Dave Rodland
@daverodland.bsky.social
Necromancer for hire. 🧪⚒️🦪🌊☠️
Paleoecology, taphonomy, sed/strat, marine biology, mass extinction ... all things Earth history. Doomed to repeat it whether we learn from it or not. Living in the past and talking to dead things since the late Holocene.
Paleoecology, taphonomy, sed/strat, marine biology, mass extinction ... all things Earth history. Doomed to repeat it whether we learn from it or not. Living in the past and talking to dead things since the late Holocene.
Pinned
One of the things I appreciate about Egyptian mythology is the accountability and empiricism in their approach to the afterlife. No last minute confessions, appeals to the gods, or blanket forgiveness ... just a simple, standardized test.
Fail the basic decency test, and Ammit eats your soul. ❤️⚖️🪶🐊
Fail the basic decency test, and Ammit eats your soul. ❤️⚖️🪶🐊
I wish someone would run the control group for the Great American AI Bubble experiment:
Investing billions into a diverse group of STEM researchers, humanities scholars, and creatives of sorts to prove or disprove whether datacenters can actually compete.
Investing billions into a diverse group of STEM researchers, humanities scholars, and creatives of sorts to prove or disprove whether datacenters can actually compete.
February 9, 2026 at 10:14 PM
I wish someone would run the control group for the Great American AI Bubble experiment:
Investing billions into a diverse group of STEM researchers, humanities scholars, and creatives of sorts to prove or disprove whether datacenters can actually compete.
Investing billions into a diverse group of STEM researchers, humanities scholars, and creatives of sorts to prove or disprove whether datacenters can actually compete.
#MolluskMonday means moar mollusks, so here's a small selection of a large collection of unionid bivalves (a diverse clade of freshwater mussels) collected by my predecessor, Jack Kovach, in 1969. I estimated around 1500 specimens in Jack's drawers (wait) when they got transferred to Cincinnati. ⚒️🧪🦪
February 9, 2026 at 10:09 PM
#MolluskMonday means moar mollusks, so here's a small selection of a large collection of unionid bivalves (a diverse clade of freshwater mussels) collected by my predecessor, Jack Kovach, in 1969. I estimated around 1500 specimens in Jack's drawers (wait) when they got transferred to Cincinnati. ⚒️🧪🦪
#SuperbOwl Sunday, you say?
Don't mind if I do.
Don't mind if I do.
February 8, 2026 at 6:32 PM
#SuperbOwl Sunday, you say?
Don't mind if I do.
Don't mind if I do.
I think one of the best things that happened to me, academically, was hitting this stage in middle school, when the "talented and gifted" kids all got tracked into the same classes together.
The challenge level stepped up when we were young and sorting out social skills, and,
We found our people.
The challenge level stepped up when we were young and sorting out social skills, and,
We found our people.
I think a reasonably frequent experience for junior academics is a life wherein they were the smartest person in the room in most rooms they were in (even some pretty fancy rooms) up until The Great Filtration suddenly puts them among a bunch of other people with the same life experience.
February 8, 2026 at 3:45 PM
I think one of the best things that happened to me, academically, was hitting this stage in middle school, when the "talented and gifted" kids all got tracked into the same classes together.
The challenge level stepped up when we were young and sorting out social skills, and,
We found our people.
The challenge level stepped up when we were young and sorting out social skills, and,
We found our people.
Permian roots for angiosperms?
😳
I've seen hints of Triassic pollen and Jurassic flowers, but dang.
😳
I've seen hints of Triassic pollen and Jurassic flowers, but dang.
Wang, X., Huang, W., Fu, Q. et al. A new early permian fruit, Dengfengfructus maxima gen. et sp. nov., supports the pre-cretaceous origin of angiosperms. BMC Ecol Evo 26, 17 (2026). doi.org/10.1186/s128...
A new early permian fruit, Dengfengfructus maxima gen. et sp. nov., supports the pre-cretaceous origin of angiosperms - BMC Ecology and Evolution
BMC Ecology and Evolution - Angiosperms are the most important plant group for humans in the current earth’s ecosystem. Although angiosperms are clearly defined by enclosed seeds/ovules, the...
doi.org
February 8, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Permian roots for angiosperms?
😳
I've seen hints of Triassic pollen and Jurassic flowers, but dang.
😳
I've seen hints of Triassic pollen and Jurassic flowers, but dang.
I hate what K12 education did to the thought processes of generations (myself included).
My career was endlessly convincing science gen ed students to trust their first thought, to apply Occam's Razor and run with a hypothesis until it didn't work anymore.
Nature is not a trick question.
My career was endlessly convincing science gen ed students to trust their first thought, to apply Occam's Razor and run with a hypothesis until it didn't work anymore.
Nature is not a trick question.
"Please reach out if you have any questions or need help"
the small % of students that do end up engaging with me end up saying 'Thanks, this was very helpful, I understand this better now!' –– yes, this is in fact my job, I'm not here to trick you
the small % of students that do end up engaging with me end up saying 'Thanks, this was very helpful, I understand this better now!' –– yes, this is in fact my job, I'm not here to trick you
February 8, 2026 at 2:37 PM
I hate what K12 education did to the thought processes of generations (myself included).
My career was endlessly convincing science gen ed students to trust their first thought, to apply Occam's Razor and run with a hypothesis until it didn't work anymore.
Nature is not a trick question.
My career was endlessly convincing science gen ed students to trust their first thought, to apply Occam's Razor and run with a hypothesis until it didn't work anymore.
Nature is not a trick question.
Reposted by Dave Rodland
I'd watch a muppet show movie where the muppets infiltrate an academic conference.
February 7, 2026 at 2:45 PM
I'd watch a muppet show movie where the muppets infiltrate an academic conference.
All this talk about crazy soft tissue preservation in a Chinese iguanodontid, but almost nobody talking about its size.
Can somebody tell me Haolong it is?
Can somebody tell me Haolong it is?
February 7, 2026 at 1:33 PM
All this talk about crazy soft tissue preservation in a Chinese iguanodontid, but almost nobody talking about its size.
Can somebody tell me Haolong it is?
Can somebody tell me Haolong it is?
Reposted by Dave Rodland
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
February 7, 2026 at 5:01 AM
GM: Charisma check.
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Mamdani: [rolls natural 20]
GM: that’s a d6 how did you
Mamdani: [direct to camera] Did you know you can check out board games at your local public library? 😊
Reposted by Dave Rodland
Velociraptors had feathers
‘HOPE IS THE THING WITH FEATHERS,’ EMILY DICKINSON
famously wrote, and that often leads to pictures of doves sitting quietly and looking sweet, but what if hope is an albatross that can soar for years without stopping, or an osprey that can haul a thrashing salmon out of rough waters?
famously wrote, and that often leads to pictures of doves sitting quietly and looking sweet, but what if hope is an albatross that can soar for years without stopping, or an osprey that can haul a thrashing salmon out of rough waters?
February 6, 2026 at 11:58 PM
Velociraptors had feathers
February 7, 2026 at 1:11 AM
#FossilFriday falls with the creeping inevitability of a global glaciation. These Proterozoic stromatolites from Minnesota's Iron Ranges stand as a reminder that, no matter how small we are alone, together we can change the world, making complex relationships possible like a breath of fresh air. 🧪⚒️
February 6, 2026 at 10:28 PM
#FossilFriday falls with the creeping inevitability of a global glaciation. These Proterozoic stromatolites from Minnesota's Iron Ranges stand as a reminder that, no matter how small we are alone, together we can change the world, making complex relationships possible like a breath of fresh air. 🧪⚒️
While I tend to identify more with paleontology, I was always the faculty member assigned to teach sed/strat. So, let's take a look at some sedimentary structures associated with the Sturtian glaciation! ⚒️🧪🧊
This just dropped, and I have a bunch of relevant pics. 🧵
This just dropped, and I have a bunch of relevant pics. 🧵
Interannual to multidecadal climate oscillations occurred during Cryogenian glaciation
During the two Cryogenian snowball Earth glaciations, the Sturtian (ca. 717–658 Ma) and Marinoan (ca. 639–635 Ma), ice persisted in the tropics for mi…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:56 PM
While I tend to identify more with paleontology, I was always the faculty member assigned to teach sed/strat. So, let's take a look at some sedimentary structures associated with the Sturtian glaciation! ⚒️🧪🧊
This just dropped, and I have a bunch of relevant pics. 🧵
This just dropped, and I have a bunch of relevant pics. 🧵
Reposted by Dave Rodland
Russia and the United States are no longer bound by any limits on the size of their strategic nuclear arsenals after their last arms control treaty expired on February 5 with no agreement between them on what should come next reut.rs/4aekQVk
February 5, 2026 at 11:02 AM
Russia and the United States are no longer bound by any limits on the size of their strategic nuclear arsenals after their last arms control treaty expired on February 5 with no agreement between them on what should come next reut.rs/4aekQVk
So, that's my backyard this morning. The rhodies are very temperature sensitive: that vertical droop curled into tubes corresponds to lical temperatures around 0°F.
Doe. 🥶
Doe. 🥶
February 5, 2026 at 12:29 PM
So, that's my backyard this morning. The rhodies are very temperature sensitive: that vertical droop curled into tubes corresponds to lical temperatures around 0°F.
Doe. 🥶
Doe. 🥶
Reposted by Dave Rodland
Oh man, I love these guys. Gals. Whichever. Fish gender is construct, right?
One with lots of teeth.
One with lots of teeth.
Dragon in the deep. 🐉
Dragonfish (family Stomiidae) are cunning predators. Although they are strong swimmers, they prefer to lie in wait and ambush unsuspecting fishes and crustaceans. This black dragonfish (Idiacanthus sp.) was spotted at 527 meters (1,729 feet) in Monterey Bay.
Dragonfish (family Stomiidae) are cunning predators. Although they are strong swimmers, they prefer to lie in wait and ambush unsuspecting fishes and crustaceans. This black dragonfish (Idiacanthus sp.) was spotted at 527 meters (1,729 feet) in Monterey Bay.
February 5, 2026 at 2:36 AM
Oh man, I love these guys. Gals. Whichever. Fish gender is construct, right?
One with lots of teeth.
One with lots of teeth.
@dantheclamman.blog, I feel that this is relevant to your interests...
I think we should do this for real. Bivalvia could really use the win.
February 4, 2026 at 11:23 PM
@dantheclamman.blog, I feel that this is relevant to your interests...
Back from another walk in the desert with Maggie Harken and her coyote friend, after giving a tomato thief what for.
Gods know she doesn't owe me any stories, but Anna's great-granddaughter with the cholla-rib bones told me I should ask @tkingfisher.com about what comes next. 🌵🚂
Gods know she doesn't owe me any stories, but Anna's great-granddaughter with the cholla-rib bones told me I should ask @tkingfisher.com about what comes next. 🌵🚂
February 4, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Back from another walk in the desert with Maggie Harken and her coyote friend, after giving a tomato thief what for.
Gods know she doesn't owe me any stories, but Anna's great-granddaughter with the cholla-rib bones told me I should ask @tkingfisher.com about what comes next. 🌵🚂
Gods know she doesn't owe me any stories, but Anna's great-granddaughter with the cholla-rib bones told me I should ask @tkingfisher.com about what comes next. 🌵🚂
Reposted by Dave Rodland
Really SVP? You’re just going to ignore decades of sexual and academic misconduct, marrying a student AT one of your conferences, and every report I’ve filed (implying that’s what you do with reports) to defend famous Horner? You’d rather have pedophiles than students is your message?
February 4, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Really SVP? You’re just going to ignore decades of sexual and academic misconduct, marrying a student AT one of your conferences, and every report I’ve filed (implying that’s what you do with reports) to defend famous Horner? You’d rather have pedophiles than students is your message?
Only 10-20% more? I'm honestly surprised. Expected worse.
Here’s what they found:
Women are interrupted more often than men—by about 10–20% in economics seminars.
Those interruptions are more likely to:
- Cut women off mid-sentence
- Come from men
- Be adversarial rather than clarifying in nature
Women are interrupted more often than men—by about 10–20% in economics seminars.
Those interruptions are more likely to:
- Cut women off mid-sentence
- Come from men
- Be adversarial rather than clarifying in nature
February 4, 2026 at 1:10 AM
Only 10-20% more? I'm honestly surprised. Expected worse.
Reposted by Dave Rodland
🚨 17,000 strokes. That’s the annual toll of wildfire 🔥 smoke in the US according to new data. Smoke isn’t just a "breathing" issue; it’s a heart and brain issue. We need climate action to protect our families from the source. 🛑🔥 #ClimateHealth #WildfireSmoke #ActOnClimate
eos.org/articles/wil...
eos.org/articles/wil...
Wildfire Smoke Linked to 17,000 Strokes Annually in the United States - Eos
A study of 25 million Medicare participants adds to a body of evidence suggesting that prolonged exposure to wildfire smoke is more harmful to human health than other forms of air pollution.
eos.org
February 1, 2026 at 4:04 PM
🚨 17,000 strokes. That’s the annual toll of wildfire 🔥 smoke in the US according to new data. Smoke isn’t just a "breathing" issue; it’s a heart and brain issue. We need climate action to protect our families from the source. 🛑🔥 #ClimateHealth #WildfireSmoke #ActOnClimate
eos.org/articles/wil...
eos.org/articles/wil...
#MolluskMonday is also 2/2 World Bivalve Day, so ... let's make a hash of it! 🧪⚒️🦪
Shell hash, specifically.
This is an oyster shell bed in the making, central Oregon coast.
Shell hash, specifically.
This is an oyster shell bed in the making, central Oregon coast.
February 3, 2026 at 1:14 AM
#MolluskMonday is also 2/2 World Bivalve Day, so ... let's make a hash of it! 🧪⚒️🦪
Shell hash, specifically.
This is an oyster shell bed in the making, central Oregon coast.
Shell hash, specifically.
This is an oyster shell bed in the making, central Oregon coast.
I spent 17 years teaching in a building named after Thomas Alvin Boyd, who literally wrote the book on the efforts lead by Charles Kettering to develop tetraethyl lead as an anti-knock additive to gasoline. He worked closely with Midgely on the project and documented it in detail. 🧪🧵
February 2, 2026 at 9:51 PM
I spent 17 years teaching in a building named after Thomas Alvin Boyd, who literally wrote the book on the efforts lead by Charles Kettering to develop tetraethyl lead as an anti-knock additive to gasoline. He worked closely with Midgely on the project and documented it in detail. 🧪🧵