David G Haskell
@dghaskell.bsky.social
Writer, biologist
🌻How Flowers Made our World = new book in March 2026
Sounds Wild and Broken
13 Ways to Smell a Tree
The Songs of Trees
The Forest Unseen
🌻How Flowers Made our World = new book in March 2026
Sounds Wild and Broken
13 Ways to Smell a Tree
The Songs of Trees
The Forest Unseen
Pinned
David G Haskell
@dghaskell.bsky.social
· Aug 12
Coming in March 2026: Flowers! When flowers appeared, nothing was ever the same. They are the world’s great collaborators and creators. Writing this book transformed how I see life’s history and future. Cooperation, beauty, and illusion transform the world. Can't wait to share these stories
Faux News tells us to buy plastic trees to make room for data centers. Here's another take:
"Midwinter tree aromas connect us not only to memory but also to the language of trees."
"expand the bounds of ritual and celebration to include the trees and the living Earth"
www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/o...
"Midwinter tree aromas connect us not only to memory but also to the language of trees."
"expand the bounds of ritual and celebration to include the trees and the living Earth"
www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/o...
Opinion | The Most Wonderful Smelling Time of the Year (Published 2018)
www.nytimes.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Faux News tells us to buy plastic trees to make room for data centers. Here's another take:
"Midwinter tree aromas connect us not only to memory but also to the language of trees."
"expand the bounds of ritual and celebration to include the trees and the living Earth"
www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/o...
"Midwinter tree aromas connect us not only to memory but also to the language of trees."
"expand the bounds of ritual and celebration to include the trees and the living Earth"
www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/o...
Reposted by David G Haskell
Each semester I go in my classroom and I try to figure out what we would use to block the doors, if it would be safe to crawl out the windows, where we could hide if there was a mass shooter in campus. It’s such an indictment of this country how we have normalized these preventable tragedies.
December 13, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Each semester I go in my classroom and I try to figure out what we would use to block the doors, if it would be safe to crawl out the windows, where we could hide if there was a mass shooter in campus. It’s such an indictment of this country how we have normalized these preventable tragedies.
One last sunbathing session before the big chill hits
Green anole in Atlanta this afternoon
Headed to 18 deg F tomorrow night. Time to dig
Green anole in Atlanta this afternoon
Headed to 18 deg F tomorrow night. Time to dig
December 13, 2025 at 10:39 PM
One last sunbathing session before the big chill hits
Green anole in Atlanta this afternoon
Headed to 18 deg F tomorrow night. Time to dig
Green anole in Atlanta this afternoon
Headed to 18 deg F tomorrow night. Time to dig
"lobbyist and public relations officer" for Facebook and "VP for Global Affairs and Communications" continues his work on behalf poor, ailing AI, an industry currently being victimized by...checks notes...artists
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
December 13, 2025 at 6:49 PM
"lobbyist and public relations officer" for Facebook and "VP for Global Affairs and Communications" continues his work on behalf poor, ailing AI, an industry currently being victimized by...checks notes...artists
If you need a little digital reconnection to the pulse of the living Earth, here are about 200 sandhill cranes winging south over Atlanta this afternoon. Their voices have echoed across this continent for at least 5 million years. Hopefully 5 million more
December 11, 2025 at 7:13 PM
If you need a little digital reconnection to the pulse of the living Earth, here are about 200 sandhill cranes winging south over Atlanta this afternoon. Their voices have echoed across this continent for at least 5 million years. Hopefully 5 million more
Dismissing AI video lies as "just" another part of the internet goes against the evidence (deepfakes can be persuasive and damaging), and weakens attempts to keep faked video out of important campaigns. Here in GA, AI video lies (not cute "memes") are being deployed in critical senate race.
New from me - how AI-generated political videos have become just another part of social media, used to entertain, outrage and monitize attention
theconversation.com/ai-generated...
theconversation.com/ai-generated...
AI-generated political videos are more about memes and money than persuading and deceiving
Don’t discount the threat of AI political videos fooling people, but for now, they’re mostly about bolstering group identity and cashing in on viral content.
theconversation.com
December 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Dismissing AI video lies as "just" another part of the internet goes against the evidence (deepfakes can be persuasive and damaging), and weakens attempts to keep faked video out of important campaigns. Here in GA, AI video lies (not cute "memes") are being deployed in critical senate race.
Continuing their appeasement and enabling of the regime, Apple launches wax-tablet-and-stylus iPhone. Musk goes on podcast to discuss manliness of papyrus
I lost my job, my kids have measles, and my town is flooded with cocaine now that Trump pardoned all the traffickers. But at least the State Department is using Times New Roman again.
December 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Continuing their appeasement and enabling of the regime, Apple launches wax-tablet-and-stylus iPhone. Musk goes on podcast to discuss manliness of papyrus
6000 years ago, ancestors in Central Asia had the great idea of collaborating with these wild mustards. In the millennia that followed, people all over Asia, North Africa, and Europe worked with the plants to create a marvelous diversity of delicious forms. Thank you ancestors, thank you Brassica!
December 9, 2025 at 9:00 PM
6000 years ago, ancestors in Central Asia had the great idea of collaborating with these wild mustards. In the millennia that followed, people all over Asia, North Africa, and Europe worked with the plants to create a marvelous diversity of delicious forms. Thank you ancestors, thank you Brassica!
Poinsettias are amazing plants. Their name, though? Problematic.
Joel Poinsett was an enslaver and, as Secretary of War, directed the Trail of Tears
In Nahuatl language of C America and S Mexico, the plant's home, the name is Cuetlaxōchitl, pronounced kwe-tla-SHO-cheetl
Joel Poinsett was an enslaver and, as Secretary of War, directed the Trail of Tears
In Nahuatl language of C America and S Mexico, the plant's home, the name is Cuetlaxōchitl, pronounced kwe-tla-SHO-cheetl
December 9, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Poinsettias are amazing plants. Their name, though? Problematic.
Joel Poinsett was an enslaver and, as Secretary of War, directed the Trail of Tears
In Nahuatl language of C America and S Mexico, the plant's home, the name is Cuetlaxōchitl, pronounced kwe-tla-SHO-cheetl
Joel Poinsett was an enslaver and, as Secretary of War, directed the Trail of Tears
In Nahuatl language of C America and S Mexico, the plant's home, the name is Cuetlaxōchitl, pronounced kwe-tla-SHO-cheetl
According to @nytimes.com fishes and moths are "obscure species"
Moths: 160,000 species
Fishes: 33,000 species
Mammals: not quite 6,500 species
🤯
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/b...
Moths: 160,000 species
Fishes: 33,000 species
Mammals: not quite 6,500 species
🤯
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/b...
Liverwort or Moss? Horny Toad or Fence Lizard? Niche Field Guides Can Tell You.
www.nytimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:31 AM
According to @nytimes.com fishes and moths are "obscure species"
Moths: 160,000 species
Fishes: 33,000 species
Mammals: not quite 6,500 species
🤯
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/b...
Moths: 160,000 species
Fishes: 33,000 species
Mammals: not quite 6,500 species
🤯
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/b...
Reposted by David G Haskell
December 7, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Amazing convergence of biodiversity from SE Brazil, colonial horticulture,and hummingbird desire gave us "Christmas cactus"
December 7, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Amazing convergence of biodiversity from SE Brazil, colonial horticulture,and hummingbird desire gave us "Christmas cactus"
Reposted by David G Haskell
The desperate hands of the global south seek to take back an overheated world. Seriously, what's next? The McHamburglar trophy in gourmet cooking? The Pol Pot Human Rights medal? The Jeffrey Epstein childcare grant? The Vladimir Putin democracy fellowship? The Weinstein-Cosby feminism prize?
December 6, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The desperate hands of the global south seek to take back an overheated world. Seriously, what's next? The McHamburglar trophy in gourmet cooking? The Pol Pot Human Rights medal? The Jeffrey Epstein childcare grant? The Vladimir Putin democracy fellowship? The Weinstein-Cosby feminism prize?
Reposted by David G Haskell
Is it a bad post? Very well then it is a bad post. (I am large, I contain multitudes of them.)
December 6, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Is it a bad post? Very well then it is a bad post. (I am large, I contain multitudes of them.)
Reposted by David G Haskell
Donald Trump just removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of free entry days at national parks.
They are being replaced with Trump’s birthday.
They are being replaced with Trump’s birthday.
December 6, 2025 at 2:32 AM
Donald Trump just removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of free entry days at national parks.
They are being replaced with Trump’s birthday.
They are being replaced with Trump’s birthday.
Well, that frees up some time this summer. I was looking forward to watching some World Cup here in Atlanta and online. Please join me in rejecting #FIFA and its events
December 5, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Well, that frees up some time this summer. I was looking forward to watching some World Cup here in Atlanta and online. Please join me in rejecting #FIFA and its events
Advance Reader proofs are in. How Flowers Made our World 🌼. I'm so grateful to all my readers for your support over the years. I could not be more thrilled to share these stories about flowers with you next year. Pre-orders are open, publication date is March 24th 💚
1/2...
1/2...
December 2, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Advance Reader proofs are in. How Flowers Made our World 🌼. I'm so grateful to all my readers for your support over the years. I could not be more thrilled to share these stories about flowers with you next year. Pre-orders are open, publication date is March 24th 💚
1/2...
1/2...
Reposted by David G Haskell
Fund the arts
December 2, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Fund the arts
Reposted by David G Haskell
I really appreciate that @pbsnews.org ended the interview with this graphic.
It captures, in the simplest and starkest terms, the brutal arithmetic driving this country's homelessness catastrophe.
It captures, in the simplest and starkest terms, the brutal arithmetic driving this country's homelessness catastrophe.
November 30, 2025 at 1:33 AM
I really appreciate that @pbsnews.org ended the interview with this graphic.
It captures, in the simplest and starkest terms, the brutal arithmetic driving this country's homelessness catastrophe.
It captures, in the simplest and starkest terms, the brutal arithmetic driving this country's homelessness catastrophe.
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Painted snake-coiled forest snail
Ascaris tapeworm
Carpenter bee
Flat oyster
Long-tailed skipper
Painted snake-coiled forest snail
Ascaris tapeworm
Carpenter bee
Flat oyster
Long-tailed skipper
November 29, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Introduce yourself with 5 animals you’ve seen in the wild:
Painted snake-coiled forest snail
Ascaris tapeworm
Carpenter bee
Flat oyster
Long-tailed skipper
Painted snake-coiled forest snail
Ascaris tapeworm
Carpenter bee
Flat oyster
Long-tailed skipper
So, this study shows that Europe pretty much sucked for tens of thousands of years, and then domestic cats showed up 2000 years ago from North Africa
Well, finally the cat is out of the bag @science.org! (or at least part of a very complex story)🐈🧬. Great job from @mdemartino.bsky.social and my team @felix-erc.bsky.social. Huge thanks to all the colleagues and the institutes involved! @erc.europa.eu www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago
The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 12:40 PM
So, this study shows that Europe pretty much sucked for tens of thousands of years, and then domestic cats showed up 2000 years ago from North Africa
Perspective
It's Friday, and apparently bluesky is ready for this fun revelation:
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
Dinosaurs lived on the other side the Galaxy.
November 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Perspective
Reposted by David G Haskell
As you’re preparing for your Thanksgiving meal, remember the skilled work it took to get that food to your grocery store.
Tell us your favorite Thanksgiving dish, and we can share some of what we know about the work behind the ingredients.
Tell us your favorite Thanksgiving dish, and we can share some of what we know about the work behind the ingredients.
November 26, 2025 at 6:03 PM
As you’re preparing for your Thanksgiving meal, remember the skilled work it took to get that food to your grocery store.
Tell us your favorite Thanksgiving dish, and we can share some of what we know about the work behind the ingredients.
Tell us your favorite Thanksgiving dish, and we can share some of what we know about the work behind the ingredients.
Reposted by David G Haskell
Giving one of my books as a gift? I'd be absolutely thrilled to send you a (free) signed and customized bookplate. Here's how to get one: dghaskell.com/custom-bookp...
💚
💚
Bookplates
For 2025: last day to request bookplates is December 1st. Thanks! Giving one of my books? I’d love to send you a signed bookplate (free). Here are the options: Bookplate options: Art Deco bor…
dghaskell.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Giving one of my books as a gift? I'd be absolutely thrilled to send you a (free) signed and customized bookplate. Here's how to get one: dghaskell.com/custom-bookp...
💚
💚
Giving one of my books as a gift? I'd be absolutely thrilled to send you a (free) signed and customized bookplate. Here's how to get one: dghaskell.com/custom-bookp...
💚
💚
Bookplates
For 2025: last day to request bookplates is December 1st. Thanks! Giving one of my books? I’d love to send you a signed bookplate (free). Here are the options: Bookplate options: Art Deco bor…
dghaskell.com
November 25, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Giving one of my books as a gift? I'd be absolutely thrilled to send you a (free) signed and customized bookplate. Here's how to get one: dghaskell.com/custom-bookp...
💚
💚