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Dr. Jason Loxton

@jasonloxton.bsky.social
348 followers 427 following 3.9K posts

Paleontologist. Science educator (cbu.ca). Curator (capebretonfossilcentre.com). Lover of fiddle, grower of veggies. Posts (mostly!) about geoscience, geoheritage, pedagogy, & Nova Scotia.

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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
N +-.
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Daniel Loxton 🇨🇦 @danielloxton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I’ve been remiss with promotion! My book Evolution: How We and All Living Things Came to Be has been officially back in print since September 1st with the release of this nifty new softcover edition! kidscanpress.com/product/evol...
Softcover edition of my book Evolution, photographer in my patio garden
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Equally obscare, but they were a major plot point in the Schwarzenegger film Erasure.
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fossilSLABlab.bsky.social @fossilslablab.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
(1/8) For #FossilFriday – What can ~555-million-year-old fossils tell us about the earliest animal behaviors? Excited to share a new article with Blakely Webb, @chemosymbiosis.bsky.social, Bill Parker & @marydroser.bsky.social in Scientific Reports investigating evidence of motility in Spriggina
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
At least they now give me an infinite scroll of useless short videos that make me feel awful about myself, but which I also can't stop watching. So, they've basically replaced socializing with human beings with drugs. Cool cool.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I stopped using Facebook for years, and then eventually thought "I should pop back in and check in on some old high school friends etc." Had to fight to find them. Shocking experience to see changes at once, and not the slow drip drip drip of enshitification. Man, it sure did get s*****.
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New Scientist @newscientist.com · 12/06/2026
Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte's The Story of Birds offers an excellent and sometimes startling account of bird evolution, finds Michael Marshall
newscientist.com
New Scientist recommends a brilliant take on the evolution of birds
Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte's The Story of Birds offers an excellent and sometimes startling account of bird evolution, finds Michael Marshall
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
I stand by that.
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 04/06/2026
10. Anyway, very nice analysis and very interesting results. It's no surprise that LLM prose permeates the scholarly literature, but the exact patterns are fascinating. I encourage you to read the whole thing. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
pnas.org
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
It would be hilarious turn of events if the giant octopus midden guy from the GSA from some years back turned out to be right!
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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
My obituary of the highly accomplished and brilliant Professor Hans-Dieter Sues (1956-2026) is now online, let me know if you want a pdf... www.tandfonline.com/eprint/NICGG...
tandfonline.com
In memoriam: Hans-Dieter Sues (1956–2026)
Published in Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology (Ahead of Print, 2026)
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Darren Naish @tetzoo.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The new issue of Geology Today, out today, features my article 'Monsters of the Deep', a discussion of how views on legendary sea monsters have been, and still are, connected to the discovery of fossils like plesiosaurs onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... Message me if you want a pdf :)
Sea monster montage featuring monsters from the 1539 Carta Marina.Mesozoic marine reptiles: (a) plesiosaur, (b) mosasaur, (c) thalattosuchian, images by Darren Naish.Sea monsters proposed by Heuvelmans: (a) many-humped sea serpent, (b) many-finned sea serpent, (c) long-necked seal, images by Darren Naish.
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Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
High-resolution quantitative stratigraphical study shows the heterogenous extinction responses of foraminifera, with benthics being struck hard and collapsing fast. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪 ⚒️ #Geology #Paleobio #EvoBio #Macroecology
Comparison of species richness curves and environmental proxies.
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The Sacramento Bee @sacbee.com · 15/02/2026
Wendy Bohon has built a TikTok following as an earthquake geologist. She helps lead earthquake work for the California Geological Survey.
bit.ly
How a TikToker and former actress is helping lead California’s earthquake work
Wendy Bohon has built a TikTok following as an earthquake geologist. She helps lead earthquake work for the California Geological Survey.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Context: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘It’s sick’: Trump administration uses mascot called ‘Coalie’ to push dirtiest fossil fuel
Cartoon lump of coal with giant eyes was spotlighted by US interior secretary in X post saying: ‘Mine, Baby, Mine!’
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
The Trump admin's new coal mascot is accidently spot-on. Poor dude looks profoundly sad. He knows he shouldn't be doing this. Look at that little forced half smile. (Oh, Coalie, we see you and we don't blame you.)
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
Hooke: "the Patient understands not, nor remembereth any Thing that he seeth, heareth or doth, in that Extasie; yet is he very merry and laughs and sings and speaks . . . yet he is not giddy or drunk, but walks and dances and sheweth many odd Tricks." 2/2
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
A friend in chat made a joke about Robert Hooke's accomplishments being all the more impressive given how baked he was all the time (based on this painting). Amusingly, it turns out Hooke presented a case (self?) report to the Royal Society on getting stoned. 1/2
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 25/01/2026
@geosociety.bsky.social It's time for a commitment to move meetings to Canada for foreseeable future (hybrid if not possible in 2026). Aside from changes in visa screening making it harder for international delegates to attend, things are unsafe for non-citizens of colour.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
To the people of Minnesota: The world sees what's going on and is horrified by it. I've visited your state, and people were wonderful. Strangers opened their home to me and my partner. It's a cherished memory. It breaks my heart to watch the news.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Chapter 1 of Bjørlykke's Petroleum Geoscience is a great overview.(Depending on the level of your class.) Book is pricey, but in Canada, you can reproduce one chapter for teaching free legally. Not sure where you're at/rules.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
There are probably legal copies too: m.youtube.com/watch?v=I7bm...
m.youtube.com
Crude: The Incredible Journey Of Oil (2007) - ABC Australia Documentary
YouTube video by Ben Hooft
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
It's an actual 90 min documentary. Is on YouTube. I might have linked wrong thing.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
The Deep Carbon Observatory has lots of good info and graphics that I've stolen: deepcarbon.science
deepcarbon.science
Home - Deep Carbon Observatory
The Deep Carbon Observatory (DCO) is a global community of more than 1000 scientists who, in the last ten years, were on a quest to understand the quantities, movements, forms, and origins of carbon i...
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
This ABC documentary is good: www.abc.net.au/science/crud...
abc.net.au
Crude - the incredible journey of oil - Broadband edition - ABC Science
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
I've posted similar images many times before, but every time I come across a slab like this, it still blows my mind that raindrops are things that can preserve. (Also fun historical fact: Specimens from Sydney Mines, NS, played a crucial role in supporting Charles Lyell's paper on the subject.)
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
A friend sent us this dinosaur mobile they made themselves. My gosh!
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Wasn't quite this bright to the naked eye, but pretty neat seeing red aurora b. for my first time... in Nova Scotia all places! (Wire digitally removed from photo.)
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
As a call to action, a lamination, & an "open for business" billboard, this speech is great. It's depressing, but its existence & eloquence is also reassuring. Pretty proud of our Prime Minister today. www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
cbc.ca
Read Mark Carney's full speech on middle powers navigating a rapidly changing world | CBC News
Read the full text of Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech about a shakeup of the global order and role of middle powers at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
I'm a fossil guy, so sedimentary architecture is a secondary consideration, if considered at all when I'm out. But gosh, the rocks sometimes make you stare at them in wonder anyway. (Near Wadden's Cove, Cape Breton.)
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Even for visa exempt countries "C.B.P. said it plans to ask applicants for a long list of personal data including [up to five years] social media, email addresses from the last decade, and the names, birth dates, places of residence and birthplaces of parents, spouses, siblings and children." Nope.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
I don't plan on visiting the US anytime soon anyway, but this would have been a deal breaker. The US tourism industry is worth the same as their agricultural exports. Combined w/ new visa & park fees, it's like they're actively trying to shut it down. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/t...
nytimes.com
U.S. Plans to Scrutinize Foreign Tourists’ Social Media History
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
My stats are 90% male too. I wonder how much of that is YouTube as a platform vs. a problem engaging a female audience with geology as a subject?
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
According to National Geographic, when the GSA finally gave Harley Bretz the Penrose Medal for his visionary work on catastrophic glacial floods at 96 years old, he joked to his son, "All my enemies are dead, I have no one to gloat over." Ha!
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Was just chatting with Sam Hamilton about possibility of using as template for future CSVP. :)
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
I looked at Alibaba and got overwhelmed by a million suppliers. Might be worth reaching out to the PRI to see where they get their Paleozoic Pals made.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Hadrosaurs and Brussels sprouts... who even are we anymore?
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EarthScope Consortium @earthscope.org · 27/11/2025
Monitoring crustal deformation: sometimes in the lithosphere, sometimes on your pie plate. 🍁🍂 Happy Thanksgiving from EarthScope!
Graphic with the text ‘I like my crust deformed’ above illustrations of a slice of pumpkin pie and a whole pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream. A small GPS antenna sits on the whole pie. The background is a shaded-relief map, and the EarthScope Consortium logo appears at the bottom.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Don't inherently oppose charging premium for foreign visitors, but $100 likely crosses threshold to counter productive. I visited Grand Canyon on side trip after conference in 2019. Spent >$1000 on trip. Probably wouldn't have gone w/ that surcharge. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Administration Will Raise Prices for Foreign Visitors at National Parks
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
I think I'd watched one baseball game in my life before the last week. I watched every minute of this series... and it was fantastic. Sad to lose, but amazing to come so close. And amazing to see how sport brought together ppl accross country in hope and support. #GoJaysGo
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
Fingers crossed!
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 22/09/2025
Fun fact! Mastodon species are in the genus Mammut, which doesn't have the same root as 'mammal'. It's from an Indigenous language from Russia, and means 'earth horn' (for their fossil remains).
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
It may not be what was technically ever claimed, but common understanding of the Effect, i.e., that there is an inverse correlation between cockiness & depth of knowledge/competance is, I think, obvious to anyone who has ever been or dealt w/ 1st year university students (myself included in both).
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Because the conditions materials are produced in (i.e., their impact on human heath, labour rights, and the environment) matter, if we're ethical consumers.
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Dr. Rod Taylor @fossilrod.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
One of our temporary displays at the @johnsongeocentre.bsky.social features a group of Artemia, aka fairy shrimp or sea monkeys. These delicate little crustaceans have a fossil record extending back at least 115 million years! #FossilFriday See doi.org/10.1080/0311...
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Jeanne Timmons @mostlymammoths.bsky.social · 22/08/2025
This research not only provides exciting new insight into mammoth evolutionary history, it reveals an entirely unknown lineage of ancient mammoth. 🦣 gizmodo.com/million-year...
gizmodo.com
Million-Year-Old Mammoth Teeth Contain Oldest DNA Ever Found
An international team of scientists has sequenced DNA from mammoth teeth that is at least a million years old, if not older. This research, published
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Great story! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
cbc.ca
'Starsailor' rocket to lift off from Cree territory — Canada's first space launch in more than 25 years. | CBC News
A Concordia University student team is preparing to launch the first Canadian rocket to enter space in over two decades — right from Cree territory near Mistissini, Quebec.
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Dr. Jason Loxton @jasonloxton.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Planning on applying for PromoScience for outreach activities through the Cape Breton Fossil Centre. Am hoping that some successful applicants might be willing to share their applications/budgets. In particular, I am curious how people made up the 2/3rds of $$$ that NSERC doesn't cover.
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Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Another way of putting this: in the past 20 years or so, China and India *alone* have increased student places by about 70 million - that's roughly the same number of university places that existed in the entire world circa 1990.
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Jeanne Timmons @mostlymammoths.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Digitizing collections to unlock the full potential of palynology: A case study with the Smithsonian palynology collection Carlos Jaramillo, Surangi W. Punyasena, Daurys de Alba, Roxana Alveo, Angelica Arcila, Jorge Bermudez, Jonatan Bustos et al nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Digitizing collections to unlock the full potential of palynology: A case study with the Smithsonian palynology collection
Large palynological collections have been built over decades and contain vital information. However, they are often difficult to access and use effectively. What is the point of having such collectio....
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