Jeff Thompson
@echinerd.bsky.social
Associate Professor @ University of Southampton.
Morphological Evolution, Fossils, EvoDevo, Biomineralization, Echinoderms
Morphological Evolution, Fossils, EvoDevo, Biomineralization, Echinoderms
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Could chickpeas, lentils and sunflowers become the new normal for UK farmers?
With harvests already being lost due to extreme weather, our researchers are leading a new network to prepare the UK food system for climate change.
Find out more 👉 tr.ee/hhd3au
With harvests already being lost due to extreme weather, our researchers are leading a new network to prepare the UK food system for climate change.
Find out more 👉 tr.ee/hhd3au
October 14, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Could chickpeas, lentils and sunflowers become the new normal for UK farmers?
With harvests already being lost due to extreme weather, our researchers are leading a new network to prepare the UK food system for climate change.
Find out more 👉 tr.ee/hhd3au
With harvests already being lost due to extreme weather, our researchers are leading a new network to prepare the UK food system for climate change.
Find out more 👉 tr.ee/hhd3au
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
It’s finally out! Extremely pleased to share the last chapter of my dissertation to be published! In this study, we take a deep dive into the 242 million-year squamate 🦎🐍 fossil record to quantify factors that lead to the mostly fragmentary specimens in collections today: doi.org/10.1017/pab....
Taphonomic megabiases constrain phylogenetic information in the squamate fossil record | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core
Taphonomic megabiases constrain phylogenetic information in the squamate fossil record
urldefense.com
September 24, 2025 at 2:50 PM
It’s finally out! Extremely pleased to share the last chapter of my dissertation to be published! In this study, we take a deep dive into the 242 million-year squamate 🦎🐍 fossil record to quantify factors that lead to the mostly fragmentary specimens in collections today: doi.org/10.1017/pab....
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
I'm hoping to take 1 MSc & 1 PhD student next year in the areas of Phylogenetic, Computational, and/or Evolutionary Paleobiology. Please reach out if you are interested in joining the @oupaleobiology.bsky.social, especially if interested in working on fossil echinoderms. Link for more info below. 🧪
News
PhD and MSc positions in Phylogenetic, Computational, and/or Evolutionary Paleobiology [Posted September 2025. Deadline is January 15, 2026. See below for information about the lab, student opportu…
daveyfwright.wordpress.com
September 2, 2025 at 3:51 PM
I'm hoping to take 1 MSc & 1 PhD student next year in the areas of Phylogenetic, Computational, and/or Evolutionary Paleobiology. Please reach out if you are interested in joining the @oupaleobiology.bsky.social, especially if interested in working on fossil echinoderms. Link for more info below. 🧪
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
New paper led by @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social using x-ray CT and laser ablation to detect plastic environmental responses in fossil individuals www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421549122 featuring @jamesmulqueeney.bsky.social @clivetrue.bsky.social @thefosterlab.bsky.social
July 3, 2025 at 9:53 PM
New paper led by @aniekebrombacher.bsky.social using x-ray CT and laser ablation to detect plastic environmental responses in fossil individuals www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421549122 featuring @jamesmulqueeney.bsky.social @clivetrue.bsky.social @thefosterlab.bsky.social
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
🌟 Fossil find of the week!
@echinerd.bsky.social new paper in Current Biology reveals how Cambrian echinoderms evolved from bilateral ancestors to the star-shaped sea creatures we know today. 🧬🌊
🔗 Read more: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#Echinoderms #Evolution #Cambrian
@echinerd.bsky.social new paper in Current Biology reveals how Cambrian echinoderms evolved from bilateral ancestors to the star-shaped sea creatures we know today. 🧬🌊
🔗 Read more: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#Echinoderms #Evolution #Cambrian
A new Cambrian stem-group echinoderm reveals the evolution of the anteroposterior axis
Woodgate et al. describe a new bilaterally symmetrical echinoderm, Atlascystis acantha,
from the Cambrian of Morocco. Comparisons of plate growth with other echinoderms reveal
that Atlascystis possess...
www.cell.com
June 30, 2025 at 1:06 PM
🌟 Fossil find of the week!
@echinerd.bsky.social new paper in Current Biology reveals how Cambrian echinoderms evolved from bilateral ancestors to the star-shaped sea creatures we know today. 🧬🌊
🔗 Read more: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#Echinoderms #Evolution #Cambrian
@echinerd.bsky.social new paper in Current Biology reveals how Cambrian echinoderms evolved from bilateral ancestors to the star-shaped sea creatures we know today. 🧬🌊
🔗 Read more: www.cell.com/current-biol...
#Echinoderms #Evolution #Cambrian
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Delighted to share our paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social iology.bsky.social with a palaeo-evo-devo perspective on the evolution of symmetry in echinoderms. Led by Steffi Woodgate with Frankie Dunn, @echinerd.bsky.social, @laurentformery.bsky.social & Sam Zamora
www.cell.com/current-biol...-5
www.cell.com/current-biol...-5
A new Cambrian stem-group echinoderm reveals the evolution of the anteroposterior axis
Woodgate et al. describe a new bilaterally symmetrical echinoderm, Atlascystis acantha,
from the Cambrian of Morocco. Comparisons of plate growth with other echinoderms reveal
that Atlascystis possess...
www.cell.com
June 26, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Delighted to share our paper in @currentbiology.bsky.social iology.bsky.social with a palaeo-evo-devo perspective on the evolution of symmetry in echinoderms. Led by Steffi Woodgate with Frankie Dunn, @echinerd.bsky.social, @laurentformery.bsky.social & Sam Zamora
www.cell.com/current-biol...-5
www.cell.com/current-biol...-5
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Our brittle star patterning study is now out at EvoDevo! 🥳
doi.org/10.1186/s132...
@lowelab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1186/s132...
@lowelab.bsky.social
May 31, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Our brittle star patterning study is now out at EvoDevo! 🥳
doi.org/10.1186/s132...
@lowelab.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1186/s132...
@lowelab.bsky.social
Super happy to see this out! Ever wondered what regulates taphonomic quality in skeletal fossil records? New with @princessquatris.bsky.social , Tim Ewin, and Maddy Ford we identify the controls on preservational quality in Palaeozoic echinoids onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Taphonomic controls on a multi‐element marine skeletal fossil record
Animals with multi-element skeletons, including the vertebrates, echinoderms and arthropods, are some of the most biodiverse and ecologically important animal groups. Understanding the relative impac...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
May 30, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Super happy to see this out! Ever wondered what regulates taphonomic quality in skeletal fossil records? New with @princessquatris.bsky.social , Tim Ewin, and Maddy Ford we identify the controls on preservational quality in Palaeozoic echinoids onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
🚨🚨🚨!Post doc opportunity! 🚨🚨🚨
35 month post doc on niche modelling of migratory whales in my lab with Katrina Jones. Job advert below:
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Please get in touch with questions!
35 month post doc on niche modelling of migratory whales in my lab with Katrina Jones. Job advert below:
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Please get in touch with questions!
May 29, 2025 at 12:06 AM
🚨🚨🚨!Post doc opportunity! 🚨🚨🚨
35 month post doc on niche modelling of migratory whales in my lab with Katrina Jones. Job advert below:
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Please get in touch with questions!
35 month post doc on niche modelling of migratory whales in my lab with Katrina Jones. Job advert below:
my.corehr.com/pls/uoxrecru...
Please get in touch with questions!
Just under two weeks left to apply for this 3 year postdoc looking at how signalling shapes skeletal development in sea urchins! Please reach out if you’re interested! For lovers of imaging, skeletal development, biomineralization, in situ hybridization, and marine invertebrates!
Interested in Developmental biology? Imaging? Marine invertebrate body plans? Then this three year postdoc in my group @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social is for you! Join our team to decypher how signalling molecules shape skeletal phenotype in juvenile sea urchins. jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
May 22, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Just under two weeks left to apply for this 3 year postdoc looking at how signalling shapes skeletal development in sea urchins! Please reach out if you’re interested! For lovers of imaging, skeletal development, biomineralization, in situ hybridization, and marine invertebrates!
Interested in Developmental biology? Imaging? Marine invertebrate body plans? Then this three year postdoc in my group @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social is for you! Join our team to decypher how signalling molecules shape skeletal phenotype in juvenile sea urchins. jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
May 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Interested in Developmental biology? Imaging? Marine invertebrate body plans? Then this three year postdoc in my group @sotonbiosciences.bsky.social is for you! Join our team to decypher how signalling molecules shape skeletal phenotype in juvenile sea urchins. jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
CEE Spring Symposium 2025, "Evo Devo Palaeo: Using developmental biology to interpret evolution and palaeontology, and vice versa."
April 22, 2025 at 5:18 AM
CEE Spring Symposium 2025, "Evo Devo Palaeo: Using developmental biology to interpret evolution and palaeontology, and vice versa."
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Lovely day in the field at Culver Cliff (Isle of Wight) with @echinerd.bsky.social and PhD student Chia-Hsin Hsu. We looked at the beautifully bedded Cenomanian-Turonian #chalk, finding plenty of echinoderms, bivalves, serpulids and even a nice nautilid!
April 9, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Lovely day in the field at Culver Cliff (Isle of Wight) with @echinerd.bsky.social and PhD student Chia-Hsin Hsu. We looked at the beautifully bedded Cenomanian-Turonian #chalk, finding plenty of echinoderms, bivalves, serpulids and even a nice nautilid!
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
🚨 I'm super happy to announce that our new paper is finally out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social! 🚨
We used the ecological approach of occupancy modelling to investigate the structure of the dinosaur fossil record prior to the K/Pg mass extinction!
www.cell.com/current-biol...
We used the ecological approach of occupancy modelling to investigate the structure of the dinosaur fossil record prior to the K/Pg mass extinction!
www.cell.com/current-biol...
The structure of the end-Cretaceous dinosaur fossil record in North America
Dean et al. examine the fossil record of North American dinosaurs prior to the end-Cretaceous
mass extinction. Estimates of detection probability from occupancy models decrease
prior to the extinction...
www.cell.com
April 8, 2025 at 3:34 PM
🚨 I'm super happy to announce that our new paper is finally out today in @currentbiology.bsky.social! 🚨
We used the ecological approach of occupancy modelling to investigate the structure of the dinosaur fossil record prior to the K/Pg mass extinction!
www.cell.com/current-biol...
We used the ecological approach of occupancy modelling to investigate the structure of the dinosaur fossil record prior to the K/Pg mass extinction!
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Very pleased to have co-edited the latest version of Elements Magazine (www.elementsmagazine.org) "Biomineral Geochemistry" with @amoeba-lab.bsky.social and Ros Rickaby. Topics range from controls on CaCO3 polymorph to the role of amorphous intermediate phases and "vital effects". 🧪🌊🪸⚒️
April 1, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Very pleased to have co-edited the latest version of Elements Magazine (www.elementsmagazine.org) "Biomineral Geochemistry" with @amoeba-lab.bsky.social and Ros Rickaby. Topics range from controls on CaCO3 polymorph to the role of amorphous intermediate phases and "vital effects". 🧪🌊🪸⚒️
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Today in the Amoeba lab - an initial step on our path to building a new dedicated foraminifera culturing facility. Here are our first images of live foraminifera!
March 26, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Today in the Amoeba lab - an initial step on our path to building a new dedicated foraminifera culturing facility. Here are our first images of live foraminifera!
Like morphometrics, micro-CT scanning, and morphological evolution? Then please consider applying for our 18 month postdoc position at the university of Southampton! Details here: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMF402/r...
March 12, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Like morphometrics, micro-CT scanning, and morphological evolution? Then please consider applying for our 18 month postdoc position at the university of Southampton! Details here: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DMF402/r...
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
New preprint out with @echinerd.bsky.social et al. on total-evidence dating showcasing:
1) Sea urchins (the best clade)
2) Lyrics by Peter Gabriel-era Genesis (the best prog band)
3) Extreme effect of the type of relaxed clock on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences (a bit scary honestly)
1) Sea urchins (the best clade)
2) Lyrics by Peter Gabriel-era Genesis (the best prog band)
3) Extreme effect of the type of relaxed clock on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences (a bit scary honestly)
But the clock, tick-tock: the preeminence of relaxed clock models in total-evidence dated phylogenetics https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.28.640870v1
March 7, 2025 at 5:40 PM
New preprint out with @echinerd.bsky.social et al. on total-evidence dating showcasing:
1) Sea urchins (the best clade)
2) Lyrics by Peter Gabriel-era Genesis (the best prog band)
3) Extreme effect of the type of relaxed clock on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences (a bit scary honestly)
1) Sea urchins (the best clade)
2) Lyrics by Peter Gabriel-era Genesis (the best prog band)
3) Extreme effect of the type of relaxed clock on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences (a bit scary honestly)
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Very excited to use my first @bsky.app post to announce @echinerd.bsky.social and I's new paper in Proc B! 🎉
We used a dataset of Palaeozoic echinoids from 33 museums worldwide to see the impact museum ‘dark data’ has on biogeographic and evolutionary patterns in deep time!
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
We used a dataset of Palaeozoic echinoids from 33 museums worldwide to see the impact museum ‘dark data’ has on biogeographic and evolutionary patterns in deep time!
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Museum ‘dark data’ show variable impacts on deep-time biogeographic and evolutionary history | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
The age of digitally accessible datasets has transformed palaeontology, enabling previously
impossible macroevolutionary insights. However, a substantial reservoir of generally
inaccessible ‘dark data...
royalsocietypublishing.org
February 26, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Very excited to use my first @bsky.app post to announce @echinerd.bsky.social and I's new paper in Proc B! 🎉
We used a dataset of Palaeozoic echinoids from 33 museums worldwide to see the impact museum ‘dark data’ has on biogeographic and evolutionary patterns in deep time!
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
We used a dataset of Palaeozoic echinoids from 33 museums worldwide to see the impact museum ‘dark data’ has on biogeographic and evolutionary patterns in deep time!
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
For #FossilFriday, I'm delighted to share this amazing new specimen donated to the NHM. The slab preserves over 100 specimens of the Middle Jurassic crinoid Isocrinus nicoleti. This is the subject of ongoing research with Tim Ewin, Ebony Cutcliffe, @egmitchell.bsky.social & @echinerd.bsky.social .
December 6, 2024 at 1:09 PM
For #FossilFriday, I'm delighted to share this amazing new specimen donated to the NHM. The slab preserves over 100 specimens of the Middle Jurassic crinoid Isocrinus nicoleti. This is the subject of ongoing research with Tim Ewin, Ebony Cutcliffe, @egmitchell.bsky.social & @echinerd.bsky.social .
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
Job alert! Director of Oxford University Museum of Natural History: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DKV017/d...
Director of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History at University of Oxford
Recruiting now: Director of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History on jobs.ac.uk. Click for details and explore more academic job opportunities on the top job board
www.jobs.ac.uk
November 27, 2024 at 6:28 PM
Job alert! Director of Oxford University Museum of Natural History: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DKV017/d...
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
For #FossilFriday, here is a quick volume rendering of a 450-million-year-old fossil starfish from the Lady Burn Starfish Beds of Girvan, Scotland. Scanned by @agneselanzetti.bsky.social at the Natural History Museum.
November 22, 2024 at 8:20 AM
For #FossilFriday, here is a quick volume rendering of a 450-million-year-old fossil starfish from the Lady Burn Starfish Beds of Girvan, Scotland. Scanned by @agneselanzetti.bsky.social at the Natural History Museum.
Reposted by Jeff Thompson
My PhD student Jake Kleboe is not only an awesome Raman wrangler but he also regularly bakes to raise money for Movember. Today he is going to bake 200 loaves of banana bread in 24 hours! Live stream starts at 10am UK m.twitch.tv/kleboes_kitc... please donate here: uk.movember.com/mospace/1337...
November 16, 2024 at 9:35 AM
My PhD student Jake Kleboe is not only an awesome Raman wrangler but he also regularly bakes to raise money for Movember. Today he is going to bake 200 loaves of banana bread in 24 hours! Live stream starts at 10am UK m.twitch.tv/kleboes_kitc... please donate here: uk.movember.com/mospace/1337...