Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 17

Celebrate #HispanicHeritageMonth by learning more about the work of these brilliant scientists!

Dr. Brennan: english.elpais.com/science-tech...

Dr. Tang-Martinez: theconversation.com/data-should-...

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 17

🇻🇪 Dr. Zuleyma Tang-Martínez is a trailblazer in animal social behavior. In addition to studying why some animals leave their group, she’s challenged the old “males are promiscuous, females are coy” theory in animal behavior, showing that reality (and the actual data) is far more complex.

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 17

🇨🇴 Dr. Patty Brennan was the first scientist to show that female ducks have unique variations in their reproductive anatomy, and that their bodies co-evolved in fascinating ways alongside males. She is also a strong advocate for the importance of curiosity-driven science.

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 17

Happy Hispanic & Latiné Heritage Month! Here are two Latinas who made a wild impact on animal mating science. Because of their curiosity, bold questions, and groundbreaking research, our current understanding of animal behavior, anatomy, and evolution is forever changed.

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 8

Yes, duck mating is wild. And it’s also a window into how power and adaptation work in the natural world, and why we need to look for the whole story. That's exactly why we made a party game about animal mating behavior and anatomy!

#indiegame #feminism #biology #animals

Mate: The Party Game for Feral Naturalists rests in a bed of ferns. Its cover looks like an antique book and features two colorful mating damselflies. Text overlays the photo, saying 'Animal mating science meets party game fun.' A queer pride flag, neurodivergent infinity, and mature 17+ symbol appear in the lower corner.

1 2

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 8

Dr. Brennan’s work highlights this “evolutionary arms race” between female and male mating behavior and anatomy. It pushes back on outdated ideas that females are passively reacting to males. Instead, it shows what’s really happening: a dynamic, ongoing game of co-evolution.

1 1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 8

Female ducks have incredibly fascinating anatomy. They’ve evolved complex, spiraled vaginal tracts—with twists and dead ends—that can block sperm from unwanted mates. In fact, research shows they control paternity over 95% of the time!

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 8

What still often gets missed is the female side of the story. No surprise: many people are obsessed with male anatomy and control. While duck dongs have racked up search engine clout, duck vaginas have been largely ignored. (Except for a curious outlier in Montana. We see you.)

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 8

It started with a backlash against science. In the early 2010s, Dr. Patty Brennan’s research on duck dongs was attacked as “wasteful government spending.” (Sound familiar?) This caused a spike in interest in the critical research of Dr. Brennan and many others, which has then sustained.

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 8

In 2005, most of the folks talking about duck mating gear were scientists and breeders. Fast forward 20 years, and now everyone and their podcast knows about the corkscrew-shaped dongs of drakes and their aggressive mating techniques. Here's why...

A chart depicts the Google search trends for the terms 'Duck penises' and 'Duck vaginas.' Both lines are very low where the chart begins in 2007. While 'Duck penises' have a large spike near 2012 with sustained interest, 'Duck vaginas' remain nearly flatlined into the present.

1 1

Reposted by Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games

Elizabeth Hargrave @elizhargrave.bsky.social · Sep 4

Update to this chart that I share a lot. Not breaking news: Game design teams are still OVERWHELMINGLY all men. About 7% of the top 500 games have a woman or non-binary person credited as a designer. A 🧵of related charts: (1/6)
🎲✂️

Gender of Game Designers: Board Game Geek Top 500, January 2025

A pie chart:
92% of the pie is Designed only by men. They made 461 of the top 500 games.
6% of the pie is Designed by a mixed-gender group. They made 28 of the top 500 games.
1% of the pie is Designed only by women or non-binary people. They made 5 of the top 500 games.

Data are for January 1, 2025, using the names in the Designer field on BGG. Not shown are 6 games in the top 500 that have uncredited designers.

15 180 440

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 4

Here's the full post about why games aren’t neutral, and how we can use them for good.
fascinarygames.com/play-is-poli...

#boardgame #partygame #tabletopgame #ttrpg #gamedev #indiegames

Play is political: Why games aren’t neutral – Fascinary

fascinarygames.com

2 8

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 4

Games absolutely can be liberatory: rooted in joy, care, and imagination.

🎲 Party games: connection + joy.
🎲 RPGs: new worlds + relations.
🎲 Co-ops: solidarity + sharing.

Games can spark curiosity, strengthen social bonds, and expand our capacity to imagine the possibilities of a new world.

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Sep 4

PLAY IS POLITICAL. 🎲

In Victorian times, ladies played patience games like solitaire to perform being quiet and contained. Today, many hit strategy games celebrate conquest and resource extraction.

When we play a game, we’re taking in the stories and politics that shape its design.

1 1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 25

Mate is fully funded! 🎉 If you're into animal mating science meets party game fun, today is the last day to back and get a Kickstarter exclusive Founding Feral Naturalist seal for the box. 🐌🌈

kickstarter.com/projects/fascinary/mate-party-game?ref=45wmk3

#tabletopgame #partygame #boardgame #science

Mate: The Party Game for Feral Naturalists

Animal mating science meets party game fun! For 4-8 feral naturalists, aged 17+.

kickstarter.com

4

Reposted by Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games

Equal Justice Initiative @eji.org · Jun 19

All of us are impacted by the legacy of slavery. Today we honor, celebrate, and mourn the lives of enslaved people and hope for a future where the harms created by the legacy of slavery are repaired. #Juneteenth

The Legacy of Slavery in America

Freedom Monument Sculpture Park and the National Monument to Freedom honor all those who were enslaved in the U.S. and their descendants alive today. Plan your visit at https://legacysites.eji.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelegacysites Twitter: https://twitter.com/legacysites Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/legacysites

www.youtube.com

1 31 57

Reposted by Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · Jun 19

Juneteenth is a celebration of freedom, but also a reminder: freedom delayed is freedom denied. #Juneteenth #BlackHistory #FreedomDay #NeverForget

66 2.3K 11K

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 19

"This tree came to us as a male tree, but has begun to produce female fruits. This is a perfectly natural phenomenon that occurs across several species of plants."

www.hoytarboretum.org/happy-pride-...

#pride #ginko #plants #natureisqueer #botany

Happy Pride Month to Ginkgo biloba 'Autumn Gold'! - Hoyt Arboretum

This June we are wishing a very happy Pride Month to our Ginkgo biloba ‘Autumn Gold’! This tree came to us as a male tree, but has begun to produce female “fruits” [1]. This is a perfectly natural phe...

www.hoytarboretum.org

2

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 18

Migration is natural, and borders are built. Lines drawn through stolen land to control who gets resources, safety, and freedom. #immigration #migrationisnatural #bigbendnationalpark #rewild #blackbear #nooneisillegalonstolenland

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 18

That rebirth happened naturally thanks to protected habitat and cross-border cooperation between Big Bend and Mexico’s Santa Elena Canyon. We call it rewilding. Restoration. Natural. But when humans cross the same river for safety, family, or survival—we call it illegal.

1

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 18

Black bears, once common in Big Bend National Park, were wiped out by the 1950s due to hunting and habitat loss caused by settlers and ranchers. By the late '90s, the bears began to be seen again, and today there are about 30–40 bears in the park.

1

Reposted by Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games

Oxford University Museum of Natural History @morethanadodo.bsky.social · Jun 18

Happy Pride Month from all of us here at the Museum!

Out of the approximately 1500 species of animal that have been identified as displaying some same-sex behaviour, the giraffe is one of the most studied, with same-sex mounting and necking occurring more frequently than male-female mounting.

20 76

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 18

I'm in Portland, OR! The Xeres signs are popular including this older design. We also have a city-specific backyard habitat certification program so their signs are most common (though not pollinator specific).

A sign is hung in a bed of yellow flowers that reads, "Pollinator Habitat."

1 4

Reposted by Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games

Orion Magazine @orionmagazine.bsky.social · Jun 18

Queerness exists in nature. Take it from the artist that illustrated hundreds of examples of it.

A Work of Love

Queerness exists in nature. Take it from the artist that illustrated hundreds of examples of it.

orionmagazine.org

16 52

Gina & Christa | Fascinary Games @fascinarygames.bsky.social · Jun 11

We're 75% funded on Kickstarter, with over 100 copies pledged! 🤩 Creating this game has brought us so much joy, community, and learning. We can't wait to be able to share it with more folks. www.kickstarter.com/projects/fas...
#community #partygame #stayferal

Mate: The Party Game for Feral Naturalists

Adventure into the world of animal mating! For 4-8 feral naturalists, aged 17+.

www.kickstarter.com