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James Lamsdell, PhD

@fossildetective.bsky.social
1.5K followers 252 following 603 posts

Palaeobiologist, Professor • Arthropod evolution, phylogenetic paleoecology • An Englishman in America Invertebrate biology & paleobiology, UNCW Formerly WVU, AMNH, Yale, U of Kansas, U of Bristol, U of Birmingham Opinions my own (he/him) jameslamsdell.com

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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Prosanta Chakrabarty @prosanta.bsky.social · 1h
Exciting news! We here at the LSU Museum of Natural Science @lsumns.bsky.social and Dept. of Biological Sciences are looking for Curator and Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Paleobiology! Come work with us! We are fun, supportive and active! lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/jo...
lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
Assistant Professor
All Job Postings will close at 12:01a.m. CST (1:01a.m. EST) on the specified Closing Date (if designated). If you close the browser or exit your application prior to submitting, the application progre...
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Great thread discussing museum funding from the inside. The reason some universities are trying to divest from their museums is because they are beginning to treat each unit as an independent revenue generating entity. Museums cost money and therefore they WANT to cut them.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I think it is very telling that we get news of two planned museum closures by university institutions with minimal notice. Clearly they know the moves will be publicly unpopular, and the apparent solution is to give people as little time to organize as possible and set it up as a fait accompli.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Finally getting around to studying some old specimens for the first time this #FossilFriday. These eurypterids were discovered in the 1960s and almost certainly represent new species. Discoveries such as this really highlight the importance of museum collections as records of life on our planet. 🧪⚒️
A photograph of a fossil eurypterid on a brown-grey rock. The fossil as a wide, round body with a long abdomen. The head is relatively small and and short legs that are very robust, the last pair of which are big, broad paddles.A fossil of a eurypterid on a brown-grey rock. The eurypterid has a large head with long legs, all of which are for walking. The body is narrower than the head and looks overall a bit dumpy.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Matt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Improved selection of eurypterid fossils plus old models from Ruthven now on display now at UMMNH!
Photograph of table case containing fossils and models of eurypterids.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
It's flat fuck Friday.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Harriet B. Drage @harriedrage.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Interested in fossil arthropods, palaeoecology, dispersal, and interesting methods? 🦀 🌎 I'm hiring a 4-year, fully funded PhD student at the University of Geneva as part of my European Research Council (ERC) grant. Deadline: 16th October. Reach out if any questions! www.unige.ch/sciences/ter...
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
JH @jhemiptera.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
#Sciart #Paleoart Pentecopterus for the upcoming book project
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Exactly this. So much of the focus of science, education, etc. is now on output or product - when the PROCESS is what is truly important. If you insist on focusing on product, then you need to realise that cutting courses in the process is going to make a shitty product.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
One of the many hats I wear is that of a taxonomist who understands the important of accurate representation of morphology and I cannot stress in strong enough terms how you should not do this. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Generative <fc>AI</fc> for Scientific Illustration in Insect Taxonomy: A Human‐Supervised High‐Efficiency Workflow
Morphological illustrations are crucial in research on insect taxonomy and phylogenetics. Although traditional manual drawing and digital tracing techniques have undergone continuous evolution, they ...
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Got to find where my old thesaurus is seeing as the online ones are useless now thanks to them just replacing their workings with AI. At least I know enough about word nuance to realise that this is bad, I feel sorry for everyone who doesn't.
A screenshot from thesaurus.com for the word survivor, which suggests that it means "leavings" or "leftover", and suggests the alternative synonyms of "balance", "debris", "scraps", and "trash", among others.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Saw a recipe for vegan Nanaimo bars and had to try it!
A chocolate, white and biscuit bar on a plate.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Callan Bentley @callanbentley.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Belinurus horseshoe crab locked in stone during the Carboniferous, but back in the light of day again now, and on display in the Fundy Geoscience Museum in Parrsboro. #FossilFriday ⚒️
A small delicate horseshoe crab fossil in gray fine grained sedimentary rock
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
J. L. Westover @mrlovenstein.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Matt (Tired) @mattfrith.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Thinking about turning this into a print somehow. Do you think people might be interested in stuff like this?
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
This is (in my obviously biased opinion) a great paper that I wish more people would read (not least because it took us several years to hone it down to its final form).
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
A photograph of a spoonbill looking down at us with the caption saying "Pathetic."
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Paul Harnik @paulharnik.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
We are pleased to announce that the Dept of Earth & Environmental Geosciences @colgate.edu is hiring a tenure-stream asst professor in paleoclimate! For additional info regarding the position & to apply: apply.interfolio.com/188708 . Please share broadly & contact us with your questions. Thank you!
apply.interfolio.com
Apply - Interfolio {{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Lich @lichpit.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Walkin’ legs #horseshoecrab #arthropod
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Some of the bugs enjoying my chicory today.
A long yellowish beetle on a chicory flower.A spotless ladybird amongst the leaves.A point hoverfly on a flower.A bumble bee taking off.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
A bountiful crop.
A lovely vibrant chicory flower from my garden.Two more blue chicory flowers.Another two chicory flowers. I just love their colour, and thr bugs seem to like them generally.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Amypteride🏳️‍⚧️🔻🕷🦂 @amypteride.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
What time is it? It’s #Cheliceratime! Finaly found the time to talk about Megachelicerax cousteaui with @penelopeclaisse.bsky.social for today's entry! All the basic infos are here but if you want to learn more, there’s more in the thread below!⬇️🧵 #cambrian #paleoart #arthropod #chelicerate 1/6
This recently described arthropod is the first cambrian chelicerate with a clearly preserved 3-segmented chelicera. This species’ large size indicates chelicerates already began to diversify ecologically in the Cambrian, overlapping with other large predators like radiodonts.

Size : 10-ish cm of body length
Time period : Late Cambrian
Paleoart speculativometer : Some Missing parts

The animal is drawn view from below, looking a bit like a horseshoe crab attached to a shrimp abdomen
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Excited to see this restudy of the large Devonian scorpion Praearcturus out today - neatly falsifying some recent supposition that it was not a scorpion at all, and supporting a synonymy between three different species that I've suspected for quite some time! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
A revision of Praearcturus gigas: a giant scorpion from the Lower Devonian (Lochkovian) of Britain
Praearcturus gigas Woodward is a large arthropod of disputed affinity from the fluvial St Maughans Formation (Lower Devonian, Lochkovian) of the Old Red Sandstone of England and Wales. Originally des...
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
False Knees @falseknees.bsky.social · 24/06/2023
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Matt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Amazing reconstruction of a famous eurypterid site! Here's one member of that fauna, Acutiramus macrophthalamus (UMMP IP 86635).
Fossil eurypterid preserved as black on gray matrix. Segments and a paddle-like tail are clearly visible, as is one of the large claws.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Joschua Knüppe @joschuaknuppe.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
420 Million years before the reign of Mamdani, two Acutiramus wake up from their daylight slumber as thousands are Eurypterus begin to invade the shallow, warm waters of New York. This is the Fiddlers Green or Bertie Formation, a Silurian lagerstätte known for its eurypterids🧵
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
I still find strange things in the woods.
An old iron key with wire wrapped around it twisted into wings hanging from a tree.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Cam Muskelly (Explorer of Deep Time ⏰ ⚒️) @cambriancam.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Welcome back to #Fossilfriday Here is a "sea scorpion" or the Eurypterid Eurypterus remipes. This specimen comes from the Upper Silurian Fiddler Green Formation in Herkimer Co, New York. This happen to be the state fossil of New York. Some such as the Pterygotids could reach enormous sizes!
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Royal Society Publishing @royalsocietypublishing.org · 13/05/2026
#ProcB in @nytimes.com | A marine stem-myriapod from the Silurian Waukesha Lagerstätte, Wisconsin, USA: terrestrial traits pre-date the transition to land: doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
nytimes.com
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Our latest paper out today in @royalsocietypublishing.org Proceedings B, a new total group myriapod from the Silurian of Waukesha. 🧪⚒️ doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
doi.org
A marine stem-myriapod from the Silurian Waukesha Lagerstätte, Wisconsin, USA: terrestrial traits pre-date the transition to land
Abstract. A new aquatic myriapod-like arthropod, Waukartus muscularis, from the Silurian (Llandoverian) Waukesha marine Lagerstätte of Wisconsin with unira
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Nature @nature.com · 02/04/2026
Spiders and scorpions belong to a group called chelicerates, which are arthropods with pincers at the front of their head. Fossil evidence reveals how this group evolved go.nature.com/4meGcrp
go.nature.com
Pincer movement: fossil pushes origins of chelicerate arthropods back to the Cambrian period
Spiders and scorpions belong to a group called chelicerates, which are arthropods with pincers at the front of their head. Fossil evidence reveals how this group evolved.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Delighted to provide a News & Views for the new Cambrian chelicerate described by @cambrianlife.bsky.social & @invertebratepal.bsky.social in @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪⚒️
nature.com
Pincer movement: fossil pushes origins of chelicerate arthropods back to the Cambrian period
Spiders and scorpions belong to a group called chelicerates, which are arthropods with pincers at the front of their head. Fossil evidence reveals how this group evolved.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 14/02/2026
It's that time of year again.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
| H • A • P | @kodasea.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Limulidae signs
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
I have terrible friends who send me horrible things.
A framed print of a scary looking woman wearing victorian-type clothing weilding a fan. It is captioned "Beware!". I believe it is not just a warning, but also a threat.
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Dr. Sarah Sheffield @sarahlsheffield.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
New paper with @peterjwagner3.bsky.social, @wrightam.bsky.social, Jen Bauer, and Maggie Limbeck! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Exploring rates of change and modes of evolution in blastozoan echinoderms | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core
Exploring rates of change and modes of evolution in blastozoan echinoderms
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Dr. Brendan Anderson @fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
TLDR; it is too early to stop doing taxonomic & natural history work and exclusively do meta-analysis; our existing datasets are highly structured & biology is weird. we shouldn't assume we already know enough to extrapolate a species' needs for conservation- we still need taxonomy & autecology
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Brendan gives a great summary of our latest paper.
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Reposted by James Lamsdell, PhD
Jesse Czekanski-Moir @jessecm.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
"Therefore, we caution against considering our present understanding of organismal natural history and taxonomic sampling sufficiently complete to focus research support *sole*ly on meta-analyses" en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sole_(f...
en.wikipedia.org
Sole (fish) - Wikipedia
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Excited to present the flounder effect - how our biases in sampling and worker effort impact our view of organisms. A long term collaboration with @fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social, @bigfacecats.bsky.social, Jon Hendricks, and Curtis Congreve! #FossilFriday ⚒️🧪 www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation - npj Biodiversity
npj Biodiversity - The flounder effect: disparities in taxonomic and ecological study intensity across extant and fossil marine organisms hamper conservation
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 02/01/2026
Real sentence from a conversation with my 90 year old grandmother.
A screenshot from the Disco Elysium engine, with an elderly cleaning lady saying "The problem these days is no one wants to work harder to earn more, and they all want to live beyond their means. Everyone expects to own a fridge."
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
Excellent news from PRI and a wonderful start to the new year. www.priweb.org/blog-post/pr...
priweb.org
PRI's Wonderful Life — Paleontological Research Institution
By Dr. Warren Allmon , Director of the Paleontological Research Institution December 30, 2025 The holidays are a time for “Christmas movies” in my house, and one that is always on our list is&nbs...
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Pinball* wizard. *2p slots
A photograph of myself with a ton of arcade reward tickets jammed into my fleece.A total count of the number of tickets acquired (3,011).Pondering my orb (a pokeball)
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
Can now share thr latest bit of art I've been working on for my sister in law, one of their family cats.
An acrylic painting of a tabby cat sitting on a book.A photograph of the same cat in the same position.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
The Mesozoic mammal Sinodelphys, discovered in China and photographed at the Carnegie Museum, for #FossilFriday. Originally described as a marsupial but now thought to be an early placenta mammal, in my considered opinion this is clearly a creachure. 🧪⚒️
A photograph of a fossil mammal with spiky fur and a long face.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Bug and I got upgraded.
The cutest little possum toy ever with a glass of champaign.
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Lol no
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James Lamsdell, PhD @fossildetective.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Just got notification that a video I was interviewed for on Paleozoic lagerstatten is out, also featuring numerous excellent people including Brenda Hunda, Nigel Hughes, and Derek Briggs. (I did not know about the unfortunate use of AI generated "animals", I'm sorry T_T) youtu.be/DJOm5PQnhN8?...
youtu.be
The Amazing World of Fossils: Decoding Early Life
YouTube video by Ambrose-Meyer Entertainment & Educational Channel
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Ele Willoughby @minouette.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Day 7 #artAdventCalendar my #linocut horseshoe crab (Tachypeus gigas) in grey, blue-bronze and dark brown on 8” x 8” cream-coloured Japanese paper with bark inclusions. 🧪🐡 They get their name from their horseshoe like shape but they are not crabs; they are chelicerates, more closely related to 🧵
My linocut horseshoe crab is hand printed on 8” x 8” cream coloured Japanese paper speckled with some tiny brown bark inclusions. The crab is viewed from above and its body is printed with a base of grey, with some darker gold-green especially around the edges to give the impression it is a bit domed and then texture, edges, hairs around the edge of the horseshoe shape and the tail are printed in dark brown.
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Dr. Brendan Anderson @fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Happy #fossilfriday everyone, Enjoy a feel good story about one of the Museum of the Earth's high school supporters! Thanks to big giving Tuesday support, PRI is now within ~400,000 of its end of year goal of ~4 million for the mortgage+ops. We can #SavePRI !🧪⚒️🦣🐚 www.localsyr.com/news/local-n...
localsyr.com
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