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Dr. Mary T. Silcox @marytsilcox.bsky.social · 18d

The Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto Scarborough invites applications for a 3 year Teaching Stream appointment in Biomedical Anthropology. Submit applications by Nov. 10, 2025. Details available here: jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...

Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream - CLTA - Biomedical Anthropology

jobs.utoronto.ca

Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Sergi López-Torres @sergilopeztorres.bsky.social · 20d

New paper out in JVP, in which we describe two new species of the basal paromomyid primate Paromomys from the Paleocene of Alberta 🇨🇦 By Craig Scott, myself, @marytsilcox.bsky.social & Lisa Bohach.

doi.org/10.1080/0272...

Mandibles and isolated molars of the new species Paromomys borealis

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Trends in Ecology & Evolution @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social · Apr 17

Recently, there’s been a lot of discussion about diversity in science.
However, disability/chronic conditions has been absent.
In response, Trends in Ecology & Evolution is publishing a series of interviews with ecologists and evolutionary biologists who are disabled or have a chronic condition.

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Julia McHugh @drjmchugh.bsky.social · Apr 9

The Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University School of Medicine invites applications for an Instructor position, with primary teaching responsibilities in human gross anatomy to healthcare professional students. One year renewable appointment.

www.higheredjobs.com/search/detai...

Human Gross Anatomy Instructor, Research Instructor, Anatomy - HigherEdJobs

Jobs in higher education. Faculty and administrative positions at colleges and universities. Updated daily. Free to job seekers.

www.higheredjobs.com

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Slam Cunningham ☭ @slamcunningham.bsky.social · Apr 8

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Darren Incorvaia @megadarren.bsky.social · Apr 8

“De-extinction” is to biodiversity loss what “Mars colonization” is to climate change—wishful thinking that is at its core impossible but nevertheless sucks up attention and resources from actual solutions to these crises (which, ultimately, might be the whole point)

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Dr. Mary T. Silcox @marytsilcox.bsky.social · Mar 11

Huge thanks to our coauthors: Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik
Adam Lis
@sergilopeztorres.bsky.social
Gabriela San Martin-Flores
@ornellabertrand.bsky.social

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Dr. Mary T. Silcox @marytsilcox.bsky.social · Mar 11

New paper co-led by Maddy Lang and myself, providing the most comprehensive analysis of the evolution of olfactory bulb size in living and fossil euarchontoglirans. anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

But how does it smell? An investigation of olfactory bulb size among living and fossil primates and other euarchontoglirans

Analysis of cranial endocast data of 181 extant and 41 fossil species from Euarchontoglires shows that there was a reduction in olfactory bulb size in Crown Primates, but that there were also subsequ...

anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Bloch Lab @blochlab.bsky.social · Mar 11

Our new study published today on a remarkably complete skeleton of Mixodectes from the early Paleocene of New Mexico! @purgatoriidae.bsky.social @abqtom.bsky.social @crowelljw.bsky.social @marytsilcox.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New remarkably complete skeleton of Mixodectes reveals arboreality in a large Paleocene primatomorphan mammal following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - New remarkably complete skeleton of Mixodectes reveals arboreality in a large Paleocene primatomorphan mammal following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Missy Hubbard @missy-ubermom.bsky.social · Mar 8

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Noelle @noelle.ison.blue · Mar 8

Might save a life.

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · Feb 28

Awesome work! If you’re supporting us from Canada, sign here: www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en...

Petition e-5353 - Petitions

www.ourcommons.ca

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Dave Devilchase @davedellecese.com · Feb 27

There's an open comment period until March 17 where you can leave comments about Passport Gender Policy Changes. This site has both links to proposals (you'll have to submit a comment on each), sample comments to get you started, and you can submit anonymously.

indivisiblesf.org/call-scripts...

Public Comment: Speak Out Against Passport Gender Policy Changes | Indivisible SF

Public Comment: Speak Out Against Passport Gender Policy Changes

indivisiblesf.org

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Dr. Jim Lehane @jazinator.bsky.social · Feb 28

A public lands protest will take place this Saturday, March 1st, at the Dinosaur National Monument entrance (Utah side), in support of federal employee community members who have recently lost their jobs.

#PleaseShare

#Paleontology #Dinosaurs #NationalParks

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Lawless @thebigredape.bsky.social · Feb 27

Go to an old cemetery. See all the baby graves from before the 1950s & 60s? After that, hardly any. That's when people started vaccinating their children against deadly childhood diseases. If you're unsure what to do to protect your kids, the answer is literally written in stone

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism @jksteinberger.bsky.social · Feb 23

As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.

TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄

NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation
First, clarity on distinguishing AIs:
Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem
As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use).
Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work
Generative: ChatGPT & Co.
You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content.
Why is this delegation of work problematic?
3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement.

(Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.)

1) AI and ethics
Mass theft of all and everything
«learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators.
Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …):
«correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted).
In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes.

2) AI and (un)sustainability

Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI.
Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs.
Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry.
Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development.

3) AI and intellectual engagement

First, what learning is (or should be) about:
The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge,
But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain.
The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations
This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI.
Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all.
They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS.
If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Katie Langin @klangin.bsky.social · Feb 14

Dear federal scientists: If you have been affected by the probationary firings and would be willing to speak with Science, please reach out to me by email ([email protected]) or on Signal. We can guarantee annonymity.

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Dr. Mary T. Silcox @marytsilcox.bsky.social · Feb 15

A powerful window on one aspect of the current debacle

Gavin Sherlock @gsherloc.bsky.social · Feb 15

On January 6th, 1995, my (now ex) wife and I boarded a flight from Heathrow to JFK on a one way ticket. We had two suitcases and about $900 in cash - this was everything we owned and we were moving to the US. We thought it was maybe for 2-3 years. I had visited the US once, for a conference, and

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Dr. Mary T. Silcox @marytsilcox.bsky.social · Feb 3

Love this so much!!

Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Bridget Wade @bridgetwade.bsky.social · Feb 3

Full-time or part-time Research Technician in Micropalaeontology available in my lab @bridgetwade.bsky.social
@es-ucl.bsky.social
as part of the NERC TONIC Large Grant. Closing date: 23rd February 2025. More details:
www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
#technician #micropalaeontology #plankton #NERC

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · Jan 28

I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service.

“Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.

White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion

The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Holly Anderson @palaeophd.bsky.social · Jan 27

🚨New paper alert! 🚨' #sensory #reconstruction of the #fossil #lorisid Mioeuoticus: #Systematic and #evolutionary implications ' 🙈🙉🙊

www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15...

Many thanks to my coauthors Adam Lis, @ingthingg.bsky.social, @marytsilcox.bsky.social & @sergilopeztorres.bsky.social sky.social 😊

Sensory Reconstruction of the Fossil Lorisid Mioeuoticus: Systematic and Evolutionary Implications

The fossil record of lorises and pottos (family Lorisidae) potentially dates back to the late Oligocene of Namibia, but a later moderate diversification of this family occurred during the Miocene of A...

www.mdpi.com

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Richard Butler @richardjbutler.bsky.social · Jan 17

📣 Come work with us! Three year Research Associate position to work as part of Leverhulme Trust funded project collecting and studying amazing Jurassic mammal fossils from the Isle of Skye. PhD not necessary; CT segmentation skills essential. Contact me for details:

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLK473/r...

Example of Middle Jurassic mammal fossils from Skye, published by Elsa Panciroli et al. 2024.

Cuillin Hills, the view from our field site on the Isle of Skye.

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Reposted by Dr. Mary T. Silcox

Matt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · Jan 14

Sobering read about ongoing financial challenges for PRI. I'm hard pressed to think of a US museum that stretches limited resources further for science and outreach.

Dr. Brendan Anderson @fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social · Jan 14

Detailed article about PRI and the Museum of the Earth's current struggles. If the museum closes it may be the largest collection dispersed/lost in the US (with 7 million specimens it is one of the 10 largest in the US).
⚒️🧪🦑
Please share widely and help if you can!
ithacavoice.org/2025/01/muse...

Museum of the Earth faces extinction under “imminent” threat of foreclosure - The Ithaca Voice

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Museum of the Earth, one of the last natural history museums in Upstate New York, faces an imminent threat of foreclosure after a group of donors […]

ithacavoice.org

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