Dr Rebecca Bennion
@calymeneblue.bsky.social
Palaeontologist working in a local history museum 🖼️ collections (of all kinds), curation, and community engagement 🐬 PhD on whales and marine reptiles, now also working on sharks and cave archaeology
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
I've started research on historic (preWW2) women who worked on volcanology/magmatic rocks. This includes anyone who was traveling to and writing about/observing/drawing/engaging with the landscape in myriad ways.
I'm building a list for further investigation. Will share soon! Any tip offs welcome!
I'm building a list for further investigation. Will share soon! Any tip offs welcome!
November 16, 2025 at 8:09 PM
I've started research on historic (preWW2) women who worked on volcanology/magmatic rocks. This includes anyone who was traveling to and writing about/observing/drawing/engaging with the landscape in myriad ways.
I'm building a list for further investigation. Will share soon! Any tip offs welcome!
I'm building a list for further investigation. Will share soon! Any tip offs welcome!
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
A busy couple of days for Fossils in t' Hills.
This evening we'll be discussing Carboniferous fossil trees with GeoLancashire from 19:15 (geolancashire.org.uk/events/)
Then tomorrow we're taking our Pholiderpeton puzzles to Otley Science Festival!
#FossilFriday
This evening we'll be discussing Carboniferous fossil trees with GeoLancashire from 19:15 (geolancashire.org.uk/events/)
Then tomorrow we're taking our Pholiderpeton puzzles to Otley Science Festival!
#FossilFriday
November 14, 2025 at 4:31 PM
A busy couple of days for Fossils in t' Hills.
This evening we'll be discussing Carboniferous fossil trees with GeoLancashire from 19:15 (geolancashire.org.uk/events/)
Then tomorrow we're taking our Pholiderpeton puzzles to Otley Science Festival!
#FossilFriday
This evening we'll be discussing Carboniferous fossil trees with GeoLancashire from 19:15 (geolancashire.org.uk/events/)
Then tomorrow we're taking our Pholiderpeton puzzles to Otley Science Festival!
#FossilFriday
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
November 5, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Hoping this helps our colleagues across the industry
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
My students have set up a petition to persuade the University of Nottingham not to close our Plant Biology BSc course
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
Sign the Petition
Reconsider the potential suspension of Plant Biology Courses at UoN
c.org
November 9, 2025 at 11:55 AM
My students have set up a petition to persuade the University of Nottingham not to close our Plant Biology BSc course
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
c.org/VPhzVVrHPS
Please consider signing
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Wow! 😮🤩
There's a new interactive map of Every Known Road in the Roman Empire!! 🤓
itiner-e.org
We might have to have a lie-down.
There's a new interactive map of Every Known Road in the Roman Empire!! 🤓
itiner-e.org
We might have to have a lie-down.
November 6, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Wow! 😮🤩
There's a new interactive map of Every Known Road in the Roman Empire!! 🤓
itiner-e.org
We might have to have a lie-down.
There's a new interactive map of Every Known Road in the Roman Empire!! 🤓
itiner-e.org
We might have to have a lie-down.
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
REMINDER: A socialist act by a New Yorker was a major reason why polio was eliminated in the US.
November 4, 2025 at 10:41 PM
REMINDER: A socialist act by a New Yorker was a major reason why polio was eliminated in the US.
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
A spooky fossil for Halloween!
The Carboniferous swamps of the north of England were full of creepy crawlies... This is one of them, a spider-like creature called Mesotarbus.
📍 Westhoughton
🏛️ Manchester Museum
📷 GB3D Fossils
#FossilFriday
The Carboniferous swamps of the north of England were full of creepy crawlies... This is one of them, a spider-like creature called Mesotarbus.
📍 Westhoughton
🏛️ Manchester Museum
📷 GB3D Fossils
#FossilFriday
October 31, 2025 at 10:30 AM
A spooky fossil for Halloween!
The Carboniferous swamps of the north of England were full of creepy crawlies... This is one of them, a spider-like creature called Mesotarbus.
📍 Westhoughton
🏛️ Manchester Museum
📷 GB3D Fossils
#FossilFriday
The Carboniferous swamps of the north of England were full of creepy crawlies... This is one of them, a spider-like creature called Mesotarbus.
📍 Westhoughton
🏛️ Manchester Museum
📷 GB3D Fossils
#FossilFriday
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
New LIBER Digital Scholarship & Data Science Topic Guide focused on Digital Sustainability!
Explore digital sustainability and learn how GLAMs can measure and reduce their digital footprint libereurope.github.io/ds-topic-gui...
Explore digital sustainability and learn how GLAMs can measure and reduce their digital footprint libereurope.github.io/ds-topic-gui...
Digital Sustainability – Digital Scholarship & Data Science Topic Guides
libereurope.github.io
October 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
New LIBER Digital Scholarship & Data Science Topic Guide focused on Digital Sustainability!
Explore digital sustainability and learn how GLAMs can measure and reduce their digital footprint libereurope.github.io/ds-topic-gui...
Explore digital sustainability and learn how GLAMs can measure and reduce their digital footprint libereurope.github.io/ds-topic-gui...
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
In huge positive news, the Australian government just ruled out handing the work of their country’s creatives to AI companies for free 🙌
They resisted the well-funded tech lobby & shut down proposals to upend copyright law.
Other governments should do the same!
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
They resisted the well-funded tech lobby & shut down proposals to upend copyright law.
Other governments should do the same!
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
October 27, 2025 at 6:35 AM
In huge positive news, the Australian government just ruled out handing the work of their country’s creatives to AI companies for free 🙌
They resisted the well-funded tech lobby & shut down proposals to upend copyright law.
Other governments should do the same!
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
They resisted the well-funded tech lobby & shut down proposals to upend copyright law.
Other governments should do the same!
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
🌱 Help secure the future of the Biodiversity Heritage Library! 🙏
Your donation will keep biodiversity knowledge open, connected, and growing, and fund the dedicated staff who make it all possible. 📖 👩💻 🌱 🌏 🧪
🔗 Donate: ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#BHLTransition #ILoveBHL
Your donation will keep biodiversity knowledge open, connected, and growing, and fund the dedicated staff who make it all possible. 📖 👩💻 🌱 🌏 🧪
🔗 Donate: ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#BHLTransition #ILoveBHL
October 18, 2025 at 1:05 AM
🌱 Help secure the future of the Biodiversity Heritage Library! 🙏
Your donation will keep biodiversity knowledge open, connected, and growing, and fund the dedicated staff who make it all possible. 📖 👩💻 🌱 🌏 🧪
🔗 Donate: ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#BHLTransition #ILoveBHL
Your donation will keep biodiversity knowledge open, connected, and growing, and fund the dedicated staff who make it all possible. 📖 👩💻 🌱 🌏 🧪
🔗 Donate: ancrywkv.donorsupport.co/page/BHLDona...
#BHLTransition #ILoveBHL
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
I've received an 'exclusive' invite to try Nature's new 'research assistant', which will burn down a forest to provide a 'summary of the paper' I'm reading and I have SUCH exciting news for them, that's called an 'abstract' and the actual authors already wrote it for me, no forest-burning required.
October 17, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I've received an 'exclusive' invite to try Nature's new 'research assistant', which will burn down a forest to provide a 'summary of the paper' I'm reading and I have SUCH exciting news for them, that's called an 'abstract' and the actual authors already wrote it for me, no forest-burning required.
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
£3.5 million to pay a detectorist/landowner for our shared heritage and to stop it going into private hands.
This stinks and it has to stop.
#Archaeology
museumsandheritage.com/advisor/post...
This stinks and it has to stop.
#Archaeology
museumsandheritage.com/advisor/post...
British Museum launches bid to acquire £3.5m Henry VIII pendant - Museums + Heritage
Museum seeks public donations after securing £500,000 from The Julia Rausing Trust towards the purchase discovered by metal detectorist in Warwickshire.
museumsandheritage.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
£3.5 million to pay a detectorist/landowner for our shared heritage and to stop it going into private hands.
This stinks and it has to stop.
#Archaeology
museumsandheritage.com/advisor/post...
This stinks and it has to stop.
#Archaeology
museumsandheritage.com/advisor/post...
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.
Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology
Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology
October 10, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Well, it's official. After our paper last year (onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....), the Slender-billed Curlew is officially declared Extinct today.
Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology
Scientists dream of describing new species, not writing their obituary and epitaph, knowing that they are gone forever #ornithology
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
The reason the Right are so invested in the myth that the arts have no value isn’t because the arts don’t generate wealth (they do); it’s that studying the arts teaches people to imagine better ways of judging the value of an idea than by counting how much money it makes…
October 8, 2025 at 1:41 PM
The reason the Right are so invested in the myth that the arts have no value isn’t because the arts don’t generate wealth (they do); it’s that studying the arts teaches people to imagine better ways of judging the value of an idea than by counting how much money it makes…
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
We need to utterly transform how we protect our heritage: more funding for museums, more education and disrupting our equation of heritage with monetary value. This isn't a one off. From our fiekds to our museum cases, antiquities are seen as objects for personal acquisition and monetary gain.
🏺
🏺
Awful news from Wales, the St Fagan's Museum has been broken into and prehistoric goldwork has been taken. Its painful to think what objects might now be at risk. Thoughts with the museum team who must be devastated, all speed to the police and a curse on the crooks.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
St Fagans: Bronze Age gold jewellery stolen from musuem
Police are investigating a burglary at St Fagans museum in the early hours of Monday morning.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 7, 2025 at 7:29 AM
We need to utterly transform how we protect our heritage: more funding for museums, more education and disrupting our equation of heritage with monetary value. This isn't a one off. From our fiekds to our museum cases, antiquities are seen as objects for personal acquisition and monetary gain.
🏺
🏺
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Delighted to share some initial research that Stephanie Pratt (Crow Creek Dakota) & I have started at Knole @researchnt.bsky.social. How can its transatlantic connections also centre Indigenous presence? What new interpretation might such frameworks allow?
www.historyworkshop.org.uk/indigenous-h...
www.historyworkshop.org.uk/indigenous-h...
Indigenous Plant Stories in an English Treasure House
Delve into the links between Knole and Indigenous American histories as we investigate its colonial connections.
www.historyworkshop.org.uk
October 7, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Delighted to share some initial research that Stephanie Pratt (Crow Creek Dakota) & I have started at Knole @researchnt.bsky.social. How can its transatlantic connections also centre Indigenous presence? What new interpretation might such frameworks allow?
www.historyworkshop.org.uk/indigenous-h...
www.historyworkshop.org.uk/indigenous-h...
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Today is the 89th anniversary of The Battle of Cable Street when the people of the East End of London halted the march of Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts through Stepney.
October 4, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Today is the 89th anniversary of The Battle of Cable Street when the people of the East End of London halted the march of Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts through Stepney.
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
This is extremely cool: 700 years worth of archaeological artefacts being collected from old nests of bearded vultures (strong contender for the best vulture)
www.popsci.com/environment/...
www.popsci.com/environment/...
Multi-generational vulture nests hold 700 years of human artifacts
Crossbow bolts, sandals, slingshots, and more.
www.popsci.com
October 3, 2025 at 1:40 PM
This is extremely cool: 700 years worth of archaeological artefacts being collected from old nests of bearded vultures (strong contender for the best vulture)
www.popsci.com/environment/...
www.popsci.com/environment/...
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
September 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Join us on 20 November for the Annual Digital Lecture, a partnership between The National Archives, UK and the School of Advanced Study. The wonderful @nannathylstrup.bsky.social will be speaking about ‘When saving becomes loss: archival memory in the digital age’. Free to register!
When saving becomes loss: Archival memory in the digital age
Explore archival memory, data loss, and attempts to preserve the past in the digital age at this year’s Annual Digital Lecture.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
September 30, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Join us on 20 November for the Annual Digital Lecture, a partnership between The National Archives, UK and the School of Advanced Study. The wonderful @nannathylstrup.bsky.social will be speaking about ‘When saving becomes loss: archival memory in the digital age’. Free to register!
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
Migrants already carry out work for their communities, it’s called ‘having a fucking job’ and it’s mandatory because we aren’t eligible for benefits
"Migrants will have to carry out community work or volunteering to qualify to permanently remain in the UK, according to the Home Secretary." [Telegraph]
September 28, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Migrants already carry out work for their communities, it’s called ‘having a fucking job’ and it’s mandatory because we aren’t eligible for benefits
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
In discussion with a computer scientist from the University of Cambridge last night:
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
September 26, 2025 at 5:14 PM
In discussion with a computer scientist from the University of Cambridge last night:
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
Me: "you've described some of the things that AI is good at. How would you describe the category of things it's not good at?
**pause**
Him: "Anything where it has to be right".
Reposted by Dr Rebecca Bennion
It's never occurred to me that it IS an assumption. This is the most astonishing start to a paper I've read in years:
"Living organisms are assumed to produce same-species offspring. Here, we report a shift from this norm in Messor ibericus, an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species."
"Living organisms are assumed to produce same-species offspring. Here, we report a shift from this norm in Messor ibericus, an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species."
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same mother having distinct genomes and morphologies.
www.nature.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:26 PM
It's never occurred to me that it IS an assumption. This is the most astonishing start to a paper I've read in years:
"Living organisms are assumed to produce same-species offspring. Here, we report a shift from this norm in Messor ibericus, an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species."
"Living organisms are assumed to produce same-species offspring. Here, we report a shift from this norm in Messor ibericus, an ant that lays individuals from two distinct species."