DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
@drtanyamsmith.bsky.social
Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Griffith University; Australian Research Council Future Fellow; Author MIT Press book: The Tales Teeth Tell; #STEMinist; 🏳️🌈 Aussie; Grateful
drtanyamsmith.com
drtanyamsmith.com
Pinned
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
Academic publishing now shows the same decline that has hit social media and online marketplaces.
theconversation.com
Diagnosis for profound scientific malaise: "Enshittification... is a systemic issue that threatens the value and development of academic publishing. Academia has become increasingly guided by metrics. As a result, research quality is judged more by where it is published than by its intrinsic worth."
Excellent start to 2026 thanks to this outstanding study led by @jnavila.bsky.social
TLDR: We can now distinguish diverse water sources used by ancient people in arid regions, as well as predicting drinking water chemistry & rainfall patterns thousands of years ago from #Teeth. tinyurl.com/pnvhhp4n
TLDR: We can now distinguish diverse water sources used by ancient people in arid regions, as well as predicting drinking water chemistry & rainfall patterns thousands of years ago from #Teeth. tinyurl.com/pnvhhp4n
Seasonality and water source strategies in the Neolithic Near East (ca. 8,000–5,000 BCE): Insights from multi-proxy isotopic and elemental analyses
Previous studies have demonstrated that enamel oxygen isotope values (δ18O) reflect rainfall variability experienced by wild primates and ancient huma…
tinyurl.com
January 9, 2026 at 5:11 AM
Excellent start to 2026 thanks to this outstanding study led by @jnavila.bsky.social
TLDR: We can now distinguish diverse water sources used by ancient people in arid regions, as well as predicting drinking water chemistry & rainfall patterns thousands of years ago from #Teeth. tinyurl.com/pnvhhp4n
TLDR: We can now distinguish diverse water sources used by ancient people in arid regions, as well as predicting drinking water chemistry & rainfall patterns thousands of years ago from #Teeth. tinyurl.com/pnvhhp4n
Diagnosis for profound scientific malaise: "Enshittification... is a systemic issue that threatens the value and development of academic publishing. Academia has become increasingly guided by metrics. As a result, research quality is judged more by where it is published than by its intrinsic worth."
The 5 stages of the ‘enshittification’ of academic publishing
Academic publishing now shows the same decline that has hit social media and online marketplaces.
theconversation.com
January 7, 2026 at 1:05 AM
Diagnosis for profound scientific malaise: "Enshittification... is a systemic issue that threatens the value and development of academic publishing. Academia has become increasingly guided by metrics. As a result, research quality is judged more by where it is published than by its intrinsic worth."
Very proud of @emmasudron.bsky.social who just gave a solid talk on detecting physiological #stress from #nitrogen #isotopes in #teeth at @aushumanbiology.bsky.social #ASHB2025! And a shout out to the incomparable @mammalssuck.bsky.social for integral support on #monkey #milk #illness and #stress. 😎
December 10, 2025 at 2:59 AM
Very proud of @emmasudron.bsky.social who just gave a solid talk on detecting physiological #stress from #nitrogen #isotopes in #teeth at @aushumanbiology.bsky.social #ASHB2025! And a shout out to the incomparable @mammalssuck.bsky.social for integral support on #monkey #milk #illness and #stress. 😎
Great keynote by Zaneta Thayer @aushumanbiology.bsky.social #ASHB2025 — while early life environments and experiences shape health trajectories, they do not make poor (or good) health inevitable. Presented fascinating data on negative health aspects of by-passing natural labour processes in Brazil.
December 9, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Great keynote by Zaneta Thayer @aushumanbiology.bsky.social #ASHB2025 — while early life environments and experiences shape health trajectories, they do not make poor (or good) health inevitable. Presented fascinating data on negative health aspects of by-passing natural labour processes in Brazil.
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
Every opportunity politicians provide for you to tell them about how chronic underfunding of research in Australia is affecting your particular fields, people, working conditions etc. is extremely important.
Fill out the form here: lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
Fill out the form here: lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
@ginaravenscroft.bsky.social & #NARF are collecting impact statements from Australian researchers
‘ Please consider sharing your story about the impact of Australia's chronic underfunding of science and biomedical research.’
lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
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‘ Please consider sharing your story about the impact of Australia's chronic underfunding of science and biomedical research.’
lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
1/
December 2, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Every opportunity politicians provide for you to tell them about how chronic underfunding of research in Australia is affecting your particular fields, people, working conditions etc. is extremely important.
Fill out the form here: lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
Fill out the form here: lnkd.in/g8A_PAZG
Very proud of @emmasudron.bsky.social ~ who spent years mastering the Geomagic Micromill to sample #NitrogenIsotopes from #teeth at a very impressive resolution. She also obtained competitive @ansto.bsky.social funding to run highly sensitive elemental analyses of modern and archaeological samples!
Stoked to share the first #paper from my PhD is out in @archaeometry.bsky.social.
We used #highresolution dentine micromill sampling and #nitrogen #isotopes to reconstruct #nursing with greater isotopic variation than conventional sampling.
doi-org.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/10.1111/arcm...
We used #highresolution dentine micromill sampling and #nitrogen #isotopes to reconstruct #nursing with greater isotopic variation than conventional sampling.
doi-org.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/10.1111/arcm...
November 27, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Very proud of @emmasudron.bsky.social ~ who spent years mastering the Geomagic Micromill to sample #NitrogenIsotopes from #teeth at a very impressive resolution. She also obtained competitive @ansto.bsky.social funding to run highly sensitive elemental analyses of modern and archaeological samples!
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Summers Will Not Finish Semester of Teaching as Harvard Investigates Epstein Ties | News | The Harvard Crimson
Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
www.thecrimson.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:30 AM
#BREAKING: Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
Dhruv T. Patel and Cam N. Srivastava report.
New #OpenAccess paper building on studies of
#TraceElements in #Primate #Teeth just out in @archaeometry.bsky.social:
Tace Element Patterns in Juvenile Wild #Chimpanzee Dentitions
#TLDR version: metals are highly variable in wild chimpanzees and dietary sources appear to obscure nursing records
#TraceElements in #Primate #Teeth just out in @archaeometry.bsky.social:
Tace Element Patterns in Juvenile Wild #Chimpanzee Dentitions
#TLDR version: metals are highly variable in wild chimpanzees and dietary sources appear to obscure nursing records
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:45 AM
New #OpenAccess paper building on studies of
#TraceElements in #Primate #Teeth just out in @archaeometry.bsky.social:
Tace Element Patterns in Juvenile Wild #Chimpanzee Dentitions
#TLDR version: metals are highly variable in wild chimpanzees and dietary sources appear to obscure nursing records
#TraceElements in #Primate #Teeth just out in @archaeometry.bsky.social:
Tace Element Patterns in Juvenile Wild #Chimpanzee Dentitions
#TLDR version: metals are highly variable in wild chimpanzees and dietary sources appear to obscure nursing records
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
As an English speaking country (with nice beaches to boot) for the cost of a small tax on fossil fuel exports or high incomes Australia could invest in science, recruit researchers fleeing the US and become the knowledge powerhouse of the 21st Century. Instead we're doing this.
“CSIRO has announced it will slash up to 350 jobs as the national science agency grapples with long-term financial challenges … with current funding failing to keep pace with the rising costs of running a modern science agency.”
Not “challenges”. They’re choices. 😡
Not “challenges”. They’re choices. 😡
CSIRO to cut up to 350 research jobs in major overhaul
After 440 positions were slashed last year, the CSIRO has announced more staff cuts across the country in a bid to remain financially viable.
www.abc.net.au
November 18, 2025 at 12:35 PM
As an English speaking country (with nice beaches to boot) for the cost of a small tax on fossil fuel exports or high incomes Australia could invest in science, recruit researchers fleeing the US and become the knowledge powerhouse of the 21st Century. Instead we're doing this.
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
MAJOR UNION WIN 🥳 The federal government will implement a new set of university governance principles to strengthen accountability, transparency and public trust following recommendations from the Expert Council on University Governance.
Read more: nteu.info/majorwin
@alisonbarnes.bsky.social
Read more: nteu.info/majorwin
@alisonbarnes.bsky.social
October 18, 2025 at 12:42 AM
MAJOR UNION WIN 🥳 The federal government will implement a new set of university governance principles to strengthen accountability, transparency and public trust following recommendations from the Expert Council on University Governance.
Read more: nteu.info/majorwin
@alisonbarnes.bsky.social
Read more: nteu.info/majorwin
@alisonbarnes.bsky.social
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
The Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) issues papers have failed to address declining investment in fundamental research, instead implying research is only important if it can be commercialised by industry.
Read our response: https://bit.ly/4hhDZZJ
https://bit.ly/4nWaEXu
Read our response: https://bit.ly/4hhDZZJ
https://bit.ly/4nWaEXu
October 17, 2025 at 12:36 AM
The Strategic Examination of Research and Development (SERD) issues papers have failed to address declining investment in fundamental research, instead implying research is only important if it can be commercialised by industry.
Read our response: https://bit.ly/4hhDZZJ
https://bit.ly/4nWaEXu
Read our response: https://bit.ly/4hhDZZJ
https://bit.ly/4nWaEXu
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
NO LOYALTY OATHS IN HIGHER ED!
Trump's attacks on our universities are an attempt to consolidate power. This loyalty oath directly undermines our right to academic freedom & goes against every democratic principle our country should uphold.
Please click below, sign, & share.
#DefendHigherEd
Trump's attacks on our universities are an attempt to consolidate power. This loyalty oath directly undermines our right to academic freedom & goes against every democratic principle our country should uphold.
Please click below, sign, & share.
#DefendHigherEd
University Administrations: Reject Trump's "Loyalty Oath" Compacts
The Trump administration is trying to blackmail schools to let him and his unqualified bureaucrats run our schools. They want to dictate what schools teach, who they admit and hire, what researchers s...
actionnetwork.org
October 7, 2025 at 4:37 PM
NO LOYALTY OATHS IN HIGHER ED!
Trump's attacks on our universities are an attempt to consolidate power. This loyalty oath directly undermines our right to academic freedom & goes against every democratic principle our country should uphold.
Please click below, sign, & share.
#DefendHigherEd
Trump's attacks on our universities are an attempt to consolidate power. This loyalty oath directly undermines our right to academic freedom & goes against every democratic principle our country should uphold.
Please click below, sign, & share.
#DefendHigherEd
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
This week, Australian policymakers heard about the real and growing problem of climate misinformation. Stopping it would mean regulating the PR industry.
👉 theconversation.com/pr-firm...
👉 theconversation.com/pr-firm...
October 1, 2025 at 9:46 PM
This week, Australian policymakers heard about the real and growing problem of climate misinformation. Stopping it would mean regulating the PR industry.
👉 theconversation.com/pr-firm...
👉 theconversation.com/pr-firm...
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
RIP to Jane Goodall, who opened the world's eyes to our closest relatives. (Photo by NatGeo's Hugo Van Lawick)
October 1, 2025 at 6:21 PM
RIP to Jane Goodall, who opened the world's eyes to our closest relatives. (Photo by NatGeo's Hugo Van Lawick)
New #SSRN #Preprint on #OxygenIsotopes and #TraceElements in Ancient #Teeth led by the amazing @jnavila.bsky.social and funded by @griffith.edu.au & #AustralianResearchCouncil #FutureFellowship.
#ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology & #EarthScience for the win!
dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
#ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology & #EarthScience for the win!
dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
Oxygen isotopes in teeth suggest diverse water sources of Near Eastern Neolithic people
Previous studies have demonstrated that enamel oxygen isotope values (d18O) reflect rainfall variability experienced by wild primates and ancient humans, provid
dx.doi.org
September 18, 2025 at 12:47 AM
New #SSRN #Preprint on #OxygenIsotopes and #TraceElements in Ancient #Teeth led by the amazing @jnavila.bsky.social and funded by @griffith.edu.au & #AustralianResearchCouncil #FutureFellowship.
#ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology & #EarthScience for the win!
dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
#ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology & #EarthScience for the win!
dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...
"I think the solution is going to come from the people, from us: community action, collective service, connection and empathy. What we do need are examples of people who understand the strength in empathy and the power of fair and even-keeled discussion."
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Opinion | Stephen Colbert just modeled how to take a political stance without anger
What we need right now are examples of people who understand the strength in empathy and the power of fair and even-keeled discussion.
www.msnbc.com
September 16, 2025 at 12:41 AM
"I think the solution is going to come from the people, from us: community action, collective service, connection and empathy. What we do need are examples of people who understand the strength in empathy and the power of fair and even-keeled discussion."
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...
Is this Australia’s climate wake-up call? Official report reveals a hotter, harder future if we don’t act now
theconversation.com/is-this-aust...
theconversation.com/is-this-aust...
Is this Australia’s climate wake-up call? Official report reveals a hotter, harder future if we don’t act now
The sobering assessment is a national call to action. The sooner Australia mitigates and adapts, the safer we will be.
theconversation.com
September 15, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Is this Australia’s climate wake-up call? Official report reveals a hotter, harder future if we don’t act now
theconversation.com/is-this-aust...
theconversation.com/is-this-aust...
Great to see Senior Sergeant Donna MacGregor receiving the serious respect she deserves. We are lucky to have her as a member of the @aushumanbiology.bsky.social community!
September 15, 2025 at 7:46 AM
Great to see Senior Sergeant Donna MacGregor receiving the serious respect she deserves. We are lucky to have her as a member of the @aushumanbiology.bsky.social community!
"If we want democratic universities then...When meritocrats consult, we must deliberate. Where meritocrats cherish distance, we need to seek proximity. If meritocrats show contempt, we ought to foster dignity—talk and listen respectfully, observe and act deliberately."
www.abc.net.au/religion/anu...
www.abc.net.au/religion/anu...
Has meritocracy gotten the better of our universities? Why events at ANU are grounds for hope - ABC Religion & Ethics
It’s not every day that the students and staff of a university succeed in forcing a vice-chancellor from office — that’s what happened last week at ANU, but why did change take so long when it was cle...
www.abc.net.au
September 15, 2025 at 1:07 AM
"If we want democratic universities then...When meritocrats consult, we must deliberate. Where meritocrats cherish distance, we need to seek proximity. If meritocrats show contempt, we ought to foster dignity—talk and listen respectfully, observe and act deliberately."
www.abc.net.au/religion/anu...
www.abc.net.au/religion/anu...
Some interesting ideas here ~ would love to see the end of journal dominance, particular the pay-to-play ones!
How to be a scientist in a post-journal world
open.substack.com/pub/thescien...
How to be a scientist in a post-journal world
open.substack.com/pub/thescien...
How to be a scientist in a post-journal world
When we created this site to write about things in science that need to be fixed, we chose not to start with publishing, even though it has been our preoccupation for decades.
open.substack.com
September 9, 2025 at 3:09 AM
Some interesting ideas here ~ would love to see the end of journal dominance, particular the pay-to-play ones!
How to be a scientist in a post-journal world
open.substack.com/pub/thescien...
How to be a scientist in a post-journal world
open.substack.com/pub/thescien...
Reposted by DrTanyaMSmith.bsky.social
Here's a #GiftLink for those who want to read the full NYT obit of historian of science & gender, Margaret Rossiter. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/s... #histSTM 🧪🗃️
August 30, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Here's a #GiftLink for those who want to read the full NYT obit of historian of science & gender, Margaret Rossiter. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/29/s... #histSTM 🧪🗃️
Looking forward to returning to the University of Wollongong tomorrow to talk about #Teeth as Proxies for Understanding Water Inputs and Past #Seasonality. #ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology #HumanEvolution #WomenInSTEM
Zoom link for 12:30pm AEST talk:
www.uow.edu.au/events/2025/...
Zoom link for 12:30pm AEST talk:
www.uow.edu.au/events/2025/...
2025: Environmental Futures Seminar - Tanya Smith - University of Wollongong – UOW
Teeth as Proxies for Understanding Water Inputs and Past Seasonality
www.uow.edu.au
August 27, 2025 at 7:26 AM
Looking forward to returning to the University of Wollongong tomorrow to talk about #Teeth as Proxies for Understanding Water Inputs and Past #Seasonality. #ArchaeologicalScience #BiologicalAnthropology #HumanEvolution #WomenInSTEM
Zoom link for 12:30pm AEST talk:
www.uow.edu.au/events/2025/...
Zoom link for 12:30pm AEST talk:
www.uow.edu.au/events/2025/...