AshPoust
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ashpoust.bsky.social
AshPoust
@ashpoust.bsky.social
9.1K followers 440 following 450 posts
Paleontology, Anatomy, Evolutionary Medicine, Travel.
Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln

Grazing with the dinosaurs and dear old horses.
-What I'm about to show you may shock and educate you
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by AshPoust
helenkennedy.bsky.social
Just for the record, and it’s insane that the mad king made me look this up, there is documentation of the US giving up all claim to Greenland to Denmark when we bought the Virgin Islands from them in 1916.

history.state.gov/historicaldo...
DECLARATION In proceeding this day to the signature of the Convention respecting the cession of the Danish West-Indian Islands to the United States of America, the undersigned Secretary of State of the United States of America, duly authorized by his Government, has the honor to declare that the Government of the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending their political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland. ROBERT LANSING New YorK, August 4, 1916. [Page 701]
January 19, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
aadineen.bsky.social
Collaborate with me! Myself and @peterroopnarine.bsky.social are looking for a postdoc with expertise in quantitative paleoecology to work on our new NSF grant addressing whether communities after the PTME functioned differently than those beforehand.

job-boards.greenhouse.io/californiaac...
Postdoctoral Researcher, Paleontology
San Francisco, CA
job-boards.greenhouse.io
January 16, 2026 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
gohar.bsky.social
New Publication Alert!
Our new paper on black bear bone histology is out today in the Journal of Anatomy!

Read the paper here:
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Bone histology reveals life history and regional remodeling in black bears
American black bears employ a dual skeletal strategy during hibernation: ribs remodel extensively, while femora maintain cortical strength to preserve locomotor capacity. This is the first comparativ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 19, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
albertonykus.bsky.social
Bone histology of phorusrhacids (terror birds) indicates rapid, uninterrupted growth (typical of most modern birds but unlike flightless paleognaths such as ostriches and kiwi): anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... 🪶🧪 (📷Dreyer et al.)
Cross-section images of the leg bone of an extinct flightless bird, with close-ups taken through a microscope.
January 19, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
dynamoterror.bsky.social
A drawing of Allodelphis woodburnei, a marine Platanistoid (cousin of South-Asian River Dolphins) from miocene California. It and its close relatives had flexible necks and large fins, making them slow yet agile hunters of small prey. A commission from @shamublackfish.bsky.social
#paleoart #sciart
A colored-pencil illustration of the prehistoric dolphin Allodelphis woodburnei, a marine Platanistoid known from a very complete specimen from early Miocene deposits in California. It has very long, thin jaws, a small eye near the corner of its mouth, and a relatively flexible neck and large fins for a cetacean. I’ve given it a relatively small triangular dorsal fin. It is overall grey and pink in coloration, with the snout fading from quite pale towards the tip to more vibrant around the eye, extending in a pink stripe down the body that widens as it nears the tail. The edges of the stripe fade into the pale greyish tones of the rest of the body. Its mouth is slightly open, revealing numerous small, pointed teeth.
January 18, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Reposted by AshPoust
rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
It’s shit like this that makes me think dinosaurs were CRAZY
banditelli.org Brett "Solidarity 2026" Banditelli @banditelli.org · 2d
⚠️ FULL PELICAN ALERT ⚠️ 🪶
January 18, 2026 at 2:28 AM
Reposted by AshPoust
natureportfolio.nature.com
A feature in Nature reports on discoveries in Jurassic rocks that are expanding scientists’ knowledge in how birds evolved. #Paleosky 🧪
How did birds evolve? The answer is wilder than anyone thought
Discoveries in Jurassic rocks reveal that birds were adept fliers earlier than scientists realized.
go.nature.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
dinochick.bsky.social
Great article on our parking lot dinosaur excavation!
#FossilFriday
January 17, 2026 at 2:06 AM
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coastalpaleo.bsky.social
#fossilfriday Earlier this week we were shown the holotype skull of an eomysticetid from Mexico! This is Cochimicetus convexus, a Matapanui-like early baleen whale from the El Cien Formation and named last year by our Mexican colleagues.
The holotype skull of Cochimicetus convexus from the Oligocene of Mexico - scientific figure of the skull in ventral view The holotype skull of Cochimicetus convexus from the Oligocene of Mexico - scientific figure of the skull in dorsal view A group of scientists in a museum discussing a fossil baleen whale skull in the foreground - it is shaped like a surfboard. A group of scientists in a museum examining a fossil baleen whale skull.
January 16, 2026 at 2:23 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
andyfarke.bsky.social
Not a big baby! My commentary in @science.org about the latest Nanotyrannus research. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Not a big baby
Multipronged approaches resolve the debate about the Nanotyrannus fossil species
www.science.org
January 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
andyfarke.bsky.social
This morning I saw a post w/photos of Smithsonian paleontologist Charles Gilmore, and it dislodged a thought from my brain: I *still* use the dude's work, 80 years after his last paper. Why? Because he published copious data - measurements, solid morphological descriptions, great photos. <thread>
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
joschuaknuppe.bsky.social
Result from the Agate Fossil Beds #paleostream!
This early Miocene lagerstätte from Nebraska (USA) is a fantastic window into our understanding of the transition from forest communities to grassland biomes...
January 13, 2026 at 3:39 AM
Reposted by AshPoust
sicbjournals.bsky.social
IOB
Resolving #evolutionary relationships-
IOB’s Selina-Viktor Robson details more about their co-authored work

iobopen.com/2026/01/12/r...

& read the paper
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
by Robson, @jmtheodor.bsky.social et al

#science #fossils #paleobiology #morphology #taxa, #ontogeny.
January 12, 2026 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
fossildetective.bsky.social
Excellent news from PRI and a wonderful start to the new year.

www.priweb.org/blog-post/pr...
PRI's Wonderful Life — Paleontological Research Institution
By Dr. Warren Allmon , Director of the Paleontological Research Institution December 30, 2025 The holidays are a time for “Christmas movies” in my house, and one that is always on our list is&nbs...
www.priweb.org
January 1, 2026 at 12:17 AM
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scifri.bsky.social
A wonderful reminder from physicist and author Sean M. Carroll. 📖
"We have to keep up the romance and the idealist notions of what it means to learn things and to be a better educated person... Take time to learn things. It's one of the best things you could do with your time." —Dr. Sean M. Carroll
December 28, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
potamophile.bsky.social
Great to see a natural history collection growing in an era when the expansion of barriers to such growth is inexorable.
briansidlauskas.bsky.social Brian Sidlauskas @briansidlauskas.bsky.social · 24d
Great news article about the Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute's Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection and our recent accessions of specimens from the DEEPEND Consortium and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
There are 8 million fish in a World War II bunker outside New Orleans. More arrive soon.
Hidden in a World War II bunker near New Orleans, Tulane stores more than 8 million preserved fish — and the collection is still growing.
www.nola.com
December 27, 2025 at 6:56 PM
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callanbentley.bsky.social
Cool contrasting collapse patterns side by side on the leeward side of the crest of a sand dune in Mesquite Flats. ⚒️
Two areas where sand is collapsing downward on a sand dune crest - one is a concave scoop at the top with convex runout on the bottom, and seems to have two (overlapping) slip events, resulting in a sort of "Figure 8" pattern, and the other is more of a boxy rectangular shape.
December 27, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
johnholbein1.bsky.social
"Even after accounting for the upfront costs and delayed benefits, enrolling marginal applicants to public universities generates substantial net returns for society, the marginal students themselves, and the government budget."

Public Universities FTW!
December 24, 2025 at 9:00 PM
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reptiliferous.bsky.social
A few new papers out recently that I'm excited to share with you!

First: How well could stem reptiles hear?

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Evidence for high-frequency hearing in a Permian stem reptile - Nature Communications
Hearing evolved in most amniotes by the late Permian, but its origins in reptiles remain poorly understood. Here, using biomechanical and morphometric analyses, the authors show that high frequency hearing likely had evolved in reptiles by the late Permian.
www.nature.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:08 PM
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c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
So reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) can't fly, but they are VERY MAGICAL.

For example, their EYES CHANGE COLOR during the year & they're one of the few large mammals that can see UV. Golden brown in summer, deep blue in winter.

Let's talk about the unique visual adaptations of Rudolph and company.
Paddy Kalish OD shared this photo of reindeer eyes, showing a dramatic difference in eye color, probably dramatized, because the real effect is a eye-shine color, which is hard to represent.
December 20, 2025 at 11:36 PM
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museumoftherockies.bsky.social
Happy #FossilFriday! MOR Digital Collections and Field Specialist Dr. Haviv Avrahami is surface scanning #fossils in the #MOR collections to create high resolution 3d digital models. This #ammonite (#MOR-IV-1542) is just one of hundreds of fossils digitized this year.
December 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
erenji.bsky.social
Cuvieronius, a gomphothere related to elephants that went extinct around the end of the Pleistocene, which ranged from south-southwest US, Central America, and South Amerca. This specimen is from Argentina. Taken at NHM in London in 2018. #FossilFriday #PaleorenjiPhoto
A photo of a pale fossil skull that somewhat resembles an elephant facing the camera.
December 19, 2025 at 8:48 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
edithrojas.bsky.social
Some people chase views.
I chase rock stories.
Stay curious. 🪨💫

#geology #anzaborrego #fishcreek #staycurious #adventure #outcrop #formation #rocks #camping #STEM #Y2C #professor #geologist #science
December 19, 2025 at 8:32 PM
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amjukar.bsky.social
What a terrible loss it will be if PRI shuts its doors for good

www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/s...
An Engine of Fossil Discovery Fights Its Own Extinction
www.nytimes.com
December 19, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Reposted by AshPoust
paleoadiel.bsky.social
😲 Pterosaur discovery Alert‼️David Braswell found pterosaur vertebrae in ~82 million-year-old (Cretaceous) marls of Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Alabama at a trip I organized for the Alabama Paleo Society! These are now the first pterosaur vertebrae in UA's fossil collection. #FossilFriday
😲 Pterosaur discovery Alert‼️David Braswell found pterosaur vertebrae in ~82 million-year-old (Cretaceous) marls of Harrell Station Paleontological Site in Alabama at a trip I organized for the Alabama Paleo Society! These are now the first pterosaur vertebrae in UA's fossil collection. #FossilFriday
December 19, 2025 at 1:45 PM