Rebecca R Helm
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
Just a bunch of crabs in a trench coat, but also a professional marine biologist. My social media is separate from, and does not represent, my employer. Please bring croissants 🥐
https://linktr.ee/rebeccarhelm
https://linktr.ee/rebeccarhelm
Pinned
In these strange and uncertain times, this is our guiding account philosophy ✨🪼✨
🧵 Click on this thread for regularly updating ocean posts 🧵
🧵 Click on this thread for regularly updating ocean posts 🧵
There's something that feels a bit dead about the world right now, but tens of thousands of people just came together to help us solve a 100 year old mystery about a little blue jelly, and I find that heartbreakingly hopeful:
November 10, 2025 at 11:52 PM
There's something that feels a bit dead about the world right now, but tens of thousands of people just came together to help us solve a 100 year old mystery about a little blue jelly, and I find that heartbreakingly hopeful:
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
This kind of stuff makes the rest of the crap tolerable
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
November 10, 2025 at 11:33 PM
This kind of stuff makes the rest of the crap tolerable
Check out our latest preprint!
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science 😜 ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
November 10, 2025 at 10:17 PM
Check out our latest preprint!
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science 😜 ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
November 10, 2025 at 10:13 PM
In our last thread, we left the jelly-enjoyers of Bluesky with a cliff hanger ending, in what one eager onlooker described as soap opera science 😜 ... wait no more, we are back! Grab your popcorn shrimp and come with us on a journey spanning more than...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
bsky.app/profile/iwan...
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
was randomly browsing r/megalophobia earlier only to see an image of stygiomedusa with a snorkeler at the surface, which is bonkers since it's a deep sea jelly. 🦑🧪
after a little digging, it came from this paper: doi.org/10.1590/S198...
about this observation:
www.instagram.com/p/BzlnDMxht0y
after a little digging, it came from this paper: doi.org/10.1590/S198...
about this observation:
www.instagram.com/p/BzlnDMxht0y
October 20, 2025 at 7:54 PM
was randomly browsing r/megalophobia earlier only to see an image of stygiomedusa with a snorkeler at the surface, which is bonkers since it's a deep sea jelly. 🦑🧪
after a little digging, it came from this paper: doi.org/10.1590/S198...
about this observation:
www.instagram.com/p/BzlnDMxht0y
after a little digging, it came from this paper: doi.org/10.1590/S198...
about this observation:
www.instagram.com/p/BzlnDMxht0y
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
October 20, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
October 4, 2025 at 2:38 PM
For CTENOPHORE DAY, a little survey:
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Which end of this fishing Pleurobrachia is the mouth on? Please just "vote" in the comments — no definitive answers. 🦑🧪🌊
P.S. this is one of my earliest #ctenophore photos, shot on film in a home-built kreisel.
P.P.S. Legit data-gathering for a future paper.
Ok folks, time to help with actual science while scrolling social media!
Marine biologist Dr. Steve Haddock is conducting a study on public perception of this critter down below. He needs replies!
Please go talk to Steve and re-skeet far and wide!
Marine biologist Dr. Steve Haddock is conducting a study on public perception of this critter down below. He needs replies!
Please go talk to Steve and re-skeet far and wide!
Let's do another #ctenophore survey.
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
You are scuba divining and see this lobate comb jelly cruising in search of prey. Is it swimming to the LEFT or RIGHT?
🦑🧪🌊
October 20, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Ok folks, time to help with actual science while scrolling social media!
Marine biologist Dr. Steve Haddock is conducting a study on public perception of this critter down below. He needs replies!
Please go talk to Steve and re-skeet far and wide!
Marine biologist Dr. Steve Haddock is conducting a study on public perception of this critter down below. He needs replies!
Please go talk to Steve and re-skeet far and wide!
Yesssss!!! Our lab has a new paper out, and it comes with an awesome story:
Kailua Beach, Hawai’i: The first time I laid eyes on a By-the-wind sailor, I stopped dead in my tracks, dusted the sand off my hands, grabbed my iphone and...
October 15, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Yesssss!!! Our lab has a new paper out, and it comes with an awesome story:
Hey author friends! Please help! I do freelance writing, and I’m trying to find my DC pro and semi-pro writer friends.
How do I find them? Are there Bluesky starter packs, meetup group, professional societies?
How do writers find each other?
How do I find them? Are there Bluesky starter packs, meetup group, professional societies?
How do writers find each other?
October 12, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Hey author friends! Please help! I do freelance writing, and I’m trying to find my DC pro and semi-pro writer friends.
How do I find them? Are there Bluesky starter packs, meetup group, professional societies?
How do writers find each other?
How do I find them? Are there Bluesky starter packs, meetup group, professional societies?
How do writers find each other?
Happy Friday afternoon folks. Here be some leaf sheep wishing you a lovely day 🌊
October 10, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Happy Friday afternoon folks. Here be some leaf sheep wishing you a lovely day 🌊
October 9, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Many sea stars begin life as young fairy-like creature (called a brachiolaria) that float through the open ocean. Eventually, a small star forms within them (here in yellow). The fairy-like brachiolaria sinks under the star’s weight, and the star pops out!
🎥@the_story_of_a_biologist (on Insta)
🎥@the_story_of_a_biologist (on Insta)
October 9, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Many sea stars begin life as young fairy-like creature (called a brachiolaria) that float through the open ocean. Eventually, a small star forms within them (here in yellow). The fairy-like brachiolaria sinks under the star’s weight, and the star pops out!
🎥@the_story_of_a_biologist (on Insta)
🎥@the_story_of_a_biologist (on Insta)
With the rise of AI, social media as we know it is about to die. As a Very Online Person (*sigh*), I see this as part of a larger swing. In the last decade, for better and worse, commentators have gained popular trust. Now, all those random accounts are completely untrustworthy. What do we do? [1/n]
October 8, 2025 at 9:55 PM
With the rise of AI, social media as we know it is about to die. As a Very Online Person (*sigh*), I see this as part of a larger swing. In the last decade, for better and worse, commentators have gained popular trust. Now, all those random accounts are completely untrustworthy. What do we do? [1/n]
You can no longer believe what you see online.
So, what happens next? What do you think?
So, what happens next? What do you think?
October 6, 2025 at 6:49 PM
You can no longer believe what you see online.
So, what happens next? What do you think?
So, what happens next? What do you think?
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
Bet this will be the coolest, and weirdest, thing you read today :))
I want to tell you a story, and it begins with this VERY WEIRD animal: Meet Thetys vagina...
[a thread 🧵]
📸 m_patton bit.ly/2Mgw8Sf
🌿🧪🦑🐙🌊
[a thread 🧵]
📸 m_patton bit.ly/2Mgw8Sf
🌿🧪🦑🐙🌊
October 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Bet this will be the coolest, and weirdest, thing you read today :))
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
I want to tell you a story, and it begins with this VERY WEIRD animal: Meet Thetys vagina...
[a thread 🧵]
📸 m_patton bit.ly/2Mgw8Sf
🌿🧪🦑🐙🌊
[a thread 🧵]
📸 m_patton bit.ly/2Mgw8Sf
🌿🧪🦑🐙🌊
April 9, 2025 at 11:18 PM
I want to tell you a story, and it begins with this VERY WEIRD animal: Meet Thetys vagina...
[a thread 🧵]
📸 m_patton bit.ly/2Mgw8Sf
🌿🧪🦑🐙🌊
[a thread 🧵]
📸 m_patton bit.ly/2Mgw8Sf
🌿🧪🦑🐙🌊
Hi all—I posted a thread earlier about a politician who shared what appeared to be an AI generated post attributed to me. Karl (below) suggested it may have been a misattribution. In an effort to always share correct info & be transparent, I’ve removed my post while I gather more info.
This isn't a deepfake or AI though, it's just good old fashioned lying and misinformation. This post on Threads from last year appears to be the source (hence the "when I got my MS in neuroscience" part), no idea how it got attributed to you. www.threads.com/@brain.curio...
October 3, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Hi all—I posted a thread earlier about a politician who shared what appeared to be an AI generated post attributed to me. Karl (below) suggested it may have been a misattribution. In an effort to always share correct info & be transparent, I’ve removed my post while I gather more info.
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
Meet the “squidworm” 🦑🪱
Discovered by WHOI biologist Larry Madin and colleagues, this 4-inch-long animal was just one of roughly 6,000 new species uncovered during the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global effort involving more than 2,700 scientists to explore and document ocean life.
Discovered by WHOI biologist Larry Madin and colleagues, this 4-inch-long animal was just one of roughly 6,000 new species uncovered during the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global effort involving more than 2,700 scientists to explore and document ocean life.
October 2, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Meet the “squidworm” 🦑🪱
Discovered by WHOI biologist Larry Madin and colleagues, this 4-inch-long animal was just one of roughly 6,000 new species uncovered during the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global effort involving more than 2,700 scientists to explore and document ocean life.
Discovered by WHOI biologist Larry Madin and colleagues, this 4-inch-long animal was just one of roughly 6,000 new species uncovered during the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global effort involving more than 2,700 scientists to explore and document ocean life.
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
I just couldn't stop thinking about how weird sperm whale mouths are and yet how perfectly shaped for inserting giant squid into
October 2, 2025 at 4:32 PM
I just couldn't stop thinking about how weird sperm whale mouths are and yet how perfectly shaped for inserting giant squid into
Reposted by Rebecca R Helm
#CephalopodFriday - mit einer Sensationsmeldung!
Das erste Video, wie ein #Pottwal einen #Riesenkalmar #Architeuthys erbeutet.
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social teilte dies vor 2 Tagen (Thanks!!!).
Ich habe auf Meertext etwas Info drumherum geschrieben
scilogs.spektrum.de/meertext/cep...
Das erste Video, wie ein #Pottwal einen #Riesenkalmar #Architeuthys erbeutet.
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social teilte dies vor 2 Tagen (Thanks!!!).
Ich habe auf Meertext etwas Info drumherum geschrieben
scilogs.spektrum.de/meertext/cep...
September 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
#CephalopodFriday - mit einer Sensationsmeldung!
Das erste Video, wie ein #Pottwal einen #Riesenkalmar #Architeuthys erbeutet.
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social teilte dies vor 2 Tagen (Thanks!!!).
Ich habe auf Meertext etwas Info drumherum geschrieben
scilogs.spektrum.de/meertext/cep...
Das erste Video, wie ein #Pottwal einen #Riesenkalmar #Architeuthys erbeutet.
@rebeccarhelm.bsky.social teilte dies vor 2 Tagen (Thanks!!!).
Ich habe auf Meertext etwas Info drumherum geschrieben
scilogs.spektrum.de/meertext/cep...
OMG 😭
Huntington's is an inherited disease that's like Alzheimers + Parkinson's all in one. NOW: "once the gene therapy has been delivered into the brain... [it] injects a piece of DNA to reprogram the neuron to become a factory for its own cure."
LIFE SAVING!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhEx...
Huntington's is an inherited disease that's like Alzheimers + Parkinson's all in one. NOW: "once the gene therapy has been delivered into the brain... [it] injects a piece of DNA to reprogram the neuron to become a factory for its own cure."
LIFE SAVING!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhEx...
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time | BBC News
YouTube video by BBC News
www.youtube.com
September 25, 2025 at 9:27 PM
OMG 😭
Huntington's is an inherited disease that's like Alzheimers + Parkinson's all in one. NOW: "once the gene therapy has been delivered into the brain... [it] injects a piece of DNA to reprogram the neuron to become a factory for its own cure."
LIFE SAVING!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhEx...
Huntington's is an inherited disease that's like Alzheimers + Parkinson's all in one. NOW: "once the gene therapy has been delivered into the brain... [it] injects a piece of DNA to reprogram the neuron to become a factory for its own cure."
LIFE SAVING!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhEx...
And thank you Dagomar for sharing it with me! You are the true whale-squid video whisperer
Nobody’s better at social media than @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social! This footage has been my holy grail since I was a kid…
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 9:34 PM
And thank you Dagomar for sharing it with me! You are the true whale-squid video whisperer
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)