Samuel Robinson

Scientist @IMBatUQ using sting chemistry to study pain physiology. National Geographic Explorer @insidenatgeo. Sting opinions (and photos) my own.

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

What’s the worst sting? Is a scorpion, centipede or wasp sting different to a bee’s? Do those even sting? 
In this account I share my experiences with the world’s stinging wildlife. I describe the sting in the style of my late friend and collaborator Dr Justin Schmidt* 1/2

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Tarantula Hawk. Tribe Pepsini [Omkoi, Thailand; ID appreciated]. 38 mm. Asia. Liquid heat – a lava bubble pops and splashes your ankle. Pain level: 6/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Whip scorpion. Order Uropygi [Omkoi, Thailand; ID appreciated]. 21 mm. Asia. Unflappable  – no sting or spray, not even a nip. Pain level: 0/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Most painful sting so far. Some behind the scenes coverage:

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Asian giant centipede. Scolopendra subspinipes. 120 mm. Asia. Spreading, aching, throbbing pressure, fighting to escape. All-encompassing and overwhelming – your worst sinus infection, on a long-haul flight – when will it end. Pain level: 10/10

[Nick Volpe @nvolpewild]

One of my favourite MOTHS!!! 🤯🖤
They mimic a wasp SO well that I always get nervous seeing them still! 😅

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

European fire ant. Myrmica rubra. 7 mm. Europe. “The prickle of stinging nettles against your skin on a hot, humid day”–Justin Schmidt. Pain level: 2/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Square-headed wasp. Ectemnius sp. 17 mm. Asia. Too cool for school – no sting. Pain level: 0/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

UQ’s PhD scholarship round is now open (closing Aug 31). If you or someone you know is interested in pursuing a PhD in venom-related research at one of Australia’s top research institutes, let me know!

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Black-bellied hornet. Vespa basalis. 24 mm. Asia. Intense and bloody building sharpness – Another memorable nail gun misadventure. Pain level: 7/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Asian needle ant. Brachyponera chinensis. 3 mm. Asia. True to name – jabbed repeatedly with tiny needles. Pain level: 2/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Bicolor ant. Stictoponera bicolor. 5 mm. Asia. The lights are on but no one's home. No sting. Pain level: 0/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Yellow-legged hornet. Vespa velutina. Vespidae. 20 mm. Asia. Instant intense building sharpness that turns bloody – a memorable misadventure with a nail gun. Pain level: 7/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Red-footed ant. Pseudoneoponera rufipes. Formicidae. 18 mm. Asia. A little burn leaves a blister – you impatiently tried to sip the foam off your hot chocolate and got the scolding liquid on the tip of your tongue. Pain level: 3/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Army ant. Dorylus sp. Formicidae. 7 mm. Asia. Happy to nibble but no sting. Pain level: 0/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Elephant nettle. Dendrocnide sinuata. 10 m. Asia. Tried out some cheap dentistry, shouldn’t have - starts as a rashy tingle but beware the toothbrush or anything remotely cold for the next week. Pain level: 4/10

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Note: This non-stinging fly mimics bumble bees (genus Bombus) in both appearance and behaviour. Although it doesn’t sting, it does have a sharp spikes, which when combined with the mimicry can make a convincing case for release.

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Bee mimic fly [WY, USA; ID appreciated]. 12 mm. North America. Cloak and dagger, but the dagger is plastic. No sting. Pain level: 0/10

[Science Magazine @ScienceMagazine]

Up close, the army ant Eciton hamatum is part monster, part marvel. Curved mandibles jut from its bulbous head like a pair of scimitars. Six whip-thin legs, bristling with hairs and spines, suspend its slender thorax above the ground. Then there are the insect’s innards—the tiny brain, the musculature filling virtually every nook and cranny of the exoskeleton, the digestive tract like a thread running the length of the body.

The view of this species, and 791 others, comes thanks to a particle accelerator and years of painstaking work by a team of biologists.

Learn more: https://t.co/h7Oz4z8bOS @NewsfromScience

[Samuel Robinson @StingScience]

Our research @StingScience @IMBatUQ showcasing some surprising insights into evolution from wasp stings and frog skin – today in @ScienceMagazine https://t.co/Z3fJde3x4g

[The Conversation - Australia + New Zealand @ConversationEDU]

The discovery shines a light on what has, until now, been an underappreciated feature of evolution which suggests life is not so random after all. @StingScience @UQ_News https://t.co/gWGudHDGxs