Davide Foffa
@davfoff.bsky.social
Research Fellow (University of Birmingham, Virginia Tech, National Museums Scotland). Vertebrate Palaeobiologist: Mesozoic reptiles, anatomy, systematics, palaeoecology, macroevolution & assemblages
https://davidefoffa.weebly.com
https://davidefoffa.weebly.com
Pinned
Davide Foffa
@davfoff.bsky.social
· Jun 18
[1/n] New paper co-lead by @emmadnn.bsky.social @macroecoevoale.bsky.social and I: we combined fossil occurrences, biogeography and climate modelling to investigate the origins and early evolution of pterosaurs 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Pre-SVP Exploring the Jurassic Coast field trip with amazing group of people led by @kirstymedgar.bsky.social & @davfoff.bsky.social. We explored classic fossil, geological and historical sights, fossil hunting and had a full British culinary and weather experience! #SVP2025 #2025SVP
November 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Pre-SVP Exploring the Jurassic Coast field trip with amazing group of people led by @kirstymedgar.bsky.social & @davfoff.bsky.social. We explored classic fossil, geological and historical sights, fossil hunting and had a full British culinary and weather experience! #SVP2025 #2025SVP
Reposted by Davide Foffa
The first #SVP2025 #2025SVP field trip has left, with @kirstymedgar.bsky.social & @davfoff.bsky.social leading a group to the Jurassic Coast of Dorset! I guess it’s too late to have second thoughts about hosting this conference now…
November 9, 2025 at 7:39 AM
The first #SVP2025 #2025SVP field trip has left, with @kirstymedgar.bsky.social & @davfoff.bsky.social leading a group to the Jurassic Coast of Dorset! I guess it’s too late to have second thoughts about hosting this conference now…
Reposted by Davide Foffa
New @nhm-london.bsky.social 5-day course on integrative biodiversity discovery! Learn how to collect specimens, obtain genomic data, and interpret biodiversity using cutting edge phylogenomic analysis. It's free, and aimed at early career researchers: www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/...
Integrative biodiversity discovery | Natural History Museum
An introduction to field collection, laboratory analysis and phylogenomics.
www.nhm.ac.uk
November 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
New @nhm-london.bsky.social 5-day course on integrative biodiversity discovery! Learn how to collect specimens, obtain genomic data, and interpret biodiversity using cutting edge phylogenomic analysis. It's free, and aimed at early career researchers: www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
We've lost Dugie Ross, truly one of the best people I have ever known.
He reported the first Scottish dinosaurs, made the Isle of Skye into Scotland's Dinosaur Island, welcomed so many of us onto his island, into his home and family.
He reported the first Scottish dinosaurs, made the Isle of Skye into Scotland's Dinosaur Island, welcomed so many of us onto his island, into his home and family.
October 29, 2025 at 11:50 AM
We've lost Dugie Ross, truly one of the best people I have ever known.
He reported the first Scottish dinosaurs, made the Isle of Skye into Scotland's Dinosaur Island, welcomed so many of us onto his island, into his home and family.
He reported the first Scottish dinosaurs, made the Isle of Skye into Scotland's Dinosaur Island, welcomed so many of us onto his island, into his home and family.
Reposted by Davide Foffa
We have lost the pillar of Scottish vertebrate palaeontology, Dugie Ross. The man that found & named Dearc. He made the science resonate locally, in his native language, on his native soil, while allowing it to grow globally. He embodied the best of science. Immeasurable loss.
October 29, 2025 at 12:01 PM
We have lost the pillar of Scottish vertebrate palaeontology, Dugie Ross. The man that found & named Dearc. He made the science resonate locally, in his native language, on his native soil, while allowing it to grow globally. He embodied the best of science. Immeasurable loss.
Reposted by Davide Foffa
👇👇👇!!!
After two years of hard work, I’m proud to announce that our new special exhibition @smnstuttgart.bsky.social is now open for the public – Meet Triassic Life: Dawn of the world of reptiles (1/7).
October 18, 2025 at 4:27 PM
👇👇👇!!!
Reposted by Davide Foffa
A fascinating article by BBC News about the Dewars Farm Quarry dinosaur trackway excavation by scientists from across the UK and Oxford University Museum of Natural History, including some fabulous computer generated animation. Great stuff!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
In the footsteps of giants - BBC News
One of the longest sets of dinosaur footprints in the world has been discovered in a limestone quary near Bicester, in Oxfordshire, England.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 14, 2025 at 7:45 AM
A fascinating article by BBC News about the Dewars Farm Quarry dinosaur trackway excavation by scientists from across the UK and Oxford University Museum of Natural History, including some fabulous computer generated animation. Great stuff!
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/resourc...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
A phenomenal paleontologist and a pleasure to talk to at SVP conferences. Mark will be missed.
Mark Norell obituary: palaeontologist who showed that dinosaurs still walk among us — as birds
Through fieldwork and innovative research, he transformed how scientists and the public perceive the prehistoric world.
www.nature.com
October 9, 2025 at 2:41 PM
A phenomenal paleontologist and a pleasure to talk to at SVP conferences. Mark will be missed.
Reposted by Davide Foffa
#Fossil Files podcast fans!! Today sees the release of Fossil Fails II: The tiny dinosaur with the massive flaw... Get our take on that whole Oculudentavis thing - available now on libsyn and wherever you get your podcasts! @thefossilfiles.bsky.social fossils.libsyn.com/fossil-fails...
The Fossil Files: Fossil Fails: The tiny dino with a massive flaw
Discovery of the smallest ever dinosaur acheived quite a splash when it was publised on the front cover of Nature in 2020. The new critter, Oculodentavis, was the size of a hummingbird and reconstruct...
fossils.libsyn.com
October 7, 2025 at 10:59 AM
#Fossil Files podcast fans!! Today sees the release of Fossil Fails II: The tiny dinosaur with the massive flaw... Get our take on that whole Oculudentavis thing - available now on libsyn and wherever you get your podcasts! @thefossilfiles.bsky.social fossils.libsyn.com/fossil-fails...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
If you attend or work at a university in the UK, chances are you know someone who is on Indefinite Leave to Remain. Please consider what the recent attacks on ILR from both Reform and Labour are doing to those people you probably know.
October 6, 2025 at 10:57 AM
If you attend or work at a university in the UK, chances are you know someone who is on Indefinite Leave to Remain. Please consider what the recent attacks on ILR from both Reform and Labour are doing to those people you probably know.
Reposted by Davide Foffa
If this plan is implemented, it will cripple British universities and health care, and tear apart families.
All 'skilled' immigrants will require £60k salary & cannot use NHS. Permanent residence will be scrapped entirely. Citizenship made insanely hard.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
All 'skilled' immigrants will require £60k salary & cannot use NHS. Permanent residence will be scrapped entirely. Citizenship made insanely hard.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Farage vows to scrap indefinite leave to remain, placing thousands at risk of deportation
Reform UK plans to force non-citizens to apply for visas with high salary thresholds and no access to NHS services
www.theguardian.com
September 22, 2025 at 9:42 AM
If this plan is implemented, it will cripple British universities and health care, and tear apart families.
All 'skilled' immigrants will require £60k salary & cannot use NHS. Permanent residence will be scrapped entirely. Citizenship made insanely hard.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
All 'skilled' immigrants will require £60k salary & cannot use NHS. Permanent residence will be scrapped entirely. Citizenship made insanely hard.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Huge thanks to @palaeopercs.bsky.social for inviting and hosting me! If you missed my talk on Tuesday, you can now catch up via their YouTube channel 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
September 4, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Huge thanks to @palaeopercs.bsky.social for inviting and hosting me! If you missed my talk on Tuesday, you can now catch up via their YouTube channel 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Here is our newest paper just published in Scientific Reports TODAY about the biology of Early Triassic ichthyosaurs from Spitsbergen www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Vertebral microstructure marks the emergence of pelagic ichthyosaurs soon after the End Permian Mass Extinction - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Vertebral microstructure marks the emergence of pelagic ichthyosaurs soon after the End Permian Mass Extinction
www.nature.com
September 5, 2025 at 11:05 AM
Here is our newest paper just published in Scientific Reports TODAY about the biology of Early Triassic ichthyosaurs from Spitsbergen www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
I absolutely love this story by @jamesashway.bsky.social on he background about how we found Spicomellus
August 29, 2025 at 9:41 PM
I absolutely love this story by @jamesashway.bsky.social on he background about how we found Spicomellus
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Hi all, me, @richardjbutler.bsky.social and the amazing UK-US-Moroccan team are delighted to announce that.. we have a new specimen of Spicomellus AND IT'S WAY WEIRDER AND WAY COOLER THAN WE EVER IMAGINED!!
August 27, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Hi all, me, @richardjbutler.bsky.social and the amazing UK-US-Moroccan team are delighted to announce that.. we have a new specimen of Spicomellus AND IT'S WAY WEIRDER AND WAY COOLER THAN WE EVER IMAGINED!!
Reposted by Davide Foffa
It’s finally out!
Our work addressing the origins of reptiles is published in PCJ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
We use novel info gleaned from the scan data of dozens of stem reptiles to substantially revise our understanding of early reptile evolution #paleontology #herpetology
Our work addressing the origins of reptiles is published in PCJ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
We use novel info gleaned from the scan data of dozens of stem reptiles to substantially revise our understanding of early reptile evolution #paleontology #herpetology
August 28, 2025 at 12:22 PM
It’s finally out!
Our work addressing the origins of reptiles is published in PCJ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
We use novel info gleaned from the scan data of dozens of stem reptiles to substantially revise our understanding of early reptile evolution #paleontology #herpetology
Our work addressing the origins of reptiles is published in PCJ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
We use novel info gleaned from the scan data of dozens of stem reptiles to substantially revise our understanding of early reptile evolution #paleontology #herpetology
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Out today in Nature is the most exciting dinosaur paper I've ever been involved in - led by @tweetisaurus.bsky.social we describe a partial skeleton of the UTTERLY BIZARRE Spicomellus from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco, the oldest known ankylosaur. (1/x)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
August 27, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Out today in Nature is the most exciting dinosaur paper I've ever been involved in - led by @tweetisaurus.bsky.social we describe a partial skeleton of the UTTERLY BIZARRE Spicomellus from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco, the oldest known ankylosaur. (1/x)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Are you a palaeontologist doing exciting, novel research on the systematics of extinct organisms? Consider submitting to @journalsystpal.bsky.social. UNLIKE SOME OTHER VERTEBRATE PALAEO JOURNALS, initial submission is format-free and we accept manuscripts of any length. We are also Q1....
August 18, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Are you a palaeontologist doing exciting, novel research on the systematics of extinct organisms? Consider submitting to @journalsystpal.bsky.social. UNLIKE SOME OTHER VERTEBRATE PALAEO JOURNALS, initial submission is format-free and we accept manuscripts of any length. We are also Q1....
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Interested in inferring biodiversity in deep time? 📈📉 Check out our new R package DeepDiveR, led by @rebeccasaurus.bsky.social and now published in @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social, helping you to prepare datasets for machine learning inference with DeepDive 🤿
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
August 8, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Interested in inferring biodiversity in deep time? 📈📉 Check out our new R package DeepDiveR, led by @rebeccasaurus.bsky.social and now published in @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social, helping you to prepare datasets for machine learning inference with DeepDive 🤿
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
doi.org/10.1111/2041...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
📢 deeptime: an R package that facilitates highly customizable and reproducible visualizations of data over geological time intervals
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/2096...
Fully #openaccess in @bigearthdata1.bsky.social with insight about deeptime📦 development and code examples!
#rstats #geology #paleontology
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/2096...
Fully #openaccess in @bigearthdata1.bsky.social with insight about deeptime📦 development and code examples!
#rstats #geology #paleontology
August 6, 2025 at 1:06 PM
📢 deeptime: an R package that facilitates highly customizable and reproducible visualizations of data over geological time intervals
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/2096...
Fully #openaccess in @bigearthdata1.bsky.social with insight about deeptime📦 development and code examples!
#rstats #geology #paleontology
🔗 doi.org/10.1080/2096...
Fully #openaccess in @bigearthdata1.bsky.social with insight about deeptime📦 development and code examples!
#rstats #geology #paleontology
Reposted by Davide Foffa
Alaska N. Schubul, Adam D. Marsh & Ben T. Kligman (2025)
A diverse assemblage of tanystropheid archosauromorphs from the continental interior of Late Triassic Pangea includes a new taxon (Akidostropheus oligos gen. et sp. nov.)
Palaeodiversity 18(1): 99-125
bioone.org/journals/Pal...
A diverse assemblage of tanystropheid archosauromorphs from the continental interior of Late Triassic Pangea includes a new taxon (Akidostropheus oligos gen. et sp. nov.)
Palaeodiversity 18(1): 99-125
bioone.org/journals/Pal...
doi.org
August 3, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Alaska N. Schubul, Adam D. Marsh & Ben T. Kligman (2025)
A diverse assemblage of tanystropheid archosauromorphs from the continental interior of Late Triassic Pangea includes a new taxon (Akidostropheus oligos gen. et sp. nov.)
Palaeodiversity 18(1): 99-125
bioone.org/journals/Pal...
A diverse assemblage of tanystropheid archosauromorphs from the continental interior of Late Triassic Pangea includes a new taxon (Akidostropheus oligos gen. et sp. nov.)
Palaeodiversity 18(1): 99-125
bioone.org/journals/Pal...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
New study reveals surprising jaw diversity in early ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)!
Using XCT, researchers analyzed mandibles of 19 Devonian species—showing considerable variation in size, structure, and teeth.
Research by Ben Igielman et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Using XCT, researchers analyzed mandibles of 19 Devonian species—showing considerable variation in size, structure, and teeth.
Research by Ben Igielman et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
July 31, 2025 at 1:02 PM
New study reveals surprising jaw diversity in early ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)!
Using XCT, researchers analyzed mandibles of 19 Devonian species—showing considerable variation in size, structure, and teeth.
Research by Ben Igielman et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Using XCT, researchers analyzed mandibles of 19 Devonian species—showing considerable variation in size, structure, and teeth.
Research by Ben Igielman et al.: anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Davide Foffa
July 30, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Reposted by Davide Foffa
SVP PRESIDENT'S TOWN HALL MEETING
Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting
Hi Everyone
SVP members are invited to a SVP Town Hall meeting on 5 Aug. The topic: "Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting". Check SVP email for the link! Interested nonmembers - contact me directly for link.
Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting
Hi Everyone
SVP members are invited to a SVP Town Hall meeting on 5 Aug. The topic: "Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting". Check SVP email for the link! Interested nonmembers - contact me directly for link.
July 29, 2025 at 9:24 PM
SVP PRESIDENT'S TOWN HALL MEETING
Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting
Hi Everyone
SVP members are invited to a SVP Town Hall meeting on 5 Aug. The topic: "Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting". Check SVP email for the link! Interested nonmembers - contact me directly for link.
Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting
Hi Everyone
SVP members are invited to a SVP Town Hall meeting on 5 Aug. The topic: "Traveling to Birmingham for the Annual Meeting". Check SVP email for the link! Interested nonmembers - contact me directly for link.
Reposted by Davide Foffa
If you were unable to attend, all of the materials for the workshop are freely accessible on our website: workshop.palaeoverse.org
July 28, 2025 at 7:49 AM
If you were unable to attend, all of the materials for the workshop are freely accessible on our website: workshop.palaeoverse.org