iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Dr Dave @ecosystemunraveller.com · 07/06/2026

Look what some campers just found south of Alice Springs. Confirms a few previous sight records—new breeding locality for Night Parrot (pics from Finke Desert Race 2026’on Facebook) #WildOz

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Dr Jacob Blokland @blokoweka.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Great artwork, Gen! I remember this scapulocoracoid popping out of the fish lense on the end of my shovel during the 2020 trip (at the time and place the photo within was taken). Sediment and all were then bagged, and Trevor later sorted it all for fossils under a microscope back at the lab.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Annie Shao Art @annieshaoart.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Newest piece, I don't see a lot of American Coot artwork! I knew I'd want to paint their crazy-looking feet for my Life List Series, as they're not often seen but are a great indicator that they're rails and not ducks! #BirdArt #SciArt #Watercolor #FineArt #AnimalArt #ArtSky

Detailed watercolor painting of an American Coot standing on a log floating on still water. The bird's lobed feet are visible.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

New species of steamer duck, the Chiloe steamer duck (Tachyeres ketru), distinguished on the basis of bill color and vocalizations: audiornis.org/journal/arti... 🪶🧪 (📷López-Lanús & Costa)

Stuffed skin of a duck from a museum collection.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

New Pleistocene kākāpō Strigops insulaborealis and swamphen Porphyrio claytongreenei: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 🪶🧪 (📷Worthy et al.)

Fossilized foot bone of an extinct parrot.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Ville Sinkkonen @villesinkkonen.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

What might be my favourite fossil has been just published by Kiat et al. 2025. Years ago I saw a pic of this Anchiornis specimen in nat geo article and I audibly gasped.preserving not only the feathers but also the original patterns as well. I made this drawing on the spot. Maybe its time to do v2.0

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Royal Society of South Australia @royalsocietysa.bsky.social · 08/09/2025

Assoc. Prof. Trevor Worthy is our guest speaker for Thursday's Scientific Seminar. Presenting “Facing up to Genyornis – The hunt for the skull of Australia’s last Mihirung bird”, Trevor will cover the adventure to find its skull. Thursday 11th September RSSA Rooms, off Morgan Thomas Lane 6:00 pm

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Mike Melton @mikemelton.bsky.social · 14/08/2025

Boat-billed Heron at Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge #CostaRica I love their large eyes that help them hunt at night. #herons #birds #nature

Close-up of a bird with a large, broad dark bill, brownish-tan plumage, and a grayish crown.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

New Paleocene proto-penguins Archaeodyptes waitahaorum, Daniadyptes primaevus, Waimanutaha kenlovei, and Waiparadyptes gracilitarsus: academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a... 🪶🧪 (📷Mayr et al.)

Multiple fossilized skeletons of extinct birds closely related to penguins.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Jamie Wood @larusnz.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

New Zealand birds never fail to amaze. The extinct Hodgen's rail, thought to be a diminutive relative of the Australian waterhen, turns out instead to be a giant crake! link.springer.com/article/10.1... 📷: Paul Martinson, Te Papa CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Genetic analysis reveals that the recently extinct Hodgens' waterhen ("Tribonyx" hodgenorum; A, D, G, J in figure) was a giant, flightless crake in the genus Porzana: link.springer.com/article/10.1... 🪶🧪 (📷Sangster et al.)

Comparison of the wing and leg bones of several species of rail, including the recently extinct Hodgens' waterhen (A, D, G, J), the closely related Australian crake (B, E, H, K), and the black-tailed nativehen (C, F, I, L).

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Jarod K. Anderson @jarodkanderson.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

Birds are dinosaurs who shrugged off a couple apocalypses. Some eat bone marrow. Some drink nectar. They outswim fish in the sea. They smile politely at gravity’s demands. ‬ ‪I am grateful to see them. I am grateful to feed them. I am grateful to know them.‬

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Stephan Spiekman @stephanspiekman.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I am proud and grateful to present a dream project today in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41... Meet #Mirasaura grauvogeli, a #wonderreptilewith skin appendages that rival feathers and hairs, challenging our view of reptile #evolution🪶🦎

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Dr Jacob Blokland @blokoweka.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Came across this the other day... first time I've seen my work being used in the production of an AI image. The skull they've used is the same one I had drawn. Had to laugh at "All rights and credits reserved to the respective". Sad that this type of thing is commonplace.

Screenshot 1 of 2 of a Facebook post about Genyornis newtoni, which has an AI generated image produced from work illustrated by Jacob Blokland (not attributed).

Screenshot 2 of 2 of a Facebook post about Genyornis newtoni, which has an AI generated image produced from work illustrated by Jacob Blokland (not attributed). Skull image they have used here is unaltered from what I drew.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

phoebyornis.bsky.social @phoebyornis.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

It was fun diving into the world of ancient sound-scapes with GM and hearing analyses. I think the dromornithids will continue to suprise me at every turn

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

Phylogenetic position of the recently extinct Nesotrochis "cave rails" of the Caribbean: www.avespress.com/uploads/down... New analysis suggests they were the closest known relatives of the (also recently extinct) New Zealand adzebills! 🪶🧪 (📷 @stervander.com et al.)

Diagram showing the evolutionary relationships among cranes, rails, and other closely related birds, scaled against geologic time.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Dr Alice Clement @draliceclement.bsky.social · 05/07/2025

Very proud of this one, my first foray into #biomechanics using #FEA! “Comparison of diverse mandibular mechanics during biting in Devonian lungfishes”, published today in @cp-iscience.bsky.social, based on Joshua Bland’s honours work: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Comparison of diverse mandibular mechanics during biting in Devonian lungfishes

Fossil lungfish from the Late Devonian Gogo Formation, Australia, feature some of the most remarkable and specialized mandible morphologies in their 4…

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Martin Stervander 🏳️‍🌈🇸🇪🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏛️🦉🦤🪶 @stervander.com · 03/07/2025

Welcome a new family of #birds, the Caribbean cave rails, Nesotrochidae! They were—surprisingly—the sisters of NZ adzebills, all sadly extinct. New #OpenAccess paper out in Avian #Systematics w Gerald Mayr, Chen Guangji & Feng Shaohong: www.avespress.com/uploads/down... 🧵 #ornithology #taxonomy 🧪🪶

An artistic rendition of the extinct Antillean Cave Rail, Nesotrochis debooyi Wetmore, 1918. ©Piotr Gryz, with permission.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Trevor A. Branch @trevorabranch.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

In an unconscionable decision, the Smithsonian Institute has decided to no longer support the Biodiversity Heritage Library from 1 Jan 2026. Please someone step up and take it over.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Bec Crew @beccrew.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Bot-made art undermines research and public trust in science, say illustrators frustrated by inaccurate and outlandish depictions. @kamalnahas.bsky.social @ella-maru.bsky.social‬ ‪@blokoweka.bsky.social‬ www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

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.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

New Miocene artamid (butcherbird/currawong cousin) Miostrepera canora: link.springer.com/article/10.1... From New Zealand, where these birds aren't found today! 🪶🧪 (📷Worthy et al.)

Fossilized limb bones from an extinct crow-like songbird.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Andrew Iwaniuk @evoneuro.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Less than two months before our book is finally released. If you are interested in bird behaviour or comparative neurobiology and want to learn more, this is the book for you! mitpress.mit.edu/978026255273... And the ebook will be open access! #neuroskyence #ornithology #birds 🧪🧠

A book cover entitled: Bird Brains and Behavior: A Synthesis by authors Georg F. Striedter and Andrew N. Iwaniuk. It features photos of a turkey vulture, song sparrow, and whimbrel, as well as a drawing of an albatross brain.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Joschua Knüppe @joschuaknuppe.bsky.social · 09/06/2025

There is no tomorrow for Moa kind. In this result of yesterdays #paleostream we explore the Holocene of New Zealand, a world we largely lost not even 1000 years ago.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

"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

nature.com

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.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Jocelyn Anderson Photography @jocelynanderson.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

A Sandhill Crane colt – a young Sandhill Crane – shorter than a Dandelion puff.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Steve White @sharkbitesteve.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Thylacines. A3 private commission. A pair of Tasmanian wolves chase a pademelon (a sort of Tasmanian wallaby) My first time doing a thylacine. Definitely my first time going a pademelon.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Jamie Wood @larusnz.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Once widespread, now critically endangered: New study shows kākāpō are the 4th most common bird in NZ's late-Quaternary deposits (>1351 individuals from 274 sites), and occupied all forests and adjacent habitats, on the NZ mainland prior to human settlement authors.elsevier.com/c/1klUo-4PSD...

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Alberta Claw @albertonykus.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Yearly roundup of new research in maniraptoran paleontology, anatomy, and evolution! What were everyone's favorite maniraptoran discoveries of 2024? albertonykus.blogspot.com/2025/01/revi... 🪶🧪 (📷Chiappe et al., Stiller et al., @blokoweka.bsky.social in McInerney et al., Goodman & Rasolonjatovo)

Fossilized skull of a toothless, bird-like dinosaur (above) with a multicolored interpretive drawing (middle) and digital model (below) of it.

Diagram showing the evolutionary relationships among major bird groups.

Illustration of the skull of Genyornis, a giant extinct bird with a large beak.

Wing bone of a recently extinct bird compared to that of a close extant relative. Both exhibit a long, pointed spur projecting from the leading edge, but this structure is much larger in the extinct form.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

David Allen Lambert @dlgenealogist.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Destroy this myth. Please share if you have visited and researched in a library this past year! RT And give a shout out to your favorite library you have ever visited.

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Jamie Wood @larusnz.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

New modelling suggests that extinctions of moa could only have been avoided with unrealistically expansive no-take zones (covering at least half of New Zealand's land area) and implausibly low annual harvest rates (just 1 % of bird populations per annum).

sciencedirect.com

Was extinction of New Zealand's avian megafauna an unavoidable consequence of human arrival?

Human overexploitation contributed strongly to the loss of hundreds of bird species across Oceania, including nine giant, flightless birds called moa.…

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Reposted by Dr Jacob Blokland

Christoph Fischer Photography @beautysurroundsyou.com · 23/01/2025

It took me more than 4 years to capture a scene I could only dream of. A magnificent Condor soars above the peaks of Argentina's Mount Fitz Roy, as they are spot lit in beautiful morning light. 🪶 #bluesky #photography #landscape #birds #nature #landscapephotography #naturephotography #travel #scape

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