Author: Brianna
Well, it’s that time of year! The end of fall semester, the spices-in-everything (we are a fan of spiced hot cocoa or cider), the snowstorms that dump a ton of snow on cities unsuspecting, the deliberating about what kind of gifts to bestow upon friends and family in the spirit of holiday consumerism. If you are having trouble deciding what to get the paleontologically-inclined among your loved ones, look no further! We have collected a series of gifts for people into science in general, though they may or may not reflect our own particular tastes.
Science Prints and Other Paper Things
Everybody needs beautiful wall art. This antler print would look great in any room, because headgear is awesome.
This shop has an amazing array of science prints. For particular inspiration, how about this Women of Science set? They also have t-shirts, if you were wondering.
Card: Irish Elk with a very sweet thought. Sure, it’s not holiday-y, but you could draw a Santa hat or whatever accessory will make it appropriate for the holiday you celebrate.
Cards: “Science is Magic that Works.” A Kurt Vonnegut quote printed beautifully with a hand-carved block.
Card: Cuttlefish. “Wanna cuttle?” Is adorable and just the kind of terrible pun that amuses anyone who is a child at heart. Like most of the scientists we know.
Games
Bone Wars! Classic, easy to learn, and great for parties. It plays on the epic story of the Bone Wars between Cope and Marsh, which you need to go read about if you haven’t done so recently.
Often (though certainly not always!), a fondness for science overlaps with a fondness for videogames. Why not some Portal earrings or a beautiful “fossilized” Handheld Portal Device?
For a board game, try Dominant Species: survive the next Glacial Maximum! (If you don’t get sidetracked by arguing over who gets to be the mammals or the reptiles.)
Gifts for Kids Who Like Science
Things to get for the children in your life!
A cute “When I Grow Up I Want To Be A Paleontologist” print. Never mind everyone pointing out the lack of paleontology jobs! It’s still great fun. Too bad they don’t have a mammal on there for the less dinosaur-inclined…
Trebuchet kit!!! Need I say more? I need not say more. TREBUCHET. KIT. Take your pick – or, if you’d prefer to go the even cooler route, why not print off some plans, go buy the materials, and do it all yourselves? See here and here for some good starting points for small trebuchets.
Ichthyosaur plushie! Maybe not the most cute and cuddly, but cute and cuddly enough…
For a cuter and cuddlier one, how about a custom trilobite plushie?
Science Jewelry
This category is definitely influenced by my interest in making silver jewelry with lost-wax casting. Keep an eye out for my biologically-inspired work at some point, but for now, here are some awesome gifts!
For some lovely earrings and other jewelry made from Alaskan caribou antler, take a look at fellow paleontologist Amy Atwater’s Borealis Bones.
Here’s a beautiful silver trilobite necklace.
On the (much) less expensive side, a tiny pewter velociraptor skull necklace!
The Lost Apostles etsy store is full of absolutely gorgeous bronze jewelry, much of it skeletal in nature. Paleontologists love bones! How about a bronze antler necklace, lovely wolf skull pendant, or just a nice silver femur pendant?
Random
For things that didn’t categorize well.
A lovely throw pillow with line drawings of the occlusal surfaces of nine different horse teeth! (For a more colorful version, check out this mug of similar design.)
A Roomba! Kelsey is obsessed with these at the moment. Who doesn’t want a trainable robot to clean their house for them? Just, you know, take good care of it. That way you might be spared when the robots take over.
A Darwin’s Finches t-shirt, showing different birds and things they like to eat.
BONE WARS SHOES. Yes, really. Like Cope and Marsh. My mind is blown.
Nothing says “I love you” to a field scientist like a virtually indestructible, waterproof (and beer-proof, as it turns out!) notebook like Rite in the Rain.
If your friends are as strange as mine, they will probably love muscle leggings (no, like actual images of leg muscles printed on them).
For science-types who actually work with chemicals or whatever, how about a beaker coffee mug?
Trilobite rubber stamps, so your nerdy friends can mark everything from books to letters to their foreheads! These two are Triarthus and Cheirurus.
More on the plushie front: really adorable giant plush microbes! Because who doesn’t want to say they got malaria or the common cold from their friend?
And, finally, a Smilodon skull keychain!
Have fun and happy gift-giving! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some cats to snuggle. Being home for the holidays is awesome.
fossilosophy 