iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

My new favorite Phoenix bakery, Dinersaur!

Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm excited to share the latest article by @sjbpaleo.bsky.social , “Quantitative GIS based correlation of the Cliff House Sandstone between Tsaya and Chaco Canyons, New Mexico.” doi.org/10.3390/stra...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Nice write-up by Midwestern University on the recent summit for rural STEM educators: www.midwestern.edu/news-stories...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

🐶Excited to share that our chapter on canid anatomy and special senses has been published in a new volume on Canine Science! link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I had a wonderful time working w/educators last week at the National Rural STEM Summit. In my workshop, "Innovative Anatomy: Animal Skulls & Evolutionary Biology in the Classroom," we explored how skeletal specimens can be powerful tools for teaching anatomy, evolution, ecology & comparative biology

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

🦖 We've started an account for the San Juan Basin Paleontology Project, @sjbpaleo.bsky.social. We'll be sharing updates on our fieldwork, fossil studies, and other related research. Follow to keep up with our paleo adventures in the Late Cretaceous SJB of New Mexico! 🐢🦈🐊🐟

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Congratulations to my colleague & friend, Dr. Randy Nydam on his new position as Senior Assoc Dean for Academic Affairs at Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine! It has been a privilege to work with Randy & learn from one of the most knowledgeable anatomy educators & squamate paleontologists I know

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Catch-up post from my recent trip to the amazing Melbourne Museum. #FossilFriday

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

🐢San Juan Basin Paleo Project abstracts accepted for #SVP2026! We re-evaluated the Coniacian-Santonian turtle fauna of the Crevasse Canyon Formation (New Mexico), including evidence for one of the earliest known plastomenids and a reassessment of "Neurankylus notos"

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

On a recent trip to Melbourne, I was excited to meet an icon. “Horridus” is an authentic67 Ma Triceratops horridus skeleton on permanent display at Melbourne Museum. Each element has been scanned, and several are presented as interactive, rotating holograms. The exhibit is incredibly immersive!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

So proud of our Summer Veterinary Research Scholars! Today they gave their practice poster presentations before heading off to present their research at an upcoming national conference. Great work and safe travels to Isabel Piccinini, JC Cruz & Jessica Cavaliere! @squeacslab.bsky.social

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) paper now in @anatrecord.bsky.social's Feeding Biomechanics Special Issue! Using dissection & diceCT, we show powerful bites aren't just about bigger muscles—muscle architecture, skull mechanics & fascia may be key🐺 anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Excited to receive print copies of the latest issue of Lithodendron, which includes our recent article on Campanian Ophiomorpha fossils from the Menefee Fm.-Cliff House Sandstone transition, San Juan Basin, New Mexico! Link to the article: petrifiedforestfieldinstitute.org/lithodendron...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Excellent time at San Diego Natural History Museum's "Nat at Night" event last weekend, featuring dire wolves, Ankylosaurus, Lambeosaurus, assorted turtles, grey whales, and more! 🦖🐢🐋

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

📢Call for Papers! Following up on our successful session at the recent GSA Rocky Mountain section meeting, we're excited to announce we're assembling a Special Issue of The Anatomical Record: The Campanian Crucible: A synthesis of vertebrate paleobiogeography and ecosystem dynamics in Laramidia

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

🦈 San Juan Basin Paleo Project's outreach fossil prep activity at the latest SPS meeting was a great time! Ben Goode gave an excellent presentation on our recent Cliff House research. Then we set up a hands-on activity where attendees could prep & extract fossil teeth from blocks we collected

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

🐉 Had a blast doing STEM outreach at Phoenix Fan Fusion! We brought real animal skulls for a “Predator vs Prey” challenge & 3D‑printed a Gungan, Predator alien & dragon‑looking (but real!) Pachycephalosaurus. Turns out Predator isn’t built for predation…and Gungans are basically all cartilage!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Excited to share the Menefee Paleontology Project’s latest publication! 🦐 We explored Upper Cretaceous Cliff House Sandstone in NM San Juan Basin & uncovered new insights into ancient marine ecosystems preserved in this dynamic coastal environment: petrifiedforestfieldinstitute.org/lithodendron...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

The Menefee Paleo Project wrapped up our awesome 3-week New Mexico research trip with a productive collections visit at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. We even met a few San Juan Basin celebrities, the holotypes of Bistahieversor and Menefeeceratops!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Our second week in the field kicked off with a move up-section into the Cliff House Sandstone. We focused on a gorgeous marine assemblage packed with chondrichthyans, marine reptiles (incl mosasaurs) & bony fishes Huge thanks to Bravo Crew for the muscle, sharp eyes, and great energy all week!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Super proud of the Menefee Paleo project crew who did an awesome job presenting at the GSA Rocky Mountain section meeting!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

What a fantastic few days at GSA Rocky Mountain Section meeting! Our Campanian Crucible session delivered ten sharp, engaging talks spanning new geochronology, dinosaurs, turtles, and Campanian mammals, and 4 excellent posters. Huge thanks to all presenters, poster authors, and attendees!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

The Menefee Paleo Project just wrapped up an incredible first week of 2026 fieldwork with our awesome crew. Huge thanks to the amazing Menefee team for the hard work, good humor, & long days under the sun of the New Mexico badlands. Can’t wait to welcome the Week 2 Bravo crew! #Menefee2026

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

🦖 2026 Field season is almost here for the Menefee Paleontological Project! 🐊 We're heading out to San Juan Basin, NM this weekend, where we’ll be working on Campanian fauna from Menefee & Cliff House Sandstone Fms. Hoping to find more dinos, crocs, sharks, mosasaurs, and of course, turtles! 🐢

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Excited to share that the Menefee Paleo Project has several abstracts accepted for the Campanian Crucible session at the Geological Society of America (GSA) Rocky Mountain Section Meeting in Albuquerque this May!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Excited to invite everyone to our session at GSA “The Campanian Crucible: A synthesis of vertebrate paleobiogeography and ecosystem dynamics in Laramidia" 🗓️ Tuesday, May 19 ⏰ 8:00–11:40 AM 📍 Alvarado C 🏔️ GSA Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Albuquerque Awesome logo design by @tuttran.bsky.social 🤘

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Shout out to my awesome Midwestern University research students who rocked their presentations at the Anatomy Connected conference last week! #Anatomy26

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

And that’s a wrap on Anatomy Connected 2026! Thanks to @anatomyorg.bsky.social for another amazing conference. It’s always an honor to represent @anatrecord.bsky.social, and a joy to hear about the latest exciting research in our field and connect with colleagues and friends.

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Great symposium at Anatomy Connected yesterday on navigating the publication landscape and ethical publishing behavior by the 3 @anatomyorg.bsky.social journals. Thanks to all who came out! @anatrecord.bsky.social @asejournal.bsky.social @organjm.bsky.social

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Proud of my Midwestern University research students who did a fabulous job presenting their research at the on-campus Kenneth A Suarez Research Day on Friday!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Fun visit last week to the American Museum of Natural History! Such impressive displays of giant fossil turtles, dinos, and more. #FossilFriday

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

🐢 I had a fantastic time visiting Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai University and giving a guest lecture on turtle evolution! Turtle evolution provides a unique window into the biology of skeletal form, function, and adaptation

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Looking forward to speaking at Mt. Sinai today about how turtle evolution offers unique insights into the biology of skeletal form, function, and adaptation! #FossilFriday

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

I recently had the opportunity to visit the tracksite of Dinosaur Ridge, Colorado to see the beautiful fossilized tracks from hadrosaurs, sauropods, ornithomimids, and crocodilians. #FossilFriday

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Thank you to the Geology club at Glendale Community College for the invitation to speak with them about paleontology and turtle evolution. Such a fun group!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Excellent museum research trip earlier this week to the collections at Denver Museum of Nature & Science to study Cretaceous turtles and dinosaurs

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

A great few days at the American Association of Biological Anthropologists conference representing The Anatomical Record! It was a pleasure connecting with authors (past, present, and emerging) at the AR booth, and hearing about the latest in biological anthropology research.

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Incredibly proud of my talented Menefee Paleo team who absolutely crushed it at WAVP 2026. Harry Brand won the early career podium presentation award, and Jessie Silverstein won the early career poster award Thanks to Andy Farke & the amazing team at @alfpaleo.bsky.social for an awesome conference!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Excellent collections visit to the Raymond Alf Museum! We're describing a new geoemydid (pond turtle) from the Fayum, Egypt

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science! Thanks to the amazing mentors and role models who supported and inspired me along the way. Here’s to the next generation of scientists who will uncover the stories still buried in beneath the surface!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Cool specimens at the Tucson gem and mineral show

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

The Menefee Paleo Project’s abstracts have been accepted for presentation at the 2026 WAVP conference. Our contributions will feature turtle provinciality in the Campanian of Laramidia, Tsaya Canyon actinopterygians, Menefee coprolites & fossil turtle shell taphonomy & ichnotaxa. #FossilFriday

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

🐢 🐟 Abstracts submitted! The Menefee Paleo Project is gearing up for Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists conference w/new findings on Menefee turtle shell taphonomy & traces, Tsaya Canyon actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes), Campanian turtle provinciality & first Menefee coprolites

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

🦦✨Congratulations to MWU research students for their excellent #SICB2026 presentations, incl. student doctors James Bates & Blake Andrea who presented on how cranial morphology in otters & other mustelids shapes movement, sensing & survival. Exciting new research out of @squeacslab.bsky.social's lab

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

Iliopsoas muscle plays major role in lumbopelvic posture & gait in humans, & its distal tendon is often implicated in hip pain. Our latest project examined its tendon morphology measuring landmarks to understand how tendon shape relates to surrounding bone architecture www.cureus.com/articles/438...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 02/01/2026

🦦 If you're attending SICB 2026, don't miss my team’s presentations exploring how the cranial morphology of otters and other mustelids reflects how they move, sense, and survive in their environment. #SICB2026

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

Wrapping up 2025 with a look back at the Top 9 IG moments that made the year unforgettable. From fieldwork and fossil discoveries to conference presentations and Anatomical Record milestones, it was a fun year. Looking forward more turtley discoveries, outreach, and paleo adventures in 2026!

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 30/12/2025

🐢Happy to share that published proceedings from the 2024 international Turtle Evolution Symposium (TES) are now available! It was an awesome conference in Switzerland full of exciting research, lively discussions & an amazing global community of turtle researchers: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

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Heather F. Smith. Ph.D. @heatherfsmith.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Fun group data collection day for the Menefee Paleo Project, evaluating taphonomy & trace marks on our fossil turtles. By documenting preservation, abrasion, bite marks, ectoparasite borings & other traces, we’re reconstructing ecological pressures turtles faced & post‑depositional history 🐢

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