A'liya Spinner, of bee-sketching fame, recently authored two magazine features highlighting the U-M Museum of Zoology’s collections. These include the herpetological collection – the largest in the world! A’liya works as a laboratory technician at UMMZ with Collection Manager Dr. Taro Eldredge, where A'liya preserves and catalogs bee specimens to ensure their availability for future generations of researchers.

A'liya’s first article, "The Three-Century Lifespan of the Modern Bee," appeared in The Long Now and was later reprinted in the magazine’s special “best-of” edition, Pace Layers. In it, A'liya reflects on the enduring value of preservation, writing: “It is together, collector and collection, that our lifespans stretch for centuries.”

A'liya's second article, "Of Archives and Arthropods," was published in Contingent Magazine as part of their series “The Losses,” which explores the challenges faced by archivists and museums during recent budget cuts. In the essay, A'liya describes her work as “rescuing some of these lost souls”—including more than 20,000 bees, each carefully cataloged and given a permanent home at UMMZ. These specimens now provide future scientists with the opportunity to track changes in body shape and size over time, offering crucial insight into the effects of climate change.