iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Dr. Michelle I. Turner @chaco-arch.bsky.social · 13h

Wow, cool research on Neanderthal use of wood! The wood itself is gone, but they've got a method for studying the voids left behind by wood objects.

arstechnica.com

Neanderthal wooden tools from Spain found preserved in stone

Dissolved rock precipitated around the tools, which then decayed.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Our more in-depth story on the sudden shut down of Chronicle Heritage. I talk to a handful of employees who recount their experience and concerns following the company’s dissolution. Many worry about the thousands of artifacts still in Chronicle’s care. #Archaeology #CRM 🧪🏺 New at @science.org

science.org

Major employer of archaeologists shuts down, leaving workers in the lurch

The “ungraceful exit” of Chronicle Heritage leaves many researchers fearful for the future

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Chronicle Heritage, the largest cultural resources management firm in the US, abruptly shuttered its operations last week. The sudden closure leaves many archaeologists without work just as the US field season is coming to a close. This is a developing story. 🧪🏺 #Archaeology at @science.org

science.org

Exclusive: Archaeology megafirm abruptly shuts down

Chronicle Heritage was largest U.S. cultural resources management company

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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I don’t think everyone realizes how bad things are for US science: For the fiscal year that just ended, the Trump regime withheld $1.4 billion from the National Science Foundation’s research budget, which is about 1/5 of its primary research budget.

nytimes.com

National Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress (Gift Article)

The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants.

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Mineral Cup & Ore Cup @mineralcup.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Congratulations, Quartz! After a decade of #MinCup, this key rock-forming mineral of optical tricks is the #MinCup26 Champion! Due to intense manipulation attempts in the final hours, the exact winning margin is still being audited. Please join us tomorrow for celebration!

A clear double-terminated quartz crystal with petroleum inclusions. Credit: John Sobolewski

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sanjana! @sanjanacurtis.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

it’s been driving me insane there are sooo many grad school romance plots you can have that are fun and cute and this is what we get, dating a professor 😬 idk what to expect from fanfic but irritating to watch this become a mainstream film when like every single one of us has been harassed by a prof

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 30/09/2026

Stone and bone tools from c. 5375 cal BC Eilsleben, Germany. Whilst the stone axes clearly reflect #Neolithic traditions, the flint and bone tools point to contact with local #Mesolithic foragers on Europe's Neolithic frontier. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Three polished stone axes, three flint tools (an arrowhead, drill and scraper) and two bone awls.

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The Onion @theonion.com · 14/09/2026

Archaeologists Discover More Old Shit That Sucks theonion.com/archaeologists-discove…

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KSircombe @ksircombe.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

#MinCup26 ⚒️🧪 Here we go! www.mineralcup.org/2026/bracket

"Illustrated announcement poster titled 'September is Mineral Cup Month!' in pink hand-lettered text on a light gray background. Below it is a 32-mineral single-elimination tournament bracket titled 'Mineral Cup 2026,' with 16 mineral names listed down the left side (including Azurite, Smithsonite, Sphalerite, Anorthite, Cuprite, Orpiment, Monazite-(Ce), Andalusite, Hafnon, Putnisite, Calcite, Julienite, Arsenopyrite, Halite, Chrysocolla, and Xocolatlite) and 16 down the right side (including Erythrite, Skutterudite, Bournonite, Vesuvianite, Quartz, Asagiite, Stichtite, Talc, Pyromorphite, Gypsum, Pyrrhotite, Cylindrite, Riebeckite, Gadolinite-(Y), Cassiterite, and Graphite), connected by bracket lines converging toward a blank champion line in the center. A yellow banner reading '10 years old!' is angled across the middle of the bracket. Below the bracket, a simple line-drawing of a smiling person gestures toward the chart, and beside them stands a large smiling crystal/gem character with closed eyes. Text underneath reads: 'The Mineral Cup is a 32-mineral elimination bracket competition with an online vote everyday… www.mineralcup.org.' Small print on the bracket notes daily voting takes place on www.MineralCup.org in September, with the hashtag #MinCup26."

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Kenny Brophy @urbanprehistorian.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Two (very likely) Neolithic axe fragments from the #CamphillDig26 site found in the past 24 hours. Nothing like this has been found in Glasgow for well over a century!

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Emily Higgs Kopin (spooky) @ehkopin.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Corollary: if someone is “brilliant” but an asshole to women and junior colleagues, they are not brilliant. They are bad at their job and should be treated as such

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Dr Alex Fitzpatrick @animalarchaeology.com · 02/08/2026

I’m so tired of the push for an ‘apolotical archaeology organisation’. Recognising that the discipline is inherently political and yet demanding that our organisations that represent us limit their ‘political engagement’ (which here means recognition of the genocide in Palestine!) is cowardly shit

A LinkedIn post from Professor Christian Horn which reads, “Two weeks ago, I wrote that EAA members should vote for the candidate whose vision for the Association most closely matches their own.
My vision for the EAA is an open and inclusive association that does not discriminate based on ethnicity, gender, religion, or nationality.
I also believe there should be limits to the political issues in which the EAA becomes involved. I agree that archaeology is inherently political. However, our political engagement should remain within the bounds of our profession, where our expertise genuinely applies.
Beyond our professional expertise, our opinions carry no greater authority than those of anyone else. If we allow the EAA to become a forum for debating every political issue of the day, we risk descending into the kind of polarised exchanges that dominate social media.
Anyone who witnessed the last Special Meeting will understand my concern.
Every individual member is, of course, free to hold whatever political views they choose. But within the EAA, what should unite us is our archaeological work and our profession.”

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New-Cleckit Dominie @ncdominie.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This is just to say I have OCRed the text thet was in tne arch:ve and whicb yov were prabaldy seamhing for "breahtast" Fargme ms fheg mem debo:w5 sb ?mccf mmb 5c oc1b

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Prof Chris Jackson @seismatters.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Rocks are like time capsules. They reveal ancient life and climates. They’ll help us fight climate change. They record the birth, life, and death of continents. They give us a framework for understanding lithosphere-biosphere dynamics at a global-scale. They’re ace, frankly [2/2]

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Louis Römer @lromeranth.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

It is really not surprising at all to me to see the same people who were complaining about cancel culture and intellectual freedom now argue for eliminating things they disagree with or don’t like. The whole cancel culture thing was an exercise in DARVO

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

shutting down academic programs is virtually never about the quality of those programs and often it’s not really even about their actual student numbers or “appeal” very little management policy towards the humanities is specifically “about” research or teaching in the humanities at all, in fact

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Exhausted archaeologist-exhausteologist @hknorton.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

I am not being hyperbolic when I say that these changes will kill the #CRM industry as we know it, will alter public lands protections. This is looting of public resources by private industry- our tax dollars, our public lands, our communities that are harmed by federally approved actions 4/N

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spookily scarily pitt girl 👻🎃👻 @opg.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

a) college is not trade school. the point is not only to get a high paying job b) this will destroy fields like social work and librarianship, which are super important but wildly underpaid even though they often require advanced degrees in part because they’re “care” jobs primarily held by women

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Steph Halmhofer @cultarchaeo.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

I do find it concerning that part of the justification for shrinking Bears Ears protected areas is that archaeological materials there have no "historic or scientific interest" because you can find that stuff (e.g. lithic scatters, petroglyphs, projectile points, etc.) anywhere. 🏺 1/

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Social Media Lab @socialmedialab.ca · 15/07/2026

"Whoops! Most arXiv papers contain information never meant to be shared. Passwords, GPS coordinates and private conversations have all been found in the metadata and source files of millions of preprint submissions." www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Whoops! Most arXiv papers contain information never meant to be shared

Passwords, GPS coordinates and private conversations have all been found in the metadata and source files of millions of preprint submissions.

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The Onion @theonion.com · 14/07/2026

Geologist Reunited With Beloved Rock He Studied 20 Years Ago theonion.com/geologist-reunited-wit…

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CK Watts @ckwatts.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Really got to hand it to Polyphia, some of the best music to write in the game

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Brandon Bishop @brandontbishop.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

"NSF plans to claw back around US$500 million that has already been distributed to grant-making divisions. That money would be withdrawn from three of the NSF’s eight main areas, or directorates: engineering; computer and information science and engineering; and mathematical and physical science."

nature.com

NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative

A proposed clawback of already distributed research funds comes as the US agency struggles with a squeezed budget and a backlog of grant applications.

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The Geological Society of America (GSA) @geosociety.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

This is your last chance to weigh in. The public comment period on the OMB's proposed federal grant rule changes closes tomorrow, 13 July. Visit geosociety.co/OMB-action to learn more, understand what’s at stake, and submit your comment today.

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CK Watts @ckwatts.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

I think the only two offered so far have been “American Cultures and Values” and “Political and Economic Institutions in the United States” - to my knowledge neither filled (I’m a Grad TA at Iowa)

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Eric Rauchway @rauchway.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

It's okay to use citation software. It's okay not to. Using citation software isn't even a little bit like using Gen AI to write, read, or summarize (citation software is deterministic: same inputs, same outputs). These are actually easy things to know and understand and avoid Discourse about.

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 02/06/2026

Ground Stone Axes from Later Stone Age (c. 13,000–12,000 BP) Nigeria. Use-wear analysis indicates they were used for many different tasks, such as wood working, butchery/bone working and digging, making them a kind of prehistoric multi-tool! 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Six stone axes, some roughly curvilinear, some long, thick triangular and flattened with sharp edges.

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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Uninterested in leading a pile-on but no, AI does not “have access” to everything ever published. Not archival material, obviously, but not secondary material either. Nor across times nor languages. AI is not human knowledge personified. It’s exactly not that, in fact. It’s not even a search engine.

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

I’ve said it before and will say it a few more times. When Trump 2.0 came for accreditation I knew we had crossed into a different era of white reclamation. Precise, focused, stealth. Anyway, you probably don’t want these reforms.

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CK Watts @ckwatts.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Classes are done, exams are over, and final grades are submitted. Which means I can focus on attempting to outsmart rabbits from breaking into and eating vegetables from my garden.

Photo showing a chewed hole in plastic fencing.

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Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 17/05/2026

Trump has destroyed America’s knowledge infrastructure. This is an opportunity for knowledge workers across disciplines-natural science, social science, humanities-to see their interests in rebuilding this infrastructure on democratic grounds as connected.

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CK Watts @ckwatts.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age 🏺

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Cool, so NSF is now going to be used to essentially launder money to tech bros because universities are just too cumbersome and disciplinary oversight and regulations and accountability are all just too stifling for innovation. $1.5B for “X-Labs.”

nsf.gov

NSF X-Labs

NSF's mission is to advance the progress of science, a mission accomplished by funding proposals for research and education made by scientists, engineers, and educators from across the country.

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Dr. Angry Anarchist (Free 🇵🇸) @archhelmer.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Indiana Jones then: It belongs in a museum!! 🏺 Indiana Jones now: Land Back is both a moral imperative and the only path to survival That's growth 💅

Screenshot of an Instagram post from @indigenous.tv
The post is a photo of Harrison Ford in graduation robes giving a commencement speech at ASU, with the following quote from the speech: "The trees, the mountains, water, soil are not commodities. They are relatives."

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Henning @geohenning.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Gneiss personality, zero survivability. ⚒️ #Geology

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

On NSF’s postdoc page, the biology and earth science fields have been completely eliminated; the only remaining fellowships are in math, astronomy, engineering, and “entrepreneurship.” Weird choice not to support research on the life support system for 8 billion people. www.nsf.gov/funding/post...

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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Lessons from the educators: The most valuable conversations around education begin with realizing you want the students to learn how to think for themselves, not outsource it to a mediocrity machine.

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m. r. sauter @oddletters.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

i guess i dont have to grade now thanks guys

some hackers are holding all of Instructure hostage at the end of term

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Sean's FAB Lab @fablabbu.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Attention anthropology and anatomy colleagues! My student, Emma, and I are conducting a survey on the ethics of human skeletal remains in higher education. We would greatly appreciate your participation—thank you! #anthropology #anatomy #ethics bostonu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

bostonu.qualtrics.com

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

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Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 06/03/2026

Is this one of West Africa's first multi-tools? #FlintFriday Analysis of Ground Stone Axes from Later #StoneAge (c.13,000–12,000 years ago) Nigeria indicates they were used for many different tasks, such as wood working, butchery/bone working and digging. 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology

Stone axehead with a polished blade. A black box overlaid indicates one trace of use wear identified during analysis.

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Roxane Gay @roxanegay.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

So many people urge us to vote if we are dissatisfied with our democracy. And yes voting matters. But as today’s Supreme Court ruling tells us, it’s not that simple. Not everyone who should have the right to vote can exercise that right.

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Guy Duke @archaeoguy.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

*stares in anthropologist*

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CK Watts @ckwatts.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Products of a short morning foraging session before getting into grading for the day. It’s finally morel season in the Midwest!

Overhead shot of a hand holding three morel mushrooms, background is green grass

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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Making tenure count, for MSNOW I wrote about my employer, The University of Iowa, creating a center for intellectual freedom. It's a reactionary project built on decades of conservative propaganda about higher ed.

ms.now

Opinion | Beware conservatives promoting “intellectual freedom”

Victor Ray: This conservative lie about schools like mine is furthering authoritarianism

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Nature @nature.com · 09/04/2026

For decades, academic institutions have struggled with how to prevent researchers who have committed misconduct from securing jobs at new universities while hiding the bad behaviour. A proposal published today offers a solution. go.nature.com/4cvTNax

go.nature.com

Should academic misconduct be catalogued? Proposed US database sparks debate

Repository would require US universities to register research fraud and workplace harassment.

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Steph Halmhofer @cultarchaeo.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

More on the weaponization of archaeology. Archaeology does not "turn political," it is and always has been inherently political. In cases of conflict and genocide, archaeology's political nature is easily weaponized through both destruction and control/preservation: 1/3 🏺

cbsnews.com

How archaeology turns political in the West Bank

Archaeologists, residents and government officials talk about how uncovering and preserving centuries-old sites and artifacts in Israel and the West Bank also serves to highlight contemporary disputes...

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