@euphanerops
Fan of fossil fishes. Postdoc at University of Birmingham. Especially interested in using fossil and living taxa to understand the evolution of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Also paint miniatures very slowly.
Looking for a small grant for systematics work? Check us out! systass.org/linnesys/
Deadline is MARCH 27 at 23:59 GMT+1
All you need is to be a member of the @systassn.bsky.social or the @linneansociety.bsky.social
Caveat, legally, we cannot fund anyone in these countries:
tinyurl.com/wemwtfrz
ICAL are on home ground today!
Weβre at Manchester Museum taking part in their HUGE British Science Week science festival for local schools.
This year, thanks to our @thepalass.bsky.social grant, weβve added new interactive phylogenetic activity and an βsurviving disastersβ game to our roster!
The School of Biosciences at University of Birmingham is recruiting FIVE Assistant/Associate Profs in areas including fungal biology, plant science and bioengineering. Full details below ππΎπ§¬π§«
Photograph of a fossil fish skull in right lateral view. The bone is dark brown/black against a gray matrix.
Out now in Contributions from me and @gilespalaeo.bsky.social, a deep dive into an early member of the sturgeon and paddlefish lineage. Bear with me, but thereβs a long backstory highlighting uncertainty about the anatomy of living species and how well-studied fossils can still yield new insights.
Picture of a Trolly loaded with fossils and bones sat outside the entrance to a huge mall
Picture of one of our tables, full of mammal bones and dinosaur casts to talk about comparative anatomy. In the background is a a Caffè Nero
Our other table with fossils and a biomolecule activity on. We also have a cool new timeline and have been led a cute dinosaur friend
ICAL are ON TOUR!
Weβre taking part in FunLabs at the Trafford Centre all weekend, chatting fossils, biomolecules and bones with anyone who comes by.
Big thanks to the @thepalass.bsky.social engagement grant for giving us the funds to improve our resources (and buy a trolly which is awesome!) π
Cover of the journal Nature, featuring the head of a large fish with its mouth open. A smaller fish is swimming into its mouth. The cover reads "Caught in Time: Early fossils shed light on the origins of bony fish."
Osteichthyans--the bony fishes--are by far the most diverse group of living jawed vertebrates. Two papers out today in @nature.com feature remarkable new Chinese fossils that paint a picture of substantial morphological diversity among stem osteichthyans.
Call for 5-year NERC Independent Research Fellowships is now open. No limit on grant value and open to international applicants. If you're interested in being hosted by Earth Sciences at Oxford, our internal expression of interest deadline is 16th March. Further details: www.ukri.org/opportunity/...
Last week, amidst the hoopla over a new Speen, @fishfetisher.bsky.social suggested a review of naming papers in fancy journals in response to a post by @daveyfwright.bsky.social - I got bored after work and now I have (some) data!
π§΅π
#FossilFriday
#CharismaticTaxaAreOverrated
Ediacaran fossil surface on the coastline of Newfoundland, Canada
This #FossilFriday I am delighted to share a postdoctoral position that we @deeptimeecology.bsky.social @camzoology.bsky.social are advertising on early animal evolution in the #Ediacaran.
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc...
[3/3]... them through this difficult time, beginning by addressing their open letter shorturl.at/df5kF
You can read more about the Schoolβs plight here: geoscientist.online/sections/vie...
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Despite the long and celebrated research record of palaeontology at Leicester, the School of GGE is being affected by significant redundancies. What this means for PGRs is still uncertain, and we urge the University leadership to provide guidance and contingencies to help support (continue)
The Palaeontological Association has written to the President of the University of Leicester, requesting that the concerns of the PhD community over the planned redundancy of their supervisors are addressed.
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Nominations are now OPEN for the Edward Forbes Prize! π
Weβre celebrating outstanding contributions by early career researchers in taxonomic and systematic palaeontology π¦΄π
Know someone shaping the future of the field? Nominate them today!
#Palaeontology #EarlyCareerResearch #Taxonomy
Richard Owen Research Fund applications now open! Small grants of up to Β£1000 to assist palaeontological research on fossil fauna and flora of the British Isles and Ireland. Deadline: 28th Feb 2026. Award is open to both amateur and professional palaeontologists. https://www.palaeosoc.org/grants-prizes/research-funding-details/
Are you looking for a small grant to assist your palaeontological research on fossil fauna and/or flora of the British Isles and Ireland? π¦ππ¦π¦πΏ
Applications are now open for our Richard Owen Research Fund. Further details can be found here: www.palaeosoc.org/grants-prize...
Deadline 28th Feb 2026.
The Evolutionary Morphology Research Group (EvoMoRG: www.evomorg.org) at the Department of Palaeontology of the University of Vienna seeks a motivated PhD student (University Praedoc Assistant) as soon as possible.
For more information visit: jobs.univie.ac.at/job/Universi...
Respiratory structures in cornute stylophorans (Echinodermata)
doi.org/10.26034/la....
As always, published free (no page fees or OA costs) and free to read courtesy of @openpalaeo.bsky.social
#DiamondOA
Flattened fossils in a pale sandstone showing a long, catshark-shaped shark from the Jurassic. Below are grey silhouettes of these body shapes and a palaeoart reconstruction of the shark in life
Check out our new #OpenAccess paper in @commsbio.nature.com redescribing bewhiskered Jurassic shark Bavariscyllium, led by Sebastian Stumpf. Although relationships hard to pin down, its catshark-esque form shows sharks explored varied body shapes from the start. π¦γ°οΈ
www.nature.com/articles/s42...
An illustration of a Rhinopteraspis - an ancient jawless fish, being used to promote Lapworth Museumβs family event on February 18th 2026.
If you thought your family was weird, wait until you see these guys! Meet your relatives at @lapworthmuseum.bsky.social βs family event tomorrow, February 18th.
Such a privilege to have been able to provide the illustrations for this exhibition.
Our work on the histology and mineralization patterns of 3 Devonian chondrichthyan taxa from Morocco is finally out now! I am very happy to share this work and hope there will be more to come about early shark tooth histology!
Thanks to all my co-authors, especially Hector Botella!
rdcu.be/e34zE
The Brymbo Fossil Forest is offering students the chance to get involved in palaeontological excavations of a Carboniferous fossil forest in North Wales. QR code on image directs to further details.
π¨ UK Student Palaeo Research Opportunity π¨
Brymbo Fossil Forest are offering students the chance to get involved in active palaeontology research & excavations βοΈ at a unique #Carboniferous fossil site in Wales π΄σ §σ ’σ ·σ ¬σ ³σ Ώ - See below for more details β¬οΈ
#Paleontology #Geology #Fieldwork #FossilFriday #ECR
I'm really thrilled to see the "Cromhall Croc" finally getting the attention it deserves! Please welcome Galahadosuchus jonesi, named after Ewan's school science teacher, who inspired his love of the natural world β₯οΈ
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
JOB ALERT! Lecturer in Biological Sciences Come and join us in the world class Life Sciences Building at the University of Bristol! Closing date: Sunday 8 March
JOB ALERT! Lecturer in Biological Sciences Interested in our research areas? Click the link in our bio to discover more! Closing date: Sunday 8 March
JOB ALERT!
We are excited to announce that we are recruiting three new academics at lecturer level!
Click the link below for more info on how to apply, and donβt forget to explore our research themes too!
We look forward to receiving your applications!
www.bristol.ac.uk/jobs/find/de...
The Palaeontographical Society are seeking new council members for 2026. We are seeking nominations for: Vice-president, Editor, Treasurer and Ordinary Member. Nominations should include a paragraph outlining why you are interested in the role. Further details can be found here: https://www.palaeosoc.org/latest-news/seeking-treasurer-and-members-of-council/ or by contacting secretary@palaesoc.org / existing council members.
We're seeking new Council members!
Weβre seeking nominations for:
β’ Vice-President
β’ Treasurer
β’ Editor
β’ Ordinary Member
Help us to shape the future of palaeontological research and publishing. Interested? Get in touch to learn more or nominate a candidate.
#Palaeontology #AcademicService
2 RVC faculty jobs are advertised now!
Lecturer / Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences
Comparative Biomedical Sciences Department
Location: Camden (King's Cross, London)
Very broad search in the CBS department's remit
jobs.rvc.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
EDI-friendly
β¨ Calling all PalAss members & future members! β¨
π Explore all opportunities here: palass.org/awards-grant...
Not a PalAss member yet? Youβre very welcome to join us!
π palass.org/membership
Please share with colleagues and students who might benefit π¬β¨
#PalAss #grant #palaeontology #join
Photographs of palynomorphs and other fossil fragments extracted from sediments of the Lower Devonian Strathpeffer-Struie sequence from the Northern Highlands of Scotland. Clockwise from top: Emphanisporites foveolatus and an un-named sphaeromorph from the Moy Formation (scale bar 20 microns); Cymbosporites, Latosporites (in the centre of the image) and Diboliporites eifeliensis from the Moy Formation (scale bar 20 microns); a scorpion pectinal tooth (larger image at bottom right; scale bar 150 microns); Prototaxites sp and an un-named banded tube (scale bar 120 microns); and a bundle of filaments (scale bar 60 microns). The red rectangle in the upper right corner is a cover image for the journal Papers in Palaeontology.
Unusual biota and palynofacies of a Lower Devonian intermontane basin saline lakeβplaya mudflat ecosystem onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #PapersinPalaeontology
If you want to the nice TLDR of our new paper check out Robβs great thread on it!
by Nobu Tamura
New paper story time. ποΈππ¦΄π©»
Here is your gormless jawless relative Jamoytius:
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My new paper is out today!
With @fossilrob.bsky.social looking at Silurian jawless fish (obvs)
With the SLAC synchrotron we find evidence for true bone in these squishy fish AND camera eyes - a nice kismet moment with that great recent Nature paper
Early vertebrate eyes are SO HOT right now!
β οΈAfter a fantastic 69thΒ PalAssΒ meeting in Portsmouth, weβre thrilled to announce whatβs next! πβ¨
π
Β The 70th Annual Meeting
πΒ OxfordΒ ποΈ
πΒ 8β11 December 2026Β
π Mark your calendars, spread the word, and keep an eye out π β more details coming soon! π
#PalAss26 #oxford #conference