Michiel de Groot
@michieldegroot.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist | PhD candidate at UGent & INBO working on weird parasitic fungi on ladybirds🐞🍄 | Endless freeform jazz most beautiful
Slow traffic this morning in Ghent 🐑
November 2, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Slow traffic this morning in Ghent 🐑
Also, there's a great article on these here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 8, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Also, there's a great article on these here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
We made a few terabytes of images, which were reconstructed to create 3D images over the past couple of years by Michel back in Paris, resulting in this paper!
Doesn't it still look like he has the ~99 million year old wind blowing through his antennae?
Doesn't it still look like he has the ~99 million year old wind blowing through his antennae?
July 8, 2025 at 4:34 PM
We made a few terabytes of images, which were reconstructed to create 3D images over the past couple of years by Michel back in Paris, resulting in this paper!
Doesn't it still look like he has the ~99 million year old wind blowing through his antennae?
Doesn't it still look like he has the ~99 million year old wind blowing through his antennae?
Also, the synchrotron makes you look like the most sciency scientist ever.
(Pictured: a guy who pretends he understands what all this machinery is for, exactly.)
(Pictured: a guy who pretends he understands what all this machinery is for, exactly.)
July 8, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Also, the synchrotron makes you look like the most sciency scientist ever.
(Pictured: a guy who pretends he understands what all this machinery is for, exactly.)
(Pictured: a guy who pretends he understands what all this machinery is for, exactly.)
The technique to create 3D image out of the microscopy is called micro-tomography, which was what we spent most our time doing. It is useful if you want to look at fragile fossil beetles trapped in amber! Michel Perreau, a French beetle and fossil expert, asked us to image them for him.
July 8, 2025 at 4:26 PM
The technique to create 3D image out of the microscopy is called micro-tomography, which was what we spent most our time doing. It is useful if you want to look at fragile fossil beetles trapped in amber! Michel Perreau, a French beetle and fossil expert, asked us to image them for him.
It's a massive complex with a big particle accelerator, which takes a long time to get around - many people had little mopeds or bikes. Particle accelerators produce extremely bright, focused, and tunable X-ray beams, which can be used to "see through" objects and reconstruct the details inside.
July 8, 2025 at 4:23 PM
It's a massive complex with a big particle accelerator, which takes a long time to get around - many people had little mopeds or bikes. Particle accelerators produce extremely bright, focused, and tunable X-ray beams, which can be used to "see through" objects and reconstruct the details inside.
The great escape
June 24, 2025 at 3:49 PM
The great escape
Two- and seven-spot ladybirds, cinnabar moth caterpillar (munching on poisonous ragwort to make itself inedible), and a funky long-necked small snakefly
June 17, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Two- and seven-spot ladybirds, cinnabar moth caterpillar (munching on poisonous ragwort to make itself inedible), and a funky long-necked small snakefly
Harlequin ladybird pupas *everywhere* at the moment, with some stray seven- and two-spots.
June 17, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Harlequin ladybird pupas *everywhere* at the moment, with some stray seven- and two-spots.
Very pretty horseshoe ladybirds in the malaise trap in the botanical garden. Look at their little horseshoe patterns! Small ladybirds are often hairy, as you can see. Their real size is around the size of a dot --> .
May 27, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Very pretty horseshoe ladybirds in the malaise trap in the botanical garden. Look at their little horseshoe patterns! Small ladybirds are often hairy, as you can see. Their real size is around the size of a dot --> .
yeah and it offsets the sometimes frustrating draft rng really well
May 26, 2025 at 8:08 PM
yeah and it offsets the sometimes frustrating draft rng really well
Found some more again!
May 20, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Found some more again!
Ladybird lab at the Cryptic Fungi workshop going swimmingly! We were looking for Hesperomyces, a small fungus on ladybirds we caught yesterday. #VisegradFund #TeamLaboul
May 20, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Ladybird lab at the Cryptic Fungi workshop going swimmingly! We were looking for Hesperomyces, a small fungus on ladybirds we caught yesterday. #VisegradFund #TeamLaboul
Now for talks by @dhaelewa.bsky.social, @ukladybirds.bsky.social and @robin-hutchinson.bsky.social on knowledge and knowledge gaps of citizen science and @pomscheme.bsky.social
May 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Now for talks by @dhaelewa.bsky.social, @ukladybirds.bsky.social and @robin-hutchinson.bsky.social on knowledge and knowledge gaps of citizen science and @pomscheme.bsky.social
Found some more!
May 19, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Found some more!
A very successful ladybird gathering with the #VisegradFund citizen science workshop here in Ceske Budejovice - fridged for now, checking them for miceofungi tomorrow!
May 19, 2025 at 1:42 PM
A very successful ladybird gathering with the #VisegradFund citizen science workshop here in Ceske Budejovice - fridged for now, checking them for miceofungi tomorrow!
Survived the ghosts
Next: vampires
Next: vampires
May 17, 2025 at 10:03 AM
Survived the ghosts
Next: vampires
Next: vampires
Time to look for Marienkäfer (🐞) in Marienbad (🇨🇿)
May 16, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Time to look for Marienkäfer (🐞) in Marienbad (🇨🇿)
Arrived in the ghost hotel 👻
Let's see if I get haunted
Let's see if I get haunted
May 15, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Arrived in the ghost hotel 👻
Let's see if I get haunted
Let's see if I get haunted