Griffin Lab
@griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social
Origin of major clades, ontogeny & evolution of form, evo+devo+paleo — Dept of Geosciences at Princeton University
Pinned
www.science.org
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
🚨 Hot off the press: Our look into of the palaeontological database landscape and its sustainability into the future.
Palaeo databases are invaluable and continue to transform our research field - but they are vulnerable... (1/6) 🧪 ⛏️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Palaeo databases are invaluable and continue to transform our research field - but they are vulnerable... (1/6) 🧪 ⛏️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The billion-dollar case for sustaining palaeontology’s digital databases - Nature Ecology & Evolution
The authors survey community palaeontological databases, documenting their contributions to science as well as their vulnerabilities, and provide recommendations for the future of open science databas...
www.nature.com
February 11, 2026 at 2:10 PM
🚨 Hot off the press: Our look into of the palaeontological database landscape and its sustainability into the future.
Palaeo databases are invaluable and continue to transform our research field - but they are vulnerable... (1/6) 🧪 ⛏️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Palaeo databases are invaluable and continue to transform our research field - but they are vulnerable... (1/6) 🧪 ⛏️
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
In bird embryology you occasionally get an unfertilized “dud” egg. @lnwilson.bsky.social, not wanting her emu eggs to go to waste, used a dud egg to make a beautiful cake for the lab!
February 5, 2026 at 9:04 PM
In bird embryology you occasionally get an unfertilized “dud” egg. @lnwilson.bsky.social, not wanting her emu eggs to go to waste, used a dud egg to make a beautiful cake for the lab!
Reposted by Griffin Lab
For your delight and amusement, here are some dinosaur gastroliths, underneath the ribs of an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph from Zimbabwe 🦖🇿🇼
January 26, 2026 at 7:07 AM
For your delight and amusement, here are some dinosaur gastroliths, underneath the ribs of an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph from Zimbabwe 🦖🇿🇼
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Not a big baby! My commentary in @science.org about the latest Nanotyrannus research. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Not a big baby
Multipronged approaches resolve the debate about the Nanotyrannus fossil species
www.science.org
January 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Not a big baby! My commentary in @science.org about the latest Nanotyrannus research. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Why does life explore so few of the forms it could possibly take? Using fractal descriptors, this #scienceadvances paper shows that Earth’s biosphere clusters around simple shapes, reflecting deep evolutionary constraints. @artemyte.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
January 11, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Why does life explore so few of the forms it could possibly take? Using fractal descriptors, this #scienceadvances paper shows that Earth’s biosphere clusters around simple shapes, reflecting deep evolutionary constraints. @artemyte.bsky.social @manlius.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Our lab is growing: we will have openings for student and staff positions throughout the year. Please visit edwards-lab.org for the most up to date job positions. I am excited to work with the department and looking forward to the months ahead!
a man wearing a beanie and a black jacket is smiling and holding a piece of food .
ALT: a man wearing a beanie and a black jacket is smiling and holding a piece of food .
media.tenor.com
January 7, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Our lab is growing: we will have openings for student and staff positions throughout the year. Please visit edwards-lab.org for the most up to date job positions. I am excited to work with the department and looking forward to the months ahead!
Reposted by Griffin Lab
A few new papers out recently that I'm excited to share with you!
First: How well could stem reptiles hear?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
First: How well could stem reptiles hear?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Evidence for high-frequency hearing in a Permian stem reptile - Nature Communications
Hearing evolved in most amniotes by the late Permian, but its origins in reptiles remain poorly understood. Here, using biomechanical and morphometric analyses, the authors show that high frequency hearing likely had evolved in reptiles by the late Permian.
www.nature.com
December 22, 2025 at 2:08 PM
A few new papers out recently that I'm excited to share with you!
First: How well could stem reptiles hear?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
First: How well could stem reptiles hear?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Another cool paper, glad to see it finally out:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Figuring out the range of error that exists, & factors influencing offsets, between growth marks and ontogenetic age remains a challenge for estimating growth curves from bone histo data.
More work like this is needed.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Figuring out the range of error that exists, & factors influencing offsets, between growth marks and ontogenetic age remains a challenge for estimating growth curves from bone histo data.
More work like this is needed.
Stochastic growth marks in Crocodylus niloticus - Scientific Reports
Skeletochronology combined with growth curve reconstruction is routinely used to assess the age and growth dynamics of extinct and extant vertebrates. Here we performed in vivo labelling studies of th...
www.nature.com
December 20, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Another cool paper, glad to see it finally out:
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Figuring out the range of error that exists, & factors influencing offsets, between growth marks and ontogenetic age remains a challenge for estimating growth curves from bone histo data.
More work like this is needed.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Figuring out the range of error that exists, & factors influencing offsets, between growth marks and ontogenetic age remains a challenge for estimating growth curves from bone histo data.
More work like this is needed.
The Vertebrate Paleontology students did a great job 3D printing and painting skulls—look at that homology!
December 12, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The Vertebrate Paleontology students did a great job 3D printing and painting skulls—look at that homology!
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The discovery that Nanotyrannus is a distinct species from the T-rex indicates complex food web and interspecies interactions in the Dinosaur world. This research was funded by NSF post-doc grants, which were just archived, i.e., they're no longer available.
news.yale.edu/2025/12/04/t...
news.yale.edu/2025/12/04/t...
‘Teen’ rex no more: New study agrees Nanotyrannus is a separate species
A new study, based in part on samples from the Yale Peabody Museum, shows that a small dinosaur thought to be a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex was actually a distinct species.
news.yale.edu
December 8, 2025 at 4:08 PM
The discovery that Nanotyrannus is a distinct species from the T-rex indicates complex food web and interspecies interactions in the Dinosaur world. This research was funded by NSF post-doc grants, which were just archived, i.e., they're no longer available.
news.yale.edu/2025/12/04/t...
news.yale.edu/2025/12/04/t...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Congratulations to UMMP Associate Research Scientist Miriam Zelditch on the release of the third edition of the indispensable "Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists" (a.k.a. the green book)! #FossilFriday
December 6, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Congratulations to UMMP Associate Research Scientist Miriam Zelditch on the release of the third edition of the indispensable "Geometric Morphometrics for Biologists" (a.k.a. the green book)! #FossilFriday
Reposted by Griffin Lab
#FossilFriday The awesome new article in Science by
@griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social et al. adds more evidence for the validity of Nanotyrannus by showing that the hyoid bone in the holotype has adult bone histology. Here are some more images showing the ceratobranchial bone in place in the skull. 🦖
@griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social et al. adds more evidence for the validity of Nanotyrannus by showing that the hyoid bone in the holotype has adult bone histology. Here are some more images showing the ceratobranchial bone in place in the skull. 🦖
December 5, 2025 at 10:28 PM
#FossilFriday The awesome new article in Science by
@griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social et al. adds more evidence for the validity of Nanotyrannus by showing that the hyoid bone in the holotype has adult bone histology. Here are some more images showing the ceratobranchial bone in place in the skull. 🦖
@griffinlabpaleo.bsky.social et al. adds more evidence for the validity of Nanotyrannus by showing that the hyoid bone in the holotype has adult bone histology. Here are some more images showing the ceratobranchial bone in place in the skull. 🦖
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Development of the zebrafish retina captured on a light sheet microscope. Credit to @ichajaroslav.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
November 23, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Development of the zebrafish retina captured on a light sheet microscope. Credit to @ichajaroslav.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org
December 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
'Tis the season for graduate school applications, so here's a reminder that I'm recruiting! My lab uses a combination of fossils, statistical phylogenetics, fieldwork, & computational methods to study macroevolutionary dynamics in the marine biosphere. Check the link below & feel free to reach out
Link to website for info regarding the opportunity, requirements, and how to apply
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
December 2, 2025 at 8:11 PM
'Tis the season for graduate school applications, so here's a reminder that I'm recruiting! My lab uses a combination of fossils, statistical phylogenetics, fieldwork, & computational methods to study macroevolutionary dynamics in the marine biosphere. Check the link below & feel free to reach out
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Happy to be a part of this big project led by Mario Bronzati & Matteo Fabbri—out today #OA in @currentbiology.bsky.social
bit.ly/3M5weun —on the brain endocast of a close pterosaur cousin & what it means for pterosaur brain evolution...maybe different from bird brain evolution. 1/2
bit.ly/3M5weun —on the brain endocast of a close pterosaur cousin & what it means for pterosaur brain evolution...maybe different from bird brain evolution. 1/2
November 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Happy to be a part of this big project led by Mario Bronzati & Matteo Fabbri—out today #OA in @currentbiology.bsky.social
bit.ly/3M5weun —on the brain endocast of a close pterosaur cousin & what it means for pterosaur brain evolution...maybe different from bird brain evolution. 1/2
bit.ly/3M5weun —on the brain endocast of a close pterosaur cousin & what it means for pterosaur brain evolution...maybe different from bird brain evolution. 1/2
Reposted by Griffin Lab
The Nishikawa lab at Northern Arizona University and the NSF-funded Integrative Movement Sciences Institute are hiring a postdoc to help develop multiscale muscle models - please apply and share widely! careers.nau.edu/cw/en-us/job...
Postdoctoral Scholar - Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
Special Information
This position is an on-site position which requires the incumbent to complete their work primarily at an NAU site, campus, or facility with or without accommodation. Opportunities...
careers.nau.edu
November 20, 2025 at 11:11 PM
The Nishikawa lab at Northern Arizona University and the NSF-funded Integrative Movement Sciences Institute are hiring a postdoc to help develop multiscale muscle models - please apply and share widely! careers.nau.edu/cw/en-us/job...
Innovative and interesting work here by @caleb-m-gordon.bsky.social, so happy to be part of it!
Hey everyone! I’m excited to share that one of my thesis projects was just published in @currentbiology.bsky.social and featured on phys.org! In this paper, we use an old statistical approach developed by the US Navy in WW2 to predict the aquatic habits of various dinosaurs and marine reptiles 🦖🐊
November 20, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Innovative and interesting work here by @caleb-m-gordon.bsky.social, so happy to be part of it!
Reposted by Griffin Lab
New IJDB issue! Our cover image features an immunostaining of neural crest cells and their derivatives in an Mllt1 E10.5 murine embryo from the paper by Zinck et al doi.org/10.1387/ijdb... Congratulations to the team of @aineurolab.bsky.social for their outstanding contribution!
November 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
New IJDB issue! Our cover image features an immunostaining of neural crest cells and their derivatives in an Mllt1 E10.5 murine embryo from the paper by Zinck et al doi.org/10.1387/ijdb... Congratulations to the team of @aineurolab.bsky.social for their outstanding contribution!
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Join us in Sheffield! We are keen to support early career researchers in applying for independent research fellowships (IRFs) to join our friendly and collaborative environment, in areas related to developmental biology, stem cells and regenerative biology, and neuroscience.
November 12, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Join us in Sheffield! We are keen to support early career researchers in applying for independent research fellowships (IRFs) to join our friendly and collaborative environment, in areas related to developmental biology, stem cells and regenerative biology, and neuroscience.
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Our big squamate origins and early evolution review is now fully published as open access! with @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social and F. Burbrink
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Origin and Early Evolution of Squamates and Their Kin: From Fossils to Genomes
Squamates (lizards, including snakes) are the most diverse group of terrestrial vertebrates on Earth today and have an evolutionary history dating back to at least the Middle Triassic (ca. 242 Mya). D...
www.annualreviews.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Our big squamate origins and early evolution review is now fully published as open access! with @marcanthonytollis.bsky.social and F. Burbrink
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
Reposted by Griffin Lab
Flashback #FluorescenceFriday to some of the first light-sheet imaging we were doing. Video shows the collecting duct system of the developing kidney labeled with a pan-cytokeratin antibody. Courtesy of former talented technician Deanna Hardesty.
November 7, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Flashback #FluorescenceFriday to some of the first light-sheet imaging we were doing. Video shows the collecting duct system of the developing kidney labeled with a pan-cytokeratin antibody. Courtesy of former talented technician Deanna Hardesty.
Had a wonderful visit from collaborator Tatsuya Hirasawa from the U of Tokyo! We’ve been awarded a joint Princeton-Tokyo grant to exchange exciting new techniques in vertebrate evo-devo. Our visit to Japan will happen in March!
October 28, 2025 at 11:16 PM
Had a wonderful visit from collaborator Tatsuya Hirasawa from the U of Tokyo! We’ve been awarded a joint Princeton-Tokyo grant to exchange exciting new techniques in vertebrate evo-devo. Our visit to Japan will happen in March!
Opening a field jacket in the new prep lab! Preparator Jack Wilson will work his way through the matrix to the croc skull hiding inside
October 20, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Opening a field jacket in the new prep lab! Preparator Jack Wilson will work his way through the matrix to the croc skull hiding inside