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Eileen Shepherd

@eileenshepherd.bsky.social
397 followers 81 following 1.5K posts

Retired academic librarian, avid reader, cat lover, nature lover, vegan, interested in ancient history, archaeology and human origins. I live in Makhanda (was Grahamstown), South Africa

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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
John Hawks @johnhawks.net · 15/05/2026
I feel a little heretical in saying that the headlines may say Homo erectus, but the Denisovan connection is pointing me a different direction. The connections over time within China are an old topic, and protein data has made them resurface again. www.johnhawks.net/p/rethinking...
johnhawks.net
Rethinking Homo erectus and Denisovans with ancient proteins
Mixture demonstrated for old fossil teeth hints that anthropologists may have mixed ideas.
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Celeste Ng @pronounced-ing.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Had convos w/ multiple people in the past 4 days who DID NOT KNOW that 1. AI doesn't "think" or know anything; it's a probability machine 2. It was created using massive amounts of work stolen from actual people including me 3. The environmental costs are astronomical Spread the word, every time!
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
theconversation.com/embryo-fossi... #therapsids
theconversation.com
Embryo fossil found in South Africa is world’s oldest proof that mammal ancestors laid eggs
A detailed scan of a fossil therapsid embryo reveals the oldest egg belonging to a mammalian ancestor.
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
#Gondwana #KarooSupergroup doi.org/10.25131/saj...
doi.org
The Karoo Supergroup: Modern insights from the ancient archive of Gondwana | South African Journal of Geology | GeoScienceWorld
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
m.youtube.com/watch?v=evtM... #Zionism was always a plan to resettle the jews of Europe even against their will & to dominate West Asia in the process. Jeffrey Sachs & Yakov Rabkin are discussing the past and the future of a racist settler-colonial political project. An irredeemable political sin.
m.youtube.com
Zionism's Biggest MISTAKE In 300 Years. End Of Project. | Profs. J. Sachs & Y. Rabkin
YouTube video by Neutrality Studies
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
#iNaturalist
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
This is insanity #IranWar
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
#IranWar
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Varanus albigularis (southern rock monitor) just strolled past our bedroom! Heading for the bush behind our house. Makhanda, South Africa
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
Lovely naturalistic relief of a Hoopoe and Ibis, carved by an Egyptian artisan some 4,500 years ago! Limestone wall relief from the 5th Dynasty mortuary temple of Userkaf at Saqqara. Egyptian Museum, Cairo 📷 by me #ReliefWednesday #Archaeology
My photo shows part of a limestone wall panel carved in bas relief from the Fifth Dynasty mortuary temple of king Userkaf at Saqqara, Old Kingdom, 2465-2458 BC. It shows a Hoopoe, a crested bird with black and white wing pattern, and an ibis, with long curved beak, amongst papyrus plants in the marshes of the river Nile. My photo was taken in 2022 at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
#Iran
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Thankful for the wonderful rain in Makhanda/Grahamstown, South Africa
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
How much worse can things get? This is truly evil 😢 www.throughline.news/p/the-trump-...
throughline.news
The Trump Administration is Trafficking Pregnant Children to Texas So They Can't Get Abortions
At least half of these unaccompanied migrant kids are rape victims, and all are being denied adequate medical care for high-risk pregnancies in a state with sky-high maternal mortality rates.
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
The Associated Press @apnews.com · 15/02/2026
Larry the cat celebrates 15 years as the British government’s official rodent-catcher and unofficial first feline, a reassuring presence who has served under six prime ministers. Sometimes it seems like they have served under him.
bit.ly
‘First feline’ Larry marks 15 years as Britain’s political top cat
Larry the cat is marking 15 years as Britain’s Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street, a symbol of stability in turbulent political times.
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
#Ukraine
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
#Ukraine
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
#Neanderthals
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Russian attacks on Ukraine never stop. Odesa region and Zaporizhzhia were under attack last night. ▪️ Zaporizhzhia: A Russian Shahed drone struck a residential building. Three people were injured: a 75-year-old man and two women aged 73 and 55.
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
David Rothkopf @djrothkopf.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
I don't think in my lifetime there has ever been a U.S. federal agency as universally and deservedly hated (in this country, anyway) as ICE.
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Kelly @broadwaybabyto.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
In October, ICE grabbed Maher Tarabishi. He was a 24/7 caregiver for his disabled son Wael. At the time of Maher’s detention, disability advocates warned that taking away Wael’s caregiver put his life at risk. Wael died on Friday at age 30. ICE caused his death. They didn’t get to say goodbye.
wfaa.com
Disabled son of ICE detainee dies after 30 days of hospitalization
It had been months since Wael Tarabishi seen his father. The family is calling on ICE to release Maher Tarabishi so he may attend his son's funeral.
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
#Ukraine
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
#Ukraine
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
#Ukraine
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
#humanevolution
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
awethu.amandla.mobi/petitions/re...
awethu.amandla.mobi
REMOVE GAYTON MCKENZIE FROM CABINET FOR HIS UNCONSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOUR
We, the undersigned, reject with contempt the decision by Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie to cancel South Africa’s submission to the prestigious arts exhibition of the 61st Venice Biennale, ...
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
#Iran
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
Saying it how it is. 👍👏 youtube.com/shorts/xDrEf... #Trump
youtube.com
Trump’s Legacy of failure
YouTube video by Fr David
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
#Greenland
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
m.youtube.com/watch?v=PLMj...
m.youtube.com
Germans Captured Him — He Laughed, Then Killed 21 of Them in 45 Seconds
YouTube video by WW2 Paths
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
youtu.be/fhUqbNd7Zag?... #Gaza #Palestinians
youtu.be
Munther Isaac's Sermon to the West
YouTube video by Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Better tell Trump those sharks are watching out for him! We know how he feels about sharks nautil.us/how-these-lo... #sharks #Trump #Greenland
nautil.us
How These Long-Living Sharks Keep Sharp Vision for Centuries
How These Long-Living Sharks Keep Sharp Vision for Centuries: Understanding their tricks could eventually help preserve people’s eyesight.
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Alison Fisk @alisonfisk.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
WOW!!! 🤩 “An ‘extraordinary’ iron age war trumpet that may have links to the Celtic tribe led by Boudicca in the period they were battling the invading Roman army has been discovered by archaeologists in Norfolk”. www.theguardian.com/science/2026... #Archaeology
theguardian.com
‘Extraordinary’ iron age war trumpet find in Britain may have Boudicca links
Bronze instrument or carnyx dug up in Norfolk in area inhabited by Celtic tribe led by warrior who fought Romans
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
www.newarab.com/news/egypt-u... This is crazy. Where do they think the present population is going to? #Gaza
newarab.com
For Egypt, US’ Project Sunrise is as bad an idea as Gaza Riviera
Project Sunrise was reportedly pitched to potential donor countries, including oil-rich Gulf nations, and will cost $112 billion to implement over two decades.
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
#iNaturalist
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
#humanevolution
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Evening clouds today over #Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
A cute little tortoise visited us this morning. He/she is now immortalised on the iNaturalist platform. #tortoises #SouthAfrica
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Sidney Coles PhD, PhD @westernwriter.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
And one of the best books you could possibly read is this multi-award-winning lyrical and stylistically stunning examination of the question Is a River Alive? by @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Mr Murphy @murphyhistory.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
34- There is no better chronicler of the Anthropocene, of human relationships with the natural world they seem hell-bent on destroying, and of the glimmers of hope that it doens’t have to be this way, than @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social #BookSky💙📚 #BooksOf2025
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Anton Gerashchenko @antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
"I have lived through a great deal of terrible evil in my life -the Holocaust&repressions.I made it my duty to outlive Putin." 100-yr-old Ukrainian Anastasiia Hulei survived both Stalin's repressions& Nazi concentration camps.Due to the full-scale invasion she had to leave for Germany 📹: DW
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Robert Macfarlane @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
The revival of the Klamath River & its watershed over the past 14 months—after the completion of the biggest dam-removal project in US history—is one the most hopeful stories I know in our hope-stripped age. Magnificent @bengoldfarb.bsky.social essay on it here. emergencemagazine.org/essay/a-rive...
emergencemagazine.org
A River Reborn – Ben Goldfarb
Journalist Ben Goldfarb and photographer Kiliii Yüyan trace the monumental effort to restitch relationships between land, salmon, and humans on the Klamath River, after four of its most obstructive da...
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 10/12/2025
Man made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, discovery in Suffolk suggests
theguardian.com
Man made fire 350,000 years earlier than previously thought, discovery in Suffolk suggests
Groundbreaking find makes compelling case that humans were lighting fires much earlier than originally believed Humans mastered the art of creating fire 400,000 years ago, almost 350,000 years earlier than previously known, according to a groundbreaking discovery in a field in Suffolk. It is known that humans used natural fire more than 1m years ago, but until now the earliest unambiguous example of humans lighting fires came from a site in northern France dating from 50,000 years ago. Continue reading...
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
UCL Institute of Archaeology @uclarchaeology.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Live now over on YouTube! @ucl.ac.uk Lunch Hour Lecture | The Cradle of Humanity: Protecting Tanzania's Human Artifacts www.youtube.com/live/ODvAEv-... #LocalAndGlobal
youtube.com
Lunch Hour Lecture | The Cradle of Humanity: Protecting Tanzania's Human Artifacts
About the lecture: The Cradle of Humanity: Protecting Tanzania's Human Artifacts This talk reflects on 15 years of archaeological and conservation work at Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, approached through ...
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
#Hegseth
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Reposted by Eileen Shepherd
Adam Kinzinger @adamkinzinger.substack.com · 02/12/2025
The Trump admin has been quietly pressuring Europe to not seize the Russian billions for Ukraine. He fully intends to give it back to Russia and likely will find a way to profit himself. Shame on America, and shame on Europe
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
#Hegseth
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Sick #Hegseth posted cover of a book featuring children’s character Franklin the Turtle entitled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.The turtle wearing a USmilitary vest is shooting from a helicopter at boats crewed with armed men.For yr Christmas wish list he wrote www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
theguardian.com
Trump ‘wouldn’t have wanted’ second strike on Caribbean boat survivors
US president says he will look into reports US military was told to conduct follow-up attack on suspected drug vessel
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
#Ukraine #RussiaIsATerroristState
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
#cats
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Eileen Shepherd @eileenshepherd.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
#denisovans #HomoLongi #Humanevolution
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