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Chris Widga

@widga.bsky.social

Director of the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at Penn State. Here for museums, fossils, not-fossils, and geo-nerdom. Sucker for good jazz. Personal account. #museums #paleontology #geology #scicomm #naturalhistory

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Owen Goodchild@paleowen.bsky.social · 4d ago

#fossilfriday figure making time featuring an age series of ‘Gomphotherium’ productum from the middle Miocene Española Basin of New Mexico. Plus “Amebelodon joraki” hanging out on the corner. Note the short symphysis even in the adult AMNH F:AM 21300.

Four small and short jawed proboscidean mandibles with a slightly elongated symphysis and round mandibular tusks. Top to bottom in order of dental age stage AMNH F:AM 21112; AMNH F:AM 21285; USNM V 2346 (cast); AMNH F:AM 21111Occlusal view of three gomphothere mandibles. AMNH F:AM 21112, the smallest which has been cut into to show the fourth premolar still in the crypt. AMNH F:AM 21285 larger, with p4 in use. Cast of the holotype specimen USNM 2346, incomplete tan-gray mandible. USNM 2346 (cast) with AMNH F:AM 21111, a mature adult specimen with m2-m3 in use at the time of death.
Science X / Phys.org@sciencex.bsky.social · 5d ago

Only about a third of modern bison carry cattle ancestry, and when present it makes up less than 2% of the genome. A pre-cattle genetic baseline helps clarify a long-blurred conservation picture. doi.org/hcdx22

Decoding the North American bison's genome to better inform conservation efforts

A new study by ancient DNA researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, used paleogenomics to create a genetic roadmap to help guide the restoration of another iconic species once on the brink of extinction: the North American bison.

phys.org

Chris Widga@widga.bsky.social · 5d ago

Really excited about this paper. Bison are a model species for connecting fossils to modern conservation questions and millennial-scale ecosystem changes relevant to modern systems. Jonas (and all the authors) did a fantastic job bringing this out to the big picture! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Paleogenomic insight into the collapse, recovery, and management of American bison

American bison (Bison bison) were nearly hunted to extinction by the 20th century. This rapid decline and the fragmented nature of remnant populations pose challenges to their recovery and resilience,...

science.org

Craig B@mutillidae.bsky.social · 2w ago

Here's the working prototype of my setup. It's a 3D-printed black block with a socket to hold a watch glass, and a 3D-printed diffuser that sits on top of the block. Recessing the glass greatly reduces stray light & glare. #NaturalHistoryCollections #Macrophotography #FocusStacking #DIYImagingStage

This is a close up of the imaging set up I made to image the water penny. There's a 3D printed black block with a socket to hold a standard watch glass on the left, with an actual watch glass sitting atop the block on its right edge. On the right edge of the block is a off white 3D-printed diffuser, roughly shaped like a hollowed out hemisphere, with large circular openings on the top and bottom. The bottom rim of the diffuser fits into a recess on the top of the block holding the watch glass. The pieces are setting on a light grey bench top in front of a white wall.
Craig B@mutillidae.bsky.social · 2w ago

I've been working on a better setup for capturing focus-stacked images of immature insects in alcohol...and it's working well. 🙂 #NaturalHistoryCollections #Macrophotography #FocusStacking #Psephenidae #APennyForYourThoughts

Ventral view of a water penny larva (Psephenidae) against a black background. The six legs, antennae, and the feathery gills are all clearly visible—and would be well protected from above when the larva is clinging to a rock underneath the water.
Adiel Klompmaker@paleoadiel.bsky.social · 2w ago

🦈🦈 🦈 For #sharkweek and #FossilFriday, here are 3 remarkable Late Cretaceous shark species of Ptychodus from Alabama. Left: P. polygyrus (rare), middle: P. rugosus (very rare), and right: P. mortoni (fairly common). 😲 Paleontology collection, The University of Alabama Museums Research & Collections

3 remarkable Late Cretaceous shark species of Ptychodus from Alabama. Left: P. polygyrus (rare), middle: P. rugosus (very rare), and right: P. mortoni (fairly common).
Ramon Nagesan@nagesanr.bsky.social · 3w ago

With my upcoming departure from the University of Michigan, I've found myself deep in the job hunt process. Moving back to Canada from the U.S is certainly something I'm really looking forward too. If any 🇨🇦 labs (especially in Alberta) are searching for a µ-CT expert, please let me know!