Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Massive outbreak of Northern Walkingsticks (Diapheromera femorata) at Cowan’s Gap State Park this weekend. Tons of mating pairs. Probably one of the most insane things I’ve ever seen. 040
Reposted by ZachThomas R. Holtz, Jr. @arctomet.bsky.social · 02/10/2026LETTER: Absolute need to maintain entire ‘collections side’ of Sternberg Museum intact hayspost.com/posts/d21f98...hayspost.comLETTER: Absolute need to maintain entire ‘collections side’ of Sternberg Museum intactImage by Pixabay Dear Dr. Tisa Mason,I am a proud graduate of Fort Hay 03419
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 02/10/2026No fossil Friday; i have a more important question: why is protesting against war on college campuses heavily policed but predators are allowed to walk free? 020
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 02/10/2026UMich is a case study in repression, and this has been on full display both regarding pro-Palestinian protesting, but also with regard to labor organizing.aclu.orgNew ACLU and Amnesty International USA Report Uncovers Widespread Suppression of Pro-Palestine Speech Across College Campuses | American Civil Liberties UnionFindings Show Concerted Efforts to Censor and Retaliate Against Speech in support of Palestinian Rights in Colleges and Universities 000
Reposted by ZachAAUP-Ohio State @osuaaup.bsky.social · 02/10/2026We stand in solidarity with our colleagues at Cornell AAUP, and all who are outraged by the violence against Jane Doe and the Cornell administration’s response to it. aaup-cornell.org/statements-a...aaup-cornell.orgCornell Chapter of the AAUPDefending academic freedom, shared governance, the economic security, the rights of all those who teach or conduct research in higher education, advocating for the interests of the broader communit… 12511
Reposted by ZachJess McLaughlin, PhD (they/them) @jfmclaughlin92.bsky.social · 01/10/2026If i were still a postdoc, I'd be running, not walking, to apply to this, y'all 1178
Reposted by ZachJoseph W. Brown @josephwb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Early-diverging lineages provide little information about ancestors academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan... From @phylieu.bsky.social @sinkingdiatom.bsky.social @omearabrian.bsky.socialacademic.oup.comEarly-diverging lineages provide little information about ancestorsAbstract. Large phylogenetic trees are often unbalanced near the root, with a species-depauperate lineage sister to a far more species-rich clade. The spec 411053
Reposted by Zach Xavier A. Jenkins @semifossorial.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Out 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... 312861
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Faculty curator position in vertebrate paleontology! Great opportunity to work with outstanding colleagues at LSUMNS: lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/LSU/jo...lsu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.comAssistant ProfessorAll 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... 02226
Reposted by ZachSemafor @semafor.com · 30/09/2026Visitors to the US are on track to drop by almost two million year-on-year. “We’re the only major country in the world losing visitation,” the head of the US Travel Association said. “It’s mind-boggling.” www.semafor.com/article/09/2... 62831411118
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 25/09/2026And here's the holotype of Tecovaserpeton perfectum in person! 0203
Reposted by ZachRobert Boessenecker, Dr. of Whaleontology ™️ @coastalpaleo.bsky.social · 25/09/2026#fossilfriday An example of why the ANSP and its collections must be saved. Atlantochelys mortoni, a giant protostegid sea turtle - named in 1849 by Agassiz based on the proximal humerus fragment. In 2012, someone found a large distal humerus that FIT ONTO THE SAME BONE in ANSP collections. 1/ 🦖🧪 18537
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Wow! Great news for the BGSU paleobiology program. Congrats to @pegyaco.bsky.social and colleagues: www.bgsu.edu/news/2026/09...bgsu.eduMore than $1 million in gifts expands opportunities for BGSU paleobiology studentsMore than $1 million in gifts from BGSU alumna Sue Goldstein, Ph.D., ’74 and the estate of longtime professor Don C. Steinker, Ph.D., will expand research, fieldwork and professional opportunities for... 1166
Reposted by ZachRichard Dearden @euphanerops.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Fan of weird end-Permian-surviving fossil sharks? Check out our preprint describing the first endoskeletal fossils of Carnian jalodontiform Keuperodus brodiei. #FossilFriday doi.org/10.64898/202... Led by Ryan Tokeley (no bsky), based on his great masters project work @nitroshutter.bsky.social 22910
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 18/09/2026It’s been one year since UofM hospitals rescinded access to gender affirming care to people under the age of 19. The decision to fold protections due to pressure from the administration is nothing less than pure cowardice. 120
Reposted by ZachAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 17/09/2026Trump: "We spent more than $2 billion in FEMA funding. You're waiting for some additional funding. I'm gonna get that to you. Now if Michael loses, I'm not sending it." Crowd: *groans* 3582058575
Reposted by ZachJohn R. Platt @johnrplatt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Awful: Trump Administration Moves to Gut a Core Endangered Species Protection "...the accidental killing or injury of an animal would no longer be considered illegal; only actions specifically intending to target an animal would." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/c...nytimes.comTrump Administration Moves to Gut a Core Endangered Species ProtectionAn internal memo reinterprets the law so that only the intentional killing of animals, not collateral harm, is illegal. 03813
Reposted by ZachMayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 17/09/2026New Yorkers should know whether the apartment they’re looking at is real. That’s why we’re working to require apartment listings to clearly disclose when images and videos have been generated by AI. Finding a home in New York is hard enough without artificially generating more problems.nytimes.comIs That Fireplace Real or A.I.?Listing sites are littered with homes with fake fireplaces, improved views and virtual landscaping, raising false advertising concerns. 8459901016
Reposted by Zachfelinecannonball @felinecannon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026- 'wolverine' is a marketing term - eight members, a narrow majority of the new FDA panel, voted in favor of allowing pharmacies to sell untested and previously unapproved peptides - seven members operate or work for clinics or businesses selling peptide treatments www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...reuters.comFDA advisers back first four of seven unapproved peptides under review for looser rulesA majority of the U.S. FDA's outside advisers on Thursday supported allowing pharmacies to compound the first four of seven peptides under review, advancing efforts championed by Health Secretary Rob... 122
Reposted by ZachRebekah Rogers @evolscientist.bsky.social · 16/09/2026USDA approves blight resistant chestnut trees. www.newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/202...newyorkupstate.comUSDA approves genetically modified American chestnut tree developed at SUNY ESFDecision marks first time a genetically modified tree designed for forest restoration clears regulatory hurdle. 110649
Reposted by ZachDr Alice Clement @draliceclement.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Oops, I hadn’t even shared a link to our latest paper…. “Hard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in #Devonian #placoderms” from @theskullywaglab.bsky.social et al. www.nature.com/articles/s41... published in Scientific Reports 🐟 🦷 🩻 #FEAnature.comHard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in Devonian placoderms - Scientific ReportsScientific Reports - Hard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in Devonian placoderms 02411
Reposted by ZachNature Ecology & Evolution @natecoevo.nature.com · 14/09/2026Obituary: Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41... Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students. Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Banature.comRobert Ricklefs (1943–2026) - Nature Ecology & EvolutionPolymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students. 16743
Reposted by ZachSociety for Integrative and Comparative Biology @sicb.bsky.social · 15/09/2026#SICB Members and Friends, We are happy to announce that registration is open #SICB2027's Annual Meeting · Hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning #organismal biology, #physiology, #ecology, #evolution, #biomechanics, & more Register Today! cf23.xcddev.com/sicb/store/i... 043
Reposted by ZachJonathan Huie, PhD @jmhuie.bsky.social · 11/09/2026I heard you like clingfishes! Check out our new preprint on the evolution and ecomorphology of their adhesive discs and skull! doi.org/10.64898/202... 34015
Reposted by ZachKory Evans Ph.D @sternarchella.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Really excited to share our latest paper with you! We examine patterns of skull shape evolution in an awesome group of fishes and show that they rapidly innovated following the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs. urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...urldefense.comSelection, constraints, and contingency drive mosaic patterns of evolution during the carangarian adaptive radiationAdaptive radiations generate remarkable morphological diversity, yet traits often diversify at different rates and modes, producing mosaic patterns of evolution. Modularity, the semiautonomous organization of traits, can shape how selection and ... 310450
Reposted by ZachDr. Sven N. Nielsen @snnielsen.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Paleontology job in Mexico!earthworks-jobs.comFull-time Researcher PositionFull-time Researcher Position at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM. Located in Queretaro, Mexico. Deadline: 15/09/2026. 01322
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Nice to see some #FossilFriday coverage of the display and centennial from the Detroit News: www.detroitnews.com/picture-gall...detroitnews.comUM celebrates 100 years of paleontology with exhibitThe University of Michigan's Museum of Paleontology celebrates a century with a historic look of the museum's contributions to the field 0215
Reposted by ZachBrandon Peecook @gondwannabe.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Tenure-track job in vertebrate paleo! 🦬🦕🦈🦴 This is my former position at the Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences. Can confirm that the collections are excellent & understudied; AND that the people at the IMNH and BioSci are wonderful colleagues. APPLY!isu.csod.comCurator/Assistant Professor, Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences (3756)Job DescriptionThe Idaho Museum of Natural History and the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University invite applications for a joint... 25255
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 05/09/2026A sign of the end of summer. Dog-day cicadas being increasingly easy to find on the ground. They’re finishing up their grand chorus before the eventual silence of winter settles in. 020
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Following up on this old post with some crushing news: www.inquirer.com/education/ac...inquirer.comThe Academy of Natural Sciences is closing its museum after nearly two centuriesThe closure does not affect the rest of the institution, which builds and maintains the collections and conducts research through departments such as the Patrick Center for Environmental Research. 292
Reposted by ZachDavid Clark @clarkeocrinus.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Some exciting news for #TrilobiteTuesday I've been nominated to be the Avocational Representative for the @paleosoc.bsky.social Council. I will be a voice for fossil clubs and amateur collectors, connecting the academic community with the general public. I'm excited to work with everyone. 4346
Reposted by ZachBrant Faircloth @brantfaircloth.bsky.social · 02/09/2026NSF PRFB RFP is out. If you have interests in AI approaches to studying bird color across big phylogenies, let me know! I have some ideas... And, if you don't, that's cool too, but please apply to do something with someone else if you can! www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...nsf.govPostdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) 01210
Reposted by ZachHadeel Saad @hadeelsaad.bsky.social · 24/08/2026I can’t explain how grateful I am to have been a part of building this case! Chasing down stories and learning more about the people, scientists, and history of UMMP was so much fun. 084
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Even unassuming specimens have backstories. Here’s a good example for #FossilFriday: the Paleocene gastropod Turritella mortoni from near Fredericksburg, VA (UMMP IP 329). 17111
Reposted by ZachBenjamin Pope @benjaminpope.bsky.social · 31/08/2026man I loved being an international student at Berkeley and it kills me to think that these opportunities are just being pulled out from under the younger generation 172
Reposted by ZachAndy Farke @andyfarke.bsky.social · 28/08/2026Hot Take for #FossilFriday - the quest to make paleontology "useful" and "relevant" and "high impact" has backfired spectacularly. A hypothetical "Big Data Approaches to Deep Time Ecosystem Services" almost always end up largely disconnected from actual fossils. (thread) <1/n> 611832
Reposted by ZachDouglas Natelson @nanoscaleviews.bsky.social · 26/08/2026🧪⚛️ So, down to 1500 targeted awards, and strongly emphasizing the executive branch’s priority research areas. What happened to the Golden Age of Science idea of funding the best people, rather than specific ideas? Oh wait, that was last month. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...nsf.govNSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) 0176
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 25/08/2026First scan of the semester looks promising. Sometimes fish look like fish!! Gzhelian of the Appalachian Basin. 181
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Something a little different on #FossilFriday: new temporary exhibit at UMMNH highlighting the history of paleontological collections at U-M. Timed to recognize UMMP's centennial (although the collection itself is approaching its bicentennial). 📸 Elliot Zirulnik/UMMNH 17018
Reposted by ZachAnonymous Potato @anonymouspotato.bsky.social · 05/08/2026EcoEvoJobs 2026-27 just opened for business and we've already got 79 faculty / permanent jobs listed. Please repost! ecoevojobs.netecoevojobs.netecoevojobs.net 2026-27 1176210
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Rule #1: don’t overtighten your lugs, or you’ll end up like me! 000
Reposted by ZachElizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 15/08/2026A wee explainer on why the NIH hiding impact scores and percentages from peer review of grants: 1. Spend 6 months writing proposal 2. Submit to NIH 3. Peers review it, give it a score, and it’s ranked by percentile—the lower, the better 4. If you’re in the 1st percentile you can expect funds 727486
Reposted by ZachJohn Aerni-Flessner @lesothojohn.bsky.social · 15/08/2026This is an absolute travesty. Northwestern has, probably, the 2nd best library collection for African History/Studies in the USA (behind Yale and ahead of MSU, UCLA, etc). A self-inflicted wound that is absolutely, 100% unnecessary given the massive wealth of Northwestern--north of $15 billion.thepurplewire.beehiiv.comSCOOP: Northwestern moves to close Program of African Studies 471937806
Reposted by ZachHolly Bik @hollybik.bsky.social · 14/08/2026My lab is HIRING - we have an opening for a #postdoc focused on marine invertebrate symbioses & evolution (heavy focus on microbial -Omics and bioinformatics, but lots of fun fieldwork opportunities too!) Full position info here: www.biklab.org/join-the-lab Please help spread the word! #SymbioSky 24155
Reposted by ZachE. Anne Chambers @chamberea.bsky.social · 14/08/2026We're hiring! The Chambers Lab is recruiting grad students interested in landsacpe & conservation genomics or species delimitation of reptiles & amphibians. Find more info here (or reach out with questions!): chamberslab.org/opportunitie...chamberslab.orgopportunities – Chambers Lab 01624
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 15/08/2026A few weeks later, and the smile continues to grow #FossilFriday 3355
Reposted by ZachMatt Friedman @friedmanlab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026In 2019, Willy Bemis came to Michigan and gave a lecture on ocean sunfishes at UMMP. One of the most engaging talks I have ever attended. It included work that went into a new monograph published this week and led by Kate Bemis: scholarlypress.si.edu/publications... 15313
Zach @reallyoldfish.bsky.social · 11/08/2026I am so frustrated by the return, in earnest, of our society’s acceptance of denigrating behavior and language towards neurodivergent people. It is beyond the pale. 020