Australia's universities are spending $1.8 billion a year on external consultants and contractors, while slashing courses and jobs, with students, staff and taxpayers left shortchanged. Watch ABC Four Corners tonight. #HigherEducation #auspol #AcademicSky #HigherEd www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

Ok, so I knew it would be an anger-inducing and triggering watch, but OMG. Bravo ABC Four Corners, and the brave souls that spoke out on the show. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03...

Rest in Power, Dr. Birute Galdikas: another ‘Difficult Woman’ who changed the world for us and for the #orangutan! theconversation.com/birute-galdi...

Happening now @bioanth.org #AABA2026 - a diverse and dynamic celebration of 40 years of the @dentalanth.bsky.social ! Deep bow of thanks to Christina Nicholas for inviting me to share some #TalesTeethTell

Such great energy at the joint @bawmn.bsky.social COD-WIN Happy Hour last night at #AABA2026! Grateful to @bioanth.org for the many years of holding space for our small but mighty grassroots group + our generous donors! All are welcome to join the Steering Committee mtg Sat 7am in the hotel cafe.

Happening now at @bioanth.org #AABA2026 - COD-WIN + @bawmn.bsky.social co-sponsored event with on #Faculty hiring and #DEI

There were so many of us, exactly when these emails were being written, expressly working to undo the harms of sexual harassment and sexual discrimination in science. And so many people refused to believe us that any of it was real. It was all real. 19thnews.org/2026/02/epst...

Very excited to be #Co-Leading a World Cafe on Collective Action for @bawmn.bsky.social in Denver in one month - still time to register if you're going to #AABA2026 @bioanth.org! We're got an awesome program with a workshop, off-site luncheon, and on-site Happy Hour ~ more details here: bawmn.org

Excellent start to 2026 thanks to this outstanding study led by @jnavila.bsky.social TLDR: We can now distinguish diverse water sources used by ancient people in arid regions, as well as predicting drinking water chemistry & rainfall patterns thousands of years ago from #Teeth. tinyurl.com/pnvhhp4n

Diagnosis for profound scientific malaise: "Enshittification... is a systemic issue that threatens the value and development of academic publishing. Academia has become increasingly guided by metrics. As a result, research quality is judged more by where it is published than by its intrinsic worth."

Very proud of @emmasudron.bsky.social who just gave a solid talk on detecting physiological #stress from #nitrogen #isotopes in #teeth at @aushumanbiology.bsky.social #ASHB2025! And a shout out to the incomparable @mammalssuck.bsky.social for integral support on #monkey #milk #illness and #stress. 😎

Great keynote by Zaneta Thayer @aushumanbiology.bsky.social #ASHB2025 — while early life environments and experiences shape health trajectories, they do not make poor (or good) health inevitable. Presented fascinating data on negative health aspects of by-passing natural labour processes in Brazil.

Every opportunity politicians provide for you to tell them about how chronic underfunding of research in Australia is affecting your particular fields, people, working conditions etc. is extremely important. Fill out the form here: lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG

Very proud of @emmasudron.bsky.social ~ who spent years mastering the Geomagic Micromill to sample #NitrogenIsotopes from #teeth at a very impressive resolution. She also obtained competitive @ansto.bsky.social funding to run highly sensitive elemental analyses of modern and archaeological samples!

#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.

New #OpenAccess paper building on studies of #TraceElements in #Primate #Teeth just out in @archaeometry.bsky.social: Tace Element Patterns in Juvenile Wild #Chimpanzee Dentitions #TLDR version: metals are highly variable in wild chimpanzees and dietary sources appear to obscure nursing records

As an English speaking country (with nice beaches to boot) for the cost of a small tax on fossil fuel exports or high incomes Australia could invest in science, recruit researchers fleeing the US and become the knowledge powerhouse of the 21st Century. Instead we're doing this.

MAJOR UNION WIN 🥳 The federal government will implement a new set of university governance principles to strengthen accountability, transparency and public trust following recommendations from the Expert Council on University Governance. Read more: nteu.info/majorwin @alisonbarnes.bsky.social

The Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) issues papers have failed to address declining investment in fundamental research, instead implying research is only important if it can be commercialised by industry. Read our response: https://bit.ly/4hhDZZJ https://bit.ly/4nWaEXu

This week, Australian policymakers heard about the real and growing problem of climate misinformation. Stopping it would mean regulating the PR industry. 👉 theconversation.com/pr-firm...

RIP to Jane Goodall, who opened the world's eyes to our closest relatives. (Photo by NatGeo's Hugo Van Lawick)

New #SSRN #Preprint on #OxygenIsotopes and #TraceElements in Ancient #Teeth led by the amazing @jnavila.bsky.social and funded by @griffith.edu.au & #AustralianResearchCouncil #FutureFellowship. #ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology & #EarthScience for the win! dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...

"I think the solution is going to come from the people, from us: community action, collective service, connection and empathy. What we do need are examples of people who understand the strength in empathy and the power of fair and even-keeled discussion." www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Is this Australia’s climate wake-up call? Official report reveals a hotter, harder future if we don’t act now theconversation.com/is-this-aust...

Great to see Senior Sergeant Donna MacGregor receiving the serious respect she deserves. We are lucky to have her as a member of the @aushumanbiology.bsky.social community!

"If we want democratic universities then...When meritocrats consult, we must deliberate. Where meritocrats cherish distance, we need to seek proximity. If meritocrats show contempt, we ought to foster dignity—talk and listen respectfully, observe and act deliberately." www.abc.net.au/religion/anu...

Some interesting ideas here ~ would love to see the end of journal dominance, particular the pay-to-play ones! How to be a scientist in a post-journal world open.substack.com/pub/thescien...

Here's a #GiftLink for those who want to read the full NYT obit of historian of science & gender, Margaret Rossiter. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/s... #histSTM 🧪🗃️

Looking forward to returning to the University of Wollongong tomorrow to talk about #Teeth as Proxies for Understanding Water Inputs and Past #Seasonality. #ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology #HumanEvolution #WomenInSTEM Zoom link for 12:30pm AEST talk: www.uow.edu.au/events/2025/...

Grateful to @science.org.au for creating the 2020 STEM Women Changemakers program, and giving three of us a chance to reunite five years later at #SAGE2025breakingsilos! Awesome to see Ruwangi Fernando & Mary McMillian and to meet Anna-Maria Arabia. Onwards!!

Timely article as I storm Sydney for the #SAGE2025 conference to reunite @science.org.au 2020 STEM Women Changemakers & push for systemic change in Australian #DEI / #EDI work. Universities have lost their way, but cost-cutting and consultants are not the answer theconversation.com/universities...

Incredible courage from @drdemography.com - so needed this powerful example in our sycophant post-truth world. (Please DM me if you ever make it to the Gold Coast so the @nteunion.bsky.social can celebrate you here too!)

I urge every Australian scholar, and every Australian citizen concerned about the future of our public universities, to sign this petition initiated by the Australian Historical Association.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Emeritus Professor Charles Oxnard on the 27th of June at the age of 91. We extend our deepest condolences to Eleanor and their sons, Guy and Hugh, and to their extended families.

More #TalesTeethTell - including a new study of #Climate from #OxygenIsotopes!

As a former American scientist hired as a-target-of-opportunity in Oz nine years ago- this piece lacks important nuance. See Susan Forde's ‪@aunz.theconversation.com review from June 30th before entertaining romantic ideas of an easy academic life Down Under. theconversation.com/american-sci...

This was such a pleasure to record with @hlusko.bsky.social! Great to consider the ways that #BiologicalAnthropology and #Paleoanthropology research evolves, while also celebrating the power of #Collaboration, #Friendship, and #TalesTeethTell. Timely topics for #AcademicExpats and #Tooth People!

"To maintain the quality and reputation of higher education in Australia, we need to have an open and honest discussion about grade inflation in our universities." Not just a problem in Australia- when I taught @harvard.edu average was one mark below perfection! theconversation.com/the-customer...

“…we are rapidly burning through our next generation of university teachers and researchers.” - Graeme Turner Timely and on point review of his book by my awesome colleague @griffith.edu.au Susan Forde theconversation.com/australias-u...

@drtanyamsmith.bsky.social presenting on inferring stress histories from trace elements, their promises and pitfalls from tooth histology. Referred to the neonatal line as a birth certificate - we love it! #isph2025

Ancient #Teeth People for the Win!

Always enjoy hearing the state-of-the-art on #bone #biology from @natalieasims.bsky.social ~ currently delivering a great keynote at #isph2025 [email protected]

On my way up to awesome #Brisbane for #isph2025 @isph2025.bsky.social & sharing my 10:30 poster on #BiologicalRhythms & #ToothHistology - look forward to chatting over a cuppa.

Please read and share this statement from Sophie and Colin Hortman, children of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. (via WCCO reporter Caroline Cummings on X)

One year ago, Australia scrapped a key equity in STEM program. Where are we now? theconversation.com/one-year-ago...

Impressed to hear from Dr. Jim Chalmers that we have three @griffith.edu.au educated federal ministers in the government. Loved the story he told about Patrick Weller’s private faculty parking spot!