Terrific article on the deep sea: how little we knew in the past, the wonders we are just beginning to discover, & the vital importance of protection from new threats.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/jun/09/ping-pong-sponges-black-smokers-and-floating-somethings-the-secrets-of-the-deep-sea […]
Fab news from China! Congrats to citizens & scientists who saved a key Spoon-billed Sandpiper wintering site, shared with 20,000 waterbirds of 46 species, from a new highway in Guangxi! Thanks Beijing for halting it & local government for seeking alternatives. www.sixthtone.com/news/1018593 #birds
Bower's Lake, Leeds was bejewelled by damselfies, a few caddisfly larvae to be found on the vegetation along with Great Pond Snails (Lymnaea stagnalis), but the most abundant #invertebrate species were, I think, the invasive alien Jenkin's Spire-Snail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum). #molluscmonday 5/6
The road was planned to cut through a critical spoon-billed sandpiper habitat. By first organizing online, and then taking action offline, amateur activists halted its construction.
Giant clams produce ~8 kg/cm2 of closure pressure (114 psi), less than a human bite. So you'd feel a big pinch if one closed on you, but not dangerous! They generally don't want you in their shells with them, so they'll reopen if you keep still, and large clams often can't close completely […]
