iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Paleobiology Database @paleodb.bsky.social · 7h

Are you publishing research using @paleodb.bsky.social? Tag us here so we can amplify your research!

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

In the last couple of years, we've seen multiple critical collections (museums, herbaria) close. The IUCN--the global authority on the status of biodiversity--recently published on how important these kinds of facilities are in conservation. Every day, the dead are working to protect the living.

iucn.org

From collections to conservation: the indispensable role of natural history museums

The IUCN Species Survival Commission has published a Position Statement on the vital role of biological collections in biodiversity conservation: a formal acknowledgement that natural history museums,...

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Michael Hobbes @michaelhobbes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Climate change is as straightforward as it gets: Democrats vote to address it and Republicans vote not to. There's a weird tic among the pundit class where they think saying "it's more complicated than that" is the intelligent stance on everything but sometimes it's not complicated!

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Totally agree. I'm on the PRI board, so have had an up close view of their struggles these past years. And now two more museum on the chopping block....

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Do I have time to write an op-ed about the crisis facing small natural history museums dot com.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Faculty who work with undergrads over the ⛱️ summer ⛱️ - do you get any sort of compensation (financial 💰 or course credit, etc)? Trying to compile some data that seems pretty hard to come by... #SLAC #undergrad #mentoring #STEM

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

In some truly excellent company on this list 💫 - thanks @geosociety.bsky.social!

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Sarah McAnulty, Ph.D. @sarahmackattack.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Attention Philadelphia! We're hosting a rally to demand that Drexel University maintain The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum open to the public. Join us on Tuesday morning at 10am in front of the academy. Please spread the word, we need all hands on deck! RSVP here: luma.com/1qwnrqz2

A dinosaur on a white background with the text SAve the academy of Natural sciences museum rally Tuesday Sept 8 10am in front of the academy 1900 ben Franklin Parkway. "Tell Drexel University "Keep the museum open!" with the logos for Philly Science Action, Skype a Scientist, and Green Philly

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Paleobiology Database @paleodb.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Still time to share your feedback! We want to hear from you!

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Paleobiology Database @paleodb.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Survey time - we want to hear from YOU! Your answers will help us better understand how the community uses and accesses @paleodb.bsky.social and will help shape future work on the database. Browsed Navigator once? Entered 1,342 taxa? Either way, we want your feedback! forms.gle/GFZukC1koFAb...

forms.gle

Paleobiology Database (PBDB) User Community Survey

Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your experiences and insights with the Paleobiology Database team! Your answers will help us better understand how the community uses and accesses the PBDB ...

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Molly Crabapple @mollycrabapple.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

99% of the time, when someone accuses you of selective outrage, it’s a way of politically demobilizing you and shutting you up “Why are you angry about data centers instead of fast fashion” isn’t about making you care about fast fashion. It’s about shutting you up about data centers And visa versa

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Simon Kuestenmacher @simongerman600.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

This funky little animation shows the June 2026 heatwave sweeping across Europe day by day. It's oddly hypnotic, a bit weird, and surprisingly fun to watch, even if the underlying story is a serious one. Source: buff.ly/RaAArwQ

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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 22/07/2026

uh...yes?

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Dr. Brendan Anderson @fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Taxonomy is far from complete but it also is not "complete enough" to warrant the disinvestment seen in ithe field and natural history generally. Museums and herbaria need funds to store, curate, and describe species and taxonomists need to be paid to do it 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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Miguel Méndez Sandín @sandinmm.eurosky.social · 17/07/2026

Apparently the "boring billion" was actually exciting! We provide molecular evidence of complex Mesoproterozoic eukaryotic communities. So happy to see this out 🥳 Thanks to @phoebefossil.bsky.social , Hélène Morlon & @fburki.bsky.social for a lovely collab! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

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Fabien Burki @fburki.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

This was a long and complex project led by a tenacious @sandinmm.eurosky.social but it was all very worth it. This was also my first collaboration with @phoebefossil.bsky.social and Hélène Morlon so I’m grateful for that.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Super excited that our paper led by @sandinmm.eurosky.social in PNAS is out! We show that crown-group eukaryotes were already taxonomically and ecologically diverse throughout the Mesoproterozoic, revealing complex communities well before the Neoproterozoic radiation. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

pnas.org

Environmental phylogenetics supports a steady diversification of crown eukaryotes starting from the mid-Proterozoic | PNAS

Molecular clock and preservation of early microfossil assemblages suggest that eukaryotes were present and already diverse more than ~1600 million ...

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AGU (American Geophysical Union) @agu.org · 14/07/2026

⏳ The deadline is here. Submit a public comment on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed rule today by 11:59 p.m. ET: spklr.io/63326EPTye We encourage our AGU community to speak up and add their voice to the more than 1,300 comments submitted through AGU's Action Center.

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Chris Kluwe @chriswarcraft.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

I see it’s going to be another day where the Six Law Wizards commit crimes against us all and call it “justice”

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

If anyone wants the full text of my letter to adapt for yourself just let me know -- it's important to personalize them but also no need to start from scratch. Only a few more weeks left to comment!

static.klipy.com

They Might Be Giants Paleontologist

ALT: They Might Be Giants Paleontologist

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

@planetarysociety.bsky.social put together an amazing annotated website on the changes here: dashboards.planetary.org/rules-change...

dashboards.planetary.org

Federal Grant Rule Comparison

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Thanks to emails from @paleosoc.bsky.social and @geosociety.bsky.social I've finally submitted my comment on the OMB changes that will devastate scientific funding if approved.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

I did editing and provided feedback on the book so can say from first hand experience that it's really good, and not just because my amazing dad wrote it -- very practical, concrete, and applicable advice for a variety of job seekers.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Looking for a job in STEM or know someone who is? Check out my dad's (@carlmcohen.bsky.social) new book out from Cold Spring Harbor Press! " STEM Career Dynamics: A Comprehensive Guide To Getting A Job In Science and Technology" - for academic and industry - www.cshlpress.org/default.tpl?...

cshlpress.org

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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say

Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year

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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Megathread resources now compiled in a Google doc. Send it to your friends. Share with your departments and trainees. And share with non-scientists! I also have a template for non-scientist comments, because this is an all-taxpayer, all medical service user issue. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

docs.google.com

Submit an OMB Comment!

SAVE AMERICAN SCIENCE (Please! 💜 Annika @annikabarber.bsky.social) What are the proposed changes to scientific grant review and award? Read the Federal Register directly here: Regulation for Federal...

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Chad Topaz Queer DEI Race Traitor @chadtopaz.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Today is — at long last — official launch day for my book, "Unlocking Justice." I wrote it to help and to be hopeful. Tradition says I post a pic of me with the book. 🤷‍♂️I'm overthrowing tradition and posting (abbreviated) acknowledgments. This book exists only because of so many people. I feel moved.

Acknowledgments page from the book Unlocking Justice by Chad M. Topaz. Text: My brilliant and magnanimous pre-submission editor, Nancy Rawlinson, made this book — to provide some data — 10 million times better than it otherwise would have been. I also received invaluable advice from two seasoned authors: Joel Derfner, who wrote Swish, Lawfully Wedded Husband, and other gems, and Sarah Rose, who penned the riveting D-Day Girls and For All the Tea in China. If not for Nancy, Joel, and Sarah, you would not be reading this book. I am equally grateful to the remarkable team at Princeton University Press, who believed in this book from the very beginning. My editor, Diana Gillooly, brought deep insight and rigor, strengthening the manuscript in countless ways. I also owe thanks to Whitney Rauenhorst, Molly Grote, Sydney Bartlett, Matt Taylor, Barbara Tonetti, and Terri O'Prey for their steadfast support, and to Maia Vaswani, my meticulous copy editor.

cknowledgments, continued. Text: I owe much of my understanding of the world, particularly regarding race, mathematics, and the intersection of the two, to Dr. Piper Harris. Her generosity and clear-headed insights have helped me write a better book and become a better person. I often find reality confusing, and Piper has been an invaluable interpreter, making it make sense or explaining why it never will. I frequently tell her, "Stop being so wise," but quickly follow it up with, "No, wait — don't." Emily Meyer provided essential guidance during the early stages of my writing. Phi Su offered invaluable advice on navigating publishing. Fred Vars was instrumental as a writing accountability partner. Further feedback came from Spencer Brooks, Ana Ros Camacho, Darren Glass, Anna Haensch, Amy Kimpel, Elizabeth Kregor, Brittany Meché, Alex Montgomery, Oded Oren, and Rachel Roca. I am grateful to Isabel Chenoweth, who photographed me for this book and turned the experience into a joyful and affirming one. Cait Kirby and Régan Schwartz have been vibrant intellectual partners who helped me think more carefully about data.

Acknowledgments, continued. Text: I'm indebted to my dear friends and family, Phoebe Cohen, Mea Cook, Meg Gibson, Gina Jae, Salley Koo, Elizabeth Kregor, Amanda Topaz, Jason Topaz, and Christelle Vincent for their constant wisdom, inspiration, and support. My colleagues Andrew Bernoff, Ron Buckmire, and Rustum Choksi are my benevolent professional-world uncles who have given me boundless support and mentorship. Victor Piercey's insights into quantitative reasoning within the legal domain greatly enriched chapter 4. I'm grateful to Andrew Robinson for advice on the chemistry example in chapter 8. I wrote much of this book at Williams College's Oakley Center, whose staff I thank for their support. The line between teacher and student often blurs in the exchange of knowledge. I am deeply grateful to all the students who have taught me. I especially want to acknowledge Utsav Bahl, Nicholas Goldrosen, and Christian Michael Smith, from whom I have learned so much.

Acknowledgments, continued. Text: The research on art museum diversity in chapter 1 was a collaborative effort with Bernhard Klingenberg, Daniel Turek, Brianna Heggeseth, Pamela Harris, Julie Blackwood, C. Ondine Chavoya, Steven Nelson, and Kevin Murphy. My work on mathematics journal editorial boards in chapter 2 was joint with Shilad Sen. The research on police call rates in chapter 5, growing out of my organization QSIDE, was conducted by Anna Haensch, Daanika Gordon, Karin Knudson, and Justina Cheng. The bail research in chapter 4 was with Oded Oren and Courtney Oliva. Eli Miller and Bryan Martin joined me on the Rikers Island research in chapter 6. In chapter 7, Maria-Veronica Ciocanel, Rebecca Santorella, Shilad Sen, Christian Michael Smith, Adam Hufstetler, Nick Goldrosen, Shawn Bushway, and Shaoyang Ning explored federal sentencing with me. Utsav Bahl, Lea Obermüller, Sophie Goldstein, and Mira Sneirson were my coauthors on the COMPAS investigation in chapter 9. The chapter 8 analysis was carried out with James Cart, Carrie Diaz Eaton, Anelise Hanson Shrout, Jude Higdon, Kenan Ence (whose loss we mourn), Brian Katz, Drew Lewis, Jessica Libertini, and Christian Michael Smith. My QSIDE collaborators Christian Adams, Tyrone Bass, Alisa Malone, Zofia Stanley, and Karen Walker are the organization's mighty backbone. Finally, my deepest gratitude to Jude Higdon-Topaz and our son.

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Psst! 🌏 🎧 🌕

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Jax and Phoebe Make a Planet @makeaplanetpod.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Kickstarter backers! Go check your email 👀 - a little something for you to listen to over the weekend... (everyone else, you'll have to wait a little longer!

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

anyway, fuck AI, fuck our healthcare system, fuck cancer, etc.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

My (wonderful, amazing) PCP told me this had happened, and she told me why she thought it had happened - the AI dind't have all the information, and didn't check, and the authorization was denied - this means she, and possibly I, have to go through the work of contesting the claim.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

The letter stated that MRI's are only covered when the person has a 20%+ risk of getting breast cancer -- BRCA2 comes with a 55 - 69% increase.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I am BRCAII positive and my mother had breast cancer. For the last ~10 years I have gotten yearly MRIs to screen for cancer (along with yearly mammograms). This year, my insurance (BCBS MA) has contracted with some outside agency, which uses AI, to do prior authorizations, and my MRI was rejected...

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Paleobiology Database @paleodb.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

The New Paleobiology Database User Guide is here! This is the second edition of the volume designed to be a comprehensive guide for Paleobiology Database users -- escholarship.org/uc/item/9gg7...

Image of a world map with colored dots on it and a geological timescale below and the title "PaleoBios" at the top.

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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

5,000 faculty members at Penn State have won their union. That includes all full-time and part-time faculty across multiple campuses. The union says this is the largest public sector win in 50 years.

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Paleontological Society @paleosoc.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

If you have a fossil specimen or fieldwork photo to share, we welcome new submissions through the form below: bit.ly/47U31vm

bit.ly

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Always fun to see myself playing with my effing hair 🙃

image of the back of a woman's head with short brown curly hair, she is playing with her hair.

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Dr. Erik Klemetti Gonzalez @eruptions.site · 14/05/2026

"You can't prompt your way into greatness" should be printed on a 50 foot banner and hung at the entrance of every college in the country.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Video of our recent panel The Future of the American Worker: Law, Policy, and Changing Landscapes at Williams College w/ @jmijin.bsky.social Williams prof Ben Snyder, labor lawyer Ryan Hancock & Alex Jacquez of Groundworks Collaborative: www.youtube.com/watch?v=769_... #labor #work #justtransition

youtube.com

The Future of the American Worker: Law, Policy, and Changing Landscapes | Public Affairs Forum 2026

YouTube video by Williams College

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

My kid's dad in @insidehighered.com on Hampshire's closing, and what it means for the rest of us: “To befriend a graduate of Hampshire is to have an ally on stormy seas: These are people who can navigate complexity and thrive in ambiguity.” <-- truth. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

insidehighered.com

What Hampshire Closing Means for Progressive Ed (opinion)

Hampshire’s closure speaks squarely to questions of what college is for.

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

In the last week, I have submitted 2 papers. "Wow!" you might say "You're so productive Phoebe! What's your secret?" One has been in the works since 2014. The other since 2018. (But really, it does feel amazing, and my brain feels ready to tackle new things! At least until I get reviews!)

static.klipy.com

Titanic: It's Been 84 Years Meme

Alt: Titanic: It's Been 84 Years Meme

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John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 13/05/2026

"If she has her own house, what will she need me for?" I don't know, dude, maybe be cool and fun to be around and be happy for her success instead being whiny little sad-ass troll about it? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

theguardian.com

Single women are buying more houses. The men they are dating are not responding well

Female home owners report feeling stuck between men’s contradictory expectations – they are told to be independent, but not assume the breadwinner role

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Phoebe Cohen @phoebefossil.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Congratulations to @chadtopaz.bsky.social on his incredible new book "Unlocking Justice"! I'm only one chapter in but have already learned a ton and his writing style is snappy, insightful, and informative. We had serviceable rural Thai food to celebrate. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

photo of a white middle aged man in a pink hoodie holding a yellow book

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