She recently presented at #2024NDiSTEM as part of the @NSF REU Summer Systematics Institute program. Huge thanks to @arachnologynerd and @rebafayj for leading this amazing opportunity! 👏 🧪

Shantel's a Rochester Institute of Technology grad (BFA in Medical Illustration) and her portfolio is stunning: sw1094.wixsite.com/shantelportf...

Watching emerging professionals approach their craft with such sensitivity and skill is so inspiring! 🎨🔬🧪

The boat is part of an exhibit on the 1969-71 Native occupation of Alcatraz—19 months of Indigenous activism, demanding treaty rights and cultural preservation. These stories of resistance deserve to be centered, not footnotes 🧪

Grateful to everyone keeping this history alive 🧵✨

With @nacri_official & @ramaytushohlone we are learning about the art, science & culture of tule boats. The Academy's Viz Studio team 3-D imaged their beautiful tule boat there using photogrammetry-the images help our animators develop a scene for Morrison Planetarium show, opening Nov! 🧪

🧪 With Manju Singh Bhandari & husband Rabin Thapa, we explored exhibits and collections--including our cast replica of the fossilized skeleton of of "Lucy" (Australopithecus afarensis) & the Allen collection of historic lamps—including several beautiful examples from Nepal and the surrounding region

I totally get that trepidation about being on camera while also wanting to do more of scicomm work. I REALLY love this format—it's super engaging, and you absolutely nailed it!

Hello Professor! I am the Irvine Chair of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences. Would you please consider adding me to your feed? Thanks and happy to be here! orcid.org/0000-0001-84...

So today, enjoy your chocolate while reflecting on its origins and rich legacy—a symbol deeply rooted in ancient traditions and community!
#LivingHeritage

🍫🍩🍪

Thanks to lab #scicomm content creator Greer Lantier!!

Many communities today honor, farm, and enjoy cacao as a traditional drink, upholding centuries of wisdom and connection to this sacred plant. (Clip from cacao farm in San Carlos, Costa Rica).

And get this: The Aztecs even used cacao beans as currency! Imagine trading 100 cacao beans for a turkey! 💰
Beyond its rich history, cacao continues to be a vital part of indigenous cultures.

Archaeological finds show the Mayo-Chinchipe valued cacao 5,300 years ago (3300 BCE), supported by presence of cacao starch grains, theobromine residues, & ancient DNA in Ecuadorian pottery: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Imagine: In grand ceremonies, frothy, bitter cacao drinks – derived from fermented and roasted cacao beans, sometimes infused with chili or maize – were savored by the elite. #SacredCacao

⬆️ Illustration by T. Raymer, featured in "The Biomolecular Archaeology of Psychoactive Substances" doi.org/10.1002/9781... by M. Zimmermann & S. Tushingham, who discuss fascinating interplay b/w plants 🌱, ancient cultures, & the compounds that have shaped human history, including cacao-DM for PDF