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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 23h

New research finds the Suriname toad’s strange star-shaped fingertips are a kind of tactile eyeball that allow them to ‘see’ their prey. The toes detect subtle vibrations in the water and translate them into details about size and speed. #ToadToesTuesday 🧪🧪 New at @science.org

science.org

These frogs ‘see’ prey with their star-shaped toes

Fingertips of Suriname toads are hypersensitive motion detectors, new study reveals

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 26/09/2026

Scientists observed a family of pygmy raccoons near a beach club in Cozumel, Mexico, learning from one another how to craft balls from paper, an indication that the animals have a culture.

nyti.ms

On This Mexican Island, Raccoons Make and Play With Toys (and Also Sip Margaritas)

Scientists observed a family of pygmy raccoons near a Cozumel beach club learning from one another how to craft balls from paper, an indication that the animals have a culture.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Scientists in California just discovered a record-breaking “fire amoeba” that can endure temperatures hotter than any other complex life. The researchers found part of its hardy nature comes from positively charged proteins that act as a protective blanket. #FireAmoeba 🧪🧪 New at @science.org

science.org

How the ‘fire amoeba’ withstands temperatures that would kill most complex life

Incendiamoeba cascadensis may survive in volcanic lakes thanks to a static blanket that shields its proteins from the heat

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 21/09/2026

Scientists have found singing lemurs, known as indris, and opera singers use similar mouth shapes to create loud, high-pitched calls.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Scientists just found Madagascar’s singing lemurs belt like opera stars—literally. Using face-tracking technology, the researchers found the lemurs use the same vocal technique as trained sopranos to send their calls vast distances through the thick jungle. #Primatology 🧪🧪 New at @nytimes.com

nytimes.com

Video: These Singing Lemurs Belt Like Opera Stars, Scientists Say

Scientists have found singing lemurs, known as indris, and opera singers use similar mouth shapes to create loud, high-pitched calls.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Peruvian archaeologists just unearthed a once-in-a-lifetime discovery of unlooted tombs from the mysterious Chimú culture. The lavish burials provide the clearest look yet into the elites that once governed a vast empire that rivaled the Inca. 🧪🏺 #Archaeology #Inca #Chimú #NationalGeographic

nationalgeographic.com

Bombshell Discovery Sheds Light on the Incan Empire's Greatest Rivals

The once-in-a-lifetime discovery of unlooted graves containing ancient weapons, jewelry, and 38 skeletons provides insight into Peru's mysterious pre-Inca Chimú Empire.

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Jason GRIZZLED Bittel @bittelmethis.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I'm endlessly fascinated by inter-species interactions! We tend to think we're the only ones doing stuff out in the environment, but some of these creatures have been pinging off of each other for millions of years. And I'm sure we've observed <1% of it. 🧪 www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/s...

nytimes.com

Humans Love Having Pets. Seems Like Some Other Primates Do, Too.

We aren’t the only animals that like to take care of other species. A new study finds that the roots of keeping a pet may stretch deep into our primate past.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Scientists just found that narwhal tusks harbor a hidden layer that spins in the opposite direction of the outer tusk. The juxtaposed spins give the lengthy lance added resilience and allow it to become the only straight tusk in nature. #Narwhals #AnimalBiology 🧪🧪 New at @nytimes.com

nytimes.com

Narwhals Have Stunning Spiraled Tusks. That’s Not the Only Twist. (Gift Article)

X-rays revealed that the tusks have an internal opposing twist, which may help explain how they grow so straight — the only tusks like them in nature.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Newly uncovered fossil footprints from Brazil reveal what could be the largest mammal ever to walk alongside dinosaurs. The discovery suggests mammals weren’t always relegated to the shadows of their mega-sized carnivore contemporaries. #Paleontology #Ichnology 🧪🧪 New at @science.org

science.org

Footprints may reveal biggest known mammal from age of the dinosaurs

Beefy tracks point to a Cretaceous critter as big as a large dog or mountain lion

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Science Magazine @science.org · 17/08/2026

A pair of studies dissects the stature and diets of Denisovans. Learn more: scim.ag/4qtqCdK

Denisovans towered over their contemporaries and munched a bunch of meat

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 18/08/2026

A new study suggests that we are not the only animals that like to take care of other species. The roots of wanting a pet companion may stretch deep into our primate past. nyti.ms/4iex7Pg

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Fleeting primate friendships hint at the deep roots of pet-keeping behavior. “There’s no real equivalent of pet-keeping in nonhuman primates,” but we can examine the “ingredients” that might have led to its evolution. #Primatology #BiologicalAnthropology New at @nytimes.com 🧪🏺

nytimes.com

Humans Love Having Pets. Seems Like Some Other Primates Do, Too. (Gift Article)

We aren’t the only animals that like to take care of other species. A new study finds that the roots of keeping a pet may stretch deep into our primate past.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Scientists just found two leg bones dredged from the seafloor near Taiwan belonged to Denisovans—and one of the them stood around 6’3”! The work provides a rare glimpse into the body plan and diets of these little-understood hominins. #Archaeology #Paleoanthropology 🧪🏺 New at @science.org

science.org

Denisovans towered over their contemporaries and munched a bunch of meat

A pair of studies dissects the stature and diets of our mysterious archaic cousins

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

New research reports nearly 300 large stone circles in the Atbai Desert linked to a mysterious and little-understood cattle culture. The ancient desert nomads have long been overlooked for their more famous counterparts in Egypt. Until now… #Archaeology #Egyptology 🧪🏺 New at #NationalGeographic

nationalgeographic.com

Strange Stone Circles Hint at a Lost Nomadic Culture of the Sahara Desert

Long overshadowed by Egypt's pyramids and gold mines, the rugged Atbai Desert is finally revealing clues about the nomadic civilization that navigated its sand.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Colpizen @colpizen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

“Cette étude place ce qui pourrait être le dernier clou dans le cercueil de l’opinion dominante selon laquelle plus d’oxygène rendait les insectes anciens plus gros” commente Caleb Gordon, paléontologue du Musée d’histoire naturelle de Floride.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Brandon Bishop @brandontbishop.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Not remotely clear oxygen levels at any point in the Paleozoic were above modern levels. Direct samples preserved in halite do not show this at all outside of the mid-Silurian.

sciencedirect.com

Atmospheric oxygen of the Paleozoic

The evolution of Earth's atmosphere is of extreme importance to the lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. This is particularly true for the role the…

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Science Magazine @science.org · 03/08/2026

A new study finds many saber-toothed cats had hampered mobility, a side effect of heritable deformities and rare nerve tumors brought on by generations of inbreeding. scim.ag/4x74V5c

scim.ag

Saber-toothed cats became inbred—and struggled to move—before they went extinct

Population declines led to spike in spinal deformities and rare tumors, fossil study suggests

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Scientists just found sabertooth cats from the La Brea Tar Pits suffered an abnormally high rate of rare spinal diseases. The incest-driven disorders likely hampered mobility, compelling the cats toward weakened animals entrapped in tar. #Paleontology #Smilodon @tarpits.org New at @science.org 🧪

science.org

Saber-toothed cats became inbred—and struggled to move—before they went extinct

Population declines led to spike in spinal deformities and rare tumors, fossil study suggests

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

New Scientist @newscientist.com · 24/07/2026

The long fangs of Smilodon were thought to be rather delicate, but a study of large herbivore remains from Argentina shows these extinct cats had no trouble biting through hard bones

newscientist.com

Sabre-toothed cats could crunch through bone | New Scientist

The long fangs of Smilodon were thought to be rather delicate, but a study of large herbivore remains from Argentina shows these extinct cats had no trouble biting through hard bones

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Antiquity Journal @antiquity.ac.uk · 16/07/2026

📰 Archaeologists decipher the name of a #Maya astronomer for the first time! 🏺 #AntiquityResearch #ArchaeologyNews via National Geographic www.nationalgeographic.com/history/arti...

nationalgeographic.com

Archaeologists decipher the name of a Maya astronomer for the first time

His moniker translates to "White-chested Fox."

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

This is AMAZING

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Eos @eos.org · 17/07/2026

New research identified 160 million small wetlands largely overlooked by typical wetlands surveys. The data reveal the surprising emissions from small wetlands. 🧪 eos.org/articles/big...

eos.org

Big Trouble from Little Wetlands - Eos

New research suggests that small wetlands, previously unaccounted for in the global methane budget, are responsible for about 25% of global methane emissions.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Science Magazine @science.org · 16/07/2026

Ancient DNA confirms that Grand Duke Francesco de Medici and his older brother, Cardinal Giovanni de Medici, contracted malaria. Learn more: scim.ag/3RimiAO

Ancient DNA solves Medici murder mystery.
Malaria, not poisoning, killed a prominent 16th century duke.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Scientists just found the first-ever name of a Maya astronomer. His name was Sak Tahn Waax, meaning “White-chested Fox.” Maya astronomers have long lived in obscurity, uncredited for their work. Now we finally have a name. #Archaeology #AncientMaya @antiquity.ac.uk 🧪🏺 New at #NationalGeographic

nationalgeographic.com

Archaeologists decipher the name of a Maya astronomer for the first time

His moniker translates to "White-chested Fox."

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

I’ve seen a lot of fine rocks in my day, but among my favorites are the 12.5-million-year-old intrusions at Torres del Paine, Chile. The younger, light-colored volcanic rock Oreo’d itself between the darker, 94-million-year-old sedimentary rock. #InternationalRockDay #Geology #Patagonia 📸: me

Mountain range in Torres del Paine, Chile behind a glacial lake and rocky foreground.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 11/07/2026

“Mutual grooming does not mean the same thing in all contexts.” Cat behavioral scientists have found that sometimes cats groom each other specifically to be annoying.

nyti.ms

Your Cat Is Being Nice? Think Again.

A new study finds that sometimes cats groom each other specifically to be annoying.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Not all cat licks are equal. Researchers just found that a subset of licks are dedicated to “social tension” and employed by one cat to annoy another. The tactic might be a subtle way to antagonize a furry foe without starting a serious fight. #Caturday #Allogrooming 🧪🧪 New at @nytimes.com

nytimes.com

Your Cat Is Being Nice? Think Again. (Gift Article)

A new study finds that sometimes cats groom each other specifically to be annoying.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Scientists just found rare ancient DNA evidence that resolves a 500-year-old murder mystery. Rather than poison, the Grand Duke Francesco de Medici likely died of malaria. His bones help reveal how the deadly parasite once ravaged Italy. #Archaeology #aDNA 🏺🧪 New at @science.org

science.org

Ancient DNA solves Medici murder mystery

Malaria, not poisoning, killed a prominent 16th century duke

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Even 700 years ago people were dropping cherished belongings into toilets. A newly excavated medieval latrine in Germany revealed a pristinely preserved wax journal, which still bears the neatly jotted notes of its former wealthy owner. #Archaeology 🧪🏺 New for #NationalGeographic

nationalgeographic.com

700-year-old ‘Etch A Sketch’ found preserved in a medieval toilet

Protected by a sealed leather pouch, this 10-page notebook still contains legible Latin inscriptions and intact wax.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Brown Anthropology @brownanthro.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Ancient Maya Wetlands Reveal Settlement That Thrived Amid "Collapse" — In a recent article from @eos.org, Shanti Morell-Hart provided commentary on new research about how an ancient Maya settlement in Belize appears to have outlasted droughts by relying on local wetlands.

eos.org

Ancient Maya Wetlands Reveal Settlement That Thrived Amid “Collapse” - Eos

A newly excavated site provides evidence that Maya communities migrated from urban areas to rural wetlands during times of intense drought.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Science News @sciencenews.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Artists have long imagined pterosaurs in vivid hues. A new fossil analysis suggests at least one species really did shimmer in iridescent greens and magentas. www.sciencenews.org/article/pterosa…

sciencenews.org

Some pterosaurs may have boasted bold iridescence

A new analysis of a 120-million-year-old fossil suggests at least one pterosaur species shimmered in iridescent greens and magentas.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Science Magazine @science.org · 02/06/2026

According to new research, at least some spinosaurs appear to have spent their days in salty estuaries and marshes, as evidenced by special glands above their eyes that would have allowed them to “cry” salty tears to filter it from their blood. Learn more: scim.ag/4vlvVNy

Some spinosaurs cried salty tears to thrive in brackish waters
Fossil evidence suggests some predatory dinosaurs could expel salt from their bloodstream like modern birds and crocodiles do

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Forget about crocodile tears! New research suggests certain Spinosaurus species may have had salt glands above their eyes, enabling them endure brackish waters by shedding salty tears. #Paleontology #Spinosaurus Art by the extraordinary Davide Bonadonna. 🧪🧪 New at @science.org

science.org

Some spinosaurs cried salty tears to thrive in brackish waters

Fossil evidence suggests some predatory dinosaurs could expel salt from their bloodstream like modern birds and crocodiles do

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

Khufu’s Great Pyramid has survived 4,600 years of seismic activity—now researchers have a better idea why. “It felt like uncovering a masterpiece of empirical engineering that had been hiding in plain sight for thousands of years.” #Egyptology #Archaeology #AncientEgypt 🧪🏺 @ National Geographic

nationalgeographic.com

How ancient builders made the Great Pyramid of Giza nearly earthquake-proof

A new study measuring vibration frequencies throughout the Great Pyramid revealed how it has been able to withstand severe seismic shocks.

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Researchers just found 20 packets of sealed papyri curiously placed atop Egyptian mummies—one of which contained fragments of Homer’s Iliad. Each fragment was linked to the “Catalogue of Ships,” which details the heroes, cities, and ships of the Trojan War. #Archaeology @ National Geographic 🧪🏺

nationalgeographic.com

The mummy, the Iliad, and a mysterious death ritual

Archaeologists in Egypt unearthed a sealed packet of the epic poem resting atop a Roman-era mummy, suggesting they may have been used as a magical ward for the afterlife.

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

The Anatomical Record @anatrecord.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Research published in AR has been featured in The New York Times, highlighting insights into the classic “falling cat problem". 🐈‍Curious how cats manage gravity‑defying midair twists? NYT story www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/s... AR paper: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

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Asher Elbein @asherelbein.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

There's been a lot of good work on this, but it's now pretty clear that people were seriously overthinking why ancient insects got so large: they had a first mover advantage on land and in the air. As land-fish caught up, insect sizes were increasingly suppressed

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Rodrigo Pérez Ortega @rpocisv.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Breaking my social media hiatus to share a story I've been pursuing for about a year. Last week, officials from Brazil and Germany announced the skull of the magnificent #Irritator will finally go home. Complex story with @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social in @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Famed Brazilian dinosaur fossil finally heads home

Germany and Brazil reach agreement over controversial spinosaurid fossil, heralding new collaboration between the two nations

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Scientists just found that an enigmatic and long-debated muscle in penguins is likely helping them waddle. The tissue helps stabilize their cramped leg posture, giving their wobbly gait a surprising efficiency. #Penguins #WaddleWednesday 🧪🧪 New for @science.org

science.org

Enigmatic muscle may help explain penguins’ signature waddle

Find also reveals how the birds keep their bodies streamlined when underwater

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Taylor Mitchell Brown @tmitchellbrown.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Irritator challengeri, the best preserved Spinosaurus skull ever discovered, is finally heading home to Brazil! The announcement comes years after tireless attempts from Brazilian scholars to see the fossil repatriated from a German museum. #Paleontology #Spinosaurus 🧪🧪 New at @science.org

science.org

Famed Brazilian spinosaurid fossil finally heads home

Germany and Brazil reach agreement over controversial fossil, heralding new collaboration between the two nations

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Reposted by Taylor Mitchell Brown

Science Magazine @science.org · 03/04/2026

“This study places what may be the final nail in the coffin for the prevailing view that more oxygen made ancient insects bigger.” Learn more: scim.ag/4vcqqS8

scim.ag

How did ancient bugs get so big? The prevailing theory may be wrong

Flying insect respiratory systems suggest abundant oxygen can’t explain ancient gigantism

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