Hiding the truth.

New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. Here, I look at another recent #megalodon study - one that used zinc isotopes & found that the giant shark wasn't just a whale killer; but probably ate whatever it wanted. Give a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/mega... 🦈

@historicalbiology.bsky.social now has online Collections. One where I highlight papers that are thought-provoking or advance a field. The other is edited by our Science Communication Editor (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) - which brings together his SciComm series. www.tandfonline.com/journals/ghb...

Fancy a late-night museum event surrounded by Cenozoic giants? Well on September 20th, you can do that in Birmingham. And you'll even get to talk to yours truly about giant sharks 🦈 Looking forward to taking part and hope to see some of you there: www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/events/giant...

New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. Here, I reflect on a framework inferring ecological traits from shark teeth from my PhD & look at 2 fascinating studies that took it further than even I thought possible 🦈 Give it a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/new-...

You can officially call me Dr of Sharks now! 🦈 Delighted to have graduated from my PhD yesterday; and to get to celebrate with my family & girlfriend & my brilliant supervisors Catalina & John. The support has been immense & I've made some great pals in Swansea over the 4 years 🦈

One of the most common plot summaries of Shark Week “documentaries” is -Person has a question about Shark behavior. -Person does not ask scientists that question, they’d know the answer -Person goes diving with sharks, which would not answer the question -Question is never addressed again

I've been called "Shark Week's biggest critic," and in that capacity a question I get asked a lot is "that show is obviously pseudoscientific nonsense, why would that real scientist agree to participate? Here's my answer to that question www.southernfriedscience.com/why-would-a-... 🧪🦑🌎🦈🐟 #SciComm

Happy Shark Awareness Day! I want people to be aware of 5 things: 1 Sharks are awesome 2 Sharks are not a threat to your safety 3 Sharks are ecologically important 4 Sharks are highly threatened 5 We can still save them- but it matters what we do, don’t reinvent the wheel, follow experts!

Delighted to share that I'm now represented by Past Preservers for all future TV expert appearances! Can't wait to get started when next documentary job appears!🦈 You can check out my profile with them here: pastpreservers.com/portfolio/dr... Watch my showreel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrL...

New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. This time, a recent paper details a huge migration from a great white shark named Alisha from South Africa to Indonesia! Big thanks to Madison Stewart for being part of this. Read all about Alisha's story here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/the-... 🦈

📣Editor spotlight Dr Jack Cooper (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social‬) is the science communication editor at Historical Biology. A palaeobiologist with a PhD from Swansea University; his research focuses on the ecological diversity of both fossil & living sharks 🦈

🐠🦈 Just out: In this paper we ask "How has reef trophic structure changed since humans started removing predatory fishes from Caribbean coral reefs?". www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... Illustrations @cookedillustrations.com

We need more politicians like him

Cutting medical research on trans people is horrific. Cutting grants that contain the common-in-science prefix trans because you wrongly think they’re about trans people is horrific and stupid.

Finally wrote that blog on this new #megalodon paper! 🦈 Hop on to my website to read me writing about this paper & what it indicates about megalodon biology. Many thanks to Phil Sternes & Kenshu Shimada for discussing their work with me 🦈 Read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/mega...

New bit of #ScienceCommunication from me. I get to write for children here with my latest piece for @sharks4kids.bsky.social. Got a kid who's into sharks or all things prehistoric? Then this is for them 🦈 Read more here at the Sharks4Kids website: www.sharks4kids.com/post/five-th... 🦈

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Washington, DC) In response to Shark Week’s 2025 programming including “Dancing with Sharks,” described as “a dance competition between SCUBA divers and their shark dance partners,” shark scientist Dr. David Shiffman has issued the following statement: “Could we not?”

@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social had to take a picture of this for our favourite sharky boi

A shark scientist reflects on Jaws at 50 - Ars Technica | It me, I’m the shark scientist

Pleased to share my first website blog! We've seen great white sharks disappear in South Africa; whether down to orcas or something else. What effects do we see when this apex predator is lost? Well, a recent study answered it 🦈 Give it a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/a-re...

New #SciComm! 🦈 Privileged to return to the Shark Stories podcast with Madison Stewart to talk about the huge recent updates to #megalodon science in the 3 years since I originally appeared on the show. Thanks for having me back Madi! 😁 Give her a follow & listen: sharkstories.buzzsprout.com 🦈

Always, always a joy to speak to Tom and share our thoughts on the impact of Jaws on sharks. Also featuring our favourite sharky boi @cooperpalaeo.bsky.social!

#Jaws is turning 50! 🦈 Delighted to have contributed to this wonderful piece by @tomjbeasley.bsky.social discussing the legacy of the film & its real-life impact on sharks. Give it a wee read here: uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/jaws-... 🦈

New #megalodon study uses zinc isotopes to reconstruct Miocene marine food webs; finding that megalodon (+ O. chubutensis) were not just supercarnivores, but opportunistic too - i.e., ate whatever they want & not just whales. Fascinating read. Congrats to the authors! 🦈 doi.org/10.1016/j.ep...

Really neat article on one of my PhD chapters by @melissacmarquez.bsky.social! The paper is so well summarised & she nails the key messages of the project. Well worth a read 🦈 www.forbes.com/sites/meliss... You can read the original paper here too: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

We know. They gave you immunity.

🚨New piece of #ScienceCommunication from me 🚨 I wrote a piece for @saveourseas.bsky.social about a critically important recent study that revealed that overfishing has caused shark & ray populations to halve over the last 50 years 🪝🦈 Give it a read here: saveourseas.com/how-overfish...

If you are interested in biodiversity in deep time, check out my new preprint with @rachelwarnock.bsky.social and @dralexdunhill.bsky.social! We review methods of quantifying diversity and diversification, using the fossil record and phylogenies with extinct tips 🐚🦕📊 doi.org/10.32942/X2D...

Recently appeared on Bristol radio to talk about sharks (what else?) - got to record live in the studio! You can listen to the recording at the following link. My specific segment is 36-44 minutes in 🦈https://podcasts.canstream.co.uk/bcfmradio/index.php?id=13208 #ScienceCommunication

I know lots of research labs who don’t include undergrad lab assistants as coauthors on papers, because they just followed instructions and didn’t make a serious intellectual contribution. But sure, putting a fantasy author who funded your work as a coauthor screams “serious science, not a stunt.”

If I tweaked a few genes in a mako shark to make them look a little more like what I thought a megalodon looked like, and I said "we can now bring sharks back from extinction, the shark conservation crisis is over" I'd be (rightly) censured for violating my field's code of professional ethics.

Scientists love to debate and argue, but if there are 3 things every scientist absolutely agrees on, it's that: 1. Climate change is real 2. Vaccines work 3. Those are NOT dire wolves 😤 🧪

Check out my latest appearance on my fav podcast to guest on! Talking a rather bad shark movie with @jawsforaminute.bsky.social! A pleasure as always to be on! 😁🦈

Our first #ScienceCommunication editorial is published! Here, we highlight one of our recently published studies on a classic "dinosaur trackway" from the 1940s 🦕 🦖 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... The study being highlighted can be read #OpenAccess 🔓 here: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Had a fantastic night at Edinburgh Blackwells talking to Professor John Long about his new book "The Secret History of Sharks". It's a truly excellent book detailing over 450 million years of shark evolution! Now available at your nearest bookshop in the UK & on Audible 🦈

A reminder to all submitting authors that your institution may have a funding agreement with us that would allow you to publish your work #OpenAccess 🔓for free! More information here: www.tandfonline.com/openaccess/m...

We have a new special issue in the works at Historical Biology: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Human Behavior and Paleoecological Dynamics in Early and Middle Pleistocene Europe! We will be taking submissions until March 31st. You can read more at: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu....

New #megalodon paper! 🦈 This work further applies the new "slender" hypothesis to some of the shark's basic biology, including suggesting a lemon shark-like body. Congrats to the authors! Will probs dedicate my 1st website blog to my thoughts on this paper: palaeo-electronica.org/content/2025... 🦈

It’s #WorldBookDay today so no better day to spend reading this gem for an upcoming event 😏 been a great read & I’m learning a lot about the oldie sharky sharks! 🦈 The secret history of sharks by @fossilfish.bsky.social is now available in the UK & on tour. You may even see me at an event or 2 😏🦈

New editorial: Darren (@tetzoo.bsky.social) is the new Book Review Editor at Historical Biology (@historicalbiology.bsky.social). If anyone has ideas for book (online or hard copy) that they’d like to either review, or see reviewed, please contact Darren!

For all submitting authors: our journal has funding agreements with various institutions that may allow you the option of publishing your work #OpenAccess 🔓for free! You can check on our website to see if this is an option for your work: www.tandfonline.com/openaccess/m...

Delighted to share my personal website: www.drjackacooper.com! Here, you can find my entire Science Communication & research portfolio; watch my personal showreel, & hire me for writing, speaking or other media engagements on all things shark! 😁🦈

What happened in the Oval Office today was horrifying - but, as this piece says, there is now no denying the truth of Trump’s alignment with Russia. Everyone who values freedom, democracy and peace must stand full square with Zelensky and Ukraine. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

SPREAD THE WORD: On Monday, March 3rd at 10 am Congressional leaders and advocates will gather at NOAA HQ in Silver Spring, MD (right at the Silver Spring Metro stop) to tell Trump and Musk to keep their hands off of NOAA. www.mobilize.us/ccanactionfu...

At least 3 former students were included among the firings at NOAA. Probably more. These were smart, passionate young people who wanted to help save the ocean that we all depend on. They deserve better. The American public deserves better.

The start of Science Communication at Historical Biology! @cooperpalaeo.bsky.social will be leading our socials and will be publishing a new monthly SciComm editorial series. He is also on hand to help authors promote their papers published in the journal. Please read his SciComm Editorial too.

#FossilFriday For our first social media posts, we highlight the iconic MB.Av.1010: a complete fossil of Archaeopteryx siemensii; a Late Jurassic species thought to be transitional between theropod dinosaurs & birds. On display at the Berlin Natural History Museum.

Jack is the new Science Communication Editor for Historical Biology. In his editorial he outlines the exciting changes he’s driving. From Friday he will be running our social media presence, and he has a new monthly SciComm editorial series starting soon!

🚨New publication from me 🚨 In this editorial, I unveil new science communication policies at @historicalbiology.bsky.social. I recently joined as science communication editor after a rocky history with this journal; & I'm looking forward to its new direction! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....