Alyssa F.

((But to be clear, amphicylonidae are (as far as I understand) more basal to caniforma (older than either bears or dogs), but that doesn’t make them more closely related to cats. That was a misremembered tidbit. They are still super cool animals!))

Mark Witton's Palaeoart Journey Fossils and Fiction · Episode

New #fossilsandfiction episode featuring the extremely talented Mark Witton!

Mark had some fantastic insights into the ways paleo and pop culture intersect, especially for the very famous #TRex in his new book ‘King Tyrant’! 🦖

tinyurl.com/34aerxt4

Illustrators call out journals and news sites for using AI art Bot-made art undermines research and public trust in science, say illustrators frustrated by inaccurate and outlandish depictions.

"AI images don’t succinctly or accurately communicate scientific concepts & could undermine public trust in science... inaccuracies wouldn’t fly if they were created by a person, “but for some reason, having this sheen of fake polish that comes with AI kind of erases all of those standards” 🧪#sciart

A lovely drawing of me presenting my silly Pint of Science talk, via Jack Fletcher (my student 🥺🥺). A lady sketched in blue in a ponytail, field gear and an apron is saying sassy things about the consumption of ancient bug meat.

The wall that faces my recording area for the podcast, featuring: amazing long trilobite and anomalocaris fanart by Jack (from my bit about wanting long prehistoric lobster meat). Also, that one ikea lamp everyone has and some fairy lights. The art is in a wood and glass frame.

Per my last post, the art from Jack Fletcher from my Pint of Science bug recipe rant- and also, this tremendous longth animal pairing from my Fringe Fest yap about breeding increasingly long Cambrian animals- always makes me smile. #AusPaleo #fanart #fossils #scicomm

Excellent showcase! I think it can be intimidating for new artists to show their pieces to researchers. Accuracy and anatomy are important elements of paleo art. But we’re people, too! Most people appreciate it when you engage with their work. I personally adore any art of my buggy bois.

Had a great time presenting at #pintofscience2025 with @slyssabits.bsky.social and @sharkslikejazz.bsky.social. Thanks to all the organisers for giving me the chance to talk about seals 🦭

A version of poster art for Delicious in Dungeon/Dungeon Meishi has been modified. The text now reads “cooking in Cambrian” and the monsters/food have been replaced with various Cambrian animals, drawn by a variety of talented artists that are not me. Thank you, Ni075 especially!

Bonus content: this didn’t make it into the presentation, but it is pretty indicative of the content the audience got.

A woman in some kind of paleontologist get up gives a double thumbs up, standing in front of a powerpoint screen. Her smile is large and unsettling. It’s me!

A confident woman stands before an ocean themed presentation, speaking calmly into the microphone. It’s Lucille!

A man stands before an adorable seal, prepared to make devastatingly funny jokes and show people some super cute animals. It’s James!

Had so much fun presenting at #PintofScience2025 last night with @palaeo-jrule.bsky.social and @sharkslikejazz.bsky.social ! Thank you both for so many awesome secret sea-crit facts, and thanks to the organizers at Pint of Science Australia!

This was such a fun chat, and lots of great info for up and coming artists in our space! Have a listen :)

Hey folks! Another awesome Karim event is coming up soon. If you weren’t at the first virtual extinct fine art gallery for paleo artists this year, you missed a real treat.

But don’t worry- Karim is bringing this and more art events to our community in the coming months!

Total treat meeting James and chatting about all things paleo creativity! James outs so much thought into all his work. Cannot wait to share all you had to say with listeners (including some of my students ☺️!). Thanks for joining us!

Awesome short explainer on the whole dire wolf situation.

Even if you’re fine with “modified grey wolves”, should a company that misleads the public and investors keep getting access to resources, materials and funding to make them? esp when it’s a method that won’t/can’t produce real dire wolves?

KRAKEN GUY! He was at GSA 2019; the room was so full I couldn’t get in.

LOL.

Savage (but accurate I guess)

Also, another well written 'Big Story' from @wired.com 👏

I was part of the team that helped collect the transect, and I have to say, it’s a great joy to finally see our work getting out there for everyone to see! Heck yeah Steph!

You can find me in the acknowledgements (my first time appearing in science publication, eep!)

The Bunker’s Graben (BUG), where the start of the Cambrian is splayed before you like a pack of cards

THE BUG IS LOOSE 🦐!

2020-2021, a team of Cambrian workers completed a massive transect (the BUG) through the Flinders Ranges looking at a highly complete series of early Cambrian stratigraphic units.

Today, the story of BUG begins, with Steph Richter-Stretton’s new paper: tinyurl.com/33b6a8ke

Thinking about the amazing women in my field on #internationalwomensday. Anne Holmes, Amy Brock-Hon and Bret Buskirk were some of the first to help me fall in love with fossils, while folks like these have nurtured the field here in Aus! So lucky to know so many kickass ladies 💚!

Did not realize Phoebe was on this platform! Tagging her so listeners can find her amazing research (and see more of Jacob’s awesome illustrations)!

@phoebyornis.bsky.social @blokoweka.bsky.social

This was such a fun interview! Thank you again to Dr. Phoebe McInerney for schooling me on Genyornis, the swamp-dwelling giant, flightless bird from Australia’s not-so-distant past!

A direct hit Earlier this month, the Trump administration set off a frenzy in the US scientific community when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that indirect cost reimbursement for federally funde...

Unite! 💪

"Conflicts btw faculty & administrators ... should be set aside to focus attention on this ruthless takedown of academia. All disciplines will be affected by these cuts, not just science.

This is a moment to unite."

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... by @holdenthorp.bsky.social

They’ve only waited 120Ma.
A new glimpse into theropod diversity from Early Cretaceous Australia: megaraptorids, an unenlagiine, and for the first time, carcharodontosaurians.

Read it here: tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Artwork by Jonathan Metzger.

1/10

Oh and thank you to Jake for moderating, and to all who attended or asked questions!

A black and white photo featuring (from left to right): Doris, Pat, Adele, myself, and Sally. Pat is speaking while we all look on, contemplative or smiling.

Same seating order, this photo is in color. Hey, I’m yapping! People are being patient.

A selfie from Adele, with Pat raising her small, stuffed Leaellynasaura.

What a blast, being on the inaugural Women in Palaeontology panel in Inverloch this past week! Thank you again to Sally Hurst for leading the panel. And thank you to co-panelists Adele Pentland, Pat Vickers-Rich, and Doris Seegets-Villiers for being kickass #womeninSTEM 🌟

📸: R. Duncan, A. Pentland

Two opabinia, prehistoric shrimp-like creatures with long trunks, share a bouquet made of sea creatures. Text: we're two peas in a lobo-pod.

A marella, a creature that resembles a horseshoe crab or trilobite, carries an engagement ring. Text: will you marry-ella me?

An ayshea, a prehistoric creature with a round mouth, multiple legs, and wormlike body, holding a pair of sunglasses. Text: ayyyyyyyyyyyy girl

An anomalocaris, an arthropod with fins and two prominent front claws, holding a heart-shaped box of valentines chocolate. Text: I anomalo-care about you

Happy Valentine’s Day- Show your friends that your feelings will NEVER go extinct with some cambrian critters.

Episode 40: Feasts and Beasts

A strangely proportioned smiling lady (why is her neck so long??) with a hi vis vest and a hard hat gives a thumbs up. She’s outside, where it’s sunny and nice, and also there are lots of rocks!

The vast crumbling cliffsides of the eastern Victorian coast (that’s Victoria, Australia- I haven’t yet mastered time travel). These boulders have yielded material from both large and small dinosaurs through the end of the Cretaceous, telling us more about polar dinosaurs. The weather is nice. The boulders are crawling with hard hatted scientists, who are nose deep in the rocky contents.

Happy #internationaldayofwomenandgirlsinSTEM (what a mouthful)! Greetings from beautiful Inverloch VIC, where the Cretaceous bone animal hunt continues. Love Dino Dreaming!

Thanks Karim! This was my first ever panel and I feel very honored!

Listen and chat - more about the online event!

I had to repost this as I have an amazing announcement: @extinctmonsters.bsky.social, exhibition developer at the Chicago Field Museum, will give a presentation!

After short welcome you are invited to chat and network.

You can still join!

more below

Poster advertising the launch event for Chris Manias (editor), Palaeontology in Public (UCL Press, 2025). It contains the following text: Online Book Launch Tuesday 18 February, 18:00-19:30 (UK Time) on Zoom Chaired by Adrian Currie Responses from Mike Benton, Riley Black, Natalia Jagielska and Alison Laurence And discussion with some of the chapter authors. Register at: https://forms.office.com/e/gpWburvZPk There is also an image of the book cover. This features the text "Palaeontology in Public: Popular Science, Lost Creatures and Deep Time. Edited by Chris Manias." The cover image depicts a large long-necked Sauropod dinosaur, modelled after the famous animation "Gertie the Dinosaur" in a park, with a city skyline in the background. A range of humans are standing around Gertie, pointing at and admiring her. There is also a man in a ringmaster outfit standing on Gertie's shoulder.

We'll be having the online launch for Palaeontology in Public on Tue 18 Feb 18:00-19:30 UK-time

It will feature comments from Mike Benton, Riley Black, Natalia Jagielska and Alison Laurence, & discussion with some of the chapter authors

More info & signup link here: forms.office.com/e/gpWburvZPk

Some amazingly talented folks have helped put together this Virtual Art Gallery!

I am also here 🙃. This my first time ever participating in a gallery or any kind of art show (outside grade school), and my one contribution is pretty amateur. But it’s nice trying to get out there more to improve!