California Academy of Sciences
LightNews LightNews
banner
calacademy.bsky.social
California Academy of Sciences
@calacademy.bsky.social
6.8K followers 110 following 300 posts
Natural history museum, research institute, aquarium, planetarium, rainforest, & so much more — all under one living roof.
Posts Replies Media Videos
calacademy.bsky.social
REMINDER: Solstice Sea Star Search starts December 1! Stay tuned for more info.
A composite image titled ‘Join the Search!’ encourages viewers to join the 2025 Solstice Sea Star Search this December, which asks participants to look for sea stars up and down the California Coast. The campaign’s purple and pink logo is shown on the right side of the screen, an ochre star peeking out from the background.
November 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Scroll for lowest tide times up and down the California Coast:
Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “Monterey County (Monterey Bay)”. Gooseneck barnacles, clustered together tightly, are shown in the background in great detail. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 4 at 3:32 pm: -0.584 ft Nov. 5 at 4:22 pm: -1.076 ft Dec. 2 at 2:37 pm: -0.632 ft Dec. 3 at 3:26 pm: -1.246 ft Dec. 4 at 4:15 pm: -1.631 ft Dec. 19 at 4:41 pm: -0.622 ft Dec. 31 at 2:31 pm: -1.036 ft Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “San Diego County (La Jolla Cove)”. A sculpin (or a type of rocky intertidal fish), stares up at the camera as it rests in a water-filled crevice of a tide pool. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 5 at 2:57 pm: -1.181 ft Nov. 6 at 3:47 pm: -1.334 ft Nov. 7 at 4:41 pm: -1.230 ft Dec. 3 at 2:08 pm: -1.325 ft Dec. 4 at 2:56 pm: -1.682 ft Dec. 5 at 3:44 pm: -1.767 ft Dec. 6 at 4:34 pm: -1.607 ft Dec. 19 at 3:18 pm: -0.719 ft Dec. 20 at 3:51 pm: -0.74 Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “Los Angeles County (Cabrillo Beach)”. A patch of sea weeds and sea grasses is shown in the background. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 5 at 3:03 pm: -1.174 ft Nov. 6 at 3:52 pm: -1.315 ft Dec. 3 at 2:12 pm: -1.330 ft Dec. 4 at 3:00 pm: -1.676 ft Dec. 5 at 3:49 pm: -1.749 ft Dec. 6 at 4:39 pm: -1.580 ft Dec. 31 at 1:25 pm: -1.093 ft
November 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Scroll for lowest tide times up and down the California Coast:
Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “Humboldt County (Trinidad Harbor)”. A grey, moody landscape of a tide pool and rocks jutting out of the ocean is shown in the background. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 4 at 4:33 pm: -1.016 ft Dec. 2 at 3:31 pm: -0.747 ft Dec. 3 at 4:19 pm: -1.467 ft Dec. 31 at 3:18 pm: -0.856 ft Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “Mendocino County (Mendocino Bay)”. Background shows a misty tide pool scene in the area, with algae covering the bottom rocks. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 4 at 4:04 pm: -0.697 ft Nov. 5 at 4:52 pm: -1.227 ft Dec. 2 at 3:04 pm: -0.629 ft Dec. 3 at 3:53 pm: -1.265 ft Dec. 4 at 4:43 pm: -1.660 ft Dec. 31 at 3:18 pm: -0.925 ft Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “Sonoma County (Bodega Bay)”. A bat star is shown in the background, close up, hanging from the side of a seaweed covered rock. Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “Mendocino County (Mendocino Bay)”. Background shows a misty tide pool scene in the area, with algae covering the bottom rocks. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 4 at 3:58 pm: -0.671 ft Nov. 5 at 4:45 pm: -1.166 ft Dec. 2 at 2:59 pm: -0.662 ft Dec. 3 at 3:46 pm: -1.259 ft Dec. 4 at 4:34 pm: -1.617 ft Dec. 31 at 2:48 pm: -0.913 ft Illustrated page showing the low tide times for “San Mateo County (Pillar Point Harbor)”. Two people are shown looking down as they walk on a rocky ledge of a tide pool. Water shown in the foreground, from the ocean swells. Tide times are as follows: Nov. 4 at 3:39 pm: -0.980 ft Nov. 5 at 4:27 pm: -1.471 ft Dec. 2 at 2:42 pm: -0.928 ft Dec. 3 at 3:29 pm: -1.559 ft Dec. 4 at 4:18 pm: -1.917 ft Dec. 18 at 4:08 pm: -0.599 ft Dec. 19 at 4:44 pm: -0.695 ft Dec. 31 at 2:32 pm: -1.133 ft
November 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
REMINDERS: Always bring a friend (it’s safer & more fun), download the iNaturalist app (helps you ID neat creatures), and remember your tide pool etiquette (NO touching or taking animals). More tide pooling info at bit.ly/tidepool101 & low tide charts at bit.ly/tide-finder.
November 4, 2025 at 5:33 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
References:
Reference page lists the various academic publications, researchers, books, and articles referenced in the making of this infographic.
October 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
The main cultivar groups of C. pepo:
An illustrated family tree of Cucurbita Pepo shows the 9 cultivar groups, or varieties of the species grouped by shape. They include acorn, cocozelle, veggie marrow, crookneck, pumpkin, scallop, zucchini, ornamental gourds, and straightneck. Cutouts of each group are shown on the page. A collage shows dozens of different cucurbita pepos (squashes), layered on top of each other. Illustrated wooden signs read “CONGRATS! IT’S A SQUASH!”
October 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Why we cultivate C. pepo:
Illustrated image titled “WHY CULTIVATE?” describes how humans bred wild c. pepo because it was so bitter and toxic. They bred them in order to make the vegetables more edible and palatable. Text example reads, “Zucchini: From the mid 16th c to 1901, Italians selectively bred C Pepo to become elongated and cylindrical, forming the zucchini cultivar group.” Cutouts of a bunch of squashes, cooked and raw, are shown across the page. Illustrated image titled “WHY CULTIVATE?” describes how utility may have driven cultivation efforts. Text reads “Archaeological research shows that early domestication of squash may have been driven by the practical use of dried gourds as containers, ladles, or fishing weights. Humans worldwide use c pepo fruits and seeds as medicine for ailments like arthritis and stomach ache.” Illustrated image titled “WHY CULTIVATE?” describes how culture inspired cultivation of c pepo. Text reads “From domestication to present day, all kinds of decorative & edible squashes are used for cultural purposes.” Examples of this include how Zuni Peoples fashioned c Pepo into rattles and other cultural objects; how many people continue to view squash as a symbol of autumn; and how many people carve pumpkins as a Halloween tradition.
October 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
How we got so much diversity in C. pepo:
Illustrated image titled “HOW WE GOT SO MUCH DIVERSITY IN C PEPO: Early domestications,” shows a bare map outline of mexico, with a few pumpkins cutout at the bottom of the page. Text reads “Indigenous peoples in Oaxaca, Mexico, first domesticated C Pepo 10,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest domesticated plants. C Pepo was then spread far and wide by Indigenous peoples and European colonization, leading to thousands of years of diversification.” Illustrated image titled “HOW WE GOT SO MUCH DIVERSITY IN C PEPO: Genetic variability,” shows a farm stand full of varied squashes. Text reads “This means that over centuries of cultivation, humans could easily select for certain traits.” Illustrated image titled “HOW WE GOT SO MUCH DIVERSITY IN C PEPO: cultivation,” reads “Ever since the two early instances of domestication, humans cultivated C Pepo for 3 main purposes (which often overlap): Utility, food, and culture.” Three squashes are shown with price tags reading out the three aforementioned purposes.
October 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Join us in celebrating the expertise, dedication, and compassion of our Animal Health biologists, Jessica, Isaac, Walker, and Olivia.
A group of biologists and veterinarians, about a dozen in all, stands waist deep in an Aquarium enclosure, holding a parachute-like circle of fabric that holds a honeycomb stingray in the middle.
October 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Our vet techs do it all. They’ve performed a C-section on a tiny dwarf seahorse, they’ve removed sea spiders from our coral reefs, and they’ve helped our penguins learn to walk again.
Walker, a biologist, holds a green clipboard while observing an animal in the veterinarian offices. Olivia, a biologist, holds a plump orange ochre star over a swath of blue buckets, preparing the star for spawning.
October 17, 2025 at 5:28 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Don’t worry—Claude may be able to hear you yap at him, but he’s not one to spread rumors.
September 23, 2025 at 4:50 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Protected by skin flaps behind his eyes, Claude’s ears help him pick up on cues, including the sound of his name and, yes, the gossip you just spilled to your friends by the Swamp. Research shows that alligators use inner-ear muscles and cartilage to tune their hearing to different environments.
September 23, 2025 at 4:50 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
We're working on it!
September 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
Our biologists use a specific cue to indicate that they're about to touch Claude with the brush, so they don't take him by surprise. The biologists are well-versed in his body language and can also tell when he's finished with the scrubs or when he wants more 😊
September 16, 2025 at 5:15 PM
calacademy.bsky.social
No purchase necessary. Drawing is in no way sponsored or endorsed by Bluesky. Open to legal residents of 50 US/DC, 18+. Void where prohibited. Begins 12:00 a.m. PST on 9/10/25 and ends at 11:59:59 p.m. PST on 9/30/25. Subject to Rules and free method of entry: bit.ly/4gjhumO
Botany Poster Giveaway Rules
View the official rules for the Plants to Pixels Poster Giveaway. The entry period is Jan. 28–Feb. 28, 2025.
bit.ly
September 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM