Dr. Jack Cooper
@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social
Science Communicator with a PhD in shark functional diversity. If you couldn't tell, I like sharks. Known for studying #megalodon, the biggest of them all. Scottish. Climber, cinema-goer and cyclist. Cat person. Find more at: https://www.drjackacooper.com/
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
Every other summer we run a fish biomechanics course at Friday Harbor Labs. It is an awesome opportunity to learn the tools of biovisualization while experiencing the rich fish diversity of the Salish Sea. Come join us!
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January 12, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Every other summer we run a fish biomechanics course at Friday Harbor Labs. It is an awesome opportunity to learn the tools of biovisualization while experiencing the rich fish diversity of the Salish Sea. Come join us!
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🧪
New #megalodon paper by Herraiz et al!
Using a huge dataset of meg teeth from Spain & Portugal, this work reaffirms support for a previously identified Spanish nursery area, rejecting a hypothesis of Mediterranean-wide insular dwarfism.
Many congrats to the authors! 🦈
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Using a huge dataset of meg teeth from Spain & Portugal, this work reaffirms support for a previously identified Spanish nursery area, rejecting a hypothesis of Mediterranean-wide insular dwarfism.
Many congrats to the authors! 🦈
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
The Iberian fossil record of †Otodus megalodon rejects Mediterranean dwarfism and supports nursery use
Abstract. †Otodus megalodon, the largest known macropredatory shark, was globally distributed from the Miocene to Pliocene, yet most ecological and palaeob
doi.org
January 21, 2026 at 12:04 PM
New #megalodon paper by Herraiz et al!
Using a huge dataset of meg teeth from Spain & Portugal, this work reaffirms support for a previously identified Spanish nursery area, rejecting a hypothesis of Mediterranean-wide insular dwarfism.
Many congrats to the authors! 🦈
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Using a huge dataset of meg teeth from Spain & Portugal, this work reaffirms support for a previously identified Spanish nursery area, rejecting a hypothesis of Mediterranean-wide insular dwarfism.
Many congrats to the authors! 🦈
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
The prehistoric shark found in a suburban town in Scotland
The prehistoric shark found in a suburban town in Scotland
The fossil was so complete experts could see remains of the last meal it ate, 330 million years after it died.
www.bbc.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:57 PM
The prehistoric shark found in a suburban town in Scotland
Very, very cool work by @kristinakocakova.bsky.social et al just published!
If you’ve ever wondered about how sharks & rays have diversified over millions of years, when exactly they’ve experienced extinctions & if age plays a role in extinction risk: then this is the shark paper for you!
🦈🦈🦈
If you’ve ever wondered about how sharks & rays have diversified over millions of years, when exactly they’ve experienced extinctions & if age plays a role in extinction risk: then this is the shark paper for you!
🦈🦈🦈
New paper alert!
We reconstructed the diversification trajectory of sharks & rays over the past 145 myrs to answer:
When did they experience major extinction events?
Does age play a role in extinction selectivity?
If so, does it change with extinction intensity?
👉 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
We reconstructed the diversification trajectory of sharks & rays over the past 145 myrs to answer:
When did they experience major extinction events?
Does age play a role in extinction selectivity?
If so, does it change with extinction intensity?
👉 doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
December 17, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Very, very cool work by @kristinakocakova.bsky.social et al just published!
If you’ve ever wondered about how sharks & rays have diversified over millions of years, when exactly they’ve experienced extinctions & if age plays a role in extinction risk: then this is the shark paper for you!
🦈🦈🦈
If you’ve ever wondered about how sharks & rays have diversified over millions of years, when exactly they’ve experienced extinctions & if age plays a role in extinction risk: then this is the shark paper for you!
🦈🦈🦈
Had a fantastic experience last week at #2025SVP! Terrific talks & posters, enthralling conversations with peers; including some I’ve never met or haven’t seen in years. And of course, a great chance to spend time with the old lab team promoting our collective shark research! 🦈
November 18, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Had a fantastic experience last week at #2025SVP! Terrific talks & posters, enthralling conversations with peers; including some I’ve never met or haven’t seen in years. And of course, a great chance to spend time with the old lab team promoting our collective shark research! 🦈
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
This a big deal: "China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months"
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis finds
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensity
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:20 AM
This a big deal: "China’s carbon dioxide emissions have been flat or falling for 18 months"
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
China's economy has grown by ~5% in the last year, so this comprehensively debunks the idea (again) that emissions are tied to growth. So yes, faster progress needed, but this is how you turn the corner.
🚨New Website blog 🚨 🧵
Did you watch Shark Whisperer on Netflix? I did & it was pseudoscientific rubbish. In this blog, I do a deep dive into the documentary; its subject, Ocean Ramsey; & the harmful effects of “shark influencers” on shark conservation (1/9)
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/shar...
Did you watch Shark Whisperer on Netflix? I did & it was pseudoscientific rubbish. In this blog, I do a deep dive into the documentary; its subject, Ocean Ramsey; & the harmful effects of “shark influencers” on shark conservation (1/9)
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/shar...
October 31, 2025 at 11:27 AM
🚨New Website blog 🚨 🧵
Did you watch Shark Whisperer on Netflix? I did & it was pseudoscientific rubbish. In this blog, I do a deep dive into the documentary; its subject, Ocean Ramsey; & the harmful effects of “shark influencers” on shark conservation (1/9)
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/shar...
Did you watch Shark Whisperer on Netflix? I did & it was pseudoscientific rubbish. In this blog, I do a deep dive into the documentary; its subject, Ocean Ramsey; & the harmful effects of “shark influencers” on shark conservation (1/9)
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/shar...
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
It's very interesting how Prince Andrew has gone to such great lengths when it comes to doing everything a guilty person would do, in order to prove his innocence.
October 21, 2025 at 11:04 AM
It's very interesting how Prince Andrew has gone to such great lengths when it comes to doing everything a guilty person would do, in order to prove his innocence.
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
I wish they had used this beautiful quote he offered in the story as the headline instead:
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
‘She Could Have Killed Me’: Scientist Survives Shark Bite to His Head
www.nytimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:39 PM
I wish they had used this beautiful quote he offered in the story as the headline instead:
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
“She was scared also. It was not her fault.”
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
New #sharkscience out in @currentbiology.bsky.social by @seaprinceaaron.bsky.social and colleagues.
Deep-sea mining risks for sharks, rays, and chimeras. A must read for this looming threat to many already threatened species.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@iucnshark.bsky.social
Deep-sea mining risks for sharks, rays, and chimeras. A must read for this looming threat to many already threatened species.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@iucnshark.bsky.social
Deep-sea mining risks for sharks, rays, and chimeras
Judah et al. identify 30 species of chondrichthyans that overlap with proposed deep-sea
mining activities, nearly two-thirds of which are already threatened with extinction.
Precautionary management o...
www.cell.com
October 2, 2025 at 4:53 PM
New #sharkscience out in @currentbiology.bsky.social by @seaprinceaaron.bsky.social and colleagues.
Deep-sea mining risks for sharks, rays, and chimeras. A must read for this looming threat to many already threatened species.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@iucnshark.bsky.social
Deep-sea mining risks for sharks, rays, and chimeras. A must read for this looming threat to many already threatened species.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
@iucnshark.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
Hiding the truth.
September 16, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Hiding the truth.
New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. Here, I look at another recent #megalodon study - one that used zinc isotopes & found that the giant shark wasn't just a whale killer; but probably ate whatever it wanted.
Give a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/mega... 🦈
Give a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/mega... 🦈
Megalodon and its relatives were super-predators that ate whatever they wanted — Dr. Jack A. Cooper
The iconic megalodon shark is generally pictured as having been a specialised whale killer. Now, a new study finds that megalodon and its closest relative Otodus chubutensis weren’t picky eaters. Inst...
www.drjackacooper.com
August 17, 2025 at 1:31 PM
New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. Here, I look at another recent #megalodon study - one that used zinc isotopes & found that the giant shark wasn't just a whale killer; but probably ate whatever it wanted.
Give a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/mega... 🦈
Give a read here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/mega... 🦈
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
@historicalbiology.bsky.social now has online Collections. One where I highlight papers that are thought-provoking or advance a field. The other is edited by our Science Communication Editor (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) - which brings together his SciComm series.
www.tandfonline.com/journals/ghb...
www.tandfonline.com/journals/ghb...
Historical Biology article collections
Browse article collections from Historical Biology
www.tandfonline.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:42 PM
@historicalbiology.bsky.social now has online Collections. One where I highlight papers that are thought-provoking or advance a field. The other is edited by our Science Communication Editor (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) - which brings together his SciComm series.
www.tandfonline.com/journals/ghb...
www.tandfonline.com/journals/ghb...
Fancy a late-night museum event surrounded by Cenozoic giants? Well on September 20th, you can do that in Birmingham. And you'll even get to talk to yours truly about giant sharks 🦈
Looking forward to taking part and hope to see some of you there: www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/events/giant...
Looking forward to taking part and hope to see some of you there: www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/events/giant...
GIANTS Late | Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery | Birmingham Museums
Step into the museum after dark for an unforgettable evening at the GIANTS exhibition — where science, stories, and supersized creatures come to life.Enjo
www.birminghammuseums.org.uk
August 14, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Fancy a late-night museum event surrounded by Cenozoic giants? Well on September 20th, you can do that in Birmingham. And you'll even get to talk to yours truly about giant sharks 🦈
Looking forward to taking part and hope to see some of you there: www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/events/giant...
Looking forward to taking part and hope to see some of you there: www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/events/giant...
New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. Here, I reflect on a framework inferring ecological traits from shark teeth from my PhD & look at 2 fascinating studies that took it further than even I thought possible 🦈
Give it a read here:
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/new-...
Give it a read here:
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/new-...
New studies highlight the use and limitations of teeth as ecological proxies in ancient sharks — Dr. Jack A. Cooper
In 2023, I published my first PhD chapter as a scientific paper – producing a framework to infer shark traits from tooth measurements. Being based on living sharks, I would subsequently apply this fra...
www.drjackacooper.com
August 4, 2025 at 1:23 PM
New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. Here, I reflect on a framework inferring ecological traits from shark teeth from my PhD & look at 2 fascinating studies that took it further than even I thought possible 🦈
Give it a read here:
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/new-...
Give it a read here:
www.drjackacooper.com/writing/new-...
You can officially call me Dr of Sharks now! 🦈 Delighted to have graduated from my PhD yesterday; and to get to celebrate with my family & girlfriend & my brilliant supervisors Catalina & John. The support has been immense & I've made some great pals in Swansea over the 4 years 🦈
July 25, 2025 at 5:49 PM
You can officially call me Dr of Sharks now! 🦈 Delighted to have graduated from my PhD yesterday; and to get to celebrate with my family & girlfriend & my brilliant supervisors Catalina & John. The support has been immense & I've made some great pals in Swansea over the 4 years 🦈
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
One of the most common plot summaries of Shark Week “documentaries” is
-Person has a question about Shark behavior.
-Person does not ask scientists that question, they’d know the answer
-Person goes diving with sharks, which would not answer the question
-Question is never addressed again
-Person has a question about Shark behavior.
-Person does not ask scientists that question, they’d know the answer
-Person goes diving with sharks, which would not answer the question
-Question is never addressed again
July 16, 2025 at 1:13 PM
One of the most common plot summaries of Shark Week “documentaries” is
-Person has a question about Shark behavior.
-Person does not ask scientists that question, they’d know the answer
-Person goes diving with sharks, which would not answer the question
-Question is never addressed again
-Person has a question about Shark behavior.
-Person does not ask scientists that question, they’d know the answer
-Person goes diving with sharks, which would not answer the question
-Question is never addressed again
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
I've been called "Shark Week's biggest critic," and in that capacity a question I get asked a lot is "that show is obviously pseudoscientific nonsense, why would that real scientist agree to participate?
Here's my answer to that question
www.southernfriedscience.com/why-would-a-... 🧪🦑🌎🦈🐟 #SciComm
Here's my answer to that question
www.southernfriedscience.com/why-would-a-... 🧪🦑🌎🦈🐟 #SciComm
Why would a serious scientist agree to participate in a nonsense Shark Week show?
Tons of Shark Week shows are full of obvious pseudoscientific nonsense, and yet feature real scientists. Why would these people agree to do that? In my capacity as “Shark Week’s Biggese…
www.southernfriedscience.com
July 15, 2025 at 6:33 PM
I've been called "Shark Week's biggest critic," and in that capacity a question I get asked a lot is "that show is obviously pseudoscientific nonsense, why would that real scientist agree to participate?
Here's my answer to that question
www.southernfriedscience.com/why-would-a-... 🧪🦑🌎🦈🐟 #SciComm
Here's my answer to that question
www.southernfriedscience.com/why-would-a-... 🧪🦑🌎🦈🐟 #SciComm
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
Happy Shark Awareness Day!
I want people to be aware of 5 things:
1 Sharks are awesome
2 Sharks are not a threat to your safety
3 Sharks are ecologically important
4 Sharks are highly threatened
5 We can still save them- but it matters what we do, don’t reinvent the wheel, follow experts!
I want people to be aware of 5 things:
1 Sharks are awesome
2 Sharks are not a threat to your safety
3 Sharks are ecologically important
4 Sharks are highly threatened
5 We can still save them- but it matters what we do, don’t reinvent the wheel, follow experts!
July 14, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Happy Shark Awareness Day!
I want people to be aware of 5 things:
1 Sharks are awesome
2 Sharks are not a threat to your safety
3 Sharks are ecologically important
4 Sharks are highly threatened
5 We can still save them- but it matters what we do, don’t reinvent the wheel, follow experts!
I want people to be aware of 5 things:
1 Sharks are awesome
2 Sharks are not a threat to your safety
3 Sharks are ecologically important
4 Sharks are highly threatened
5 We can still save them- but it matters what we do, don’t reinvent the wheel, follow experts!
Delighted to share that I'm now represented by Past Preservers for all future TV expert appearances! Can't wait to get started when next documentary job appears!🦈
You can check out my profile with them here: pastpreservers.com/portfolio/dr...
Watch my showreel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrL...
You can check out my profile with them here: pastpreservers.com/portfolio/dr...
Watch my showreel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrL...
Dr Jack Cooper, Palaeobiologist & Shark Expert « Welcome to Past Preservers
Past Preservers is a Creative Media Hub
pastpreservers.com
July 10, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Delighted to share that I'm now represented by Past Preservers for all future TV expert appearances! Can't wait to get started when next documentary job appears!🦈
You can check out my profile with them here: pastpreservers.com/portfolio/dr...
Watch my showreel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrL...
You can check out my profile with them here: pastpreservers.com/portfolio/dr...
Watch my showreel here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGrL...
New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. This time, a recent paper details a huge migration from a great white shark named Alisha from South Africa to Indonesia!
Big thanks to Madison Stewart for being part of this. Read all about Alisha's story here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/the-... 🦈
Big thanks to Madison Stewart for being part of this. Read all about Alisha's story here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/the-... 🦈
The story of Alisha: how a recovered tag revealed one great white shark’s epic voyage — Dr. Jack A. Cooper
In 2024, a fisher in Indonesia contacted shark experts to discuss a recovered shark tag. This set in motion a chain of events that produced three startling findings: (1) that the tag had been deployed...
www.drjackacooper.com
July 4, 2025 at 6:04 PM
New #ScienceCommunication website blog from me. This time, a recent paper details a huge migration from a great white shark named Alisha from South Africa to Indonesia!
Big thanks to Madison Stewart for being part of this. Read all about Alisha's story here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/the-... 🦈
Big thanks to Madison Stewart for being part of this. Read all about Alisha's story here: www.drjackacooper.com/writing/the-... 🦈
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
📣Editor spotlight
Dr Jack Cooper (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) is the science communication editor at Historical Biology. A palaeobiologist with a PhD from Swansea University; his research focuses on the ecological diversity of both fossil & living sharks 🦈
Dr Jack Cooper (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) is the science communication editor at Historical Biology. A palaeobiologist with a PhD from Swansea University; his research focuses on the ecological diversity of both fossil & living sharks 🦈
July 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM
📣Editor spotlight
Dr Jack Cooper (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) is the science communication editor at Historical Biology. A palaeobiologist with a PhD from Swansea University; his research focuses on the ecological diversity of both fossil & living sharks 🦈
Dr Jack Cooper (@cooperpalaeo.bsky.social) is the science communication editor at Historical Biology. A palaeobiologist with a PhD from Swansea University; his research focuses on the ecological diversity of both fossil & living sharks 🦈
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
🐠🦈 Just out: In this paper we ask "How has reef trophic structure changed since humans started removing predatory fishes from Caribbean coral reefs?".
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Illustrations @cookedillustrations.com
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Illustrations @cookedillustrations.com
July 1, 2025 at 6:40 PM
🐠🦈 Just out: In this paper we ask "How has reef trophic structure changed since humans started removing predatory fishes from Caribbean coral reefs?".
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Illustrations @cookedillustrations.com
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Illustrations @cookedillustrations.com
Reposted by Dr. Jack Cooper
Cutting medical research on trans people is horrific.
Cutting grants that contain the common-in-science prefix trans because you wrongly think they’re about trans people is horrific and stupid.
Cutting grants that contain the common-in-science prefix trans because you wrongly think they’re about trans people is horrific and stupid.
Duke appears to have lost NIH grants because they used the prefix "trans" in reference to disease transmission, transgenic genetic material, translational studies, or signal transduction www.dukechronicle.com/article/2025...
June 30, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Cutting medical research on trans people is horrific.
Cutting grants that contain the common-in-science prefix trans because you wrongly think they’re about trans people is horrific and stupid.
Cutting grants that contain the common-in-science prefix trans because you wrongly think they’re about trans people is horrific and stupid.