“The Greeks” by Roderick Beaton. This is a fascinating look at Greek history from Ancient Greece to present day. The first half of the book is all about Ancient Greece which is the main reason I wanted to read it. It does a great job of giving a chronological,…(/1)

“King of Kings” by Scott Anderson. This history book reads like a political thriller and it’s no wonder it was a runner-up for the Pulitzer this past year. It is the story of the slow-burn downfall of the shah of Iran, the Iranian Revolution and...(1/)

“King of Kings” by Scott Anderson. This history book reads like a political thriller and it’s no wonder it was a runner-up for the Pulitzer this past year. It is the story of the slow-burn downfall of the shah of Iran, the Iranian Revolution and...(1/)

For anyone interested, apparently my book is 64% off on Amazon—Grab it now if you haven’t already! a.co/d/008dMiM0

Now that I live in Portland, OR, I visit this zoo often and mainly to just spend time with the elephants. It is a wonderful zoo. 😊

Nothing—and I mean *nothing*—activates my deepest sense of awe and wonder as being in the presence of an elephant. I could sit with them all day every day and be constantly amazed. I love them so much. 🐘🐘🐘

You guys!!! Whoa!! Holy crap!! The Story of Birds is a New York Times bestseller! @nytimes.com No. 10 nonfiction & top science book in the USA during its first week. My god, thank you all! I am the luckiest guy to have such engaged and friendly readers. ☺️☺️

100,000%!

Sleeeepy Tula-Tu. 😊🐘

“The Story of Birds” by @stevebrusatte.bsky.social . Following his book on mammal evolution which I reviewed in my previous post, I went straight into this brand new volume on the evolution of birds, which was easy considering it was basically a continuation of Steve’s amiable writing style…(1)

Right. Finally time to finally write up a paper describing that elephant head dissection I did (looks at calendar) a DECADE AGO. 🐘🐘🐘 What? I’ve been busy…🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️

When the Earth Was Green is out in paperback tomorrow! It’s perfect for any season, but, if life’s blooming around you now, especially spring. 🌱

How I get to and from work on a mountain every day.

Next book! “The Rise and Reign of the Mammals” by @stevebrusatte.bsky.social. A few years ago, I read “The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs” & instantly recognized his beautiful and uniquely congenial style in popular science writing that I have since aspired to achieve in my own writing...(1/)

Newest #watercolor of two Sauroposeidon squaring up. I wonder how many sauropods had display colors/structures on their heads since they were so high up in the air. Like those blinking lights on towers for planes. 🦕 #paleoart

Me telling a student they can look up the dissection instructions on the online dissector or that we also have copies of the physical book version of the dissector available in the lab. Student: “…Book?”

👇👇👇🐘🐘🐘

Can you believe that until now there were more genomes sequenced for the woolly mammoth than for living African elephants? Today, we bring you the first genomic, continent-scale analyses of 232 high-quality genomes of both species, the savanna and forest elephant. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Next book! “Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History” by Moudhy Al-Rashid. As some of you may have noticed from some of the past few books I’ve read, I’ve become quite obsessed with ancient history, particularly…(1/)

Watercolor of Diamantinasaurus reaching for a morsel without falling into the creek. (The crocodilian hopes they don’t fall too) 🦕🎨

The Thompson Elk is the first statue to be replaced since the 2020 protests in Portland. A rededication ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday at Chapman and Lownsdale Squares.

A historic elk statue was reinstalled near where I live in Portland and I was briefly interviewed for my thoughts on it by @opb.org. :) www.opb.org/article/2026...

For anyone trying to discuss nuance and reason to the Iranian diaspora, respectfully, please give us some grace today and kindly discuss it with others. We’re pissed off today.

Okay, giving up on the monthly post thing & just going to post my micro-reviews as I read each book. 😃 “Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party” by Edward Dolnick. This was such a fun read. A great narrative history of early vertebrate paleontology & comparative anatomy research in Victorian early 1800s…(1/)

March Book Reviews! See following posts. :)

Anyone else going to the Anatomy Connected meeting in Albuquerque in a couple weeks?? Apparently now I am (Fri-Sun)!!

March Book Reviews! See following posts. :)

Overheard on Portland streetcar: “If you think about it, your brain is just a big mushroom that’s just been absolutely soaked through with electrolytes.” 🤔🤨🍄‍🟫

Nowruz celebrates the arrival of spring and rebirth. But for many in the Iranian diaspora, this year is different. As the war continues, many are trying to balance the joy of the holiday with grief. n.pr/4t0tiiV

Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is upon us. Coinciding with the first day of Spring (the exact moment Spring begins), this tradition goes back over 3,000 years. It is a moment of rebirth and renewal, a time for reflection on the journey of your past and the hope for the future. (1/)

In the middle of this bear and man these two just could not get along.

So I have this really great idea for a natural history non-fiction book that I am dying to write, but I have no idea the first thing about finding a literary agent for this sort of book. Any suggestions from fellow authors out there?

So I have this really great idea for a natural history non-fiction book that I am dying to write, but I have no idea the first thing about finding a literary agent for this sort of book. Any suggestions from fellow authors out there?

tušāma ina urri iššira damiqtī arḫu innammaru inammira šamšī "Perhaps, at daybreak, good things will come to me A new moon will appear, my sun will shine." A couplet from Babylonian poem, Ludlul bēl nēmeqi, whose protagonist hopes for better days. A lengthy, beautiful, bizarre work of literature.

Let’s change our language. Let’s stop saying “Middle East” as it refers to a comparison with the position of Europe. “West Asia” or “Southwest Asia” are much more accurate. That’s what it has always been.

It's funny because it's TRUE.

Hey don’t worry guys, just wait a few tens of millions of years and that pesky Strait of Hormuz will close right up. Then no worries! Plate tectonics to the rescue! 😃

My feelings at the moment on Iran.

New Year’s resolution was to start reading the many books I’ve compiled over the years. To keep it up, I’ll be posting a short “review” once a month on each book read the previous month. Since it took a little bit to get myself started, this post will combine January and February! … (1/)

New Year’s resolution was to start reading the many books I’ve compiled over the years. To keep it up, I’ll be posting a short “review” once a month on each book read the previous month. Since it took a little bit to get myself started, this post will combine January and February! … (1/)

This Persian says that is not how a scimitar is shaped. 😉 (Still a pretty neat Spinosaurus, though.)

*Quietly freaks out about the placement of a few of those tooth marks on the mandible* What? I’m not saying *anything*! Don’t be weird. 😉 peerj.com/articles/207...

SVP Diversity Committee co-chair here. Feel free to dm me your thoughts. I’m working with DivComm and some other committees on an action plan and I’d love to know what you want to happen and what would make you feel safer, reassured, and welcome.

It's no secret I absolutely hate the movie "300" & its horrible, awful portrayal of Xerxes & the Persians. I know it's based on a graphic novel and yes I also blame that graphic novelist's portrayal. If I ever have time to write a graphic novel, I think I'd like to write a much more measured...(1/2)

It's no secret I absolutely hate the movie "300" & its horrible, awful portrayal of Xerxes & the Persians. I know it's based on a graphic novel and yes I also blame that graphic novelist's portrayal. If I ever have time to write a graphic novel, I think I'd like to write a much more measured...(1/2)

👇👇👇

Finally, I can break silence! I did a lot of creature design work for this show (collaborating, of course, with the production team) and think the animals are looking pretty good here! This was a lot of fun to work on - will be watching on Mar. 6! www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4ZB...

Is @societyofvertpaleo.bsky.social being serious here? No, the presence of a name on an email doesn't establish wrongdoing. But the *content* of those emails is what so many members, including myself, are outraged about. This response does nothing but further degrade my confidence in SVP leadership