Dr Susannah Lydon
@susieoftraken.bsky.social
Palaeobotany | Scicomm | Associate Prof in Plant Science, Nottingham, UK | Vogon poet | Views my own | She/her
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
![Comic. [2x2 chart. Top left quadrant: seem like dinosaurs x are dinosaurs. Silhouettes of dinosaurs stegosaurus, triceratops, tyrannosaurus, velociraptor, and long-neck dinosaur. Top right quadrant: seem like dinosaurs x are not dinosaurs. Silhouettes of mosasaur, quetzalcoatlus, dimetrodon, plesiosaur, and pteranodon. Bottom left quadrant: don’t seem like dinosaurs x are dinosaurs. Silhouettes of penguin, egret, ostrich, pigeon, falcon. Bottom right: don’t seem like dinosaurs x are not dinosaurs. Silhouettes of squirrel, stapler, plant, person, and bicycle.]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreihcxd5wcrrf5nxz3g4riglsrccbucmdns6kxrtmtj6gjgwqibp3fi@jpeg)
February 9, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Yay drafts in Bluesky!
February 9, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Yay drafts in Bluesky!
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Remembering my friend Richard Forrest, a marine reptile expert, with a week or two of marine reptile artworks. I'll start with this old acrylic painting, called The Wreck, which I created for Richard back in 2004.
#SciArt #PalaeoArt #PaleoArt #Dinosaurs #Alt4Me #MarineReptiles #JurassicWorld
#SciArt #PalaeoArt #PaleoArt #Dinosaurs #Alt4Me #MarineReptiles #JurassicWorld
February 9, 2026 at 6:01 PM
Remembering my friend Richard Forrest, a marine reptile expert, with a week or two of marine reptile artworks. I'll start with this old acrylic painting, called The Wreck, which I created for Richard back in 2004.
#SciArt #PalaeoArt #PaleoArt #Dinosaurs #Alt4Me #MarineReptiles #JurassicWorld
#SciArt #PalaeoArt #PaleoArt #Dinosaurs #Alt4Me #MarineReptiles #JurassicWorld
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Mazon Monday #308: Acitheca polymorpha #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #fern #carboniferous #pennsylvanian
Mazon Monday #308: Acitheca polymorpha
This is Mazon Monday post #308. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Fig. 8. Acitheca polymorpha (Brongniart) Schimper; proposed tripinnate-primary frond reconstruction with pinnule type placed at appropriate places. From Taxonomic revision of the Palaeozoic marattialean fern Acitheca" Acitheca polymorpha is an extinct species of the class Filcopsida. It is one of the rarer species of fern found in the Mazon Creek fossil localities.
esconi.org
February 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM
Mazon Monday #308: Acitheca polymorpha #fossils #paleontology #MazonCreek #MazonMonday #fern #carboniferous #pennsylvanian
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Going into the big scary cancer surgery tomorrow. Would be lovely if I came out of it and you've all pre-ordered Scratch Moss.
www.canelo.co/books/scratc...
www.canelo.co/books/scratc...
Scratch Moss by David Barnett | Canelo
Paperback and Ebook
www.canelo.co
February 9, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Going into the big scary cancer surgery tomorrow. Would be lovely if I came out of it and you've all pre-ordered Scratch Moss.
www.canelo.co/books/scratc...
www.canelo.co/books/scratc...
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Serotiny is the storage of seeds in close cones or fruits, trapping the seeds & preventing dispersal until the cones are heated (usually by fire). Post-fire conditions are ideal for germinating seedlings. These are cones of Pinus clausa of the SE USA. #Pinaceae #serotiny #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
February 9, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Doing my own weird thing in an unfashionable outer rim star system feels about right.
February 9, 2026 at 11:22 AM
Doing my own weird thing in an unfashionable outer rim star system feels about right.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Some more Kyrgyz #urbangeology - this time granites! Some spectacular textures in the granites used in the Victory Monument in Bishkek #kyrgyzstan
February 9, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Some more Kyrgyz #urbangeology - this time granites! Some spectacular textures in the granites used in the Victory Monument in Bishkek #kyrgyzstan
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Professorship Molecular Botany. Bremen, Germany.
#plantscijobs #plantscijob
www.academics.de/jobs/profess...
#plantscijobs #plantscijob
www.academics.de/jobs/profess...
Professorin/Professor (w/m/d) für das Fachgebiet Molekulare Botanik - Universität Bremen
Universität Bremen bietet Stelle als Professorin/Professor (w/m/d) für das Fachgebiet Molekulare Botanik in Bremen - jetzt bewerben!
www.academics.de
February 5, 2026 at 2:07 PM
Professorship Molecular Botany. Bremen, Germany.
#plantscijobs #plantscijob
www.academics.de/jobs/profess...
#plantscijobs #plantscijob
www.academics.de/jobs/profess...
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
#MolluscMonday 99% of visitors to the Egyptian and Greek galleries in the British Museum will be too focused on the items displayed in the cabinets to notice the Jurassic gastropods and Cretaceous rudist bivalves in the flooring beneath.
February 9, 2026 at 7:49 AM
#MolluscMonday 99% of visitors to the Egyptian and Greek galleries in the British Museum will be too focused on the items displayed in the cabinets to notice the Jurassic gastropods and Cretaceous rudist bivalves in the flooring beneath.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
The oldest known image of an owl:
More than 30,000 years ago, someone skillfully scratched the figure of a long-eared owl (Asio otus) into the soft outer layer of the walls of Chauvet Cave, France. The owl is looking backward over their wings, head turned 180 degrees
carnegiemnh.org/ancient-owl-...
More than 30,000 years ago, someone skillfully scratched the figure of a long-eared owl (Asio otus) into the soft outer layer of the walls of Chauvet Cave, France. The owl is looking backward over their wings, head turned 180 degrees
carnegiemnh.org/ancient-owl-...
February 8, 2026 at 6:08 PM
The oldest known image of an owl:
More than 30,000 years ago, someone skillfully scratched the figure of a long-eared owl (Asio otus) into the soft outer layer of the walls of Chauvet Cave, France. The owl is looking backward over their wings, head turned 180 degrees
carnegiemnh.org/ancient-owl-...
More than 30,000 years ago, someone skillfully scratched the figure of a long-eared owl (Asio otus) into the soft outer layer of the walls of Chauvet Cave, France. The owl is looking backward over their wings, head turned 180 degrees
carnegiemnh.org/ancient-owl-...
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Born OTD in 1807: Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, the designer and creator of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs!
Seen here, embossed in gold, on the 1875 book:
“Sketches of Creation : A Popular View of Some of the Grand Conclusions of the Sciences in Reference to the History of Matter and of Life”
1/2
Seen here, embossed in gold, on the 1875 book:
“Sketches of Creation : A Popular View of Some of the Grand Conclusions of the Sciences in Reference to the History of Matter and of Life”
1/2
February 8, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Born OTD in 1807: Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, the designer and creator of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs!
Seen here, embossed in gold, on the 1875 book:
“Sketches of Creation : A Popular View of Some of the Grand Conclusions of the Sciences in Reference to the History of Matter and of Life”
1/2
Seen here, embossed in gold, on the 1875 book:
“Sketches of Creation : A Popular View of Some of the Grand Conclusions of the Sciences in Reference to the History of Matter and of Life”
1/2
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
The mattress globbered. This is the noise made by a live, swamp-dwelling mattress that is deeply moved by a story of personal tragedy.
February 8, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The mattress globbered. This is the noise made by a live, swamp-dwelling mattress that is deeply moved by a story of personal tragedy.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
This is truly baffling. A seed does not become an angiosperm fruit only because there are some vague lines on it. It is the equivalent of having a full diapsid skull and saying you found Permian dinosaurs...
Wang, X., Huang, W., Fu, Q. et al. A new early permian fruit, Dengfengfructus maxima gen. et sp. nov., supports the pre-cretaceous origin of angiosperms. BMC Ecol Evo 26, 17 (2026). doi.org/10.1186/s128...
A new early permian fruit, Dengfengfructus maxima gen. et sp. nov., supports the pre-cretaceous origin of angiosperms - BMC Ecology and Evolution
BMC Ecology and Evolution - Angiosperms are the most important plant group for humans in the current earth’s ecosystem. Although angiosperms are clearly defined by enclosed seeds/ovules, the...
doi.org
February 8, 2026 at 7:16 PM
This is truly baffling. A seed does not become an angiosperm fruit only because there are some vague lines on it. It is the equivalent of having a full diapsid skull and saying you found Permian dinosaurs...
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Sheep farming in Derbyshire
A chance meeting via Freecycle sparks a farmer's truth: wool pays less than in the 1970s, costs soar, and small British farms fight to survive | Simon Ferrigno
@brexcyclopaedia.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk
A chance meeting via Freecycle sparks a farmer's truth: wool pays less than in the 1970s, costs soar, and small British farms fight to survive | Simon Ferrigno
@brexcyclopaedia.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk
Sheep farming in Derbyshire
A chance meeting via Freecycle sparks a farmer's truth: wool pays less than in the 1970s, costs soar, and small British farms fight to survive
centralbylines.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 2:33 PM
Sheep farming in Derbyshire
A chance meeting via Freecycle sparks a farmer's truth: wool pays less than in the 1970s, costs soar, and small British farms fight to survive | Simon Ferrigno
@brexcyclopaedia.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk
A chance meeting via Freecycle sparks a farmer's truth: wool pays less than in the 1970s, costs soar, and small British farms fight to survive | Simon Ferrigno
@brexcyclopaedia.bsky.social @centralbylines.co.uk
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Mozilla will allow Firefox users to entirely block current and future generative AI features on the browser after user feedback revealed many who wanted an AI-free browser experience.
New Mozilla Firefox version to allow AI features to be blocked
Mozilla will allow Firefox users to entirely block current and future generative AI features on the browser.
www.siliconrepublic.com
February 3, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Mozilla will allow Firefox users to entirely block current and future generative AI features on the browser after user feedback revealed many who wanted an AI-free browser experience.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Have been reading Bollocks to Alton Towers by @gralefrit.bsky.social & co - better late than never!
Much to love (& have visited many of the attractions), but the most interesting thing is the transformation in the fortunes of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social over the 20 yrs.
Much to love (& have visited many of the attractions), but the most interesting thing is the transformation in the fortunes of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social over the 20 yrs.
February 8, 2026 at 11:19 AM
Have been reading Bollocks to Alton Towers by @gralefrit.bsky.social & co - better late than never!
Much to love (& have visited many of the attractions), but the most interesting thing is the transformation in the fortunes of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social over the 20 yrs.
Much to love (& have visited many of the attractions), but the most interesting thing is the transformation in the fortunes of the Crystal Palace dinosaurs @cpdinosaurs.bsky.social over the 20 yrs.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Two years ago, I was signing stock in a warehouse. I now have no books to sell or promote when I go to any festivals or events.
That’s thanks to outright theft by one publisher, and arcane internal politics within another.
As one of Britains best-selling authors of the last decade, this is WEIRD.
That’s thanks to outright theft by one publisher, and arcane internal politics within another.
As one of Britains best-selling authors of the last decade, this is WEIRD.
February 8, 2026 at 10:40 AM
Two years ago, I was signing stock in a warehouse. I now have no books to sell or promote when I go to any festivals or events.
That’s thanks to outright theft by one publisher, and arcane internal politics within another.
As one of Britains best-selling authors of the last decade, this is WEIRD.
That’s thanks to outright theft by one publisher, and arcane internal politics within another.
As one of Britains best-selling authors of the last decade, this is WEIRD.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
The LRC had a productive few days at the British Paediatric Neurological Association (BPNA) conference in Glasgow.
Raising awareness is key to tick bite prevention and to achieving early diagnosis and effective treatment for future Lyme patients.
Raising awareness is key to tick bite prevention and to achieving early diagnosis and effective treatment for future Lyme patients.
February 7, 2026 at 12:56 PM
The LRC had a productive few days at the British Paediatric Neurological Association (BPNA) conference in Glasgow.
Raising awareness is key to tick bite prevention and to achieving early diagnosis and effective treatment for future Lyme patients.
Raising awareness is key to tick bite prevention and to achieving early diagnosis and effective treatment for future Lyme patients.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Even in this context I had conversations that began with “I know about ticks because I have a dog.” Health professionals - a plea: please tell parents to protect their children from ticks. #QuietEpidemic #LymeDisease
The LRC had a productive few days at the British Paediatric Neurological Association (BPNA) conference in Glasgow.
Raising awareness is key to tick bite prevention and to achieving early diagnosis and effective treatment for future Lyme patients.
Raising awareness is key to tick bite prevention and to achieving early diagnosis and effective treatment for future Lyme patients.
February 8, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Even in this context I had conversations that began with “I know about ticks because I have a dog.” Health professionals - a plea: please tell parents to protect their children from ticks. #QuietEpidemic #LymeDisease
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Keep your eyes peeled! I discovered this large fossilized #ammonite in an underground parking garage staircase in Wiesbaden.
#urbangeology
#urbangeology
February 8, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Keep your eyes peeled! I discovered this large fossilized #ammonite in an underground parking garage staircase in Wiesbaden.
#urbangeology
#urbangeology
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
This fossil is an example of what is called a "mortality plate" as it contains the remains of several animals that all died around the same time. Trilobites were some of the first animals to evolve an exoskeleton, and as a result fossilize very well compared to other Cambrian creatures.
February 7, 2026 at 7:59 PM
This fossil is an example of what is called a "mortality plate" as it contains the remains of several animals that all died around the same time. Trilobites were some of the first animals to evolve an exoskeleton, and as a result fossilize very well compared to other Cambrian creatures.
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
honestly jolene you can fucking have him, good luck girl
February 7, 2026 at 9:15 PM
honestly jolene you can fucking have him, good luck girl
Reposted by Dr Susannah Lydon
Nature Report:
Bird tracks, or small dinosaur tracks.
Bird tracks, or small dinosaur tracks.
February 7, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Nature Report:
Bird tracks, or small dinosaur tracks.
Bird tracks, or small dinosaur tracks.