iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

sight of our cousins as we wonder just how similar are they to us… This was a 2026 Commission

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These people funnily enough have a bit of a legacy with members of the genus Homo, passing over diseases and even shared archaic proteomic information with the Naledi peoples (per Madupe et al, 2026). Undoubtedly, something familiar yet alarming would fire off in our heads at the

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Their uncanny appearance might credit itself to the fascinating transitional position Australopithecines occupied in Hominin evolution, from hairy arboreal apes to hairless terrestrial walkers.

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These distant relatives of ours are quite the enigma, as we have relatively little complete postcranial material from them, but just enough cranial, proteomic & genetic info to start to paint a picture of who they were.

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Crisp @crisp91.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A Paranthropus boisei male stares intently into your eyes, drawing a connection between the contours of his face and yours, remarking the hairlessness of his skin and yours and wonders… “Have I seen them before?” #sciart

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Reposted by Midiaou Diallo

Genetic evidence from 27 Neanderthal individuals shows late European Neanderthals were more diverse and socially connected than once thought, with distinct regional groups that still interacted. Their populations later declined through bottlenecks, but they weren’t long isolated.

archaeologymag.com

Europe’s last Neanderthals were genetically diverse and connected, study finds | Archaeology News Online Magazine

DNA from 27 Neanderthals shows Europe’s last populations were genetically diverse, connected, and not in genetic decline.

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Mark Witton @markwitton.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

New at #Patreon: Stop press (literally, in my case)! Fossils suggest that the tapjearid Sinopterus had blue-green/magenta iridescence? Huge implications for #pterosaur #paleoart and just one of a suite of new papers reinventing tapejarid pterosaurs. Discussion at www.patreon.com/posts/159645...

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Ville Sinkkonen @villesinkkonen.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Lazy sunday sketching. Deinotherium and some funky bipedal apes in a watering hole somewhere in east africa #sciart

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Olof Moleman @lordtrilobite.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Paraentelodon intermedium skull diagram. #sciart #paleoart #paleontology

Skull diagram of Paraentelodon intermedium in various orthographic angles. Different angles going clockwise starting top left: Anterior, posterior, dorsal, left lateral, ventral, left diagonal with mouth closed, left diagonal with mouth open.

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Midiaou Diallo @midiaou.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Besides touching grass, nothing makes you appreciate the story of life on Earth more than studying and illustrating it. Earth Day is everyday.

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Midiaou Diallo @midiaou.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

--> , thermoregulatory structures, due to their blood filled nature, or all of the above. Whichever it is, this new discovery shows us that our understanding of integument in Dinosaurs and other extinct creatures is incredibly limited and still full of surprises…

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Midiaou Diallo @midiaou.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Along with overlapping dorso-caudal scutes and large flattened caudal scales, Haolong was covered in small spines. The purpose of these is so far unclear, however the current hypotheses land on them being defensive structures, display structures->

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Midiaou Diallo @midiaou.bsky.social · 17/02/2026

Haolong dongi, the “Porcupine” Iguanodont. At about 2.5 meters long, not much would stand out about this Hadrosauroid had we just their skeletal remains, but thanks to the preservational nature of the Yixian Formation, we’ve come to uncover amazing details about the anatomy of this animal #sciart 🧵>

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Herbert @xxgr1llmast3rxx.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

"tyrannosaurus rex" is kinda one of the craziest called shots of all time if you think about it some dude in 1905 was like 'this was definitely the most badass dinosaur so I will name it as such' and 120 years of research and new discoveries keeps proving him right.

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Midiaou Diallo @midiaou.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Making sure the soft tissues and framework were not just copies of Orangutan tissues was of the utmost importance. That extends into the coloration as well. Enjoy the most recent reconstruction, along with 3 others from a few years ago🦧

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Midiaou Diallo @midiaou.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

At a forest clearing, you're greeted by the guardian, the wise old man of the forest, Gigantopithecus blacki. Recent commission of the big guy, inspired by #prehistoricplaneticeage. Although this guy is a Pongine-->

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Tom Parker @tomozaurus.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Nanotyrannus lancensis (pencil lines, 2025)

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quite a bit has changed, particularly in our fundamental understanding of soft tissue, pattern development in carnivores and the taxonomy of Hyaenodonts. Burian was just one of those guys who knew his stuff with what he had 😉

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Larger surface areas are also at play, along with the pressures of your prey having particularly sharp color and central vision. Being dashing doesn't have to mean being super bright, many opt in for a trick: contrast. Combine that with seasonal coloration n changes in behavior, you're all set

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Finding the balance between the pressures of developing disruptive coloration and conspicuousness (pattern development directed at conspecifics) is a tight line to walk when you're a 1-2 ton reptilian predator. The energetic and nutritional expenses of developing bright and complex colors over-->

Pre-Zanno & Napoli (2025) reconstruction of BMRP 2002.4.1, AKA N. lethaeus

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A male Nanotyrannus lancensis sports their sharp and contrasting breeding season colors. They lift their head up and catch the whiff of the promise of hope... a female...

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Ultimately, I would revisit the facial tissue a few years later, adding more extensive narial carilage and prominent nasolabial muscles (and corresponding mystacial pad). This is important to note, as many mammal reconstructions undersell just how much tissue is present, aiding the animals in life

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Once the dental, skeletal base and it's muscular landmarks were created, the rest of the animal could come to life. The pattern chosen after much trial and error, would reflect the predatory nature of this species, living along the forest floor and understory.

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Reconstructing a hypothetical adult took a lot of digging through literature surrounding the anatomy and build of related Proviverrine and Sinopine Hyaenodonts. This would inform the proportions, build of the muscles and key anatomical traits displayed in these families.

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