Chris McKean
LightNews LightNews
banner
mcchris1993.bsky.social
Chris McKean
@mcchris1993.bsky.social
48 followers 54 following 3 posts
Precambrian palaeontologist and RA at the University of Essex | Adjusting to life back in the UK | Whisky fanatic and reluctant Essex Boy
Posts Replies Media Videos
mcchris1993.bsky.social
📣 Recently I was asked by @sciencenews.bsky.social to contribute to an article about our paper on 𝙇𝙮𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖 𝙟𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖, a newly described fossil organism that may be one of Earth’s earliest animals!
📰 www.sciencenews.org/article/eart...
What may be one of Earth’s earliest animals has a punk rock vibe
Squiggly markings like a punk rock hairdo led researchers to identify the remains as spongelike animals that may have lived around 560 million years ago.
www.sciencenews.org
October 23, 2025 at 1:36 PM
mcchris1993.bsky.social
A new Precambrian fossil named after punk rock legend Johnny Rotten, what's not to love?!?!
Check out our new paper for free here - palaeo-electronica.org/content/2025...
dmcediacaran.bsky.social Duncan McIlroy @dmcediacaran.bsky.social · Sep 16
In 1992 I visited the type material of #Blackbrookia in @charnwoodforest.bsky.social with my then PhD supervisor Martin Brasier and decided between us it wasn’t a body fossil but a microbial mat. In 2008 Blackbrookia was used to describe pimply structures from @discoverygeoparknl.bsky.social
Artwork (c) Duncan McIlroy showing Lydonia jiggamintia over growing another dead organism on a microbe covered seafloor. Lydonia is a yellow encrusting structure with yellow spikes on top (papillae). The (pinkish) organism is a fractal rangeomorph called Fractofusus.
September 18, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Reposted by Chris McKean
dmcediacaran.bsky.social
Today Dani (Pérez Pinedo) is defending his thesis. He already has a great haul of PhD papers in print. Good luck Dani!!
his open access papers are below if you are interested

doi.org/10.3390/life...

doi.org/10.1016/j.is...

doi.org/10.1017/pab....

doi.org/10.3389/fear...

doi.org/10.3389/fear...
Daniel Pérez-Pinedo inspired reconstruction of the modern of life of Charniodiscus concentricus. The curled windsock like frond seems to be a commonality of the genus, as opposed to the similar Arborea (including spinosa) which are flat and have a “backing sheet”
January 17, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Reposted by Chris McKean
charnwoodforest.bsky.social
Planning a trip abroad this year? Why not visit our Sister Geopark, Discovery Global Geopark in Canada🇨🇦! They have amazing geology, stunning coastal scenery, and the most welcoming communities ❤️

📽 Discover more in this video - part of the Beneath Your Feet series:
Beneath Your Feet – Discovery UNESCO Global Geopark
From ancient rock walls to one of the first animals that ever flexed its muscles – join us as we uncover how geology has shaped our communities and culture a...
buff.ly
January 16, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Chris McKean
richardjbutler.bsky.social
📣 Come work with us! Three year Research Associate position to work as part of Leverhulme Trust funded project collecting and studying amazing Jurassic mammal fossils from the Isle of Skye. PhD not necessary; CT segmentation skills essential. Contact me for details:

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLK473/r...
Example of Middle Jurassic mammal fossils from Skye, published by Elsa Panciroli et al. 2024. Cuillin Hills, the view from our field site on the Isle of Skye.
January 17, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Reposted by Chris McKean
dmcediacaran.bsky.social
Happy #FossilFriday from the #Ediacaran of #Newfoundland. We still have no snow here so with a traffic jam on the way to work i turned west to Inner Meadow to check on the site. The light was beautiful on this #Pectinifrons so… here you go!
The rangeomorph Pectinifrons from the Ediacaran at Inner Meadow, Newfoundland. The fossil is at a protected site on private land.
January 10, 2025 at 11:37 AM
Reposted by Chris McKean
richardjbutler.bsky.social
Last year myself, @kirstymedgar.bsky.social @dremmanicholls.bsky.social & @djemurdock.bsky.social led a huge week-long excavation of a truly remarkable dinosaur track site. We can now finally talk about it & it will be on Digging for Britain on the BBC next Wednesday! 🧵
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The Dewers Farm excavation co-leaders with Professor Alice Roberts from BBC Digging for Britain: Prof. Kirsty Edgar (University of Birmingham), Prof. Richard Butler (University of Birmingham), Dr Duncan Murdock (OUMNH, University of Oxford), Prof. Alice Roberts, Dr Emma Nicholls (OUMNH, University of Oxford). Sauropod dinosaur trackway in Oxfordshire. Image credit Professor Richard Butler (University of Birmingham). Theropod dinosaur track. Image credit Dr Emma Nicholls, OUMNH, University of Oxford. Drone image of the dinosaur track site. Credit: Professor Richard Butler (University of Birmingham).
January 2, 2025 at 1:04 PM
mcchris1993.bsky.social
I've returned to the motherland/mother county!
After 4.5 (ish) years at @memorialu.bsky.social I'm excited to share that I've taken on a RA role back in the UK in the School of Life Sciences at @universityofessex.bsky.social
December 19, 2024 at 1:44 PM