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
Reposted by David Bapst
Of course the pro-mollusc crowd wants to claim victory in spite of their absolutely devastating defeat at the hands of their bivalved enemies (or ships that pass in the night[?]), but we all know the real winner of the Clash-of-the-Clades was a brachiopod-loving vertebrate who sure loves fossils 😂
The winner of the 2025 @paleosoc.bsky.social Clash-of-the Clades was...
@sethf.bsky.social !
But Mollusks took "Most Money Raised;"
From a mollusk worker, good to see that both these important groups for modern paleobiology got to shine in their own way!
#molluskmonday #paleontology #fossils
@sethf.bsky.social !
But Mollusks took "Most Money Raised;"
From a mollusk worker, good to see that both these important groups for modern paleobiology got to shine in their own way!
#molluskmonday #paleontology #fossils
November 11, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Of course the pro-mollusc crowd wants to claim victory in spite of their absolutely devastating defeat at the hands of their bivalved enemies (or ships that pass in the night[?]), but we all know the real winner of the Clash-of-the-Clades was a brachiopod-loving vertebrate who sure loves fossils 😂
(Taps the sign, in an urgent fashion)
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.
November 10, 2025 at 9:59 PM
(Taps the sign, in an urgent fashion)
Reposted by David Bapst
This is important!
Texas AAUP-AFT Calls on the Texas A&M University System Not to Muzzle Faculty, Students in the Classroom ‣ Texas AFT
This week, the Texas A&M System Board of Regents will vote on whether or not to add severe restrictions on academic freedom and freedom of expression that would codify institutional censorship of curriculum and classroom discussions.
www.texasaft.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:53 PM
This is important!
Reposted by David Bapst
November 9, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by David Bapst
I *literally* had some construction workers tell me my flat tire on a mountain road in WY last summer was because of DEI.
It was the dumbest fuckin' thing I had ever heard with my own two ears
(the installer was some 19 year old white kid in Laramie btw)
It was the dumbest fuckin' thing I had ever heard with my own two ears
(the installer was some 19 year old white kid in Laramie btw)
Obama: "They never miss a chance to scapegoat minorities and blame DEI for every problem under the sun. You got a flat tire? Must be DEI. Your wife kicked you out? DEI. Who knew?"
November 2, 2025 at 12:35 AM
I *literally* had some construction workers tell me my flat tire on a mountain road in WY last summer was because of DEI.
It was the dumbest fuckin' thing I had ever heard with my own two ears
(the installer was some 19 year old white kid in Laramie btw)
It was the dumbest fuckin' thing I had ever heard with my own two ears
(the installer was some 19 year old white kid in Laramie btw)
Reposted by David Bapst
TARDIGRADE ON A BUILDING
We are our best when we collaborate. 🧪🦠🔬🧬🌍🍄
This mural about the invisible #soil #biodiversity in Moers(🇩🇪) resulted from the collaboration between my friend Dr. Arne Schwelm, the people from sci:moers and the Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklung under the artistic direction of #cokyone.
This mural about the invisible #soil #biodiversity in Moers(🇩🇪) resulted from the collaboration between my friend Dr. Arne Schwelm, the people from sci:moers and the Stiftung für Umwelt und Entwicklung under the artistic direction of #cokyone.
November 2, 2025 at 1:45 PM
TARDIGRADE ON A BUILDING
What the heck is a dead ball????
November 1, 2025 at 3:11 AM
What the heck is a dead ball????
Reposted by David Bapst
Catching up #Paleoctober2025 days 25, 26, 27 with paleoart sketches of Cambropachycope, Sphenacodon, and Cyrtograptus.
#Paleoctober #Paleoart #Cambropachycope #Sphenacodon #Cyrtograptus
#Paleoctober #Paleoart #Cambropachycope #Sphenacodon #Cyrtograptus
October 30, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Catching up #Paleoctober2025 days 25, 26, 27 with paleoart sketches of Cambropachycope, Sphenacodon, and Cyrtograptus.
#Paleoctober #Paleoart #Cambropachycope #Sphenacodon #Cyrtograptus
#Paleoctober #Paleoart #Cambropachycope #Sphenacodon #Cyrtograptus
Reposted by David Bapst
A PhD opportunity to work with me, @spissatella.bsky.social and our friends through CENTA - biogeography and vulnerability of exploited bivalves, with possible spin-offs about fishery sustainability and environmental economics: centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
2026-B19 Marine biodiversity and its future under environmental changes and exploitation – CENTA
centa.ac.uk
October 24, 2025 at 12:54 PM
A PhD opportunity to work with me, @spissatella.bsky.social and our friends through CENTA - biogeography and vulnerability of exploited bivalves, with possible spin-offs about fishery sustainability and environmental economics: centa.ac.uk/studentship/...
Reposted by David Bapst
"I AM THE ANTLERS ON THE STAG OF STATE" goes so hard
Full comic here: www.smbc-comics.com/comic/signal-4 #smbc
October 21, 2025 at 12:42 AM
"I AM THE ANTLERS ON THE STAG OF STATE" goes so hard
Reposted by David Bapst
Reposted by David Bapst
Love you Chicago!
October 18, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Love you Chicago!
Reposted by David Bapst
I’m really happy to see Kat’s first dissertation chapter published! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Global evolutionary relationships of Devonian proetide trilobites | Journal of Paleontology | Cambridge Core
Global evolutionary relationships of Devonian proetide trilobites
www.cambridge.org
October 18, 2025 at 5:06 AM
I’m really happy to see Kat’s first dissertation chapter published! www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Reposted by David Bapst
Reposted by David Bapst
Excited to share our new paper where we find that the rise, decline and fall of clades is not explained by the usual suspects (diversity-dependence, ecological opportunities) but rather by species' insidious loss of macroevolutionary fitness: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/3
Loss of macroevolutionary species fitness explains the rise and fall of clades - Nature Ecology & Evolution
The interplay between speciation and extinction rates shapes clade diversity dynamics. Using a novel phylogenetic model that includes living and fossil lineages, the authors estimate speciation and ex...
www.nature.com
October 17, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Excited to share our new paper where we find that the rise, decline and fall of clades is not explained by the usual suspects (diversity-dependence, ecological opportunities) but rather by species' insidious loss of macroevolutionary fitness: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/3
Reposted by David Bapst
Skeleton (cast) of the giant flightless bird Dromornis from the Miocene of Australia. Part of a traveling exhibit on tyrannosaurs currently at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. #FossilFriday
October 17, 2025 at 10:16 PM
Skeleton (cast) of the giant flightless bird Dromornis from the Miocene of Australia. Part of a traveling exhibit on tyrannosaurs currently at the Grand Rapids Public Museum. #FossilFriday
Reposted by David Bapst
For #FossilFriday, one more look at Cryptolithus bellulus, a 440 million year old trilobite reconstructed in bronze. She can be disassembled to view her digestive tract and exopods/gills. Sound on for all the satisfying clicks, particularly as she’s reassembled ⚡️🧲 #sciart
October 17, 2025 at 11:00 PM
For #FossilFriday, one more look at Cryptolithus bellulus, a 440 million year old trilobite reconstructed in bronze. She can be disassembled to view her digestive tract and exopods/gills. Sound on for all the satisfying clicks, particularly as she’s reassembled ⚡️🧲 #sciart
Reposted by David Bapst
Job Alert: UT Austin is hiring TWO Professors of Practice and Curators in Charge, one for the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab and another for the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Lab at the Jackson School of Geosciences Museum of Earth History.
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175702
Review begins Oct. 27th
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175702
Review begins Oct. 27th
Apply - Interfolio
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apply.interfolio.com
October 17, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Job Alert: UT Austin is hiring TWO Professors of Practice and Curators in Charge, one for the Vertebrate Paleontology Lab and another for the Non-vertebrate Paleontology Lab at the Jackson School of Geosciences Museum of Earth History.
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175702
Review begins Oct. 27th
Apply here: apply.interfolio.com/175702
Review begins Oct. 27th
As people have already asked, I am not going to be at San Antonio for GSA next week! I’ve got teaching to do, but we have a lot of paleo folk from A&M going, and I am on a number of talks!
October 17, 2025 at 2:53 PM
As people have already asked, I am not going to be at San Antonio for GSA next week! I’ve got teaching to do, but we have a lot of paleo folk from A&M going, and I am on a number of talks!
Reposted by David Bapst
Students (and recent graduates) working on anything phylogenetics, systematics or taxonomy-related, the abstract submission deadline for this year's (FREE ONLINE) Young Systematists' Forum approaches!
Send us your abstracts by Saturday, OCTOBER 25 11:59PM GMT+1
tinyurl.com/2w5n3e8
Send us your abstracts by Saturday, OCTOBER 25 11:59PM GMT+1
tinyurl.com/2w5n3e8
YSF2025 Registration Form
Welcome to the YSF2025 Registration and Abstract Submission form.
This year the conference will be held online on Friday, November 14th 2025. We look forward to seeing old and new faces from across t...
tinyurl.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Students (and recent graduates) working on anything phylogenetics, systematics or taxonomy-related, the abstract submission deadline for this year's (FREE ONLINE) Young Systematists' Forum approaches!
Send us your abstracts by Saturday, OCTOBER 25 11:59PM GMT+1
tinyurl.com/2w5n3e8
Send us your abstracts by Saturday, OCTOBER 25 11:59PM GMT+1
tinyurl.com/2w5n3e8
Reposted by David Bapst
Out now in Biology Letters, my latest paper tackles an apparently simple question: how many characters are needed to reconstruct a phylogeny? TL;DR: in most cases between 100 and 500, more than a substantial portion of morphological datasets, but the story is more complex... doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
October 15, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Out now in Biology Letters, my latest paper tackles an apparently simple question: how many characters are needed to reconstruct a phylogeny? TL;DR: in most cases between 100 and 500, more than a substantial portion of morphological datasets, but the story is more complex... doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Reposted by David Bapst
On National Fossil Day, we celebrate the scientific and educational importance of paleontology and our responsibility to conserve fossils for future generations. Today, October 15th, 2025, is the 16th Anniversary of National Fossil Day!
#NationalFossilDay
www.nps.gov/subjects/fos...
#NationalFossilDay
www.nps.gov/subjects/fos...
National Fossil Day (U.S. National Park Service)
www.nps.gov
October 15, 2025 at 3:30 PM
On National Fossil Day, we celebrate the scientific and educational importance of paleontology and our responsibility to conserve fossils for future generations. Today, October 15th, 2025, is the 16th Anniversary of National Fossil Day!
#NationalFossilDay
www.nps.gov/subjects/fos...
#NationalFossilDay
www.nps.gov/subjects/fos...
Reposted by David Bapst
👀 well look at OU as a powerhouse of paleobiology
🧵The Geological Society of America / Paleontological Society annual meeting is next week! Here's a thread of research presentations involving OU Paleobiology:
October 14, 2025 at 9:42 PM
👀 well look at OU as a powerhouse of paleobiology
Reposted by David Bapst
Absolutely jaw dropping, spectacularly preserved & beautiful fossil crinoid (left) and blastozoan (right) echinoderms. These fossils are from the Bromide Fm of Oklahoma and nearly all specimens shown here are from the type collection at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 🧪
October 13, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Absolutely jaw dropping, spectacularly preserved & beautiful fossil crinoid (left) and blastozoan (right) echinoderms. These fossils are from the Bromide Fm of Oklahoma and nearly all specimens shown here are from the type collection at the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History 🧪