Jack Geary Murphy
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jackgearymurphy.bsky.social
Jack Geary Murphy
@jackgearymurphy.bsky.social
Lecturer in Earth & Environment @upenn.bsky.social

Geochemist | Earth Historian | Returned Peace Corps Volunteer | Teacher | Father | Denizen of 🌍

Explore, observe, measure, model, learn, tell friends, repeat
Oof.
May 2, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
John McPhee’s “evenhandedness harks back to an era when reasonable people could disagree.“ Elizabeth Kolbert writes about McPhee’s piece “Encounters with the Archdruid,” a classic of environmental reporting.
Elizabeth Kolbert on John McPhee’s “Encounters with the Archdruid”
The nominal subject was the Sierra Club leader David Brower, but McPhee allowed a mining expert named Charles Park to share the stage.
www.newyorker.com
March 30, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Bioturbation: my kids’ daily mission to erase order from my house.
March 19, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Should universities take official positions on contested social and political issues? Or should they remain neutral? And if they stay neutral, does that mean they should stay silent? - I have a proposal.

shorturl.at/NPSXw
OPINION: Institutional Neutrality, Yes. Silence, No. | Jack Geary Murphy
Institutional Neutrality, Yes. Silence, No. Should universities take official positions on contested social and political issues? Or should they remain…
shorturl.at
March 11, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Philadelphia Stands up for Science and Democracy!
March 7, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Big shout out to Pele for the perfectly timed demonstration of hot spot volcanism—right when my Intro to the Earth System students were researching it for their igneous rocks problem set! Love when real-world events align with the classroom. Seems like you got my memo!

www.usgs.gov/media/videos...
March 4, 2025 — Videos of episode 12 of the Kīlauea summit eruption
Staff at the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory made observations of lava fountaining during episode 12 of the eruption in Halemaʻumaʻu, at Kīlauea summit. Both the north and south vents were active du...
www.usgs.gov
March 7, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
Opinion piece: Farms worldwide need access to commercial satellite data to enhance #SustainableDevelopment goals and research. In PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#SDGs #SmallholderFarm #ClimateChange #agriculture #LandUse #CropProductivity
February 25, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
We're excited to be a cohost for the Climate Storytellers' Summit on 4/10 with High Meadows Environmental Institute, @yaleclimatecomm.bsky.social, and My Climate Story! Interested in submitting a story? You have until 3/1 at 6pm ET.

web.sas.upenn.edu/pcssm/calend...
Climate Storytellers’ Summit
EVENT DESCRIPTION Join My Climate Story project, the Yale Program on Climate Communication, the Penn Center for Science, Sustainability, & the Media, and the High Meadows Environmental Institute f...
web.sas.upenn.edu
February 20, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
Tyranny requires your fear, your silence, and your compliance.

Democracy requires your courage.
February 20, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
For my first scientific post here, I want to talk about the Phanerozoic temperature record we published last Fall, which unfortunately has been making rounds in the climate denier circuit 👀 First though hopefully you can appreciate the beauty of this reconstruction ✨...
January 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
Excellent post
January 27, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Already photo of the year?
Could not have imagined a better visual of what’s to come this year than this photo right here…
January 2, 2025 at 2:27 AM
Oof
This Sagan warning from 1995 - so utterly spot-on…..
Some folks are pretty good seeing things coming.
December 19, 2024 at 1:51 PM
This is interesting, masks some progress being made in emission reduction in the US and EU. Far from sufficient, but it’s not the case that nothing has been done.
December 16, 2024 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
Last night was the official building dedication of our new home at @upenn.bsky.social! Thank you to Roy and Diana Vagelos, the entire Vagelos family and all the donors for your commitment to supporting energy research!

penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-va...
December 13, 2024 at 12:45 PM
Our first kiddo was born at the end of my PhD. With many local fam & friends, decided not to relocate for a postdoc - would’ve ended my acad career. Just then Jon Hawkings was hired at the local uni. I emailed him, and he put me on startup to help build his lab. Now, I’m teaching faculty there.
December 13, 2024 at 3:37 AM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
We can’t control the timing of things appearing on the NSF Earth Sciences website but finally the announcement, FAQ, and full solicitations for our realignment are out!
DCL: www.nsf.gov/pubs/2025/ns...
FAQ: www.nsf.gov/pubs/2025/ns...
All EAR programs: new.nsf.gov/geo/ear
Division of Earth Sciences (GEO/EAR)
Find out how the Division of Earth Sciences supports research, education and facilities that enable scientific advances in the earth sciences.
new.nsf.gov
December 12, 2024 at 6:52 PM
“It’s easy to be a humanist in good times, but to be a humanist in bitter times and bitter circumstances, that is truly a heroic act.” - David Brooks

shorturl.at/3GeiK
Opinion | David Brooks on Staying Humane in Inhumane Times (Published 2023)
The ancient wisdom of Athens and Jerusalem can help us survive these cruel and challenging times.
shorturl.at
December 12, 2024 at 3:31 PM
As a student, research staff, and teaching faculty, I value what universities provide society. As a parent of two, ‘saving for college’ feels impossible on an academic salary. Our society must ensure access to education in science, humanities, and critical thinking. These programs are essential.
More colleges offering free tuition to middle-class families
Schools are dipping into endowments and raising money to lure families earning upwards of six-figures
surl.li
December 12, 2024 at 1:05 PM
Anyone on here doing isotope measurements on a quad icpms? I’ve been working a bit on Li isotopes using a PerkinElmer NexION5000. Would love to chat.
December 10, 2024 at 9:40 PM
Reposted by Jack Geary Murphy
Fascinating paper on where 6000 global elites went to college. Billionaires, CEOs, heads of state, central bankers, etc.

In a word: Harvard.

Fully 10% of global elites went to Harvard. Elite US schools are over-represented (23% IvyPlus), but nobody comes close to Harvard.

🧵
December 6, 2024 at 7:10 PM