Diversification of angiosperm reproductive strategies predated the end-Cretaceous extinction | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Diversification of angiosperm reproductive strategies predated the end-Cretaceous extinction

Angiosperm reproductive evolution is traditionally linked to the end-Cretaceous biotic crisis and subsequent ecological restructuring. Here, we report diverse and unexpectedly large diaspores (dispers...

science.org

Spent the last few days collecting a latest Cretaceous (latest Maastrichtian) flora from the Naashoibito Member in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico. First time I’ve ever found any within the Naashoibito!

NOW HIRING: Research Botanists (2). Smithsonian NMNH Botany seeks candidates with expertise in plant systematics. Those focused on lichens, marine algae, or large angiosperm families are especially encouraged to apply. For details, visit USAJOBS (www.usajobs.gov/job/867546600). Deadline 26 May 2026.

Found some latest Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Naashoibito Member of northwestern New Mexico today while doing some pre-field season reconnaissance today. Hopefully this bodes well for our work later this month!

How birds survived the dinosaurs’ doomsday By Steve Brusatte (@stevebrusatte.bsky.social) Scientists finally understand why birds were the only dinosaurs to pull through the end-Cretaceous mass extinction www.scientificamerican.com/article/an-a...

Why birds were the only dinosaurs to survive mass extinction

Scientists finally understand why birds were the only dinosaurs to pull through the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

scientificamerican.com

Tip for students contacting potential advisors about graduate school in paleontology - probably not a great idea to tell me that you'd rather do dinosaurs but my "boring" plant fossils are ok I guess and that you probably wouldn't get bored or uninterested in your first email to me.

My student, Evan Cerna presenting at #2025SVP on a new Cretaceous dinosaur trackway in the Glen Rose Formation in central Texas!

What do we know about the last surviving dinosaurs, living right before the asteroid? And is Nanotyrannus a tiny tyrannosaur species or juvenile T. rex? Lindsay Zanno & I talk through the big questions with Ira Flatow on today's @scifri.bsky.social ! www.sciencefriday.com/segments/din...

Were Dinos On Their Way Out Before The Asteroid Hit? Maybe Not

Two new studies suggest that, contrary to longstanding beliefs, dinosaurs were not on the decline before the Chicxulub asteroid impact.

sciencefriday.com

Had the pleasure of working on the press release image for this groundbreaking research!

Alessandro Chiarenza@macroecoevoale.bsky.social · 10mo ago

New paper today in @science.org: we date the Naashoibito Member (New Mexico) to 66.4–66.0 Ma, coeval with the Hell Creek, with important remarks on pre-extinction dinosaur diversity & regionalisation in North America 🦖🦕☄1/ Art: @nataliajagielska.bsky.social 🔗 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New dates on fossils from New Mexico reveal a community of dinosaurs that were thriving right before the asteroid strike, including 80-foot-long, 30-ton giants like Alamosaurus. I’ll tell you more in my latest for NatGeo. 🧪

New evidence reveals dinosaurs were thriving right up to the moment the asteroid hit

Newly dated fossils from New Mexico challenge the idea that dinosaurs were in decline—and suggest instead they had formed flourishing communities.

nationalgeographic.com

Dinosaur diversity before the asteroid | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Dinosaur diversity before the asteroid

Evidence for low dinosaur diversity ahead of extinction event grows dimmer

science.org

Our new paper is out in @science.org #ScienceResearch Our understanding of the dinosaurs at the very end of the Cretaceous is limited by few localities. What dinosaur biogeographic patterns were present leading up the K/Pg boundary? What can these tell us about end Cretaceous dinosaur communities

Something explosive is coming tomorrow... (Science by Andrew Flynn and team; art by @nataliajagielska.bsky.social )

Looking for a graduate program in paleobotany, paleoclimatology, and/or terrestiral sedimentology? Attending #GSA2025 next week? Please reach out so we can chat! Recruiting MS students for Fall 2026 for projects focused on the late Cretaceous - early Paleogene of western North America.

Thanks to @smithsonianmag.bsky.social for highlighting the Fossil Pollen collection at NMNH and the research we are developing with this collection Meet the Scientist Digitizing Millions of Fossilized Pollen Grains to Reveal Earth’s Climate History - smithsonianmag.com/blogs/nation...

Meet the Scientist Digitizing Millions of Fossilized Pollen Grains to Reveal Earth’s Climate History

Smithsonian researcher Ingrid Romero studies fossil pollen to reconstruct ancient climates and predict future changes

smithsonianmag.com

I am recruiting MS students to join my research group at New Mexico State University starting Fall of 2026! Any students interested in late Cretaceous-early Paleogene fossil plants, terrestrial paleoclimate, Earth surface processes, or magnetostratigraphy, please reach out! www.andrewgflynn.com

Estimating carbon assimilation rates from #fossil #leaves & application to the mid-Miocene Clarkia #forest New #AJB research by Melanie Cham, Alexander Lowe, Dana Royer, Sophia Ronan, William Rember & Caroline Strömberg doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #plantscience #paleobotany #photosynthesis

Rainy but productive day collecting Paleocene - Eocene fossil leaves out of the lower San Jose Formation in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico. Also found some super cool soft sediment deformation and sedimentary structures!

Day two of collecting earliest Eocene plants from the lower San Jose Formation in the San Juan Basin. Found lots of legumes including some attached!

Successful day collecting earliest Eocene fossil plants from the lower San Jose Formation in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico!