Holy cow! 😲 Here are two great sauropod (🦕) papers that I've completely spaced on mentioning: 1) Anatomical network analysis of sauropodomorph cranial topology. 2) Built for bulk: posture, microanatomy and soft tissue shaped gigantism in Sauropoda. 🧵

I swear I was gonna do a tyrannosaur #FossilFriday even before Tromerosaurus dropped! 😅 Each time I'm at the Mongolian Institute of Paleontology, even I have to admire and drool over the 'baby' Tarbosaurus MPC-D 107/7. Check out the 'chicken wing'-sized articulated arm from this specimen!!!!🤩

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....

National security analyst & author @joecirin.bsky.social talked about the historical fallacy of national missile defense during the #CACNP26 annual conference earlier this month. 🔗 Listen to the Nukes of Hazard episode now: ow.ly/jAll50ZSlzc

I repeat: 🤮🤮🤮🤮

I said it, & I mean it, in this new article by @sciam.bsky.social on the ever increasing conflicts between academic & commercial paleo: “I really think that, in a very short period of time, we will see someone killed in the United States over a dinosaur" www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...

How much is a T. Rex worth?

Fossils are selling for tens of millions of dollars at auction. But why are the ancient creatures the hot new thing for the ultrarich?

scientificamerican.com

Did you know that we had nicknamed a special 🦕in honor of Dolly Parton? "Dolly" is the first dino with a respiratory infection. And "Dolly" is also a new genus. Teaser image: I often use pieces of art as human scale bars, but I could think of nothing more fitting than Dolly with "Dolly."

If I had a nickel for #Hunter under a cast of the #Tyrannosaurus MOR 555 at a museum where I did a graduate degree, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice... @museumoftherockies.bsky.social @romtoronto.bsky.social

To say that Hunter was *excited* to see the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is an understatement! 🤣 #KeepitOscar

A reminder, but back in 2022, we honored Dr. Fauci as the human scale bar in our sauropod respiratory infection paper. "Human scale bar is the exemplar of pandemic education and rationalism, Dr. Anthony Fauci." 🧵

I'll die on this scientific hill: If you don't need bs signed authorization to use written information from a paper, you shouldn't need bs signed authorization to use visual information from a paper either (of course proper citation/credit given in both cases is a must...).

🦬❤️🦬❤️🦬❤️🦬❤️

Stegosaurus = "Murica-Lizard"

A true pilgrimage to paleo Mecca. This is *THE* type locality of the Morrison Formation. I laughed. I cried. I prayed to the Old Gods (Marsh, Cope, Hatcher, Gilmore, Lull, & Mook) for Morrison success, & I may have left an offering. Thanks to Amy Atwater for this opportunity!!!!

This made me laugh for a good 5 minutes 🤣 Although asking if someone thinks Brontosaurus was a real dinosaur is really a better first date question.

I need *your* help with a project I'm working on! There are many dog-related sayings in English (ex "every dog has its day") If you know of other dog-isms, please let me know, and 2) What I'm really looking for: dog-related sayings in other languages & their meanings! Thanks in advance!

*THIS* is a dog at peace 😊

Giraffe-like regional cervical elongation AND *multiple sets of gastral baskets* - from an early sauropodomorph?!?! (plus tons of other cool stuff) The axial osteology of Macrocollum by Fonseca et al. is a great read, and an awesome study!

It took almost a month for Scientific Reports to upload the final version, but here it is! www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Ultraviolet light illuminates species-specific biofluorescent casque patterns in cassowaries (Casuarius) - Scientific Reports

Cassowaries possess prominent keratinous and bony cranial ornaments, called casques, which have been suggested to function in visual signaling. Despite possessing vividly colored head and neck skin, c...

nature.com

I JUST GOT AN ORIGINAL COPY OF J.B. HATCHER'S 1901 MONOGRAPH ON DIPLODOCUS CARNEGII!!!!! *AND* IT WAS SIGNED BY HATCHER!!!!!!!!!

IMO, one of the really cool things about the new Alnashetri paper is that it (potentially) further pushes back lineages, AND it emphasizes that formations - particularly the Morrison - likely harbored a bonanza of diverse smaller-bodied dino clades. 🧵

It's In Press, but there's a great paper from @thecassowarykid.bsky.social et al soon to officially come out, and I'll let the title do the talking: Ultraviolet light illuminates species-specific biofluorescent casque patterns in cassowaries. 🧵

Had a great trip up to the @AMNH! Never enough time here, but loads of great research projects kick started! 🦕🦖🦴🔬⛏️

We should not live in fear, but we should all be terrified by the lapse of New START, which was a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US & Russia. Now there are no longer any limits to nuclear arsenals, and this may very likely precipitate a 2nd Cold War. www.npr.org/2026/02/04/n...

For the first time in decades, the U.S. and Russia have no limits on nuclear weapons

Experts warn that the expiration of a long-standing nuclear arms control treaty between the two superpowers could mark the start of a new nuclear rivalry.

npr.org

Hunter *loves* his little panda 😍

I missed #FossilFriday, but the Morrison Formation has spoken! A special volume of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science Bulletin just dropped, and it is 100% chock-full the latest in Morrison goodies. 🧵

Like all of us, I've seen the video of the ICE agent that murdered Renee Good walking away from the scene like a hundred times....but I JUST noticed what's in the background.

I didn't see this earlier, but according to USA Today, I was part of 50% of the top new dinosaur discoveries of 2025 😅 It's a major award! 😂 www.usatoday.com/story/graphi...

two men are standing next to each other with the words `` it 's a major award '' written on the bottom .

ALT: two men are standing next to each other with the words `` it 's a major award '' written on the bottom .

media.tenor.com

The last day in the fossil prep lab at Frost Science of 2025 was pretty good....