Traffic at an education website I maintain has been 70:30 bots to people. https://knownagents.com/

Do you have a book idea that you want to write, but not sure how to get started? I highly recommend Christie's Book Proposal Boot Camp! https://christieaschwanden.com/the-book-proposal-boot-camp-spring-2026/

Applications for the Chrysalis Fund are due June 1st! The Chrysalis Fund supports creative, hands‑on educational projects that spark curiosity about insects and other arthropods among K-12 children. 🪲 🐛 https://www.entsoc.org/support/chrysalis-fund/apply

National Academies has released a pre-pub version of "The Status of Informal Science and Engineering Education." This is a follow up from the 2009 "Learning Science in Informal Environments." https://www.nationalacademies.org/read/29291/chapter/1

Native Forward will match your donations this month for college scholarships! 🎓 ☀️ https://www.nativeforward.org/standup/

Have you got a non-fiction book proposal that you need a push to get done? I highly recommend this Boot Camp: https://christieaschwanden.com/the-book-proposal-boot-camp-spring-2026/

Today Donors Choose is matching All requests for books by teachers! https://www.donorschoose.org/donors/search.html?matchingId=3260&canonical=filleveryshelf2026&equityFocus=true