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haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Phil Barden
@haidomyrmex.bsky.social
690 followers 390 following 62 posts
Evolutionary biologist | ants, sometimes shrimp | fossils, morphology, extinction, eusociality | associate professor at NJIT

bardenlab.org
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haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Phil Barden @haidomyrmex.bsky.social · Nov 13
I am very glad so many of my science friends are here now. My only fear is that I'll now have to post something more substantial than reposting 70 year old Nancy comics every three months.
nancycomics.bsky.social NANCY COMICS BY ERNIE BUSHMILLER @nancycomics.bsky.social · Nov 13
Nancy By Ernie Bushmiller
November 12,1954
NANCY - BY ERNIE BUSHMILLER PSA ON BUILDING- COVER THAT SNEEZE PREVENT COLDS ( NANCY READS THE POSTER, SHE HEARD A SNEEZE COME FROM A OPEN MANHOLE,NANCY DOING HER DUTY CLOSES THE MANHOLE WITH THE COVER, NANCY IS AMAZED WHEN ANOTHER SNEEZE COMES FROM THE MANHOLE AND ACTUALLY BLOWS THE LID OFF!)
Reposted by Phil Barden
khadlab.bsky.social
A new paper, "Honeypots: a review of repletism across the ants" from our lab was published today, with grad student Bianca Nogueira as first author, and co-authors DiemQuynh Nguyen, @adriatica.bsky.social, and @haidomyrmex.bsky.social.

It was a labor of love!
doi.org/10.25849/myr...
🧵
Three ants with giant gasters are next to each other. The one on the left has a creamy and opaque gaster, the middle one has a dark amber and transluscent gaster, and the third is a lighter honey-colored transluscent gaster. All three ants are Mymecocystus mexicanus repletes from the same colony. The colors are due to the different fluids that they are storing in their crops. Because their crops and gasters are so distended, it's possible to see the crop contents.
February 4, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
entopoc.bsky.social
From the ENTOPOC team, we wish you an incredible 2026.

This year, we reaffirm our commitment to support students of color. We would like to announce our research and travel grants.

Two application deadlines: April 15 and September 15.

Find more information at:

www.entopoc.org/researchtrav...
Research and travel grant up to 500 USD for students around the world. Deadlines: april 15th and september 15th.
January 2, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
franzanth.bsky.social
We present: The Art of #InverteFest - December 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: drive.google.com/file/d/1JCXz...

#Art #SciArt
a promo image showing various pages from the book, each page showcasing different animals like an opabinia, a leaf insect, close up of a starfish, and so on. the art featured shows a range of different medium, including digital, pixel art, ceramic, fursuit, post it, and so on.
December 28, 2025 at 3:55 AM
Reposted by Phil Barden
jack-tamisiea.bsky.social
Thousands of years ago, giant owls chowed down (and threw up) in a Caribbean cave. The bones they left behind were a boon to bees.

Scientists recently discovered that one species made nests in the empty tooth sockets of rodent skulls. 🦉🦴🐝

Latest for @nytimes.com: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/16/s...
When the Bones Were Good, These Bees Buried Their Babies
www.nytimes.com
December 17, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
parasitoidrex.bsky.social
Starting in 20 minutes! The Zoom room is open and the slides are rolling - time to grab some snacks and settle in for 24 hours of Hymenoptera! #Hymathon2025
December 4, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
aureliaart.bsky.social
#entsoc25
November 17, 2025 at 5:42 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Sun's up in Portland! Talks you might want to check out if you're into fossils, ants, extinction, eusociality, or comparative morphology. I'm giving a talk today as well called "The diversity and longevity of the earliest ants" at 1:40pm in B113. #Entsoc25
A list of talks for the Entomological Society of America meeting in Portland this week. There is a logo for the lab on top with a hell ant and the words BARDEN LAB. A morphological analysis of visual system complexity in eusocial arthropods Kristina Camia 8:00am Monday @B110-112 Estimating extinct ecological diversity with machine learning Luke Bitting 8:24am Monday @B110-112 Eusocial behavior in arthropods: Patterns of convergent evolution Claire Bailey 8:36am Monday @B113 The impact of extinction on biological communities through deep time Gianpiero Fiorentino 5:36pm Tuesday @C124 Extinction selectivity and niche evolution in Pseudomyrmex ants Lacie Newton 4:30pm Wednesday @F150 + posters on art, outreach, and education in the Formal and Informal Teaching session 1:00-2:00pm Tuesday @Exhibit hall
November 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
americanbeetles.bsky.social
Ugh this conference has barely started and the entomologists are already trashing the place
Graffiti in Portland reading “shrimps is bugs,” a bug-forward but cladistically inaccurate proposition
November 9, 2025 at 4:48 AM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Our dept!
shellygaynor.bsky.social Shelly Gaynor @shellygaynor.bsky.social · Sep 10
Always excited for an increased salary submission! Congrats to the Department of Biological Sciences at New Jersey Institute of Tech for their stipend increase! This union-based win brings the pay almost to the 1:1 line! Update your department and find out more here: rhettrautsaw.app/shiny/Biolog...
Salary to Living Wage - only two points fall above the 1:1 line. A star indicates New Jersey Institute of Technology is almost to the 1:1 line!
September 23, 2025 at 8:39 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Press release out today on our new paper detailing the convergent origins of obligate ant and termite eating in mammals!
Mammals Evolved into Ant Eaters 12 Times Since Dinosaur Age, Study Finds
news.njit.edu
July 16, 2025 at 11:04 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
This is a nationwide layoff for a generation of young scientists: undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs funded on current awards will be unemployed with no explanation. Their future opportunities also erased.
nature.com Nature @nature.com · May 1
Staff members at the US National Science Foundation (NSF) were told on 30 April to “stop awarding all funding actions until further notice,” according to an email seen by Nature.

https://go.nature.com/44Ugf9V
Exclusive: NSF stops awarding new grants and funding existing ones
US science funder also plans to screen grant applications for compliance with ‘agency priorities’.
go.nature.com
May 2, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Reposted by Phil Barden
corriemoreau.bsky.social
Oldest ant fossil ever found reveals history of ‘hell ants’ | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...
Oldest ant fossil ever found reveals history of ‘hell ants’
Unusual Brazilian specimen trapped in limestone is 113 million years old
www.science.org
April 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
corriemoreau.bsky.social
Congratulations to Dr. Chloe Jelley @chloejelley.bsky.social ! Beautiful Ph.D. thesis defense today! #MoreauLab #ProudPI
Dr. Chloe Jelley and Dr. Corrie Moreau celebrating her successful Ph.D. defense Members of the Moreau Lab and Chloe's parents toasting Chloe Dr. Jelley cutting her cake
April 17, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
aluckymyrmex.bsky.social
👀🦋🐝🐞🐜🦗🪲🕷️Ento-Education Job alert!!👀
fitentsocamerica.bsky.social Formal & Informal Teaching | Entomological Society of America @fitentsocamerica.bsky.social · Apr 4
🚨 Job Alert! 🚨

UF Entomology & Nematology is hiring an Assistant Prof of Informal #Entomology #Education!

🔎 Interested in a faculty position leading innovative, evidence-based engagement outside the classroom?

🪲 Passionate about #insects & #outreach?

🧪 Learn more and apply! bit.ly/uflentojob
Graphic announcing a job opportunity for an Assistant Professor of Informal Entomology Education at the University of Florida Entomology & Nematology Department. The header reads “JOB OPPORTUNITY” with an icon of a megaphone. Below, a central illustration shows two hands shaking, forming an insect-like shape with antennae. Text highlights that the department seeks a passionate educator to lead and assess informal and non-formal educational programming. The position directs UF’s Outreach Program, including a bug zoo and hands-on training. A QR code and link (https://bit.ly/uflentojob) are provided for more information. At the bottom right is the logo for the Formal and Informal Teaching (FIT) section of the Entomological Society of America with a note: “Follow us for more!” Ant icons crawl across the top border.
April 6, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Phil Barden
rosariolebronentomology.com
We weren't sure it would be possible, but huge thanks to the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America for supporting a last-minute symposium highlighting stories from terminated federal employees at the meeting on March 17th. #entomology 🧪

esa.confex.com/esa/2025eb/m...
Impact of Federal Dismissals and Disruptions on Entomology and Entomologists
esa.confex.com
March 4, 2025 at 11:57 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Today in Newark, New Jersey. 60+ scientists out in 25 degree weather to collectively say: hands off our healthcare, research, and jobs. One of 16 nationwide events held today as part of Labor for Higher Education.
February 19, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
parasitoidrex.bsky.social
Gall midges and their parasitoids are abundant, megadiverse, and very hard to identify! Such "double dark taxa" systems present special challenges for ecology and agriculture. 🧵🧪🐙 @smnstuttgart.bsky.social @marinamoser.bsky.social @krogmann.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/aesa...
Untangling host specialization in a “double dark taxa” system
Abstract. Platygastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) are parasitoids of gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). They and their hosts are exceptionally
doi.org
February 12, 2025 at 11:01 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
My morning to-do list for the indefinite future:

□ Call and send physical mail to a senator/congressperson
□ Email a federal civil servant to thank them
robinsonmeyer.bsky.social Robinson Meyer @robinsonmeyer.bsky.social · Feb 5
Murkowski says call volume to the Senate is now 40x higher than normal:
A facebook post from Lisa Murkowski: I want to thank Alaskans who have been reaching out to my offices in D.C. and across Alaska. The U.S. Senate phone system has been receiving around 1,600 calls each minute, compared to the 40 calls per minute we usually receive, which has disrupted our call systems. Thank you for your patience as my staff works to review your messages and share them with me. We’re all working to get this issue resolved as quickly as possible.
February 6, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Reposted by Phil Barden
jessicalwarelab.bsky.social
a transgender flag with the words trans lives matter on it
ALT: a transgender flag with the words trans lives matter on it
media.tenor.com
January 20, 2025 at 9:12 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Ant folks, is antweb down? Does anyone know why? Can we help?
January 15, 2025 at 6:53 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Hell yes to this title in a new paper on formicine ant venom. Although I think just the first part is enough: "Acid Reign"

doi.org/10.25849/myr...?
January 15, 2025 at 2:27 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
In 2025 I will sell five copies of The Three EPs by The Beta Band
January 5, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
ascalaphid.com
104 bugs from 2024
if anyone gets pedantic about the definition of 'bug' i will hit them with my entomology phd diploma which my labmates got laser engraved onto an axe for me
December 29, 2024 at 5:22 PM
Reposted by Phil Barden
nancycomics.bsky.social
Nancy By Ernie Bushmiller
December 24,1945
NANCY BY ERNIE BUSHMILLER I WONDER WHAT THAT NOISE IS? CLICK CLICK CLICK OH-H--- IT'S THE CAT PLAYING WITH AUNT FRITZI'S TYPEWRITER!... STOP THAT! CLICK CLICK CLICK MeRRy ChrISImas fROm NaNCY, SluGGo, FRItzi - - - - - - aND ErNIe BusHMILLer
December 24, 2024 at 3:29 PM
haidomyrmex.bsky.social
Holy cowwwwwwww !
mikesidkelly.bsky.social Mike Kelly @mikesidkelly.bsky.social · Dec 18
For #Crustmas - a long isopod on the stipe of a kelp that was washed up on the beach and taken into the lab. I believe it is the kelp isopod Pentidotea.
A very long and thin isopod crustacean on a kelp stem. The isopod has the look of a centipede. It is on top of and parallel to the stem and is facing toward the left. The view is side-on. The isopod is gripping the stem with six of its apparently seven pairs of legs. It has long antennae that are pointing forward and appear to be a little over half the length of the body. The overall color of the isopod is tan, but it has a dark line across the body where each of its seven body segments meet. It also has five or six fainter lines that run from head to tail evenly spread across the upper body. Its legs are transparent. A small eye is visible. The kelp stem is dark brown, and there is a second stem above this one and the isopod. The background is the tangled root-like holdfast of the kelp, and it is a much lighter yellowish brown.
December 19, 2024 at 12:20 AM