Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 5d

Trying to read more instead of scrolling, and ended up staying up late to finish Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano. Loved it! Fun mystery with older protagonist. Made me want whatever granitas are. #books

My white cat Viola laying by paperback book Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano

1 2

Reposted by Janna Layton

Becca Gomez Farrell @becca.gomezfarrell.com · 12d

Terrifying.

An image of a tweet that reads "A haunted house but the ghosts recite the poems you wrote when you were sixteen." It is attributed to @ambernoelle

2 3 9

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 14d

Yesterday while hiking at Shell Ridge, I saw this male tarantula out searching for a mate. Since he was crossing a trail popular with mountain bikers, I kept an eye on him until he made it safely across. Almost immediately afterwards, I saw my lifer red-breasted sapsucker!

Red-breasted sapsucker in a blue oak tree

1 6

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 17d

It’s cool duck season again! At the Palo Alto Baylands today I saw 30+ species of birds, including these: green-winged teal hen, ruddy duck drake, Northern shoveler drake, and a whole lot of Northern shovelers (with American avocets and hidden willet)

#birds #ducks

1

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 17d

Wow! They’re so common here that it’s easy to take them for granted. Always a good reminder that someone’s common bird is someone else’s rarity!

4

Reposted by Janna Layton

Rebecca R Helm @rebeccarhelm.bsky.social · 21d

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 🧵)

730 10K 30K

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 20d

Do Ouija boards mean nothing to you? 😂

Reposted by Janna Layton

After Dinner Conversation® @afterdinnerconversation.com · 20d

2 14 50

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 22d

Looks delicious! Yellow cake with chocolate frosting is one of my favs.

1

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · 23d

I found this one recently with a barnacle friend!

Sanddollar exoskeleton with barnacle exoskeleton attached

1

Reposted by Janna Layton

Ramsey Sullivan @ramzsullivan.bsky.social · 26d

#gall #meme

A meme made from the book cover illustrated in 1972 by Harry Borgman for Dr. Futurity by Philip K Dick: A moon in the shape of a skull watches over a man in a space suit without a helmet peering at a glowing object on an alien crater. "The pervasive rot of existence", is written over the moon and, "Me, looking for a cool gall" is written above the glowing object.

1 5

Reposted by Janna Layton

Penumbric Speculative Fiction Mag @penumbricmag.bsky.social · 27d

I realize we've totally been AWOL from social media lately. Here's an update: Best of #Penumbric, vol viii, has finally been proofed and is now up on Amazon at www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR9HFPH8. (Yay!!!) Author's copies will go out in the next couple of weeks as we try to catch up.

Best of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Mag, vol viii: June 2k24 to April 2k25

Best of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Mag, vol viii: June 2k24 to April 2k25 [Neomythos Press] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Best of Penumbric Speculative Fiction Mag, vol viii: June 2k24 to April 2k25

www.amazon.com

1 1 3

Reposted by Janna Layton

norikonbuchan.bsky.social @norikonbuchan.bsky.social · Sep 15

Until recently @ymilesz.bsky.social taught me, I didn't know anything about the fascinating synbiotic relationship between fig trees and fig wasps. So I've been wanting to see their work in the wild, and found it on the last day of #September2025GallWeek !
www.inaturalist.org/observations...

Common Fig Wasp (Blastophaga psenes)

Common Fig Wasp from Tyler Island, Walnut Grove, CA, US on September 14, 2025 at 11:07 AM by Noriko Ito. On common fig Host observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/313985713 (Last pho...

www.inaturalist.org

1 10

Reposted by Janna Layton

Brenna @iamowls.bsky.social · Sep 15

Gorgeous male surf scoter I saw at the Bay a few weeks ago. He was very close to the beach playing in the surf, riding some waves and diving into others.

#dslr #nikon #birdphotography #birds #ducks #scoter #surfscoter #melanitta #melanittaperspicillata #delawarebay #newjersey

Surf scoter in water facing left. He has a black body, pale yellow eyes, and an orange beak with a pale tip, white sides, and a large black spot near the base. The water is reflecting the sunset.

Surf scoter diving into water. He has a black body and reddish legs. The water is grey blue.

Surf scoter heading into a wave. He has a black body, pale yellow eyes, white spot on the back of his head, and an orange beak with a pale tip, white sides, and a large black spot near the base.

Surf scoter in water facing right. He has a black body, pale yellow eyes, and an orange beak with a pale tip, white sides, and a large black spot near the base. The water is reflecting the sunset.

1 24

Reposted by Janna Layton

James Emerson @norwichbirder.bsky.social · Sep 13

This morning I went on a quick walk to Catton Park to see a scarce gall on a young Oak tree caused by the agamic (asexual) generation of the gall wasp Andricus lucidus. It had been found there recently by @susanweeks.bsky.social . This gall has lots of uniformly thin 'spines' with rounded tips.

A bunch of dark-green Oak leaves with a pale green spherical spiky gall in the centre.

A closer view of the gall from photo 1 - lime green and made up of lots of thin spines with slightly swollen tips.

1 4 35

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · Sep 13

It’s wild how these galls can cover a tree! Here’s one in Walnut Creek.

Valley oak leaves covered in red cone galls

1 2

Reposted by Janna Layton

Nicole Kearney @nicolekearney.bsky.social · Sep 11

I've been managing BHL's #Bluesky account for 4 months now. It's an honour to share such beautiful & significant content, particularly at this critical time. BHL's future is uncertain, but hopeful. Follow along @biodivlibrary.bsky.social & on the #BHLblog: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/tag/transition

29 76

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · Sep 11

My favorite oak! It host so many cool gall wasps!

1 1 2

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · Sep 11

It’s Gall Week!
#gallsky

iNaturalist @inaturalist.bsky.social · Sep 10

'Tis the season to search for lumps on plants, aka galls! These growths are created in response to other organisms — often insects, fungi, or bacteria — injecting their chemicals into the plant. 🧵⤵️

Join the gall celebrations: tr.ee/ziMCEH

This gall looks like something you'd imagine a mythical fairy-like creature living in. It's shaped like a mushroom and has a small hole in the front.

The stem of a plant has a couple round growths with small holes in them.

2

Reposted by Janna Layton

Inner Worlds @innerworlds.bsky.social · Sep 10

"Each time I align the jump ignition sequence, I feel the shipsuit respond to my intention, its answer a thrum of power I can hardly comprehend. It opens a rift in space, and I slip through."

Read 'In The Vanguard' by @chloehsmith.bsky.social

inner-worlds.ghost.io/in-the-vangu...

#SFF #SciFi

In The Vanguard by Chloe Smith

When I’m back from a vanguard run, they all say they can’t understand me. My neighbors, my family, my lover, they all ask, how do you do it?

inner-worlds.ghost.io

11 11

Reposted by Janna Layton

Apex Magazine (is funding for 2026!) 🎉 @apexmag.bsky.social · Sep 7

Hey, who turned out the lights?? 🕯️🕯️🕯️

The theme for September's flash fiction contest is CANDLELIGHT! You have until the end of this month to submit. Full submission details linked below ⬇️

www.patreon.com/posts/septem...

a bunch of lit candles are on a table

Alt: A ton of flickering candles sitting in melted wax on the ground

media.tenor.com

1 10 24

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · Sep 5

Wow, they look like the galls of Feron gigas, the saucer gall wasp.

Red galls on a green oak leaf. The galls are bowl-shaped with a small dome in the center

2

Reposted by Janna Layton

Luna Station Quarterly @lunastation.bsky.social · Sep 2

The new issue is out! We are storytelling animals, always have been, always will be. This issue is proof that stories still mean something in our world.

www.lunastationquart...

#ShortStories #WomenWriters #SpeculativeFiction #Fantasy #SciFi #Books #Reading #Writing #Magazines

1 8 23

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · Aug 26

Unisexual generation oak gall season!!! 🥰

Feron pattersonae, Feron gigas, Feron crystallinum, and Andricus brunneus, all on blue or Jolon oak. #gallsky

2

Janna Layton @jannalayton.bsky.social · Aug 19

They are so cute! I love their little tail bobs.

1 1