David Bapst
@dwbapst.bsky.social
Paleontologist, Graptolite Geek, R Programmer, creator of paleotree, Tabletop Roleplaying Game Nerd, Catcher of Pokémon, faculty senator. All comments are my trash opinion alone.
Pinned
David Bapst
@dwbapst.bsky.social
· Sep 10
You know what happens when you don’t have a faculty senate? In a crisis, there is no one to ask questions — even to give illusion of holding anyone responsible — so misinformation spreads like wildfire among faculty & students, admin aren’t believed, and no one else has authority to clarify facts.
Reposted by David Bapst
It wasn't that long ago that we were led by people of class and dignity.
Regardless of their political views, or their mistakes in office (sometimes big mistakes!), they were good decent people.
And I pray we haven't lost that forever.
Regardless of their political views, or their mistakes in office (sometimes big mistakes!), they were good decent people.
And I pray we haven't lost that forever.
February 7, 2026 at 3:47 PM
It wasn't that long ago that we were led by people of class and dignity.
Regardless of their political views, or their mistakes in office (sometimes big mistakes!), they were good decent people.
And I pray we haven't lost that forever.
Regardless of their political views, or their mistakes in office (sometimes big mistakes!), they were good decent people.
And I pray we haven't lost that forever.
Reposted by David Bapst
Reposted by David Bapst
“Palaeoverse, a grassroots organization that develops R packages for paleontology, has been awarded a Large Grant from the Software Sustainability Institute, via the Research Software Maintenance Fund”
#rstats
ropensci.org/blog/2026/02... 🧪
#rstats
ropensci.org/blog/2026/02... 🧪
February 6, 2026 at 3:44 AM
“Palaeoverse, a grassroots organization that develops R packages for paleontology, has been awarded a Large Grant from the Software Sustainability Institute, via the Research Software Maintenance Fund”
#rstats
ropensci.org/blog/2026/02... 🧪
#rstats
ropensci.org/blog/2026/02... 🧪
Reposted by David Bapst
You know what happens when you don’t have a faculty senate? In a crisis, there is no one to ask questions — even to give illusion of holding anyone responsible — so misinformation spreads like wildfire among faculty & students, admin aren’t believed, and no one else has authority to clarify facts.
September 10, 2025 at 11:42 AM
You know what happens when you don’t have a faculty senate? In a crisis, there is no one to ask questions — even to give illusion of holding anyone responsible — so misinformation spreads like wildfire among faculty & students, admin aren’t believed, and no one else has authority to clarify facts.
The Texas A&M regents used this slide to claim not many courses were affected, but I read this and say at least 380 courses were affected — if you flagged 380 syllabi and ‘tweaked’ them, and who knows how many more courses were affected by chilling the discourse when McCoul was fired
February 5, 2026 at 7:27 PM
The Texas A&M regents used this slide to claim not many courses were affected, but I read this and say at least 380 courses were affected — if you flagged 380 syllabi and ‘tweaked’ them, and who knows how many more courses were affected by chilling the discourse when McCoul was fired
Reposted by David Bapst
🫠🫠🫠
More on NSF funding data
A deeper dive into the numbers of awards by Directorate.
1/9
A deeper dive into the numbers of awards by Directorate.
1/9
a picture of a person in the water with the words call of the deep below it
ALT: a picture of a person in the water with the words call of the deep below it
media.tenor.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:22 PM
🫠🫠🫠
Reposted by David Bapst
February 5, 2026 at 12:57 AM
Forget your college jobs, name 5 classes you took in college:
Macroevolution
Chinese Philosophy
Pluralism
Tropical Marine Ecology
Epistemology
Macroevolution
Chinese Philosophy
Pluralism
Tropical Marine Ecology
Epistemology
Macroevolution
Astrophysics
Music performance (violin)
Computational statistics
British poetry
This is an interesting list considering I was a geology major lol
Astrophysics
Music performance (violin)
Computational statistics
British poetry
This is an interesting list considering I was a geology major lol
January 31, 2026 at 4:55 AM
Forget your college jobs, name 5 classes you took in college:
Macroevolution
Chinese Philosophy
Pluralism
Tropical Marine Ecology
Epistemology
Macroevolution
Chinese Philosophy
Pluralism
Tropical Marine Ecology
Epistemology
Reposted by David Bapst
Macroevolution
Astrophysics
Music performance (violin)
Computational statistics
British poetry
This is an interesting list considering I was a geology major lol
Astrophysics
Music performance (violin)
Computational statistics
British poetry
This is an interesting list considering I was a geology major lol
January 31, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Macroevolution
Astrophysics
Music performance (violin)
Computational statistics
British poetry
This is an interesting list considering I was a geology major lol
Astrophysics
Music performance (violin)
Computational statistics
British poetry
This is an interesting list considering I was a geology major lol
Reposted by David Bapst
“The university later identified canceled courses as Introduction to Race and Ethnicity; Religions of the World; Ethics in Public Policy; Diversity in Sport Organizations; Cultural Leadership and Exploration for Society; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Youth Development Organizations.”
New: Texas A&M University announced Friday that it is eliminating its women’s and gender studies degree program.
Texas A&M eliminates women’s and gender studies program
University leaders also said six courses were canceled and 48 exceptions were granted under new rules on race and gender.
www.texastribune.org
January 31, 2026 at 1:28 AM
“The university later identified canceled courses as Introduction to Race and Ethnicity; Religions of the World; Ethics in Public Policy; Diversity in Sport Organizations; Cultural Leadership and Exploration for Society; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Youth Development Organizations.”
Reposted by David Bapst
Reposted by David Bapst
Looks like Yaquina Head, a bit north of Newport, Oregon.
To solve this apparently controversial problem…I propose just adopting a coarser grain size.
January 28, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Looks like Yaquina Head, a bit north of Newport, Oregon.
Reposted by David Bapst
Swab, Wipe, & Rinse. "Our results suggest that early sponges were not biomineralized & that both biosilicification & biocalcification evolved independently multiple times across Porifera." Neat!
Our latest: Independent origins of spicules reconcile paleontological and molecular evidence of sponge evolutionary history, led by @meleonora-rossi.bsky.social with help from friends @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social including @anariesgo.bsky.social @evopalaeo.bsky.social Davide Pisani and many others
Independent origins of spicules reconcile paleontological and molecular evidence of sponge evolutionary history
Sponges have a cryptic Ediacaran history because ancestral sponges were soft-bodied and had low fossilization potential.
www.science.org
January 29, 2026 at 7:49 PM
Swab, Wipe, & Rinse. "Our results suggest that early sponges were not biomineralized & that both biosilicification & biocalcification evolved independently multiple times across Porifera." Neat!
Reposted by David Bapst
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Rally for Academic Freedom!
(more photos to come!)
#BTHOcensorship
(more photos to come!)
#BTHOcensorship
January 30, 2026 at 3:34 AM
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Rally for Academic Freedom!
(more photos to come!)
#BTHOcensorship
(more photos to come!)
#BTHOcensorship
Today's front-page of the Bryan Eagle showcases the very large protest for academic freedom held on the Texas A&M campus by @tamu-aaup.bsky.social last night
January 30, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Today's front-page of the Bryan Eagle showcases the very large protest for academic freedom held on the Texas A&M campus by @tamu-aaup.bsky.social last night
Reposted by David Bapst
I'm glad to share our new study on the nature of distributions of gaps in empirical geochronologies of geological section as a function of time scale. Measurements of proxies are highly uneven if measured through time.
1/5
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
🧪 #Geology ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio
1/5
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
🧪 #Geology ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio
January 29, 2026 at 10:02 PM
I'm glad to share our new study on the nature of distributions of gaps in empirical geochronologies of geological section as a function of time scale. Measurements of proxies are highly uneven if measured through time.
1/5
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
🧪 #Geology ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio
1/5
www.nature.com/articles/s43...
🧪 #Geology ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio
Reposted by David Bapst
I was 100% with the kids until I learned that Vecna is an arthropod. #StrangerThings
January 30, 2026 at 12:34 AM
I was 100% with the kids until I learned that Vecna is an arthropod. #StrangerThings
Reposted by David Bapst
Interesting article exploring the role of the shapes of paleogeographies of coastlines as determinants of the extinction risk:
"Taxa...that occur along east-west– oriented coastlines, islands, or inland seaways—consistently exhibit higher extinction risk"
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
🧪⚒️ #Paleobio
"Taxa...that occur along east-west– oriented coastlines, islands, or inland seaways—consistently exhibit higher extinction risk"
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
🧪⚒️ #Paleobio
January 27, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Interesting article exploring the role of the shapes of paleogeographies of coastlines as determinants of the extinction risk:
"Taxa...that occur along east-west– oriented coastlines, islands, or inland seaways—consistently exhibit higher extinction risk"
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
🧪⚒️ #Paleobio
"Taxa...that occur along east-west– oriented coastlines, islands, or inland seaways—consistently exhibit higher extinction risk"
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
🧪⚒️ #Paleobio
Reposted by David Bapst
William and Mary refuses to take an L when it comes to NFL coaches. Bills fire a W&M alum coach? Screw you, they now also hire a W&M coach.
January 27, 2026 at 8:20 PM
William and Mary refuses to take an L when it comes to NFL coaches. Bills fire a W&M alum coach? Screw you, they now also hire a W&M coach.
Reposted by David Bapst
Let universities educate.
Gov. Abbott’s H-1B Freeze Endangers Texas’ Future
January 27, 2026
aaup-texas.org
January 28, 2026 at 1:13 AM
Let universities educate.
Reposted by David Bapst
#geoubcsic Drawing as a tool for representing and explaining complex structures in Foraminifera. Lería, M; Ferràndez-Cañadell, C. REVUE DE MICROPALEONTOLOGIE 90 [2026] doi.org/10.1016/j.revmic.2025.100889
January 19, 2026 at 12:40 PM
#geoubcsic Drawing as a tool for representing and explaining complex structures in Foraminifera. Lería, M; Ferràndez-Cañadell, C. REVUE DE MICROPALEONTOLOGIE 90 [2026] doi.org/10.1016/j.revmic.2025.100889
Reposted by David Bapst
January 25, 2026 at 5:27 PM