Zach Cofran
@dizachster.bsky.social
Associate professor of Anthropology, HEAD (Human Evolution and Development) Lab @ Vassar College. Bones & brains. lawnchairanthropology.com
“His conversations from a decade ago provide clues as to how race science was picked out of the boneyard of history and reanimated into a force that’s influencing U.S. politics right now.”
A great piece from @alibreland.bsky.social on Epstein's race science obsession—one he shares with much of the contemporary right wing elite www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Epstein Emails Show How the Powerful Talk About Race
The files reveal the disgraced financier’s interest in “race science.”
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2026 at 9:34 PM
“His conversations from a decade ago provide clues as to how race science was picked out of the boneyard of history and reanimated into a force that’s influencing U.S. politics right now.”
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Happy birthday to Charles Darwin,
patron saint of tired scientists, grumpy fieldworkers, and hating your own manuscript.
patron saint of tired scientists, grumpy fieldworkers, and hating your own manuscript.
February 12, 2026 at 6:58 PM
Happy birthday to Charles Darwin,
patron saint of tired scientists, grumpy fieldworkers, and hating your own manuscript.
patron saint of tired scientists, grumpy fieldworkers, and hating your own manuscript.
Reposted by Zach Cofran
This episode has been a nightmare for my city and state, but I hope people realize it’s also a profound defeat and political catastrophe for Trump and DHS, who are slinking away having accomplished nothing. Minneapolis simply wouldn’t bend to them and they lost
Homan in Minnesota: "I have proposed, and President Trump has concurred, that this surge operation conclude. A significant drawdown has already been underway this week and will continue."
February 12, 2026 at 3:09 PM
This episode has been a nightmare for my city and state, but I hope people realize it’s also a profound defeat and political catastrophe for Trump and DHS, who are slinking away having accomplished nothing. Minneapolis simply wouldn’t bend to them and they lost
Reposted by Zach Cofran
If it were about another place the framing would be: “Empire in decline cannot provide public services and citizens must resort to homeschooling as education and healthcare infrastructure crumbles. Homeschooling is rebranded as positive in a desperate attempt to ward off parental despair.”
Looking for an edge in college admissions? Just pull your kid from school. Homeschooling, long associated with hippies and religious conservatives in the U.S., is in the middle of a rebrand and a boom.
The Homeschooling Hack
Looking for an edge in college admissions? Just pull your kid from school. Homeschooling, long associated with hippies and religious conservatives in the U.S., is in the middle of a rebrand and a boom.
nymag.com
February 12, 2026 at 3:01 PM
If it were about another place the framing would be: “Empire in decline cannot provide public services and citizens must resort to homeschooling as education and healthcare infrastructure crumbles. Homeschooling is rebranded as positive in a desperate attempt to ward off parental despair.”
Annual Darwin Day reminder that even great minds have their shitty days:
"But I am very poorly today and hate everybody and everything" —Charles Darwin, 1861
www.npr.org/sections/kru...
"But I am very poorly today and hate everybody and everything" —Charles Darwin, 1861
www.npr.org/sections/kru...
Charles Darwin And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Geniuses have it easy, right? They wake up and out pops the brilliance. Well, not really. And not if that genius is Charles Darwin, who's got lots to do and absolutely no desire to do it. Those days (...
www.npr.org
February 12, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Annual Darwin Day reminder that even great minds have their shitty days:
"But I am very poorly today and hate everybody and everything" —Charles Darwin, 1861
www.npr.org/sections/kru...
"But I am very poorly today and hate everybody and everything" —Charles Darwin, 1861
www.npr.org/sections/kru...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Some children in Dilley were so distraught they cut themselves or talked about suicide, parents told ProPublica.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
www.propublica.org
February 12, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Some children in Dilley were so distraught they cut themselves or talked about suicide, parents told ProPublica.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
Reposted by Zach Cofran
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
Replication studies: a win-win for early-career training and behavioral ecology
Replicating previous research builds confidence that results are real and meaningful. But close replications are rare due to limitations in resources and d
academic.oup.com
February 10, 2026 at 7:42 PM
How do we know our research results are REAL? We replicate them! Most folks agree but lament on how hard it is to publish these replications.
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
My dearest gentle reader, lament no more! Delighted to unveil: Replication Studies, a new section of Behavioral Ecology 1/
academic.oup.com/beheco/artic...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Evil men like Epstein are, in the simplest form, obsessed with eugenics because they believe that their ill-gotten gains are the product of some innate superiority.
Epstein couldn't stop emailing people about eugenics
In the latest files, the trafficker gives it a Silicon Valley–pilled name: "genetic altruism."
www.motherjones.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Evil men like Epstein are, in the simplest form, obsessed with eugenics because they believe that their ill-gotten gains are the product of some innate superiority.
Reposted by Zach Cofran
It is absolutely outrageous that Moderna’s flu vaccine was met with a “refusal-to-file” even after their approved their protocol with FDA and carried out the trial as agreed. This vaccine works better in older adults than the current flu vaccines.
apnews.com/article/mode...
apnews.com/article/mode...
Moderna says FDA refuses its application for new mRNA flu vaccine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is refusing to consider Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine made with mRNA technology.
apnews.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:13 AM
It is absolutely outrageous that Moderna’s flu vaccine was met with a “refusal-to-file” even after their approved their protocol with FDA and carried out the trial as agreed. This vaccine works better in older adults than the current flu vaccines.
apnews.com/article/mode...
apnews.com/article/mode...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
people born in america probably don’t realize how cool america used to be. the death of US soft power is going to have long term consequences we are only beginning to see
February 10, 2026 at 3:23 PM
people born in america probably don’t realize how cool america used to be. the death of US soft power is going to have long term consequences we are only beginning to see
Reposted by Zach Cofran
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄?
Because many of the biggest open questions in neuroscience still revolve around the cerebral cortex — how it emerged, expanded, diversified, and why it differs so much across species.
#CorticalEvolution2026
Because many of the biggest open questions in neuroscience still revolve around the cerebral cortex — how it emerged, expanded, diversified, and why it differs so much across species.
#CorticalEvolution2026
February 9, 2026 at 9:26 AM
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝗼𝘄?
Because many of the biggest open questions in neuroscience still revolve around the cerebral cortex — how it emerged, expanded, diversified, and why it differs so much across species.
#CorticalEvolution2026
Because many of the biggest open questions in neuroscience still revolve around the cerebral cortex — how it emerged, expanded, diversified, and why it differs so much across species.
#CorticalEvolution2026
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Crockett: "The US is falling apart, partially bc he's allowing for killings in the street, but also bc we have a 34 count convicted felon being shielded from any type of accountability as it relates to a child sex trafficking ring. I don't understand why we're pretending any of this is normal."
February 9, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Crockett: "The US is falling apart, partially bc he's allowing for killings in the street, but also bc we have a 34 count convicted felon being shielded from any type of accountability as it relates to a child sex trafficking ring. I don't understand why we're pretending any of this is normal."
Reposted by Zach Cofran
"Whiteness" isn't really about sunlight or skin, it is the category that was created to constitute a legally and socially privileged group of European immigrants in contrast to enslaved Africans and indentured Asians.
The strangest thing about North Americans ( both conservative & liberal ) is the non-ironic use of the term “white” as a meaningful descriptor of identity.
People of the world do not define themselves by generational exposure to sunlight, but lineage/tradition/geography/language & religion.
People of the world do not define themselves by generational exposure to sunlight, but lineage/tradition/geography/language & religion.
Racist eugenicists from the 1920s: we are so back
February 9, 2026 at 3:47 PM
"Whiteness" isn't really about sunlight or skin, it is the category that was created to constitute a legally and socially privileged group of European immigrants in contrast to enslaved Africans and indentured Asians.
Reposted by Zach Cofran
New excavations at the Grotta Guattari, just south of Rome, have yielded beautiful new Neanderthal fossils. They may add a lot to our knowledge of how Neanderthals maintained their populations as they fled the advance of the ice sheets.
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
A Neanderthal time capsule from Grotta Guattari
Excavations of a new chamber reveal an ancient floor with more than a dozen new Neanderthal fossil remains.
www.johnhawks.net
February 9, 2026 at 2:22 PM
New excavations at the Grotta Guattari, just south of Rome, have yielded beautiful new Neanderthal fossils. They may add a lot to our knowledge of how Neanderthals maintained their populations as they fled the advance of the ice sheets.
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
www.johnhawks.net/p/a-neandert...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Keen on excavating some Neanderthal sites in Spain?
Well, today is your lucky day!
Call for participants at Roca dels Bous site just opened. Excavations on this unique Neanderthal site will run 1-20th August (both inclusive). For further information and details, contact me!
Well, today is your lucky day!
Call for participants at Roca dels Bous site just opened. Excavations on this unique Neanderthal site will run 1-20th August (both inclusive). For further information and details, contact me!
February 9, 2026 at 3:01 AM
Keen on excavating some Neanderthal sites in Spain?
Well, today is your lucky day!
Call for participants at Roca dels Bous site just opened. Excavations on this unique Neanderthal site will run 1-20th August (both inclusive). For further information and details, contact me!
Well, today is your lucky day!
Call for participants at Roca dels Bous site just opened. Excavations on this unique Neanderthal site will run 1-20th August (both inclusive). For further information and details, contact me!
Reposted by Zach Cofran
I put on my bio anth hat to co-write this piece with @nicolanese.bsky.social, our excellent health editor at Live Science. 🧪🏳️⚧️
'There's no reason to ban us from playing': Analysis debunks notion that transgender women have inherent physical advantages in sports
A meta-analysis of 52 studies that included over 5,000 transgender people suggests that transgender women's physical fitness after hormone therapy is comparable to that of cisgender women.
www.livescience.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:44 PM
I put on my bio anth hat to co-write this piece with @nicolanese.bsky.social, our excellent health editor at Live Science. 🧪🏳️⚧️
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Developmental roots of cortical bone distribution and mandibular robusticity in early hominins anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Developmental roots of cortical bone distribution and mandibular robusticity in early hominins
Mandibular morphology in early hominins reflects both developmental processes and functional demands, yet the ontogenetic emergence of robust mandibular traits remains poorly understood. Here, we pre....
anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Developmental roots of cortical bone distribution and mandibular robusticity in early hominins anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Two posts in a day!!! Not usual for me. But, here is a short, fun piece I co-wrote with @leosapien.bsky.social for @us.theconversation.com on how the weather conditions at this year's Winter Olympics affect athletes' bodies and gear: theconversation.com/winter-olymp...
Winter Olympians often compete in freezing temperatures – physiology and advances in materials science help keep them warm
While physical exertion helps athletes stay warm, sweating can lead to dehydration.
theconversation.com
February 6, 2026 at 8:04 PM
Two posts in a day!!! Not usual for me. But, here is a short, fun piece I co-wrote with @leosapien.bsky.social for @us.theconversation.com on how the weather conditions at this year's Winter Olympics affect athletes' bodies and gear: theconversation.com/winter-olymp...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
A screenshot from a video posted on Trump's Truth Social account: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 6, 2026 at 9:28 AM
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Charles Lyell's book Antiquity of Man was published #OnThisDay in 1863. It argued that humans once lived alongside extinct animals like mammoths, meaning we have a deep past. It also examined the original Neanderthal.
February 6, 2026 at 3:51 PM
Charles Lyell's book Antiquity of Man was published #OnThisDay in 1863. It argued that humans once lived alongside extinct animals like mammoths, meaning we have a deep past. It also examined the original Neanderthal.
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Is this what The Employee of the Month deserves?
February 6, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Is this what The Employee of the Month deserves?
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Imagination in bonobos!
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
Apes Share Human Ability to Imagine
YouTube video by Johns Hopkins University
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 7:18 PM
Imagination in bonobos!
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
I am thrilled to share a new paper w/ Amalia Bastos, out now in @science.org
We provide the first experimental evidence that a nonhuman animal can follow along a pretend scenario & track imaginary objects. Work w/ Kanzi, the bonobo, at Ape Initiative
youtu.be/NUSHcQQz2Ko
Reposted by Zach Cofran
Childhood was a political project, centuries of activism carving out time and space for young people to grow and learn. It's an unfinished project, and the right wing wants it ended when it's barely even begun.
The Right has spent years trying to push a return to child labor and attacking age of consent laws. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’re exposing us to mountains of the most horrendous stuff imaginable while also normalizing it.
So much of what’s happening is the destruction of childhood.
So much of what’s happening is the destruction of childhood.
February 5, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Childhood was a political project, centuries of activism carving out time and space for young people to grow and learn. It's an unfinished project, and the right wing wants it ended when it's barely even begun.