iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · 16h

Happy #NationalFossilDay 2026! Fossils connect us to the lands we live on and the ecosystems we're a part of. They show us that everything around us is part of a 3.5 billion years story that's still ongoing. I just think that's magical. ☮️❤️🦣🦕

Gnatalie, a mounted sauropod dinosaur. In a museum corridor alongside a mural depicting scenes from Chicano history

Charles and George Sternberg use a tripodal hoist to lift a jacketed fossil alongside a brushy cliff

Families sit and wander on a gravely hill looking for fossils

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American Museum of Natural History @amnh.org · 01/10/2026

Science news! Discovered in Scotland in 1984 and described in 1990, Westlothiana lizziae—nicknamed “Lizzie” for its lizard-like appearance—was considered one of the earliest known reptiles. Now, a new look inside the 345-million-year-old fossil is revealing a very different story. 👀

amnh.link

Famous "First Reptile" Fossil Wasn’t a Reptile After All | AMNH

Study uncovers gills and fish-like teeth in 345-million-year-old fossil, upending long-held ideas on origins of reptiles.

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Dr. Rich B @morphometrich.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

And in other news, the continued campaign by #Drexel to close the #ANSP is also taking some very concerning turns. Please read these updates on efforts to get transparency to #SaveTheAcademy from closure. whyy.org/articles/aca...

whyy.org

What went wrong at the Academy of Natural Sciences? Former staffers point to years of missteps

“There was a big push to not be known as the dinosaur museum,” said one laid-off worker. That shift came with a cost, ex-staffers say.

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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

-Volunteer coordinator terminated -Full-time curators down from 11 to 5 -Social media channels being wiped -City Council hearings begin next week #savetheacademy

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Ben Miller @extinctmonsters.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

What she said.

In a world where a widespread understanding of most science is a constant battle, the goal is often to communicate broad concepts, rather than gritty details. I feel success as a natural history educator if a person walks away understanding three things: first, the Earth is exceptionally old; second, evolution is real; and third, humans are new to this planet and our impact on it in this short time has been extraordinary. Everything else—such as the precise swimming speed of a mosasaur, the exact position of a clade on a phylogenetic tree...

...or the proper anatomical details of a theropod wrist—is in the grand scheme of public engagement, secondary.

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Jack Lovegrove @jackl0vegr0ve.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Welsh Marches mammoth for #fossilfriday

A mounted mammoth skeleton stands in front of a painting

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Xavier A. Jenkins @semifossorial.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Out today: We show that Westlothiana lizziae or "Lizzie," described 35 years ago as the world's oldest reptile - is not a stem amniote at all, but a stem tetrapod. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The part and counterpart of the holotype specimen of Westlothiana.

Paleoartistic reconstruct of Westlothiana by Jacob Schick based on our new data

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Thomas Cullen @thomascullen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

With all the news of museums being closed and/or defunded, I feel the message of our paper on the importance of natural history research (and the collections housing those specimens) is just as relevant (or more) today as it was when it was published. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

This is OUR collective history. Museum specimens belong to the world, not to a move star or tech bro. The academy has not only done the scientific work to investigate and curate these fossils for 200 years (no small feat!) but shares the science with Philadelphians, every day.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Oh. And the type of Euceratherium collinum, SHRUBOX! From Burnet Cave, NM. The ANSP has the trifecta of North American muskox holotypes. (there may be more that I'm missing in my photos).

Fossil shrubox skull with long slender, swooping horns.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Not from a cave, but still in the ANSP collections...this massive snoot of an Atlantic walrus dredged from coastal New Jersey. Now present no further south than the the Canadian Arctic.

Round donut-shaped muzzle of an atlantic walrus fossil.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

...and Smilodon gracilis--yes, also the type for this iconic Irvintonian species is also Port Kennedy Cave.

A pair of Smilodon gracilis mandibles...

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Port Kennedy at ANSP also has...hands down, the best sample of the Irvintonian ground sloth Megalonyx wheatleyi anywhere in the world.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Port Kennedy Cave is filled with fossils from the mid-Pleistocene (ca. 1.5 ma to 250ka). There aren't many of these sites, especially in the eastern US. So it is an important record, even for animals that are common during other time periods. Like mastodons!

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Tapir from Pennsylvania? Yes, this is the type of Cope's Tapir from Port Kennedy Cave, now in Valley Forge National Historical Park.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Yes. Another holotype of an Ice Age muskoxen, Symbos cavifrons. Until the 1980s, this was seen as a second american muskox running around during the Ice Age. Now synonymized with Bootherium (above). Without these collections we wouldn't have sorted that out...

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The proof is in the...label. William Clark AND Thomas Jefferson involved in this one. The American mastodon may soon become our national fossil mammal (passed the house, still in the senate). This is a storied history for a national fossil mammal! houchin.house.gov/media/press-...

Museum label...showing collector as "William Clark for Thomas Jefferson"

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Near and dear to me (and a few of you)...are American mastodons. Although the type of M. americanum is in Paris, the Jefferson Collection of mastodon material provided key ammunition against Buffon's "theory of American degeneracy"

mastodon jaw from the Thomas Jefferson Collection at the ANSP

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Mammoths abound. As they often do. Mammoths from this same locality contributed DNA to our modern understanding of mammoth evolution. www.frontiersin.org/journals/eco...

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

...but you may ask...what was the OTHER head. It was our extinct stag-moose, Cervalces scotti. Yes, also a holotype in the Jefferson Collection.

Fossil with broken antlers...because they are always broken.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

And Muskoxen. This is the type specimen of the helmeted muskox (Bootherium) also from the Ohio valley. I love the original description of this specimen which was title "An Account of Two Heads Found in the Morass".

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

And #dogs, of course. Yes, they have the type specimen of Canis (=Aenocyon) dirus. Long before Game of Thrones and de-extinction (1850s), this chunky upper jaw of a dire wolf was found on the banks of the Ohio River near present day Evansville, IN.

Holotype of Canis dirus. Shiny brown fossil with canine dentition.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Not to be forgotten, there are some really cool carnivores in the Pleistocene of N.A. too. Here is the holotype of the American Lion described by Joseph Leidy in 1853 (across the aisle from the bison). Bigger than saber-toothed cats, it was THE apex predator in N.A. This from Louisiana. #cats

Fossil lion jaw...pointy teeth in a brown jaw.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

...and it's not just bison. The academy of was instrumental in figuring out what these odd American species were. Like the weird long-clawed critters with giant claws. Not lions (as Jefferson thought), but GROUND SLOTHS!

large fossil claws in white cavity mounts. Sloth claws...

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

But wait, there's more! This is the holotype of Bison antiquus (in the drawer above the latifrons; they were found in the same part of KY too). B. antiquus is found throughout North America. #Bison is our National Mammal, and the Academy curates the holotypes of 2 of 4 of our recognized species.

Same guy, new fossil. Still bison, but smaller horns. Still awesome.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

This particular specimen is in the Thomas Jefferson collection at the ANSP because Jefferson was really interested in Ice Age animals--bison, mastodons, mammoths, sloths. This particularly large bison comes from the Ohio River valley. Even today that are pretty rare in the Midwest.

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Museums are a social good. They preserve the collective history of our communities. In the case of the ANSP, that history happens to be a wonderful story of the dev of the natural sciences in this country. So we'll start here...this is the holotype specimen of Bison latifrons, the BIG #bison.

a person with grey hair and glasses pointing to fossil, a partial skull and base of really big horns, Bison latifrons!

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Although I can't be with those of you who are out in the rain advocating for your museum today...I thought I might be a good idea to post some Academy of Natural Sciences fossils to keep you warm and dry on the inside. @savetheacademy.bsky.social

An ammonite scultpure outside the side entrance of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

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Matt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

ANSP 22341, an unassuming slab from the Famennian Catskill Formation with portions of a few articulated lobe-finned fishes (Holoptychius) and a placoderm (Bothriolepis). Special to me as the first fossil I found to end up in a museum, collected during the first summer of my PhD. #FossilFriday

Red siltstone block containing blue-to-brown fish remains, including areas of articulated scales, fins, and skull bones. A collection label is on top of the specimen.

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Owen Goodchild @paleowen.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I just realized that I was referring to AMNH F:AM 21111 not AMNH F:AM 21300 the holotype of “Trilophodon cruziensis) which is certainly not productum lmao. Two years in and these New Mexico gomphotheres are still a headache lol.

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

A good read on the the state of the academy as it stands today. We're in a pivotal moment right now. The academy board must accept the bridge funding or find another way to keep the museum open immediately. neighborhoodfundamentals.substack.com/p/the-academ...

neighborhoodfundamentals.substack.com

The Academy Has an Offer. Does It Have the Authority to Take It?

A year of funding is on the table. What's unresolved is who actually gets to decide.

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

If you care about keeping the Academy of Natural Sciences open to the public in Philadelphia, I need you to read and share this thread. Trish Wellenbach was sent from the mayor's office to oversee the Academy of Natural sciences situation. She needs to hear from us. Here comes the action item:

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Eric Scott @captainfossil.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Here's an action that anyone who cares about the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia can take to maybe have an impact. Please consider this. Museums are important and what's happening here in Philly is a tragedy with national repercussions.

Holotype horn core of the Pleistocene species Bison antiquus, on display - for now - at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. Think on that - a *holotype* on display where everyone can see it! How cool is *that*?! Plus, the specimen is from the famed Big Bone Lick locality in Kentucky - "Birthplace of American Vertebrate Paleontology" - and was collected by William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame! What an amazing specimen - and how special that it's here *shared with the public" and not stored in off-limits collections!

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Hairymusclenerd @hairymusclenerd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Ressurecting my defunct blog to post my thoughts on the closure of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and why my professional experiences tells me it's poorly thought out cultural vandalism onlyruleisanythinggoes.blogspot.com/2026/09/the-...

onlyruleisanythinggoes.blogspot.com

The closure of the Academy of science museum is shortsighted and a failure of leadership

François Gould, PhD François Gould is a Philadelphia resident since 2019 and an associate professor in New Jersey. Although now primaril...

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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The 1998 renovations to Dino Hall and associated exhibits featured the work of many talented preparators such as Don Lessem & team, Triebold Paleontology, the Black Hills Institute, and other talented individuals/organizations who came to Philly when the Dinofest convention descended upon the city.

A Giganotosaurus skeleton — assembled by Don Lessem and crew for the first time in any museum — tramples the Academy admissions desk

An Elasmosaurus skeleton snakes along the edge of an exhibit, sunlit beaming through the windows behind it. The Academy receives a cut of every elasmosaur cast that Triebold sells

The cast skull of "Sandy" the Pachycephalosaurus (and/or Stygimoloch, and/or Dracorex, your mileage may vary), another Triebold addition

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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It's #FossilFriday, and indeed the final scheduled Friday that the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia is open to the public, potentially forever. So it's finally time to, once again, talk about Haddy — and bring it all full circle. Strap in, it's a big one.

A heavily retouched photograph (c. 1870?) of the mounted skeleton of Hadrosaurus foulkii inside the Academy's old building at the corner of Broad & Sansom Sts (in fact, the only known photograph of this building's interior). A man stands under the skeleton, identity unknown

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Eric Scott @captainfossil.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

For #FossilFriday: my first-ever visit to the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, which is slated to close permanently this weekend unless some sort of miracle occurs. I'm thrilled to finally be here after a lifetime of wanting to visit, but heartbroken at the circumstances for my trip. 🦖🧪

Cast skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex in the main gallery of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia

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Ausarchosaur @ausarchosaur.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Someone in Cherelle Parker's office is actually recording the number of people calling them regarding the Academy of Natural Science's closure. I did this during my afternoon walk and raised a talking point I never got to discuss at City Hall: Port Kennedy Bone Cave 🧵

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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Did someone say it's #WorldGorillaDay? The Academy of Natural Sciences' western lowland gorilla diorama is the only one of its kind in the world — other dioramas either use mountain gorillas or zoo specimens. Du Chaillu's original expedition was also sponsored by the Academy.

A diorama of three western lowland gorillas in the central African rainforest. The lone adult male is standing up, gripping a tree branch with its arm outstretched

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Ausarchosaur @ausarchosaur.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A 2.34 m, 71 kg Notiomastodon tusk recently found in San Pedro. wakeup.sg/ancient-mast...

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Bill Rulon-Miller @reptiledude.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

People should seriously visit the Academy of Natural Sciences while they can. If you are in or near Philly and have time, see it before it’s gone. Also if you think it would be beneficial for it to remain open write Governor @joshshapiropa.bsky.social, Mayor @cherelleparker.bsky.social & Drexel BoS

The skull of Herrarasaurus, a very early theropod from the Late Triassic

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Kevin Sievers @diplotomodon.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Here's the big one: what's going to happen to the Academy's collections? Excellent and thorough reporting from the Inquirer (gift link) www.inquirer.com/arts/academy...

inquirer.com

The Academy of Natural Sciences museum is closing, but all eyes are on its specimens — all 19 million of them

"Profound concern" over the fate of the Academy and its internationally significant collection.

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Eric Scott @captainfossil.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

For #FossilFriday: holotype of the extinct Pleistocene bison species Bison antiquus, one of millions of specimens housed in the collections of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University - the oldest natural history museum in the US, now slated for permanent closure on 30 September. 🧪

Bison antiquus holotype (ANSP 12990) braincase with left horn core, shown in posterior view (top) and dorsal view (bottom). From McDonald & Scott (2023), The Pleistocene Fauna of Big Bone Lick, Boone County, Kentucky: A Rich History and Unanswered Questions

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Chris Widga @widga.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

It is always lovely to spend a Friday with a mammoth. This one is the Moon Mammoth from Lake Pleasant near Erie showing its barely erupted third molars. PA State Museum, Harrisburg.

Carmel brown fossil mammoth jaw with many-plated teeth in a white steel museum cabinet drawer.

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Today’s rally to save the academy of natural sciences was incredible. Hundreds of people turned out. This is only the beginning. Follow along with save-the-academy.org

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