Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
@sifolinia.bsky.social
Myrmecologist, entomologist and ecologist. Geospatial data specialist. Director @biospatialinsights.bsky.social. Progressive bluegrass fan. Father of two. Wales, UK.
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
Today's column is about the government's huge, unprecedented assault on nature ... and about the eerie, astonishing silence of the big nature groups. The RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trusts have 7.5m members between them. A vast force, completely unmobilised. 🧵
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Wage war on nature to build new homes: that’s Labour’s offer, but it’s a con trick | George Monbiot
The government’s new planning bill is tearing down environmental protections to benefit developers. This nation of nature lovers won’t stand for it, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
October 16, 2025 at 5:52 AM
Today's column is about the government's huge, unprecedented assault on nature ... and about the eerie, astonishing silence of the big nature groups. The RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trusts have 7.5m members between them. A vast force, completely unmobilised. 🧵
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
When aliens land, expect them to call us "microscopic snails", before stamping us out as they make way for their new housing.
Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer
Exclusive: Chancellor says 20,000 homes were being held up due to ‘some snails that are a protected species or something’
www.theguardian.com
October 7, 2025 at 9:33 PM
When aliens land, expect them to call us "microscopic snails", before stamping us out as they make way for their new housing.
Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer www.theguardian.com/environment/...
There's another reason to be pro gender neutral toilets: men might actually wash their hands, properly, if women are watching...
One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington
There are few things more irritating than waiting outside the Ladies while men sail in and out of their own facilities. A new, very long film has changed all that, writes Guardian columnist Emma Beddi...
www.theguardian.com
October 7, 2025 at 8:11 AM
There's another reason to be pro gender neutral toilets: men might actually wash their hands, properly, if women are watching...
One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
"0.3 per cent of the world’s land area – yes, just the land – would be needed to meet the current energy demand from solar alone, which is LESS THAN THE CURRENT LAND FOOTPRINT OF FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE."
Why solar power is the only viable power source in the long run
Not only is solar more than capable of supplying all the world’s energy, in the long term it is the only power source that won’t fry the planet
www.newscientist.com
September 10, 2025 at 8:18 PM
"0.3 per cent of the world’s land area – yes, just the land – would be needed to meet the current energy demand from solar alone, which is LESS THAN THE CURRENT LAND FOOTPRINT OF FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE."
Anyone else remember the film Idiocracy?
m.imdb.com/title/tt0387...
Not a great film, but with more and more people falling for right wing populists and conspiracy fantasists, I'm wondering if it'll turn out to be more prophetic than, say, 1984.
m.imdb.com/title/tt0387...
Not a great film, but with more and more people falling for right wing populists and conspiracy fantasists, I'm wondering if it'll turn out to be more prophetic than, say, 1984.
Idiocracy (2006) ⭐ 6.5 | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
1h 24m | R
m.imdb.com
September 12, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Anyone else remember the film Idiocracy?
m.imdb.com/title/tt0387...
Not a great film, but with more and more people falling for right wing populists and conspiracy fantasists, I'm wondering if it'll turn out to be more prophetic than, say, 1984.
m.imdb.com/title/tt0387...
Not a great film, but with more and more people falling for right wing populists and conspiracy fantasists, I'm wondering if it'll turn out to be more prophetic than, say, 1984.
Fiji ant study provides new evidence of insects’ decline on remote islands www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Fiji ant study provides new evidence of insects’ decline on remote islands
DNA analysis of endemic specimens in museums finds 79% of ant populations in Pacific archipelago are shrinking
www.theguardian.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Fiji ant study provides new evidence of insects’ decline on remote islands www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
A few days ago I posted a dead yellow jacket which had become a community meal for Paratemnoides social pseudoscorpions, but I hadn't really considered that they are apparently capable of teaming up and catching a live one?? Checked on them later and the unfortunate wasp was deceased. Damn. 🧪
September 9, 2025 at 12:25 AM
A few days ago I posted a dead yellow jacket which had become a community meal for Paratemnoides social pseudoscorpions, but I hadn't really considered that they are apparently capable of teaming up and catching a live one?? Checked on them later and the unfortunate wasp was deceased. Damn. 🧪
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
Look at this crazy thing!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
Look at this crazy thing!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Look at this crazy thing!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"A White House spokesperson told Fox News that the gold – “of the highest quality” – was all paid for by Trump personally."
The actions of someone who intends to never leave.
share.google/eWvYykcTf1JS...
The actions of someone who intends to never leave.
share.google/eWvYykcTf1JS...
Before and after: Trump’s extreme goldening of the Oval Office
An extravagant – and ongoing – makeover of the White House’s decor has taken place during the president’s second term. One colour theme stands out
share.google
September 1, 2025 at 7:13 AM
"A White House spokesperson told Fox News that the gold – “of the highest quality” – was all paid for by Trump personally."
The actions of someone who intends to never leave.
share.google/eWvYykcTf1JS...
The actions of someone who intends to never leave.
share.google/eWvYykcTf1JS...
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
We’re going up at a rate of 700 signatures an hour currently. In the time it took me to boil the kettle it went up by 50. Keep the message in minds folks. Fair coverage is what we want so we hear from ALL parties not just the narrative of one. Sign and pass on petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
August 31, 2025 at 8:58 AM
We’re going up at a rate of 700 signatures an hour currently. In the time it took me to boil the kettle it went up by 50. Keep the message in minds folks. Fair coverage is what we want so we hear from ALL parties not just the narrative of one. Sign and pass on petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
"Unfortunately, we are now living through a dis-Enlightenment.
In the US in particular, and increasingly elsewhere, facts don’t matter and can be casually denied. Universities have become subject to bullying as compliance with the requirements of one political faction..."
In the US in particular, and increasingly elsewhere, facts don’t matter and can be casually denied. Universities have become subject to bullying as compliance with the requirements of one political faction..."
Welcome to the dis-Enlightenment
A new dis-Enlightenment looms: in the US and beyond, facts are denied, science silenced, and the wealthy spread lies over truth
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
August 30, 2025 at 5:08 PM
"Unfortunately, we are now living through a dis-Enlightenment.
In the US in particular, and increasingly elsewhere, facts don’t matter and can be casually denied. Universities have become subject to bullying as compliance with the requirements of one political faction..."
In the US in particular, and increasingly elsewhere, facts don’t matter and can be casually denied. Universities have become subject to bullying as compliance with the requirements of one political faction..."
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
Has Trump succeeded in normalising American autocracy?
Has Trump succeeded in normalising American autocracy?
People who have experienced the kind of authoritarianism the US used to condemn abroad highlight worrying signs
www.theguardian.com
August 31, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Has Trump succeeded in normalising American autocracy?
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
🧵Here's a thought I've been having about the cost of transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy:
It does decarb fans no favors to pretend that there's no cost, or that just because "solar is cheap," that makes depreciating one entire system in favor of another cheap or easy.
However!
It does decarb fans no favors to pretend that there's no cost, or that just because "solar is cheap," that makes depreciating one entire system in favor of another cheap or easy.
However!
August 11, 2025 at 8:24 PM
🧵Here's a thought I've been having about the cost of transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy:
It does decarb fans no favors to pretend that there's no cost, or that just because "solar is cheap," that makes depreciating one entire system in favor of another cheap or easy.
However!
It does decarb fans no favors to pretend that there's no cost, or that just because "solar is cheap," that makes depreciating one entire system in favor of another cheap or easy.
However!
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
As a philosophy major who adored symbolic logic courses, this may be my favorite cartoon ever.
May 25, 2025 at 5:06 AM
As a philosophy major who adored symbolic logic courses, this may be my favorite cartoon ever.
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
This is phenomenal.
Sea surface temperatures are >5C above average to the west of the UK and around Iceland. It's the strongest area of anomalous warmth on the planet at the moment.
It's the warmest in recorded history for northwest Europe.
Sea surface temperatures are >5C above average to the west of the UK and around Iceland. It's the strongest area of anomalous warmth on the planet at the moment.
It's the warmest in recorded history for northwest Europe.
May 25, 2025 at 10:13 AM
This is phenomenal.
Sea surface temperatures are >5C above average to the west of the UK and around Iceland. It's the strongest area of anomalous warmth on the planet at the moment.
It's the warmest in recorded history for northwest Europe.
Sea surface temperatures are >5C above average to the west of the UK and around Iceland. It's the strongest area of anomalous warmth on the planet at the moment.
It's the warmest in recorded history for northwest Europe.
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant | Sheila Hancock
My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant | Sheila Hancock
Our street party tea was a muted celebration, full of uncertainty. Then, as now, we faced a long struggle towards a better world, says actor and writer Sheila Hancock
www.theguardian.com
May 3, 2025 at 8:42 AM
My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant | Sheila Hancock
Another new micro #fungus for me. Is it possible to confirm this as Protomyces macrosporus on Oenanthe crocata leaves? Also from the #Stackpole Estate in #Pembrokeshire today.
#mycology
#mycology
April 23, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Another new micro #fungus for me. Is it possible to confirm this as Protomyces macrosporus on Oenanthe crocata leaves? Also from the #Stackpole Estate in #Pembrokeshire today.
#mycology
#mycology
New one for me, though probably quite common. I assume this is the rust #fungus Puccinia primulae on primrose Primula vulgaris at #Stackpole in #Pembrokeshire today.
#mycology
#mycology
April 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
New one for me, though probably quite common. I assume this is the rust #fungus Puccinia primulae on primrose Primula vulgaris at #Stackpole in #Pembrokeshire today.
#mycology
#mycology
A good follow up study would be to compare the results with the number of dark-money junktanks in each country.
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say
Making concerned people aware their views are far from alone could unlock the change so urgently needed
www.theguardian.com
April 22, 2025 at 7:02 AM
A good follow up study would be to compare the results with the number of dark-money junktanks in each country.
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say www.theguardian.com/environment/...
This is not a #honeybee. The picture in the article of a #bumblebee is also not a honeybee. But #bees, and the threats to them, are all the same, right?
#entomology #taxonomy
search.app/zFAvr
#entomology #taxonomy
search.app/zFAvr
NI's honey bees: Population at risk due to no bee inspectorate
NI's last full-time bee inspector retired in 2024 and the part-time inspector died shortly after.
search.app
April 19, 2025 at 8:20 AM
This is not a #honeybee. The picture in the article of a #bumblebee is also not a honeybee. But #bees, and the threats to them, are all the same, right?
#entomology #taxonomy
search.app/zFAvr
#entomology #taxonomy
search.app/zFAvr
I wish the #BBC would employ reporters with a basic knowledge of taxonomy.
But that aside... Please don't buy #ants as pets. They are never captive bred.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
But that aside... Please don't buy #ants as pets. They are never captive bred.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Ant smugglers caught with hundreds of prized insects in Kenya
It is believed the ants were destined for exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia.
www.bbc.com
April 14, 2025 at 7:30 PM
I wish the #BBC would employ reporters with a basic knowledge of taxonomy.
But that aside... Please don't buy #ants as pets. They are never captive bred.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
But that aside... Please don't buy #ants as pets. They are never captive bred.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
Deep in biodiversity data analysis, but field recording is just as vital! 🌿🦗 Found a slender ground hopper in a new hectad, plus lots of solitary bees and black oil beetles (Meloe proscarabeus).
#Ecology #Invertebrates #Biodiversity #Fieldwork
#Ecology #Invertebrates #Biodiversity #Fieldwork
April 1, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Deep in biodiversity data analysis, but field recording is just as vital! 🌿🦗 Found a slender ground hopper in a new hectad, plus lots of solitary bees and black oil beetles (Meloe proscarabeus).
#Ecology #Invertebrates #Biodiversity #Fieldwork
#Ecology #Invertebrates #Biodiversity #Fieldwork