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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Claudia Astorino @claudistics.bsky.social · 2d

okay, the figure on the right for this paper reminds me of @palaeoiris.bsky.social art in the best of ways! #paleoart #palaeoart #QueerInPaleo #QueerInSTEM 🌈🧪

Sticker from the Etsy store of the queer art collective, Palaeoiris, featuring a foraminifera test (or shell) in the colors of the progress pride flag. The sticker appears on a very light gray background.

Enamel pins from the Etsy store of the queer art collective, Palaeoiris, featuring a foraminifera test (or shell) in the colors of the progress pride flag. The pin on the left is made of gold-colored metal, while the pin on the right is made of silver-colored metal. Both pins rest against a rock that is shiny and gold, on a bright orange surface.

Button pins from the Etsy store of the queer art collective, Palaeoiris, featuring a foraminifera test (or shell) in the colors of the progress pride flag. The background of each pin is solid blue. Buttons are equally spaced apart from one another on a white background, depicting full or partial images of twelve pins.

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences @pnas.org · 2d

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “Detecting environmentally dependent developmental plasticity in fossilized individuals.” Explore the article here: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

For more trending articles, visit ow.ly/Me2U50SkLRZ.

CT scan of Menardella limbata specimen (Left) and a 3D reconstruction of a cross-section of the same specimen with individual chambers highlighted in different colors (Right). The scale bar represents 100 µm. Visualized in Dragonfly version 2021.3 (Object Research Systems, Canada).

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Aug 26

Shameless plug: my ammonite and whale tail lino prints are now available on Etsy
palaeofun.etsy.com

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 26

This!! I can hear myself think now. Magic.

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Tom Ezard @tomezard.bsky.social · Jul 3

Nice write-up at phys.org/news/2025-06...

Analysis provides day-by-day insight into prehistoric plankton's capacity for change

Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a new way of analyzing fossils, allowing them to see how creatures from millions of years ago were shaped by their environment on a day-to-da...

phys.org

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Tom Ezard @tomezard.bsky.social · Jul 3

New paper led by @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social using x-ray CT and laser ablation to detect plastic environmental responses in fossil individuals www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421549122 featuring @jamesmulqueeney.bsky.social @clivetrue.bsky.social @thefosterlab.bsky.social

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Orestis Katsamenis @katsamenis.bsky.social · Jul 6

Very proud of this project! Scanning thousands of forams was no small feat, but five years on, the team is delivered something truly groundbreaking.

@tomezard.bsky.social @thefosterlab.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/posts/muvisx...

Our high-resolution scanners and targeted chemical analysis have come together to reveal something extraordinary: the ability to peer into the day-by-day growth of plankton shells from millions of… | ...

Our high-resolution scanners and targeted chemical analysis have come together to reveal something extraordinary: the ability to peer into the day-by-day growth of plankton shells from millions of yea...

www.linkedin.com

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

Applied over longer geological time scales, our method can investigate how developmental plasticity contributes to evolution.

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

Our approach shows that detecting developmental plasticity in the fossil record is feasible, and can be applied to any fossils that preserve ontogenetic stages and environmental information (e.g. ammonoids, corals, bivalves, bryozoans).

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

We found that individual foram growth rates were influenced by temperature at the time of growth. However, shell shape such as the angle of chamber addition was not environmentally dependent, so likely determined solely by genetics.

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

…but planktonic forams do! They build a new chamber every few days and store environmental data in their calcite. So, we can assess the influence of environment on growth *in the fossil record*

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

Plasticity could aid evolution by having more morphological variation available for natural selection, but this is difficult to prove. You need entire fossil growth sequences of individuals *and* environmental data throughout their life. Most fossils don't contain such detailed information…

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

Developmental plasticity is when a single set of genes can produce several different phenotypes, depending on the environment the individual grows up in. For example, sea turtle sex depends on the temperature of the nest. Human body weight depends on both genetics, and nutrition during childhood

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 7

The final paper of my UoS postdoc is out now in PNAS! How to detect developmental plasticity in the fossil record:

Featuring
@tomezard.bsky.social
@jamesmulqueeney.bsky.social
@katsamenis.bsky.social
@clivetrue.bsky.social
@thefosterlab.bsky.social
among others

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

University of Southampton @unisouthampton.bsky.social · Jul 1

Our researchers have conducted a groundbreaking analysis of prehistoric plankton 🔬

They have revealed how these microscopic organisms adapted to their environment not just across generations, but on a day-to-day basis.

Find out more 👉 tr.ee/1ESp0h

@sotonoceanearth.bsky.social @noc.ac.uk

Washed foraminifera being picked for computer tomography and geochemical analysis.

CT models of internal or external growth structures, as well as shell thickness, of individual foraminifera.

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Dr Alison Cribb @alisoncribb.bsky.social · Jun 24

The mathematics gender gap has incredibly damaging consequences down the line for women’s rights re financial literacy and independence. For example, you’re more likely to give control of your finances to someone else if you genuinely believe you can’t and never will understand compound interest.

Nature @nature.com · Jun 11

When do girls fall behind in maths? Gigantic study pinpoints the moment

https://go.nature.com/4l1nC4g

Watch the mathematics gender gap emerge. The school environment triggers a gender gap in mathematics. Line charts showing test results from all children in France who started school in 2018 reveal the trend. At the start of first year of school boys and girls similar on average with slightly more boys in highest and lowest percentiles. At the start of second year of school the gender gap becomes more exaggerated.

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Feb 4

Love how the headlines get increasingly alarming 😂

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jan 24

🖖🏻

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jan 11

Save Russel's Equestrian Center! It's a wonderful place that rehabilitates abandoned horses and teaches people ethical riding skills. I spend many happy hours there.

Please sign: www.change.org/p/oppose-eas...

Sign the Petition

Oppose Eastleigh Borough Council Threat to 50 year old business and Pony Rescue trust.

www.change.org

Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 16

I take requests for the polymer clay pins and earrings! But unfortunately I don't have access to the laser cutter that carved the plywood items anymore :(

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Jul 16

My Etsy shop is open again! Foram earrings, keychains, pins, stamps, you name it!

palaeofun.etsy.com

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Mar 5

Grant rejection consolation

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Reposted by Anieke Brombacher

Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · Mar 5

Ice Core xkcd.com/2902

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Anieke Brombacher @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social · Dec 21

Abstract submissions for NAPC 2024 are now OPEN!

Studying big evolutionary questions with tiny fossils? Consider submitted an abstract to the session organised by Huai-Hsuan May Huang and me!

Submission deadline is 20 January.

sites.lsa.umich.edu/napc2024/pre...

Prepare and submit your presentation abstract – NAPC 2024

sites.lsa.umich.edu

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