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The Inquisitive Biologist

@inqbiol@scicomm.xyz

Dutch evolutionary biologist-turned-book reviewer. Passionate about #scicomm, https://inquisitivebiologist.com is where I review academic books on biology and other disciplines. You can support my work at https://ko-fi.com/inqbiol

Formerly at the University of Helsinki studying effect of eutrophication on sneaking behaviour of three-spined sticklebacks, now cataloguing natural history books for a specialist bookseller in Totnes, Devon, UK #biology #evolution #ecology #paleontology

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Joined October 29, 2022

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https://inquisitivebiologist.com

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The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Jul 26, 2026

This week's #NewBooks at the library: I went to DinoCon and treated myself to Sean Hennesy's Speed Thief Volumes 1 and 2, and two art portfolios by Steve White, Dread Sovereign and The Bone Cabin Chronicles #Books #Bookstodon #Palaeoart #Paleoart #Dinosaurs #Scicomm @bookstodon@fedigroups.social

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Jul 26, 2026

Today marks 107 years since the birth of #JamesLovelock and 4 years since he passed away. He is best remembered for the #Gaia hypothesis, which you can read more about in my four-part review, starting with https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023/07/26/book-review-gaia-a-new-look-at-life-on-earth/ #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Scicomm #Ecology #EarthSystemSciences

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Jul 12, 2026

#wasps #waspnest #entomology #insects Advise needed ❗ Dear hive mind (and @futurebird@sauropods.win), it looks like we have a wasp nest in our loft. After our boiler was replaced, two circular holes were left in the fascias that had overflow pipes coming out. Didn't stop to think that would make a perfect entry point for wasps and just noticed a steady stream of wasps going in and out. Time to call pest control (they will of course say yes, give us your money, we'll come and remove it)? Or should I just leave it until winter and then plug those holes after the wasps have left?

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Jun 29, 2026

New review: From Archaeopteryx then, to ten thousand species now: The Story of Birds sees Brusatte skillfully and captivatingly recount another chapter of life's evolutionary history. https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2026/06/29/book-review-the-story-of-birds-an-evolutionary-history-of-the-dinosaurs-that-live-among-us/ #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Evolution #Paleontology #Palaeontology #Fossils #Birds #Ornithology #Scicomm @bookstodon@fedigroups.social

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · May 11, 2026

New review: Beautiful in presentation and exhaustive in detail, At the Foot of the Himalayas is a technical synthesis of five decades of research on one of the world's most remarkable fossil records.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2026/05/11/book-review-at-the-foot-of-the-himalayas-paleontology-and-ecosystem-dynamics-of-the-siwalik-record/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Fossils #Paleontology #Palaeontology #Scicomm @bookstodon@a.gup.pe

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · May 06, 2026

Today is 167 years since the death of #AlexanderVonHumboldt. This admirably concise biography offers a factual and nuanced picture of his life and work, and critically interrogates previous portrayals.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2025/02/11/book-review-alexander-von-humboldt-a-concise-biography/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Biography #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #HistSci #Scicomm @princetonupress@mastodon.social @princetonnature@mastodon.social

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Apr 11, 2026

This week's #NewBooks at the library: Three more books from the January clearance sale of my employer:
- The Rise of Horses: 55 Million Years of Evolution from Johns Hopkins University Press (one I might just review in tandem with a more recent book on horse evolution. At some point.)
- Extraction to Extinction: Rethinking our Relationship with Earth's Natural Resources from @sarabandbooks@bookish.community.
- The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World from WH Allen. Somewhere there is a review series brewing about long-term thinking (no, not *that* sort of long-termism!)

#Evolution #Horses #NaturalResources #ResourceExtraction #Environmentalism #Books #Scicomm #Bookstodon @bookstodon@fedigroups.social

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Mar 21, 2026

This week's #NewBooks at the library: three more books from my employer's January sale
- The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush: Museums and Paleontology in America at the Turn of the Twentieth Century by Paul D. Brinkman from the University of Chicago Press;
- Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins, a wonderfully illustrated book by John Gurche from Yale University Press;
- Rethinking Human Evolution edited by Jeffrey H. Schwartz, a volume in the Vienna Series in Theoretical Biology from @themitpress@mastodon.mit.edu.

#Fossils #Paleontology #Palaeontology #Dinosaurs #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #HistSci #Anthropology #HumanEvolution #Books #Scicomm #Bookstodon @bookstodon@fedigroups.social

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Feb 13, 2026

9 years ago today, the #TokioExpress was hit by a rogue wave and spilled a container full of LEGO into the sea. Adrift is a beautifully presented book that tells the story of this unlikely cargo spill without making light of the very serious problem of plastic pollution.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2022/05/12/book-review-adrift-the-curious-tale-of-the-lego-lost-at-sea/

#Oceans #Plastic #Pollution #OceanPlastic #Beachcombing #Lego #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Scicomm

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · May 23, 2023

New review: The textbook to virology for those intimidated by textbooks to virology, Viruses: A Natural History is a handsomely illustrated crash course that shows viruses are not just pathogens but are fascinating in their own right.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023/05/23/book-review-viruses-a-natural-history/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Viruses #Virology #Scicomm @princetonupress@mastodon.social @princetonnature@mastodon.social @bookstodon@a.gup.pe

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · May 03, 2023

Replying to @mike@sauropods.win

@mike@sauropods.win Now that I have read them both, Ancient Sea Reptiles is my favourite, fantastic if you are new to the topic. The Princeton guide comes in a good second if you want to go deeper. For a more substantial version of the above, see https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023/04/28/book-review-ancient-sea-reptiles-plesiosaurs-ichthyosaurs-mosasaurs-more/ and https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023/05/03/book-review-the-princeton-field-guide-to-mesozoic-sea-reptiles/

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Apr 25, 2023

Replying to @mike@sauropods.win

@mike@sauropods.win Stick around, the first review will be forthcoming later this week.

The Inquisitive Biologist @inqbiol@scicomm.xyz · Apr 25, 2023

Up next: sea reptiles vs. sea reptiles!

@TetZoo@sauropods.win @princetonupress@mastodon.social #Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Paleontology #Palaeontology #Mosasaurs #Plesiosaurs #Ichthyosaurs #Scicomm @bookstodon@a.gup.pe

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