Stephen Heard
@stephenbheard.bsky.social
Evolutionary ecologist & Boggle aficionado. Author: The Scientist's Guide to Writing; Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider. He/him.
Blog and book links: scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
Blog and book links: scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
Field work today in Gaspesie, Quebec - one more time to our network of forest plots where we're looking at soil carbon and other ecosystem changes following defoliation by spruce budworm.
The snow is a bit early... complicates things a little!
The snow is a bit early... complicates things a little!
November 9, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Field work today in Gaspesie, Quebec - one more time to our network of forest plots where we're looking at soil carbon and other ecosystem changes following defoliation by spruce budworm.
The snow is a bit early... complicates things a little!
The snow is a bit early... complicates things a little!
Reposted by Stephen Heard
A well-loved bunchberry plant (Cornus canadensis) with leaf mines of Phytomyza agromyzina (lower left), Antispila cornifoliella (other linear mines), Antispila freemani (big blotches), and a Caloptilia sp. (narrow blotch and leaf roll at right), as well as stippling from leafhopper feeding.
November 8, 2025 at 11:31 AM
A well-loved bunchberry plant (Cornus canadensis) with leaf mines of Phytomyza agromyzina (lower left), Antispila cornifoliella (other linear mines), Antispila freemani (big blotches), and a Caloptilia sp. (narrow blotch and leaf roll at right), as well as stippling from leafhopper feeding.
Excellent thread. I'm 100% with Timothée here, and admiring his approach to grading.
A student wrote to me after the midterm, and they said they should have gotten a lower grade. I think this is important, because I fundamentally disagree with this student, and it took me a while to articulate why. This is my rough draft. 🧵
November 7, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Excellent thread. I'm 100% with Timothée here, and admiring his approach to grading.
Reposted by Stephen Heard
Some in my household like @stephenbheard.bsky.social 's book for the contents; others prefer the taste and texture of the cover.
November 6, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Some in my household like @stephenbheard.bsky.social 's book for the contents; others prefer the taste and texture of the cover.
iNaturalist is a fabulous data source IF and ONLY IF you understand that there are lots of biases in what gets uploaded there. Here's an interesting example! This species is WAY more common than iNat would suggest.
And now for something completely different: #EntSoc25 Entomologists! Please contribute to the iNaturalist collection of pubic lice! It's mostly from the EU at the moment. www.inaturalist.org/taxa/395978-...
Crab Louse (Pthirus pubis)
The crab louse or pubic louse (Pthirus pubis) is an insect that is an obligate ectoparasite of humans, feeding exclusively on blood. The crab louse usually is found in the person's pubic hair. Althoug...
www.inaturalist.org
November 5, 2025 at 4:57 PM
iNaturalist is a fabulous data source IF and ONLY IF you understand that there are lots of biases in what gets uploaded there. Here's an interesting example! This species is WAY more common than iNat would suggest.
"The Scientist's Guide to Writing" has a 3rd edition on the way! New chapter on "AI" writing tools (I have opinions...(and evidence)). Updated coverage of preprints, graphical abstracts, humour in titles, and lots more. Watch for it!
The third edition of “The Scientist’s Guide to Writing” is coming your way!
It’s been wonderful to see my book of advice for scientific writers, The Scientist’s Guide to Writing, having some success and helping many writers. Since the first edition was published in 2016, i…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:41 PM
"The Scientist's Guide to Writing" has a 3rd edition on the way! New chapter on "AI" writing tools (I have opinions...(and evidence)). Updated coverage of preprints, graphical abstracts, humour in titles, and lots more. Watch for it!
This looks great - new book, a compilation of long-form essays, from Elizabeth Kolbert. And the cover - chef's kiss! https://amzn.to/43b0AS3
November 5, 2025 at 12:47 PM
This looks great - new book, a compilation of long-form essays, from Elizabeth Kolbert. And the cover - chef's kiss! https://amzn.to/43b0AS3
Hey, the audiobook of "Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider" is only $5 (USD I presume) this month!
I guarantee this can make 7 hours and 18 minutes of doing laundry and washing dishes at least slightly better, folks!
I guarantee this can make 7 hours and 18 minutes of doing laundry and washing dishes at least slightly better, folks!
75% OFF Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider: How Scientific Names Celebrate Adventurers, Heroes, and Even a Few Scoundrels
An engaging history of the surprising, poignant, and occasionally scandalous stories behind scientific names and their cultural significance.
Ever since Carl Linnaeus's binomial system of scientific names was adopted in the eighteenth century, scientists have been eponymously naming organisms in ways that both honor and vilify their namesakes. This charming, informative, and accessible history examines the fascinating stories behind taxonomic nomenclature, from Linnaeus himself naming a small and unpleasant weed after a rival botanist to the recent influx of scientific names based on pop-culture icons—including David Bowie's spider, Frank Zappa's jellyfish, and Beyoncé's fly.
Exploring the naming process as an opportunity for scientists to express themselves in creative ways, Stephen B. Heard's fresh approach shows how scientific names function as a window into both the passions and foibles of the scientific community and as a more general indicator of the ways in which humans relate to, and impose order on, the natural world.
www.audiobooks.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Hey, the audiobook of "Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider" is only $5 (USD I presume) this month!
I guarantee this can make 7 hours and 18 minutes of doing laundry and washing dishes at least slightly better, folks!
I guarantee this can make 7 hours and 18 minutes of doing laundry and washing dishes at least slightly better, folks!
With a lot of work behind me, I can make this announcement: "The Scientist's Guide to Writing", my book of advice for scientific writers, will have its 3rd edition published next summer! Details about what's new, and timing, here:
The third edition of “The Scientist’s Guide to Writing” is coming your way!
It’s been wonderful to see my book of advice for scientific writers, The Scientist’s Guide to Writing, having some success and helping many writers. Since the first edition was published in 2016, i…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:42 PM
With a lot of work behind me, I can make this announcement: "The Scientist's Guide to Writing", my book of advice for scientific writers, will have its 3rd edition published next summer! Details about what's new, and timing, here:
It's interesting that there are shades of red that basically break photography - normal cameras just fail. In my area it's cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
Maybe the wavelengths used to sense/set exposure just aren't close to the wavelength of this red?
Maybe the wavelengths used to sense/set exposure just aren't close to the wavelength of this red?
Castilleja chromosa, our Desert Paintbrush, blooming in the adobe hills north and west of Mack #nativeplants
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to May 🌿
#FallBackFlowers #FallBack to May 🌿
November 4, 2025 at 12:29 AM
It's interesting that there are shades of red that basically break photography - normal cameras just fail. In my area it's cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
Maybe the wavelengths used to sense/set exposure just aren't close to the wavelength of this red?
Maybe the wavelengths used to sense/set exposure just aren't close to the wavelength of this red?
Ever wonder how big a pin you'd need to mount an elephant in a display like this? No? Hard to imagine... but I bet you'll enjoy this slightly demented thread anyway.
Literally the first specimen you see in @nhmwien.bsky.social is a model mosquito (in a parasite display - it's really common that #museums highlight the unhelpful notion that #insects are "pests"), but soon after there's a great display showcasing insect diversity. For you @flygirlnhm.bsky.social
November 3, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Ever wonder how big a pin you'd need to mount an elephant in a display like this? No? Hard to imagine... but I bet you'll enjoy this slightly demented thread anyway.
Our university's "secure" file-transfer system doesn't require that the sender's name match the sender's email address. I'm sure there's a way I could exploit that for evil, but my inner 12-year-old prefers to exploit it for amusement.
So one of my admins just got this notification:
So one of my admins just got this notification:
November 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Our university's "secure" file-transfer system doesn't require that the sender's name match the sender's email address. I'm sure there's a way I could exploit that for evil, but my inner 12-year-old prefers to exploit it for amusement.
So one of my admins just got this notification:
So one of my admins just got this notification:
This is very cool. But anyone else getting strong Snuffleupagus vibes?
November 3, 2025 at 5:01 PM
This is very cool. But anyone else getting strong Snuffleupagus vibes?
Reposted by Stephen Heard
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated to BHL’s Fundraising Campaign so far! 💚 Your generosity will help us build an independent, sustainable future for open biodiversity knowledge. 🌿 📖 🌏 🧪
Every gift helps:
🔗 ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#ILoveBHL #OpenAccess
Every gift helps:
🔗 ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#ILoveBHL #OpenAccess
Donate to the Biodiversity Heritage Library
The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open-access digital library of biodiversity literature and archives. BHL's future depends on the generosity of its global community. Your...
ancrywkv.donorsupport.co
October 27, 2025 at 4:12 AM
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has donated to BHL’s Fundraising Campaign so far! 💚 Your generosity will help us build an independent, sustainable future for open biodiversity knowledge. 🌿 📖 🌏 🧪
Every gift helps:
🔗 ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#ILoveBHL #OpenAccess
Every gift helps:
🔗 ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#ILoveBHL #OpenAccess
Reposted by Stephen Heard
And last but not least, my most popular post of all time, "12 Mistakes Nearly Everyone Who Writes About Grammar Mistakes Makes". I got tired of stupid listicles of supposed grammar errors, so I made my own meta-listicle of errors in those listicles.
www.arrantpedantry.com/2013/11/18/1...
www.arrantpedantry.com/2013/11/18/1...
12 Mistakes Nearly Everyone Who Writes About Grammar Mistakes Makes
There are a lot of bad grammar posts in the world. These days, anyone with a blog and a bunch of pet peeves can crank out a click-bait listicle of supposed grammar errors. There’s just one pr…
www.arrantpedantry.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:30 PM
And last but not least, my most popular post of all time, "12 Mistakes Nearly Everyone Who Writes About Grammar Mistakes Makes". I got tired of stupid listicles of supposed grammar errors, so I made my own meta-listicle of errors in those listicles.
www.arrantpedantry.com/2013/11/18/1...
www.arrantpedantry.com/2013/11/18/1...
I've worked with some really fabulous copyeditors and they've improved my work a LOT. And yes, they've listened to pushback and supported style choices!
Of course my experience is limited, but I've never encountered a writer who wasn't appreciative of being conventionally copyedited on the little mechanical details so long as you were attentive to and supportive of their voice and style when they were coloring outside the lines.
🤷🏻♂️
#copyediting
🤷🏻♂️
#copyediting
October 31, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I've worked with some really fabulous copyeditors and they've improved my work a LOT. And yes, they've listened to pushback and supported style choices!
I just learned there's a family of snails called the Sphincterochilidae, and I can assure you that my inner 12-year-old is DELIGHTED.
October 30, 2025 at 4:52 PM
I just learned there's a family of snails called the Sphincterochilidae, and I can assure you that my inner 12-year-old is DELIGHTED.
Reposted by Stephen Heard
"Ghosts Behind Glass offers valuable insights into humanity’s grappling with our own hand in irrevocable loss, but the delight of the book is much simpler: as Jørgensen globetrots, we experience the museums and extinct species she visits through her enchanted gaze."
lit.newcity.com/2025/10/30/s...
lit.newcity.com/2025/10/30/s...
Review: "Ghosts Behind Glass: Encountering Extinction in Museums" by Dolly Jørgensen
A book rich in observations drawn from visits to over eighty museums worldwide, “Ghosts Behind Glass” glimpses at how they present extinction to the public.
lit.newcity.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:18 PM
"Ghosts Behind Glass offers valuable insights into humanity’s grappling with our own hand in irrevocable loss, but the delight of the book is much simpler: as Jørgensen globetrots, we experience the museums and extinct species she visits through her enchanted gaze."
lit.newcity.com/2025/10/30/s...
lit.newcity.com/2025/10/30/s...
Reposted by Stephen Heard
I wonder to what extent good writing principles transcend languages. And conversely, to what extent any differences in such principles and conventions feed back into how non-native English users (like myself) write in English.
October 30, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I wonder to what extent good writing principles transcend languages. And conversely, to what extent any differences in such principles and conventions feed back into how non-native English users (like myself) write in English.
Reposted by Stephen Heard
This article rules. There’s a difference between “productive pedantry” and “pathological pedantry,” and good pop science writing can be killed by the latter.
Responses to this piece, which argues that hyperbole is a useful and appropriate technique in non-fiction writing, seem to show a really fascinating pattern. Broadly: scientists disagree; non-scientists agree.
Does this really change *everything*?
Back in August, I reviewed the absolutely gorgeous new book Ferns: Lessons In Survival From Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants. And commenters on posts are awesome, because Jeremy Fox asked what he call…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
October 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
This article rules. There’s a difference between “productive pedantry” and “pathological pedantry,” and good pop science writing can be killed by the latter.
This makes me oddly that I DON'T live in the dark blue part. Outer space, for me, is further away than the ocean.
(Also much, much harder to drive to)
(Also much, much harder to drive to)
Space is a lot closer than most people realise
by u/Many-Excitement3246
by u/Many-Excitement3246
October 29, 2025 at 3:49 PM
This makes me oddly that I DON'T live in the dark blue part. Outer space, for me, is further away than the ocean.
(Also much, much harder to drive to)
(Also much, much harder to drive to)
Responses to this piece, which argues that hyperbole is a useful and appropriate technique in non-fiction writing, seem to show a really fascinating pattern. Broadly: scientists disagree; non-scientists agree.
Does this really change *everything*?
Back in August, I reviewed the absolutely gorgeous new book Ferns: Lessons In Survival From Earth’s Most Adaptable Plants. And commenters on posts are awesome, because Jeremy Fox asked what he call…
scientistseessquirrel.wordpress.com
October 29, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Responses to this piece, which argues that hyperbole is a useful and appropriate technique in non-fiction writing, seem to show a really fascinating pattern. Broadly: scientists disagree; non-scientists agree.
Reposted by Stephen Heard
One of the best malapropisms I have ever heard was a reference to a "data suppository" instead of "data repository".
"Hey David could you check out the code?"
"Sure, let me fetch some latex gloves."
"Hey David could you check out the code?"
"Sure, let me fetch some latex gloves."
October 29, 2025 at 11:07 AM
One of the best malapropisms I have ever heard was a reference to a "data suppository" instead of "data repository".
"Hey David could you check out the code?"
"Sure, let me fetch some latex gloves."
"Hey David could you check out the code?"
"Sure, let me fetch some latex gloves."
Thought this cheese looked astonishingly healthy until I looked at the serving size.
October 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Thought this cheese looked astonishingly healthy until I looked at the serving size.
One of the (many) rabbitholes I went down doing research for something I'm writing led me into Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks. This is a page from the Leicester Codex (some of Leonardo's notes about fossils). The notebooks are amazing to read (in translation, if you're me)
October 28, 2025 at 1:28 PM
One of the (many) rabbitholes I went down doing research for something I'm writing led me into Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks. This is a page from the Leicester Codex (some of Leonardo's notes about fossils). The notebooks are amazing to read (in translation, if you're me)