I learned a lot about Ice Age era mammals from paleontologist @brittandbone.bsky.social on our Ice Age episode of See Jurassic Right! All Summer Flicks With Scientists episodes out now wherever you get your podcasts.
Brittney Elizabeth Stoneburg
@brittandbone.bsky.social
vertebrate paleontologist, bone librarian, polar & space science enthusiast, drone pilot, wayward English major, ice queen and sea cryptid cursed to be trapped in the desert. header art by Corbin Rainbolt.
And last (for now) but certainly not least, is this great piece on our study from science writer Asher Elbein for the esteemed yellow rectangle, National Geographic. www.nationalgeographic.com/science/arti...
This Cretaceous 'Sea Monster' Attacked Prey Faster than Great White Sharks
By analyzing tail length and muscle power, paleontologists have explained the physics behind a mosasaur's deadly ability to lunge toward its prey.
nationalgeographic.com
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Very excited to head up to @oregonstate.edu tomorrow for the @polarsteamteam.bsky.social Summit! Last year I partnered with @osuceoas.bsky.social's Dr. Jesse Cusack and Vanessa Hawkins to bring their science to life at WSC - and now I want to help other scientists and researchers do the same!
Something anecdotal that makes me think the recent museum closures we’re seeing is a symptom of a wider cultural attitude towards science: Two of the most frequent questions I now get from kids on field trips are “what’s that fossil worth”/“do you make a lot of money?”
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....
It was just so fun to chat with @stevenraymorris.bsky.social about the movie Ice Age! Truly, it holds up
Steven Ray Morris@stevenraymorris.bsky.social · 2w agoMove over dinosaurs, we’re covering 2002’s ICE AGE, with paleontologist/science educator, @brittandbone.bsky.social! Get the who’s who on Pleistocene megafauna, if Sabertooth Squirrels (Scrat) were real, and so much more. It’s the Summer Flicks With Scientists finale on See Jurassic Right.
The university-based UCMP got a nearly 30% budget cut ~15 years ago. Restructuring and reductions changed how the museum functioned, but its mission remained. The road to recovery is long and we still have no fossil preparator, but it is possible to slowly rebuild. ucmp.berkeley.edu/about/ucmpne...
Letter from the Director, May 2012
ucmp.berkeley.edu
Brittney Elizabeth Stoneburg@brittandbone.bsky.social · 2w agoI've worked for a natural history museum for 11 years at this point (man, yikes) and while it is sad, it isn't surprising to see two major institutions facing closure this year.
Yep. This always comes from the very best of places, but is never a long-term solution. It's rarely even a short-term solution, even in the optimal situation.
Brittney Elizabeth Stoneburg@brittandbone.bsky.social · 2w agoSo when somewhere like FHSU has a budget shortfall and decides to behead its museum, people are shocked and also very naive about what can be done about it. "We should have a fundraiser! Call a local philanthropist!" Sure, that may buy you six months.
Great thread discussing museum funding from the inside. The reason some universities are trying to divest from their museums is because they are beginning to treat each unit as an independent revenue generating entity. Museums cost money and therefore they WANT to cut them.
Brittney Elizabeth Stoneburg@brittandbone.bsky.social · 2w agoI've worked for a natural history museum for 11 years at this point (man, yikes) and while it is sad, it isn't surprising to see two major institutions facing closure this year.
One thing - this isn't to blame museums. As a museum staff member, I can tell you: we are, as a group, extremely passionate & resourceful. But the unis, gov, etc that oversee museum admin just see a budget line item bleeding money, & not the actual purpose of that line item (education, research)
Brittney Elizabeth Stoneburg@brittandbone.bsky.social · 2w agoYou cannot run a museum like a business. Opening a museum is a quick way to lose a lot of money; but it's a great way to invest in scientific research and education in your community. But as long as museums, desperate for money and attendance, keep cosplaying as businesses, we'll lose more of them.
Tomorrow, we get chill with 2002’s ICE AGE and learn everything you wanted to know about Pleistocene megafauna with paleontologist/science educator, @brittandbone.bsky.social! It’s Summer Flicks With Scientists on See Jurassic Right.
I've worked for a natural history museum for 11 years at this point (man, yikes) and while it is sad, it isn't surprising to see two major institutions facing closure this year.
TOMORROW! ❄️ This was so, so fun. It's been ages since I hopped on a podcast and getting to talk Ice Age with @stevenraymorris.bsky.social was a joy!!
Steven Ray Morris@stevenraymorris.bsky.social · 2w agoTomorrow, we get chill with 2002’s ICE AGE and learn everything you wanted to know about Pleistocene megafauna with paleontologist/science educator, @brittandbone.bsky.social! It’s Summer Flicks With Scientists on See Jurassic Right.
You know what's super fun? Getting to discuss the science of the animated classic Ice Age with @stevenraymorris.bsky.social. So I did that. Tune in this Friday!
Steven Ray Morris@stevenraymorris.bsky.social · 3w agoWhile the La Brea Tar Pits are currently closed for refurbishments, get your Paleozoic fix with this Friday’s ICE AGE episode with paleontologist/environmental scientist, @brittandbone.bsky.social! It’s the Summer Flicks With Scientists finale on See Jurassic Right!
While the La Brea Tar Pits are currently closed for refurbishments, get your Paleozoic fix with this Friday’s ICE AGE episode with paleontologist/environmental scientist, @brittandbone.bsky.social! It’s the Summer Flicks With Scientists finale on See Jurassic Right!
in the midst of some CRAZY work stress I am putting together two workshops (one robotics, one polar science), emailing a colleague about some weird algae fossils, and got a cool panel acceptance for LA Comic Con. I refuse to pick a lane! You can't make me, academia!
🌊 I searched the long version of NSF’s letter on “a New Golden Age of Science.“ There is no mention of any of the following words: planet, Earth, ocean, atmosphere, climate, weather, or the stem “geo.”
Dan Garisto@dangaristo.bsky.social · last mo.Scoop: This afternoon NSF will formally announce its four 'Frontier Initiatives', and a suite of other changes in a public letter. These Frontier Initiatives (left) are identical to OSTP's 'Grand Research Challenges' that we have been reporting on (right). www.nature.com/articles/d41...
since I didn't get to show bluesky this - earlier this year I saw Project Hail Mary (with absolutely NO context or expectations) and a) loved it and b) became consumed by a lust for the fox cardigan. Anyway I crocheted it in less than two months.
my boss thinks I have a future in admin; meanwhile I'm contemplating pulling my teeth out over making a $100 donation ask rn
“Go look at something cool.” That’s what I told myself this week, because as it turns out, through the paperwork and burnout, it’s really easy for me to forget I work in a building full of wonders. 🌿 Plio-Pleistocene-aged plant fossil from Riverside County, originally ID’d as algae.
I have successfully regained control of my bluesky account, hello fellow nerds
finally got my film scans back from last summer's expedition to Xietl Sit' (Leconte Glacier) in southeast Alaska. still sort of grappling with how much this experience changed my life and figuring out how I can do it all over again! shot on kodak portra 400.
You know palaeontology online spheres are dominated by men, with a big name being outed as a peado accomplice, the first thing they comment on are "I never agreed with his stance on T.rex" & "I preferred Bakker/Gould anyway" And not "The field is rotten to the core with sex pests and weird men"
had a mostly-solo Christmas this year but lunch with friends gave me the excuse to flex the baking muscles and make a cranberry orange tart ✨
The Excavation of Hob's Barrow is a whopping 55% off in the Steam Winter Sale! Inspired by movies such as The Wicker Man & the works of M.R. James, with a little pinch of Twin Peaks and Lovecraft - our folk horror adventure is the perfect play for Christmas! store.steampowered.com/app/1182310/...
Friends from New England have been texting me pictures of snow and the way I ✨yearn✨ to live in an entirely different region is getting painful I tell you!!!
I’m off to #AGU25! It’s my first time attending this conference and I’m so excited to be sharing my work as a @polarsteamteam.bsky.social Fellow! Send me a message if you want to connect during the conference!
