Richard Dearden
@euphanerops.bsky.social
Fan of fossil fishes. Postdoc at University of Birmingham. Especially interested in using fossil and living taxa to understand the evolution of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. Also paint miniatures very slowly.
Pinned
Richard Dearden
@euphanerops.bsky.social
· Apr 30
New #OA paper in @royalsocietypublishing.org #RSOS: we use CT to describe a 3D shark from the Cretaceous Chalk, giving a rare skeletal perspective on shark evolution.
A bit of the backstory in 🧵below featuring
🦴 MYSTERY FOSSILS
🦈 CUTE SHARKS
🦷 CHALK DENTISTRY
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
(1/13)
A bit of the backstory in 🧵below featuring
🦴 MYSTERY FOSSILS
🦈 CUTE SHARKS
🦷 CHALK DENTISTRY
doi.org/10.1098/rsos...
(1/13)
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Attending #2025SVP #SVP2025? Interested in Palaeozoic fish and temnospondyls, dinosaurs old and new, sabre-tooth cats, biomechanics, biogeography, museum ethics, etc? Don't look any further, the Lautenschlager Lab got you covered - thanks to a lot of hard work by students, post-docs and colleagues!
November 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Richard Dearden
To mark the 85th SVP Meeting 2025, we've assembled an open access collection of landmark JSP vertebrate palaeontology papers.
Next, Friedman (2007) investigates 𝙎𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙩𝙝𝙮𝙨, the oldest known coelacanth — and early bony fish relationships buff.ly/EGlBuN3
#PaleoSky #FossilFish #CoelacanthChronicles
Next, Friedman (2007) investigates 𝙎𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙩𝙝𝙮𝙨, the oldest known coelacanth — and early bony fish relationships buff.ly/EGlBuN3
#PaleoSky #FossilFish #CoelacanthChronicles
November 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM
To mark the 85th SVP Meeting 2025, we've assembled an open access collection of landmark JSP vertebrate palaeontology papers.
Next, Friedman (2007) investigates 𝙎𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙩𝙝𝙮𝙨, the oldest known coelacanth — and early bony fish relationships buff.ly/EGlBuN3
#PaleoSky #FossilFish #CoelacanthChronicles
Next, Friedman (2007) investigates 𝙎𝙩𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙩𝙝𝙮𝙨, the oldest known coelacanth — and early bony fish relationships buff.ly/EGlBuN3
#PaleoSky #FossilFish #CoelacanthChronicles
Reposted by Richard Dearden
[2/2] and answer your questions — all in a relaxed, friendly format. 🙌
📅 Upcoming sessions:
🚀 Careering Off Course! — 12 Nov
🕠 The webinars start at 17:30 GMT on Zoom.
🔗 Register via the links below and join the conversation!
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
#research #earlycareerresearcher
📅 Upcoming sessions:
🚀 Careering Off Course! — 12 Nov
🕠 The webinars start at 17:30 GMT on Zoom.
🔗 Register via the links below and join the conversation!
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
#research #earlycareerresearcher
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Careering of course. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
We are excited to bring you our next ECR webinar series on careers in Palaeontology on Wednesday, November 12th, at 05:30 pm (GMT). This event is free of charge, but you will need to register.
Aim of...
us06web.zoom.us
November 7, 2025 at 10:51 AM
[2/2] and answer your questions — all in a relaxed, friendly format. 🙌
📅 Upcoming sessions:
🚀 Careering Off Course! — 12 Nov
🕠 The webinars start at 17:30 GMT on Zoom.
🔗 Register via the links below and join the conversation!
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
#research #earlycareerresearcher
📅 Upcoming sessions:
🚀 Careering Off Course! — 12 Nov
🕠 The webinars start at 17:30 GMT on Zoom.
🔗 Register via the links below and join the conversation!
us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
#research #earlycareerresearcher
Reposted by Richard Dearden
🎓 Member News! 🌟
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/2]
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/2]
November 7, 2025 at 10:48 AM
🎓 Member News! 🌟
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/2]
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/2]
Reposted by Richard Dearden
🚨New paper out in Palaeontology! Check it out if you're interested morphological evolution, fossil phylogenetics, and macroevolution 🧪
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data
Understanding the evolution and phylogenetic distribution of morphologic traits is fundamental to macroevolutionary research. Despite decades of major advances and key insights from molecular systema...
dx.doi.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:17 PM
🚨New paper out in Palaeontology! Check it out if you're interested morphological evolution, fossil phylogenetics, and macroevolution 🧪
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
"Assessing the impact of character evolution models on phylogenetic and macroevolutionary inferences from fossil data"
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Grab your snorkels and dive back in time with us - our new temporary #exhibition Feeding Without Jaws opens on Weds 12 Nov. The exhibition explores cutting-edge palaeontological research on the lives of unusual ancient fishes.
For more info: www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/feedi...
#LapworthRocks
For more info: www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/feedi...
#LapworthRocks
November 3, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Grab your snorkels and dive back in time with us - our new temporary #exhibition Feeding Without Jaws opens on Weds 12 Nov. The exhibition explores cutting-edge palaeontological research on the lives of unusual ancient fishes.
For more info: www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/feedi...
#LapworthRocks
For more info: www.birmingham.ac.uk/events/feedi...
#LapworthRocks
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Siccar Point is one of the most important geoheritage sites in the world; we think visitors deserve to hear why.
Help us install a Deep Time Trail - donate to the Crowdfunder now. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/siccar-point
youtu.be/OeHsVJiO9gE
Help us install a Deep Time Trail - donate to the Crowdfunder now. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/siccar-point
youtu.be/OeHsVJiO9gE
Help us build a Deep Time Trail at Siccar Point
YouTube video by Scottish Geology Trust
youtu.be
September 15, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Siccar Point is one of the most important geoheritage sites in the world; we think visitors deserve to hear why.
Help us install a Deep Time Trail - donate to the Crowdfunder now. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/siccar-point
youtu.be/OeHsVJiO9gE
Help us install a Deep Time Trail - donate to the Crowdfunder now. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/siccar-point
youtu.be/OeHsVJiO9gE
Reposted by Richard Dearden
🎓 Got a PhD opportunity to share? 🌍
We’d love to help spread the word! 💬
If you have an available PhD position in palaeontology or a related field, you can post it directly on our website using the link below: 👇
🔗 palass.org/form/webform...
#PhDOpportunity #Palaeontology #Research #Academia
We’d love to help spread the word! 💬
If you have an available PhD position in palaeontology or a related field, you can post it directly on our website using the link below: 👇
🔗 palass.org/form/webform...
#PhDOpportunity #Palaeontology #Research #Academia
October 27, 2025 at 11:12 AM
🎓 Got a PhD opportunity to share? 🌍
We’d love to help spread the word! 💬
If you have an available PhD position in palaeontology or a related field, you can post it directly on our website using the link below: 👇
🔗 palass.org/form/webform...
#PhDOpportunity #Palaeontology #Research #Academia
We’d love to help spread the word! 💬
If you have an available PhD position in palaeontology or a related field, you can post it directly on our website using the link below: 👇
🔗 palass.org/form/webform...
#PhDOpportunity #Palaeontology #Research #Academia
Reposted by Richard Dearden
happy #fossilfriday! this is panderodus, a jawless fish that lived between the middle ordovician and the late devonian. the species p. unicostatus was one of the few vertebrates of the silurian period to hunt large prey
(art by mightyfossils)
(art by mightyfossils)
October 24, 2025 at 2:16 PM
happy #fossilfriday! this is panderodus, a jawless fish that lived between the middle ordovician and the late devonian. the species p. unicostatus was one of the few vertebrates of the silurian period to hunt large prey
(art by mightyfossils)
(art by mightyfossils)
Reposted by Richard Dearden
🎓 Member News! 🌟
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher (ECR) webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/3]
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher (ECR) webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/3]
October 22, 2025 at 10:27 AM
🎓 Member News! 🌟
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher (ECR) webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/3]
We’re excited to announce a brand-new series of Early-Career Researcher (ECR) webinars all about careers and grants 💼💡
Our ERC Officer will be joined by inspiring grant awardees and professionals from diverse career paths who’ll share their experiences, tips, [1/3]
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Bacteria 🦠 🧫 play a crucial role in how animals become fossils!
Read about how decay experiments demonstrate that bacteria from the gut dominate the thanatomicrobiome (the internal microbiome of decay) and probably control fossilisation in our new paper!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Read about how decay experiments demonstrate that bacteria from the gut dominate the thanatomicrobiome (the internal microbiome of decay) and probably control fossilisation in our new paper!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The relationship between microbial community succession, decay, and anatomical character loss in non‐biomineralized animals
A fundamental assumption of hypothesis-driven decay experiments is that, during decay, the loss of anatomy follows a sequence broadly controlled by the intrinsic compositional properties of tissues. ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 15, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Bacteria 🦠 🧫 play a crucial role in how animals become fossils!
Read about how decay experiments demonstrate that bacteria from the gut dominate the thanatomicrobiome (the internal microbiome of decay) and probably control fossilisation in our new paper!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Read about how decay experiments demonstrate that bacteria from the gut dominate the thanatomicrobiome (the internal microbiome of decay) and probably control fossilisation in our new paper!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
JOBS JOBS JOBS! Stony Brook are advertising two assistant professorships in vertebrate palaeo/evolution, one focused on (in the words of the SVP programme) NOT DINOSAURS and the other on evolutionary neurology:
apply.interfolio.com/172502
apply.interfolio.com/172517
apply.interfolio.com/172502
apply.interfolio.com/172517
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:06 AM
JOBS JOBS JOBS! Stony Brook are advertising two assistant professorships in vertebrate palaeo/evolution, one focused on (in the words of the SVP programme) NOT DINOSAURS and the other on evolutionary neurology:
apply.interfolio.com/172502
apply.interfolio.com/172517
apply.interfolio.com/172502
apply.interfolio.com/172517
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Join us! We are hiring a new #curator at the #AMNH in #Vertebrate #Zoology careers.amnh.org/postings/4600 #academicjobs #tenuretrack
Assistant Curator, Vertebrate Zoology
The Division of Vertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an Assistant Curator in either the Department of Ornithology, Ichthyology, or Mammalogy to start on or after J...
careers.amnh.org
September 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Join us! We are hiring a new #curator at the #AMNH in #Vertebrate #Zoology careers.amnh.org/postings/4600 #academicjobs #tenuretrack
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Please help me get a job in a different country
If universities anywhere are hiring an Evolutionary Biologist/Paleontologist please let me know! I'm on the market for Tenure Track positions!!
You can find more about my research on fish evolution here: rtfigueroa.wixsite.com/my-site
You can find more about my research on fish evolution here: rtfigueroa.wixsite.com/my-site
September 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Please help me get a job in a different country
Living sharks have innumerable tiny scales, but their earliest relatives somehow grew larger bony plates. In our new Biology Letters @royalsocietypublishing.org, we work try and out how, arguing they grew by fusing and remodelling spines and scales.
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
September 25, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Living sharks have innumerable tiny scales, but their earliest relatives somehow grew larger bony plates. In our new Biology Letters @royalsocietypublishing.org, we work try and out how, arguing they grew by fusing and remodelling spines and scales.
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Job alert! jobs.open.ac.uk/job/Lecturer...
Lecturer in Earth Sciences
Lecturer in Earth Sciences
jobs.open.ac.uk
September 22, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Job alert! jobs.open.ac.uk/job/Lecturer...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Lecturer position advertised at Leeds, UK, working at the interface between ecology, microbiology and biogeochemistry closes 2nd October www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOR986/l...
Lecturer in Biosphere-Geosphere Interactions at University of Leeds
An opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in Biosphere-Geosphere Interactions is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openings.
www.jobs.ac.uk
September 19, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Lecturer position advertised at Leeds, UK, working at the interface between ecology, microbiology and biogeochemistry closes 2nd October www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOR986/l...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Check out the provisional programme for #SVP2025 #2025SVP - the Triassic symposium was so popular they are running it for the entire day!
vertpaleo.org/wp-content/u...
vertpaleo.org/wp-content/u...
vertpaleo.org
September 17, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Check out the provisional programme for #SVP2025 #2025SVP - the Triassic symposium was so popular they are running it for the entire day!
vertpaleo.org/wp-content/u...
vertpaleo.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Do you like cichlids? Fossils? Fossil cichlids? Would you like to study them as part of a graduate degree at the University of Michigan, joining an NSF-funded project? Get in touch.
September 12, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Do you like cichlids? Fossils? Fossil cichlids? Would you like to study them as part of a graduate degree at the University of Michigan, joining an NSF-funded project? Get in touch.
Reposted by Richard Dearden
It's #FossilFriday
Specimens of †𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧 in dorsal and ventral views (scale= 20 cm) with isolated teeth (scale= 2.5mm) from a JSP study by Eduardo Villalobos-Segura 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. (2025) on the iconic Mesozoic #shark genus 𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘴 🦈
Read the study: buff.ly/xw11JGo
#Fossils #PaleoSky
Specimens of †𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧 in dorsal and ventral views (scale= 20 cm) with isolated teeth (scale= 2.5mm) from a JSP study by Eduardo Villalobos-Segura 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. (2025) on the iconic Mesozoic #shark genus 𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘴 🦈
Read the study: buff.ly/xw11JGo
#Fossils #PaleoSky
September 12, 2025 at 7:01 AM
It's #FossilFriday
Specimens of †𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧 in dorsal and ventral views (scale= 20 cm) with isolated teeth (scale= 2.5mm) from a JSP study by Eduardo Villalobos-Segura 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. (2025) on the iconic Mesozoic #shark genus 𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘴 🦈
Read the study: buff.ly/xw11JGo
#Fossils #PaleoSky
Specimens of †𝘼𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙧 in dorsal and ventral views (scale= 20 cm) with isolated teeth (scale= 2.5mm) from a JSP study by Eduardo Villalobos-Segura 𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘭. (2025) on the iconic Mesozoic #shark genus 𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘴 🦈
Read the study: buff.ly/xw11JGo
#Fossils #PaleoSky
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Just woke up from a social media pause and the first thing I see is an incredible footage of a sperm whale casually cruising with a giant squid in its mouth ??
🦑 🌊 🌿
🦑 🌊 🌿
September 8, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Just woke up from a social media pause and the first thing I see is an incredible footage of a sperm whale casually cruising with a giant squid in its mouth ??
🦑 🌊 🌿
🦑 🌊 🌿
Reposted by Richard Dearden
New paper is officially out!
Ratfish have a second jaw on their foreheads - CT + histology show they’re real teeth, built from the same tissues and signals as oral teeth.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Ratfish have a second jaw on their foreheads - CT + histology show they’re real teeth, built from the same tissues and signals as oral teeth.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
This common fish has an uncommon feature: forehead teeth, used for mating
New findings call into question one of the core assumptions about teeth. Adult male spotted ratfish, a shark-like species native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, have rows of teeth on top of their heads,...
www.washington.edu
September 4, 2025 at 7:01 PM
New paper is officially out!
Ratfish have a second jaw on their foreheads - CT + histology show they’re real teeth, built from the same tissues and signals as oral teeth.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Ratfish have a second jaw on their foreheads - CT + histology show they’re real teeth, built from the same tissues and signals as oral teeth.
www.washington.edu/news/2025/09...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Huge thanks to @palaeopercs.bsky.social for inviting and hosting me! If you missed my talk on Tuesday, you can now catch up via their YouTube channel 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
September 4, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Huge thanks to @palaeopercs.bsky.social for inviting and hosting me! If you missed my talk on Tuesday, you can now catch up via their YouTube channel 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=x19X...
Reposted by Richard Dearden
Did you know we are one of two journals produced by the Natural History Museum London. We champion the importance of collections-based systematics and our papers cover fossil species from across the tree of life, substantially contributing to the systematics of extinct taxa. So, why publish with us?
September 4, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Did you know we are one of two journals produced by the Natural History Museum London. We champion the importance of collections-based systematics and our papers cover fossil species from across the tree of life, substantially contributing to the systematics of extinct taxa. So, why publish with us?