There are a lot of scientific illustrators and graphic designers who are building their portfolios and will take on work for less than you might imagine. It's not out of reach.
A recent Atlantic column claimed society is allegedly "transing" effeminate boys. For my @xtramagazine.com column this month, I wrote a rebuttal using my own experience as a young, closeted trans girl. xtramagazine.com/power/identi...
These people think so illogically. Trans women were transed out of being the gay men they ‘really’ are, and, next they’re going to go prey on WOMEN in bathrooms??
Every time I write a critique of the New York Time's coverage of transgender people, people always tell me, "submit a letter to the editor."
I have, multiple times.
I don't think people understand how averse the NYT is to publishing a trans person.
It's almost frustrating that people ask me to.
Our third guest in our Women in STEAM series is the artist who blends anatomy, science, and art to advocate for conservation--the amazing @kaseysnow.bsky.social ! We talked about learning art, being curious, and 'seeing' the world in a different way!
Boomerang made from mammoth tusk with 5 cm scale
A boomerang made from mammoth ivory, from Obłazowa Cave, Poland. Dating to around 40,000 years ago, the object was shaped and well-used, with signs of polish in the areas where a right-handed person would have handled and thrown it.
Photo: Sahra Talamo and coworkers (2025, scale=5cm)
Please enjoy the single most amazing quote from a paleontologist I have ever read: “The animal literally cemented itself—and its nether regions—into eternal history like the movie stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.” 🧪 www.scientificamerican.com/article/see-...
Jesse Singal: “I don’t understand why all these experts with degrees keep disagreeing with me. So demoralizing. What could the explanation be??”
Stem tetrapod before and after they were called beautiful
If you ever want to read a paper for free and can't find it otherwise, email the lead author and politely ask for a copy. You will not be bothering the person. You will in fact make their whole entire day. I have had scientists get so excited I asked they sent me everything they ever published.
I don't know what sort of luck I've stumbled over in Metazooa, but this was another 3 guess win.
🦥 Animal #946 🦧
I figured it out in 3 guesses!
🟧🟩🟩
🔥 21 | Avg. Guesses: 6
metazooa.com
#metazooa
Problem is that the majority of the population (and media) have fallen for the company lie about what LLMs do ("they give you answers!!") rather than the truth ("they make up statistically likely responses to your questions and don't understand or know anything")
This is a hugely important story: everyone concerned with learning and truth should read it. Presented with prompts about a lesser-known turn-of-the-last-century composer, an LLM produces a nice, clear readable evaluation of her Symphony No. 1 - which DOESN'T EXIST. Everything is made up. 😵💫
"Attacking Iran to protect US (interests)" is pretty close to "war is peace."
Yes, yes, comparisons to 1984 are wildly overplayed, but at what point do we acknowledge that "war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength" would make a pretty tidy slogan for the current administration?
Taps the sign yet again.
Not voicing it feels cowardly, so I'll say it:
American imperialism is a death cult.
Greed, exploitation, and WAR — like we're seeing now — are its sacraments. It's driven multiple species to extinction already, with more to follow. If current trends continue, it will doom the human species too.
We finally got some hopeful news about vaquita last fall, but now Mexico is considering re-introducing gillnets into their habitat. This would ensure eventual extinction, we can't let this happen.
Please share and send emails, letters, etc to Mexican representatives to stop this.
#SaveTheVaquita
Update/Scoop— New guidance sent this AM to Kansas DMVs indicates licenses that previously had gender marker changed not actually invalid yet. However, internally DMV can see who is flagged, and keeping track of who has/hasn't come in to update. Seems about 300 trans/GNC ppl flagged across the state.
Having to watch out for the telltale shadow of a radiodont in the water column above you and then quickly burrowing into the silt to avoid their grasping appendages
Fascism plain and simple.
www.erininthemorning.com/p/kansas-sen...
a procession of glowing golden plesiosaurs drift across a road through a conifer forest
pictures I painted at 3 am
3/4 „Procession“
For $950 a month?
That is capitalistic dystopia for you.
![A screenshot of text: [Shore] was a man of humour and pleasantry, and was the original inventor of the tuning-fork, an instrument which he constantly carried about him, and used to tune his lute by, and which whenever he produced it gave occasion to a pun. At a concert he would say, "I have not about me a pitch-pipe, but I have what will do as well to tune by, a pitch-fork." [Sir John Hawkins, "A General History of the Science and Practice of Music," London, 1776]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:wcq3fur7p7lt6bd7thp4gh2n/bafkreibbswio5ol6ikhjz4ltakadtuxurtepldmyvew5wbrjmx7ywovqvq)
A screenshot of text: [Shore] was a man of humour and pleasantry, and was the original inventor of the tuning-fork, an instrument which he constantly carried about him, and used to tune his lute by, and which whenever he produced it gave occasion to a pun. At a concert he would say, "I have not about me a pitch-pipe, but I have what will do as well to tune by, a pitch-fork." [Sir John Hawkins, "A General History of the Science and Practice of Music," London, 1776]
A few weeks ago I was looking up the word origins/naming conventions around different inventions, and I came across an entry for the tuning fork.
It was invented in 1711 by trumpeter John Shore, who, in addition to being a talented musician, was also hilarious:
A landscape page with a pale green background and two illustrations of Ginkgo on it. On the left is an inaccurate one with leaves coming directly from a branch. On the right is an accurate one with clusters extending from short shoots.
I, too, would like to have a go at the new Spinosaurus soon, but in the meantime:
Here's a slide from my recent talk, which covers the DOs and DON'Ts of restoring ginkgoes within palaeoart!
Enjoy! #Ginkgo #FossilFriday #paleobotany #paleoart #SciComm
Not the kind of person you want to coauthor with or accept funding from...
New Spinosaurus!!
I've known about this discovery for over a year, but I'm glad everyone can witness the fun unicorn.
But... the paper was coauthored by someone who is all over the Epstein files. And in the US, we're doing nothing with that info.
Because everything is broken and stupid.
The Global North is giving foreign aid to the Global South, which does make a difference, but " the Global South’s net transfer of wealth to the Global North is at least $3 trillion every year."
www.pih.org/article/fore...
