He was an alumni of my high school and it was some fossils he found. My high school has its own paleontological museum, and its director is even on Bluesky, at @andyfarke.bsky.social www.alfmuseum.org

One time in high school I was bitten by a radioactive papier-mâché dinosaur, which gave me all the powers of old newspaper drenched in wheat paste and dried via evaporation

Hey paleontologists! The Alf Museum is hosting WAVP (Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology) next month. (should have abstract submission details pretty quick). Details here: www.wavp.us

Happy New Year! 2025 was an...interesting...one in many ways both good and...interesting. Here's to 2026!

Determination of Smilodon fatalis (Carnivora: Felidae) brain volume and its place among extant felids by use of MicroCT scans academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...

Please note that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" starts ON December 25th. Which means it's still ongoing. It's also why I'd get annoyed with TV channels that did "12 days of christmas" shows in the days leading up to Christmas.

There's a sale going on my Etsy store til the 3rd of January! My listed sun catchers and enamel pins are 25% off - check them out today! alaskanime.etsy.com/?etsrc=sdt&section_id=1 #art #crafts #gift #newyear #nye #sale

Die perfekte Weihnachtsbaum-Deko existiert nic...

A few new papers out recently that I'm excited to share with you! First: How well could stem reptiles hear? www.nature.com/articles/s41...

New paper from Sprague & McLain, on a rhamphorhynchid humerus from the Morrison: www.scielo.br/j/aabc/a/wrw...

#ArtAdventCalendar Blue Microbes, watercolor, 2022 #sciart

Excited to announce our latest article on open science in non-clinical CT data! Open science is transforming image-based research by making data and processes more accessible. 👉 doi.org/10.1098/rsos...

"The first transport is away!" - my feeling every year upon submitting my first BLM paleo permit report.

CSUN Researchers Call for Public’s Help in Documenting Joshua Trees’ Surprise Out-of-Season Bloom 🌿 newsroom.csun.edu/2025/12/16/c...

TIL

Fantastic palaeoart in a traditional Chinese style, used as a figure in a Royal Society publication, describing a false sabre-tooth feline, Taotienimravus songi. I hope this buckles the trend again "stylised" art in publications and press releases. Art by Yuefeng Song 🐈

Gaudete!

Going on TOMORROW! 10am-4:30 pm! Come check out me and @cgfx.bsky.social at the @cubelight.bsky.social booth where we'll have tons of handmade ornaments, sun catchers, artwork and more! See you there, #Alaska! #AlaskaSky #Holiday #Market #Christmas

A gorgeous little metatherian mammal molar from our "MegaMicro" site in the "Mesaverde" Formation of Wyoming. Around ~79 Ma; the square in the background is 10 mm; collected under #BLMPaleo permit, accessioned at @alfpaleo.bsky.social Happy #FossilFriday! 🧪🦕

I did a 30-day snooze on a few people over on Facebook, and it has evidently expired...reminding me why I snoozed them in the first place.

"We have not finished our research on that specimen yet." Sometimes a legitimate statement, sometimes a prime example of the Gollum Effect.

I'll be on sabbatical starting January 1, 2026, and if anyone is looking for a guest speaker for department seminars, I'm happy to discuss possible dates. Reskeet widely! 🧪⚒️

Sadly, I have now lost Whamageddon. Luckily, I continue to evade the Mariahpocalypse.

I am often asked: What is the best telescope to buy for someone just getting into astronomy? 🪐🔭👀 As a theorist, I am absolutely useless and can tell you nothing. HOWEVER, my friend the wonderful @philplait.bsky.social is NOT useless and has great advice & relevant links here! ⤵️

The obscure knowledge from my farm upbringing unexpectedly collides with my obscure knowledge of vertebrate morphology.

For #FossilFriday, my *secret project* that I've been dying to share with y'all is finally here! 🥁🥁🥁🥁 HUNTER! Or, more specifically, Hunter the Dino-Digging Dog! 🧵

New research on a hot topic - histology of the holotype supports Nanotyrannus as distinct from T. rex. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

ICYMI, we have a new paper out offering advice to shark scientists who want to perform policy-relevant research but don't understand the basics of science-based policymaking. Here's the press release/ lay summary. The open access paper is linked within. 🧪🦑🌍🦈

First Sunday of Advent!

WHY DINOSAURS? Official Trailer. Streaming worldwide very soon! Get updates at www.whydinosaurs.com #whydinosaurs #dinosaurs #fossils #paleontology #jurassicpark

😁😃😁😃😁 #KidLit Thank you again, @slj.com!!!

Manuscript submitted, for an unexpected and fun little writing project. Not primary literature, but very cool nonetheless. Fingers crossed for the editorial process...

Now that Rogue has apparently shed its mortal coil, I have to do another brewery obit. (Ugh!) Given Rogue’s reputation today, one may imagine its legacy is merely surviving. In fact, it was a hugely influential brewer, and at one time its beers were considered groundbreaking.

New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...

I remember vividly photos of his cranial sculptures, widely published when I was a kid! They were lifelike in a way that was ahead of their time.

Central Asian radiation of modern large-mammal faunas in Miocene | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Scientists discover telephone-cord-like optic nerves in chameleons, which were overlooked by Aristotle, Newton, and everyone else, until now... Story: www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scie... Study: doi.org/10.1038/s415...

A happy SVP to all attending this week! I'll (hopefully) be there next year!

Oops…“Principal components (PC) axes identified by a PCA are not necessarily the most informative biologically. Nevertheless, paleoanthropologists frequently interpret proximity in PC space as indicative of morphological and thus evolutionary affinity or relatedness” www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

I got some stellar views of a great egret this afternoon! It's been hanging around our area, and was totally fun to observe.

Parents, PLEASE check your kids’ Halloween candy this year. I just found atoms in this candy bar that were formed during BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS, and many more that were the result of earlier generations of stars exploding as POWERFUL SUPERNOVA. Parents need to know about this dangerous trend!!

It’s true, since we put up that giant cat skeleton, 407,013 people went full anti-vax, 1103 kindergarteners embraced fasting diets for longevity, 79,406 science majors dropped out of college, & 5 archaeology programs had to close because students could no longer discern reality from fiction.

Whew. We’ve reached the point where the flood of People Serious About Scientific Accuracy need to DM me about all the ways they hope my Halloween/life/death is terrible because I’m spreading disinformation with my *checks notes* obviously comedically fake Halloween skeletons.

This is exactly the reason every mission and scientist should have a wide-open data policy! PUNCH has specific science objectives (looking at the solar wind) – but in the right hands the data can reveal amazing things NOT part of our original science. Giving those hands access is best for all. ☀️🔭🧪

The lectionary for this past Sunday in the Episcopal Church (and many other liturgical churches) was Luke 18:9-14, and today I realized that it is of course not at all reminiscent of the discourse around Nanotyrannus.

Remember to check your kids candy for paleontology! #paleontology

You know, the longer I look at this specimen, the more skeptical I am. That doesn't look anything like an Appalachian tyrannosaur. I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops

Science fact: if you look at any tyrannosaur from far enough away it becomes a nanotyrannus