attending the International Congress of Zoology in Beijing. I’ve been to China several times over the last several decades and each time that I’m here, it seems to have completely changed. Among other things, the adoption of electric cars here is massive.

I spotted a bunch of western conifer seed bugs (Leptoglossus occidentalis) on true firs in the arboretum of the Czech University of Life Sciences. They are native to North America but widely present non-native insect in Europe. I wonder what ecological impacts they are having?

The European Commission's "Choose Europe" campaign aims to promote scientific career opportunities available in Europe to scientists in other parts of the world. Interestingly, they chose to use me as a poster child for part of their campaign! commission.europa.eu/topics/resea...

☀️THE SUMMER FIGHT FOR SCIENCE☀️

🫵 WHO: You + all our friends

🧪 WHAT: Share science with your neighbors and tell them about the impact of proposed budget cuts.

🇺🇸 WHERE: Your local community

🏖️ WHEN: Now to Sept 30th

🔬 WHY: The 9/30 budget vote will determine the future of science in America.

Invasion success among insects is unevenly distributed and strongly influenced by both taxonomic identity and trophic group, with herbivorous Hemiptera and Thysanoptera notably over-represented among non-native species.

🔗 doi.org/10.3897/neob...

Trump administration is systematically destroying the scientific research capacity of the US, also via cuts to Federal agencies www.nytimes.com/2025/05/24/u...

Critics argued that the president it bought was in poor condition and not fully functional.

We are hiring! forestinvasion.cz/en
Three postdoc positions in the field of biological invasions are open at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, funded through Horizon Europe:
forestinvasion.cz/en/r-20693-n...

forestinvasion.cz/en/r-20693-n...

forestinvasion.cz/en/r-20693-n...

Apparently part of the Musk-Trump "efficiency" plan is the elimination of plant health inspectors at US ports. Like pretty much everything that this administration has done so far, it seems like a huge mistake.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/h...

Congrats to the Washington State Department of Agriculture for successfully eradicating the northern giant hornet! poo-poo to people who say eradication is impossible!
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/u...