HISTORY
The "Bone Collectors" initiative was created in early 2012 initially as an independent sci-comm blog by the paleontologist Aline M. Ghilardi. Later that year, Aline joined forces with Tito Aureliano and other colleagues on behalf of disseminating Paleontology and Geosciences in Brazil. In 2011, the Bone Collectors’ blog was chosen to take part in the Science Blogs Brasil platform, a certified consortium of Brazilian sci-comm blogs funded by National Geographic. It was on this platform that the team's endeavors reached great national prestige for the first time.
Given the gradual decline of interest in blogs and the ascension of social media, Aline decided to create the Bone Collectors' Facebook page at the end of 2012 and, shortly after, the blog's Twitter account. That was when both she and Tito began to lead the initiative together, supported by partners from all over Brazil. In 2014, Tito suggested migrating the Bone Collectors' webpage also to YouTube, marking the start of their audiovisual activities. The Bone Collectors tackled then the hard task of producing several independent Scientific Communication videos, some of which were funded through extension grants or via crowdfunding. However, the vast majority of them were recorded and edited with great affection and dedication during the researchers' free time. Today, the channel rejoices at its engaged and participatory community and it grew to become the group's flagship. The YouTube channel consequently evolved into one of the world's largest Paleontology and Geosciences channels carried out independently by experts in the area. It offers a direct connection between the audience and researchers, allowing paleontologists to disseminate their work. In addition, the group always seeks to bring experts to discuss specific topics that are of the audience's interest. More recently, Aline and Tito have progressively attempted to bring their followers with them to research laboratories and to the field, allowing the public to follow the researchers' work closely and grasp the methods used by them in their research.
Outside the internet, the Bone Collectors also hold lectures, courses, and workshops. They speak to a broad spectrum of audiences, ranging from children and teenagers, to the elderly. Their recent activities have been focused especially on rural communities in the northeastern "sertão", an area with a widespread occurrence of fossils. The partnership between researchers and locals has always been crucial for research. Therefore, the Bone Collectors always attempt to give in return to the population what they deserve from science.
In parallel with the sci-comm work, they also produce books, booklets, toys, digital and board games. All of those products aim at disseminating Science, especially Paleontology, in Brazil. The group's most recent ambition is exporting Brazilian Paleontology to the world and they have been extremely committed to this mission. Between 2012 and 2013, several books and guides were produced in partnership with research groups from Brazil's Northeast. Namely, those were: "Treasures of the Araripe" ("Tesouros do Araripe"), "Paleontology and fossils of Pernambuco" ("Paleontologia e os Fósseis de Pernambuco") and "Learning Science with Paleontology and fossils from Pernambuco” ("Aprendendo Ciências com a Paleontologia e os Fósseis de Pernambuco"). In the same period (2013), the internationally distributed board game "Mesozoic Tales" was published by the team. The game is an adventure that mixes fun and scientific communication. Currently, two RPG video games involving Brazilian prehistoric creatures are under production, as well as a series of educational adventures for tabletop RPG systems. In 2016, the science fiction book "Hidden Reality", by Tito Aureliano with consulting and editing by Aline Ghilardi, was also published. This book gained a lot of popularity in Brazil, using fiction to publicize National Paleontology. It kicked off the establishment of the whole "Dino Hazard" franchise, headed by Tito Aureliano. The researcher is currently engaged in the production of Brazilian dinosaurs' collectible toys and comic books, both mainly focused on spreading Brazilian National Paleontology to the world.
Prof. Dr. Aline M. Ghilardi
Paleontologist e Biologist
Creator and original director of the Bone Collectors, Aline has a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences awarded by UFSCar and a master's degree in Ecology and Natural Resources received at the same university. She obtained her doctorate in Geology in 2015 from UFRJ and was a Paleontology and Geology Professor at UFPE between 2016 and 2017.
Currently, she is a professor at UFRN, in Natal (RN), and head of the DINOlab (Dinosaur Ichnology and Osteohistology Laboratory). In addition to her active career as a scientist, Dr. Ghilardi also makes unpaid philanthropic voluntary contributions to the scientific dissemination and communication through the Bone Collectors initiative, as well as in other media.
Dr. Tito Aureliano
Paleontologist and Geologist
Co-director of the Bone Collectors, Tito has a degree in Geology obtained at UFPE with Master's and Doctor's degrees in Sciences awarded by Unicamp.
He is currently a researcher at the DINOlab (Dinosaur Ichnology and Osteohistology Laboratory). He is also an associate researcher at the LPP-UFSCar and IGe-Unicamp, in Brazil, and the Natural History Society, in Portugal, where he develops projects on histology and morphometry of dinosaurs and other tetrapods.
Tito also works as an audiovisual and literary content producer, as well as a technical-scientific consultant in the areas of education, museology, cinema, and television. Additionally, works with geological and paleontological consulting in oil and mining worksites.
He has already written books, created games and produced several teaching and dissemination videos. He regularly offers lectures, courses and workshops for schools, companies and universities.
He currently manages and directs the Bone Collectors and the Dino Hazard franchise.
