I am a #biologist, #acarologist (my research area), entomologist and #evolutionary biologist. Also nature #photographer and nature and #macro #filmmaker. I am interested in all aspects of biology, and I also have a great weakness for astronomy and perform pictorial arts. Here you can see a mite of the genus #Balaustium (Erythraeidae), but my research is on mites of the #Histiostomatidae (Astigmata). Both Acariformes. I only have this one Twitter profile. © Stefan F. Wirth 2023

When we engage in an #internalmonologue, we generally try to do so discreetly and silently. But what happens if we lose control over our lips and end up #speaking out loud #toourselves? Does this have an #impact on our #brain, and if so, what kind? A #research team has published findings in the journal Brain Sciences indicating that talking to oneself has a positive effect on the #regulation of #emotions. H.-J. Jo et al. (2024) investigated how the brain processes emotional sentences presented to participants, either in their #ownvoice (previously recorded and #synthesized) or in the voices of others. The study also evaluated whether the specific #method of #emotionalregulation, #selfaffirmation versus #cognitivedefusion, makes a difference. Self-affirmation aims to bolster positive aspects, such as one’s goals, strengths, and self-worth. Cognitive defusion, by contrast, serves to create #psychologicaldistance from a thought, thereby reducing its emotional power. The results indicate that the brain distinguishes between one’s own voice and the voices of others, suggesting that using one’s own voice during self-talk can facilitate emotional regulation. Furthermore, the brain differentiates between the two aforementioned strategies when they are expressed through one’s own voice. Post-hoc tests revealed that, compared to self-affirmation, cognitive defusion triggered greater activity in specific regions of the right #temporallobe: the superior temporal sulcus (#STS), the middle temporal lobe, and the #parahippocampal #cortex. These regions are involved in language and auditory processing, as well as in #autobiographicalmemory. The study demonstrates that engaging in self-talk using one’s own voice shifts our auditory and memory-related neural networks into a state of heightened activity. Moreover, it shows that the brain is particularly sensitive to the recognizable quality of one’s own voice when we employ cognitive defusion to distance ourselves from difficult emotions. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin Please support my science communication and artistic illustration efforts: ko-fi.com/sfwirth Reference: H.-J. Jo et al. (2024): doi.org/10.3390/brainsci1407… #Illustrations: 1) – 3) An actor works on gaining better control over various emotional strategies in his own voice; © Stefan F. Wirth, AI-assisted #artisticillustration based on my hand-drawn sketches, manually edited, October 2026, Berlin

Impressive video showing #Nycticorax #nycticorax lined up waiting for a suitable occasion for #fishing. This species belongs to the #herons known for using #bait to attract fish, a behavior that can be classified as #tooluse in #birds. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin further reading: B. P. Combs and M. A. Réglade (2022): heronconservation.org/jhbc/v…

The 2026 feature #film "#Whalefall," directed by Brian Duffield, tells the story of a #scubadiver who, while underwater, witnesses a #spermwhale hunting a #giantsquid. Just as the whale is about to devour its prey, the squid grabs the diver, who is subsequently #swallowed along with it. What follows is a #struggleforsurvival under #claustrophobic conditions. The film is based on a 2023 #novel by the American author and Pulitzer Prize winner Daniel Kraus. Claustrophobia has been incorporated into a wide variety of plots, but finding oneself inside a living organism is, at the very least, original and intriguing. Given that modern #CGI can render almost anything with convincing quality, the sperm whale, at least in its outward appearance, is quite persuasive. In terms of its #premise, I would categorize the film as a work of #fantasy. While the author states that he was inspired by a viral video, in which a swimmer was nearly swallowed by a humpback whale, the reality is that, under natural conditions, no more risk than this can occur. This is not to say that approaching whales is always safe; however, a human being would not actually be #eaten, and very certainly not while wearing full #scubagear. What characterizes this film, which is seemingly well-crafted in terms of #dramaturgy, #technicalexecution, and #acting, is a particular underlying concept of the whale: that of a creature devoid of self-control or intelligence, a #floatingvessel with an opening that draws in anything that happens to drift too close. This has spelled doom for famous fictional characters before, from the biblical #Jonah to the storybook figure #Pinocchio. Yet, a whale is a #mammal, and not one reduced by its exclusively aquatic existence to a mindless, colossal shell. On the contrary, #phylogenetic #reconstructions, based primarily on #molecular and fossil evidence, reveal that whales are closely related to #hippopotamuses, with the extinct taxon #Raoellidae considered their direct sister group. To put it precisely: whales evolved from the #Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates). What does this mean? We must think of the whale as a highly sensitive mammal, an even-toed ungulate, closely related to #cows, #sheep, and #pigs. Whales are highly #socialanimals capable of complex interactions. They are #intelligent and possess a dense network of #nerveendings, much like our own; for instance, if a scrap of paper accidentally sticks to a piece of chewing gum, the #sensitive lining of our mouth immediately detects it. It is safe to assume that a whale’s oral mucosa is similarly highly sensitive, which is why it would instantly spit out anything that doesn't belong there. Furthermore, while the film correctly identifies the location and structure of whale organs, such as the three-chambered stomach, it overlooks the fact that the stomach, like all other organs, is highly dynamic and mobile; it shifts and compresses depending on the animal's body position. In such a scenario, a human’s supply of compressed air would be of no use; their body would be subjected to such intense #pressure that they would suffocate immediately. Why is it that large whales are so often portrayed as something #primitive, #uncontrolled, and "un-animal-like"? #Aristotle, the ancient Greek polymath and tutor to Alexander the Great, otherwise known for his precise and analytical insights into the natural world, did recognize similarities between whales and mammals, yet he still classified them as #fish. This was an error that was not corrected until 1758 by Carl #Linnaeus. In the intervening centuries, countless tall #tales were spun, partly surviving until today. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin please support my science writing: ko-fi.com/sfwirth #Illustrations: © Stefan F. Wirth, AI assisted illustrations, based on my handdrawn sketches, manually edited: a scuba diver with a sperm whale, and a scuba diver, remaining unharmed and alone, after a sperm whale left

The #honeybee’s #lancets, part of its #venomdelivery #apparatus, #function as opposing #pistons. Operating on a #dualpistonprinciple, they ensure a continuous, uninterrupted #injection of #venom into the victim's tissue. The honey bee’s stinging apparatus possesses unique #adaptations for the delivery of defensive venom, distinct from the mechanisms typically found in other arthropods. Its most notable feature is its ability to function #autonomously. After stinging a potential threat, the bee flies away, leaving the venom apparatus behind, a process that is fatal to the bee. The detached stinging apparatus, however, remains active for up to 15 minutes. During this time, #muscles move the two lancets, housed within the stinger, back and forth. Because each lancet is connected to the venom sac via a #valvelike structure, the valves open and close rhythmically, ensuring a #continuousflow of venom into the victim's skin. Simultaneously, the alternating motion of the lancets causes them to #burrow ever deeper into the victim's tissue with every downward stroke. This activity is controlled by a #ganglion that is torn away along with the venom apparatus. It continues to drive the apparatus until all available energy reserves, stored as ATP, are completely exhausted. F. Ramirez-Esquivel et al. (2026) were the first to reconstruct this dual-piston mechanism, a feature unique in the animal kingdom, using high-speed videography, micro-computed tomography, and physical modeling, thereby providing a detailed functional-morphological analysis. For #engineers or #medical professionals, this natural #operatingprinciple may be of practical interest, for instance, in the design of more efficient, tiny medical #micropumps. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin please support my science communication efforts: ko-fi.com/sfwirth reference: F. Ramirez-Esquivel et al. (2026): doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2603916…

A new #fossil from #China sheds new light on the #evolution of early #birdlike #dinosaurs. #Flight #feathers emerged in feathered #theropods, whose feathers #originally served #functions such as #thermoregulation, #camouflage, #courtship displays, or the incubation of #eggs. Forelimbs adapted for flight evolved only later. The new fossil, #Yuezhuornis #yangyuanensis, discovered in the #Zhenghe #fauna of China and dating back approximately 150 million years, belongs to the early radiation of bird-like dinosaurs (#Avialae). According to the study by researchers L. Xu et al. (2026) , it is not certain whether the direct ancestors of Yuezhuornis were necessarily fully capable of flight, whether flight evolved in a complex manner or on multiple occasions, or whether Yuezhuornis secondarily lost the ability to fly, even while closely related contemporaries, such as #Zhengheornis, were #capableofflight. However, the authors identified an unusual combination of traits in this fossil. The #forelimbs, typically organs for flight in members of the Avialae, are notably #shortened, rendering them unsuitable for flight. Conversely, the #toes are uniquely #modified; much like those of #Velociraptor or #Deinonychus, they feature an enlarged, #sickleshaped, and flexible second toe, which served to #capture and kill #prey. The researchers therefore reconstruct Y. yangyuanensis as having adopted a #grounddwelling #lifestyle (comparable to modern ostriches) as an #agile #predator and may have secondarily abandoned flight. The animal, roughly the size of a crow and weighing about 820 grams, may have used its #rudimentarywings to enhance its agility, for instance by aiding in the rapid ascent of slopes through fluttering movements. Furthermore, these structures likely played a significant role in mate selection (sexual selection) and may have been used during the incubation of eggs. The researchers interpret this fossil discovery as evidence that the evolutionary history of early bird-like dinosaurs involved the development of a diverse range of forms #adapted to various #ecologicalconditions, a process that, much like in modern birds, included perhaps even the secondary loss of the ability to fly. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin please support my science communication efforts: ko-fi.com/sfwirth reference: L. Xu et al. (2026): doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-1…

A new #study is the first comprehensive #comparativeinvestigation into the energy efficiency of #birdflight. It is common knowledge that different bird species exhibit varying degrees of grace in flight; however, the actual energy efficiency of avian flight had not previously been studied empirically in the wild. One might for example assume that the Andean #condor #Vultur #gryphus and the #trumpeter #swan #Cygnus #buccinator (like the mute swan Cygnus #olor) would require roughly the same amount of #energy to fly, given their similar #size and #weight. Yet, the study by M. Scacco et al. (2026) reveals that this is not the case. Data analysis from observations of 50 bird and bat species in the wild shows that e.g. the Andean condor is significantly more #energyefficient in flight than the trumpeter swan than previously expected. This is because the condor can exploit #updrafts, spending the vast majority of its time #gliding. The trumpeter swan, by contrast, is unable to utilize such updrafts and must instead rely on #speed and #wingflapping. While the study focuses on #atmosphericdynamics and empirical #energyexpenditure, I summarize the basic fundamental reasons why a swan cannot utilize thermal updrafts like a condor based on general #biomechanics and #aerodynamics in the following paragraph. The explanation for these differences, and the reason why the swan cannot utilize updrafts, lies in the #wingloading variation. Wing loading refers to the ratio of a bird's body weight to the surface area of ​​its wings (weight divided by wing area). Because the swan has undergone significant morphological #adaptations for life as a #waterfowl, it possesses a barrel-shaped body, heavy bones, and massive pectoral muscles. Relative to its weight of approximately 12 kilograms, its wings are quite short and narrow. Consequently, the bird experiences high wing loading during flight, which prevents it from utilizing updrafts to transition into a gliding phase. If a swan stops flapping its wings, it falls to the ground. Its high wing loading requires it to maintain a consistently high speed and powerful wing beats. The Andean condor, by contrast, possesses enormous, broad wings (with a span of up to three meters) and features extensions at the wingtips, resembling "fingertips", that help minimize air turbulence. The difference in flight behavior can be illustrated by comparing a swan to a passenger aircraft, such as an Airbus A320, and a condor to a glider-airplane. Just as an Airbus requires a long runway to generate sufficient airflow for lift, a swan must paddle across the surface of the water for a considerable distance, flapping its wings vigorously, before it can finally take flight. Generally, according to the authors, the flight modi in birds can be divided into gliders and flapping fliers. For their research, the scientists analyzed a wealth of GPS and radar data, leading them to conclude that natural airflows serve as a vital energy subsidy for many species. Traditional laboratory settings, such as wind tunnels or treadmills, fail to capture these dynamic environmental interactions, which is why the authors recognize bird flight in the wild the most energy-efficient locomotion style even before #swimming. In this context, the authors also note that understanding the relationship between bird flight and atmospheric dynamics is particularly significant in light of the changes brought about by #globalwarming. For when the composition the Earth's atmosphere changes, this also affects avian #migratoryroutes, which can contribute to alterations in #ecosystems. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin Please support my science communication and photography: ko-fi.com/sfwirth reference M. Scacco et al. (2026): doi.org/10.1126/science.aee6… #photos: © Stefan F. Wirth, #artistic #blackandwhite #photography of mute swans during their feather cleaning, important to be ready to fly, at #Tegelersee, #Berlin

Please like my new #YouTube #video about the new #prehistoric #species #Megacauda #sungei: youtu.be/X9cHcySCbgU?is=UKRh… #Mammals evolved from reptilian-like #ancestors. The monophyletic group that includes true mammals (crown group) and their mammal-like ancestors is known as the #Mammaliaformes. Early traits that emerged as apomorphies (newly evolved characteristics) at different positions in the phylogenetic tree within the mammaliform ancestor line towards Mammalia include #fur, #endothermy (warm-bloodedness), the consumption of mother’s #milk (licking milk like secretions), the beginnings of a heterodont (differentiated) #dentition and the possession of a #secondaryjaw joint. All members of non-Eutheria Mammaliaformes were #egglaying #amniotes. Their young hatched from the #eggs at an early stage, subsequently continued their development under the protection of their mother. Advantage: the eggs required fewer energy reserves and could be smaller. Young were nourished with maternal milk after #hatching. Evolutionarily, this milk is derived from secretions of sweat and sebaceous glands, which originally served to moisten the eggshell and provide it with antimicrobial protection. The ancestral condition involved the young lapping milk along the fur on the mother’s abdomen. In the #Daohugou #Formation of what is now Inner #Mongolia (northern China), Y. Li et al. (2026) discovered a well-preserved #fossil of a mammaliform belonging to the taxon #Docodonta. They described this animal, which measured approximately 50 cm in length, as a new species, Megacauda sungei. It lived about 165 million years ago in a #semiaquatic environment characterized by a network of vast, calm inland lakes (lacustrine systems), rivers, and volcanic landscapes. M. sungei possessed a stocky body, large, likely webbed feet, a notably large and #dorsoventrally #flattened #tail, and conspicuously enlarged #canineteeth. The species was a small predator. Furthermore, another complex of anatomical features was well-preserved in the fossil: the #swallowing apparatus. The pharynx included a #hyoid #apparatus (comprising hyoid and laryngeal bones), which allowed for the separation of breathing and swallowing, enabling the precise control of food within the #pharyngealcavity. This facilitated the safe, efficient ingestion of food and the milk secretions that young animals licked from their mother, and the same time enabled the act of #suckling. The authors conclude that the last common #stemspecies of the Docodonta and Mammalia lineages must have possessed these specialized swallowing adaptations. According to some research papers, I found indications for specific common features in the Docodonta and Hadrocodium regarding mandibular and teeth morphology (e.g. Zhe-Xi Luo et al., 2022), which I interpreted as common apomorphies. Docodonta thus might be the sister group to Hadrocodium, but it is the traditionally reconstructed situation with Docodonta as sister group to the clade comprising Hadrocodium plus Mammalia that is preferred by the majority of scientists. General note: Due to limited availability of character informations in fossils, their phylogeny is permanently newly debated. The last common ancestor of Docodonta and Mammalia possessed this flexible pharynx, meaning that the pre-adaptations for true milk suckling from teats, which only evolved in Theria (Mammalia) had already emerged long before. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin Please support my science communication: ko-fi.com/sfwirth Reference: Y. Li et al. (2026): doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-1… Illustrations and video animations: © Stefan F. Wirth; AI-assisted visualizations based on my own hand-drawn sketches and storyboards, with illustrations and animations manually edited. 1) Artistic reconstruction of Megacauda sungei 2) M. sungei swimming 3) Phylogenetic tree of a portion of the Mammaliaformes, highlighting key plesiomorphies 4) minor part from my video: M. sungei swimming

How is it that some #animals, including mammals, have a relatively short #lifeexpectancy? Conversely, how can the #longevity observed in certain #tetrapods be explained? Is there a genomic basis for extreme longevity? It remains unknown whether animals other than #humans #fear #aging and its physical consequences. It is also unclear whether exceptionally long-lived species, such as certain deep-sea sharks or tortoise s, lead more carefree lives. While understanding the #geneticfoundations of longevity will not enable us to live to the age of 200, but it may help us better comprehend and treat the effects of aging in humans. B. Vaisvil et al. (2026) provide #epigenetic #insights into extreme longevity in the world’s oldest terrestrial animal, #Jonathan. This animal is an #Aldabra #gianttortoise (#Aldabrachelys #gigantea), which is currently 194 years old. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin Reference: B. Vaisvil et al. (2026): doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adw88…

The common #octopus typically possesses eight #arms, though instances of arm #bifurcation, resulting in a split or duplicated arm, do occur. The use of such #additionalarms was examined in greater detail for the first time in a 2025 #study. The arms of #cephalopods like the #commonoctopus (Octopus #vulgaris, #Mollusca)) are densely packed with #neurons, enabling the animal to perform various #functions, such as exploring its environment, grasping prey, or mating. These arms are capable of #regeneration following injury; thus, lost arms can be replaced. The octopus's #nervoussystem must adapt to any resulting changes in #sensoryperception. S. E. Soule et al. (2025) studied a common octopus specimen with #ninearms, a condition resulting from the duplication of a single arm. When the octopus was younger, the duplicated arms were preferentially used for #activities #beneath the animal's body. However, this specialization was lost as the octopus aged. Instead, the duplicated arms were subsequently used primarily in situations where the sequence of actions and their consequences could be reliably predicted. The study's findings suggest that #neuralcontrol #mechanisms #adapt to the new situation presented by unusual arm characteristics, indicating that #changes occurred within the nervous system. The authors hypothesize that the arm bifurcation led to #branchial #neuraldifferentiation and that such changes might point to #posttraumatic #associations in O. vulgaris individuals. Furthermore, the results of this study, and future neurological research into octopus regeneration, could serve as models for the development of #robotics and #prosthetics, allowing these technologies to be designed based on the octopus's regenerative processes. © #StefanFWirth, October 2026, Berlin reference: S. E. Soule et al. (2025): doi.org/10.3390/ani15071034