Robert Gay
@paleorob.bsky.social
Educator and paleontologist. Here for science communication. Personal account, all postings are my own and do not reflect the views of any employer.
Most recent pub:
https://giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.php/GIW/article/view/82
Most recent pub:
https://giw.utahgeology.org/giw/index.php/GIW/article/view/82
Reposted by Robert Gay
#2025SVP was a hit for Idaho and the IMNH, with a big showing for Peecook Lab members past and present! @garyonyx-mcgoy.bsky.social @slvrhwk.bsky.social @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social @paleorob.bsky.social
@idahostateucose.bsky.social
@idahostateucose.bsky.social
November 16, 2025 at 11:00 AM
#2025SVP was a hit for Idaho and the IMNH, with a big showing for Peecook Lab members past and present! @garyonyx-mcgoy.bsky.social @slvrhwk.bsky.social @zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social @paleorob.bsky.social
@idahostateucose.bsky.social
@idahostateucose.bsky.social
Reposted by Robert Gay
The posters are hung at the conference with care, in hopes that paleontologists soon would be there.
Last Poster Session starts this afternoon! Come find me and @paleorob.bsky.social side by side for all the weird and mysterious fossil goodness. #2025SVP
Last Poster Session starts this afternoon! Come find me and @paleorob.bsky.social side by side for all the weird and mysterious fossil goodness. #2025SVP
November 15, 2025 at 10:20 AM
The posters are hung at the conference with care, in hopes that paleontologists soon would be there.
Last Poster Session starts this afternoon! Come find me and @paleorob.bsky.social side by side for all the weird and mysterious fossil goodness. #2025SVP
Last Poster Session starts this afternoon! Come find me and @paleorob.bsky.social side by side for all the weird and mysterious fossil goodness. #2025SVP
Reposted by Robert Gay
JUST PUBLISHED!!!! A major azhdarchoid phylogeny paper coauthored with @skyemcdavid.com - the fruit of years of work - is now out in @journalsystpal.bsky.social! New clades, reconstruction of size evolution, and more. Full thread to come soon!
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Enter the dragons: the phylogeny of Azhdarchoidea (Pterosauria: Pterodactyloidea) and the evolution of giant size in pterosaurs
Azhdarchidae is a clade of pterosaurs which includes the largest-ever flying animals. The evolutionary history of this clade and its closest relatives remains incompletely understood and highly deb...
www.tandfonline.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:01 PM
JUST PUBLISHED!!!! A major azhdarchoid phylogeny paper coauthored with @skyemcdavid.com - the fruit of years of work - is now out in @journalsystpal.bsky.social! New clades, reconstruction of size evolution, and more. Full thread to come soon!
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Robert Gay
There will be many casualties from UChicago ending ('pausing') PhD admissions in Humantities, but one which I am keenly aware of: this is close to a death sentence for teaching cuneiform in the United States (esp. Sumerian, Hittite, Elamite, Eblaite, Luwian) and it will affect the whole world.
“Chicago has long helped to keep alive tiny fields & esoteric areas of humanistic study... Without the univ’s support, & the continued training of grad students who can keep these bodies of kn going, entire spheres of human learning might eventually blink out.” www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...
If the University of Chicago Won’t Defend the Humanities, Who Will?
Why it matters that the University of Chicago is pausing admissions to doctoral programs in literature, philosophy, the arts, and languages
www.theatlantic.com
August 27, 2025 at 2:02 PM
There will be many casualties from UChicago ending ('pausing') PhD admissions in Humantities, but one which I am keenly aware of: this is close to a death sentence for teaching cuneiform in the United States (esp. Sumerian, Hittite, Elamite, Eblaite, Luwian) and it will affect the whole world.
Reposted by Robert Gay
👋 Good-bye "Parareptilia"! Good-bye "Diapsida"! 👋
Since the advent of cladistics, reptiles have generally been split into 'eureptiles' and 'parareptiles'. This early dichotomy in the evolution of reptiles has implied long ghost lineages for numerous reptile groups, conflicting with more traditional hypotheses of reptile origins by Romer and Watson
August 28, 2025 at 1:35 PM
👋 Good-bye "Parareptilia"! Good-bye "Diapsida"! 👋
Very excited to see this finally out! Xavier and team have been working on this for years, and if you've been to SVP the last couple of years you've probably known this is coming. Substantially changing what we know about where reptiles come from.
It’s finally out!
Our work addressing the origins of reptiles is published in PCJ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
We use novel info gleaned from the scan data of dozens of stem reptiles to substantially revise our understanding of early reptile evolution #paleontology #herpetology
Our work addressing the origins of reptiles is published in PCJ! peercommunityjournal.org/articles/10....
We use novel info gleaned from the scan data of dozens of stem reptiles to substantially revise our understanding of early reptile evolution #paleontology #herpetology
August 28, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Very excited to see this finally out! Xavier and team have been working on this for years, and if you've been to SVP the last couple of years you've probably known this is coming. Substantially changing what we know about where reptiles come from.
"Manuscript accepted," is a nice way to round out #FossilFriday
August 15, 2025 at 11:26 PM
"Manuscript accepted," is a nice way to round out #FossilFriday
Reposted by Robert Gay
@museumoftherockies.bsky.social #DinosaursandMOR speaker schedule posted! Spread the word #paleontology people! @arctomet.bsky.social @dinochick.bsky.social @ladynaturalist.bsky.social @paleeoguy.bsky.social @jgn-paleo.bsky.social @drneurosaurus.bsky.social museumoftherockies.org/signature-ev...
March 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by Robert Gay
One of the amazing things about science is we will never run out of mysteries.
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
March 15, 2025 at 11:48 PM
One of the amazing things about science is we will never run out of mysteries.
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
Take "Naturwissenschaften (2003) 90:495–500", which performed a survey of 10,000 dinosaur fossils for evidence of tumors in the bone.
I was prepared for yes, no, but what I wasn't prepared for was:
"only in hadrosaurs."
Reposted by Robert Gay
Trump signed an executive order to dismantle seven federal agencies: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
March 15, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Trump signed an executive order to dismantle seven federal agencies: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
Reposted by Robert Gay
My first book, The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure, is out now! It’s illustrated by the amazing Nat Cardozo. Each page features embossed fossils you can touch.
Every fossil tells a story, and every scientist started out as a curious kid.
I can’t believe it’s finally here!
#fossilfriday #booksky
Every fossil tells a story, and every scientist started out as a curious kid.
I can’t believe it’s finally here!
#fossilfriday #booksky
March 7, 2025 at 4:15 PM
My first book, The Fossil Keeper’s Treasure, is out now! It’s illustrated by the amazing Nat Cardozo. Each page features embossed fossils you can touch.
Every fossil tells a story, and every scientist started out as a curious kid.
I can’t believe it’s finally here!
#fossilfriday #booksky
Every fossil tells a story, and every scientist started out as a curious kid.
I can’t believe it’s finally here!
#fossilfriday #booksky
If you see this QRP with your animal painting.
Not really a painting, but here's my most recent #dinosaur, something very much like Prenoceratops and based on photos of the mount of that animal. #IdahoPaleo
Not really a painting, but here's my most recent #dinosaur, something very much like Prenoceratops and based on photos of the mount of that animal. #IdahoPaleo
March 11, 2025 at 2:19 PM
If you see this QRP with your animal painting.
Not really a painting, but here's my most recent #dinosaur, something very much like Prenoceratops and based on photos of the mount of that animal. #IdahoPaleo
Not really a painting, but here's my most recent #dinosaur, something very much like Prenoceratops and based on photos of the mount of that animal. #IdahoPaleo
I support all of my colleagues who are standing up for science today across the US (and the world). I was one of the organizers for the March for Science in 2017 in western Colorado. The end outcome of that? I adopted a dog at the festival at the end of the march.
March 7, 2025 at 3:50 PM
I support all of my colleagues who are standing up for science today across the US (and the world). I was one of the organizers for the March for Science in 2017 in western Colorado. The end outcome of that? I adopted a dog at the festival at the end of the march.
Reposted by Robert Gay
Our description of Milleretta rubidgei, a 252 million-year old reptile, is out! academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
#Permian #Reptile #South Africa
#Permian #Reptile #South Africa
March 4, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Our description of Milleretta rubidgei, a 252 million-year old reptile, is out! academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/a...
#Permian #Reptile #South Africa
#Permian #Reptile #South Africa
Reposted by Robert Gay
Here is my reconstruction of Millereta rubidgei, an early #reptile from Late Permian South Africa. It has osteoderms on its head.
I was commissioned to do this recon for a redescription published yesterday! Congrats to @semifossorial.bsky.social and colleagues for such a cool paper!
#paleoart
I was commissioned to do this recon for a redescription published yesterday! Congrats to @semifossorial.bsky.social and colleagues for such a cool paper!
#paleoart
March 5, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Here is my reconstruction of Millereta rubidgei, an early #reptile from Late Permian South Africa. It has osteoderms on its head.
I was commissioned to do this recon for a redescription published yesterday! Congrats to @semifossorial.bsky.social and colleagues for such a cool paper!
#paleoart
I was commissioned to do this recon for a redescription published yesterday! Congrats to @semifossorial.bsky.social and colleagues for such a cool paper!
#paleoart
Reposted by Robert Gay
lol welp, Three Gorgonopsid Moon everyone! (mostly gorgonops torvus :) ) #sciart #coprolitepost #meme shirt available here jbh.threadless.com/designs/thre...
Been a minute since I've painted digitally! Krita isnt half bad :) Fun detour :) #permian #digitalart #krita
Been a minute since I've painted digitally! Krita isnt half bad :) Fun detour :) #permian #digitalart #krita
March 4, 2025 at 11:23 PM
lol welp, Three Gorgonopsid Moon everyone! (mostly gorgonops torvus :) ) #sciart #coprolitepost #meme shirt available here jbh.threadless.com/designs/thre...
Been a minute since I've painted digitally! Krita isnt half bad :) Fun detour :) #permian #digitalart #krita
Been a minute since I've painted digitally! Krita isnt half bad :) Fun detour :) #permian #digitalart #krita
Reposted by Robert Gay
If you're an REI member, you can vote to toss out the board that's endorsed Trump's candidate for Dept. of Interior and has worked to stop REI unions. Vote runs until May 2nd. Spread the word. vote.escvote.com/REI/
March 4, 2025 at 9:26 PM
If you're an REI member, you can vote to toss out the board that's endorsed Trump's candidate for Dept. of Interior and has worked to stop REI unions. Vote runs until May 2nd. Spread the word. vote.escvote.com/REI/
Reposted by Robert Gay
Are you a science- and paleo-obsessed 3D-artist? Come to Zurich and work with us for two years on the prototype for a mind-blowing mini-diorama that will eventually feature 650 million years of evolution! 🤗🌿🦕🐜🦀🧪 www.artstation.com/jobs/2X8m #SciArt #3D-modelling #3D-modeling #3D-printing
ArtStation - Digital Modeller/Editor at Natural History Museum of the University of Zurich
The Natural History Museum of the University of Zurich will be making the prototype of a 65-metre-long mini-diorama with thousands of miniature models of extinct organisms from the last 650 million ye...
www.artstation.com
March 3, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Are you a science- and paleo-obsessed 3D-artist? Come to Zurich and work with us for two years on the prototype for a mind-blowing mini-diorama that will eventually feature 650 million years of evolution! 🤗🌿🦕🐜🦀🧪 www.artstation.com/jobs/2X8m #SciArt #3D-modelling #3D-modeling #3D-printing
Reposted by Robert Gay
THE CROWDFUND FOR NEW EDGE SWORD & SORCERY 2025 IS LIVE
Three issues - a Sword & Planet special - a New Jirel of Joiry story...
The more re-posts this gets, the more bonus stories will be added to this year's issues!
Go here to learn more and back the magazine: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
Three issues - a Sword & Planet special - a New Jirel of Joiry story...
The more re-posts this gets, the more bonus stories will be added to this year's issues!
Go here to learn more and back the magazine: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
February 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
THE CROWDFUND FOR NEW EDGE SWORD & SORCERY 2025 IS LIVE
Three issues - a Sword & Planet special - a New Jirel of Joiry story...
The more re-posts this gets, the more bonus stories will be added to this year's issues!
Go here to learn more and back the magazine: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
Three issues - a Sword & Planet special - a New Jirel of Joiry story...
The more re-posts this gets, the more bonus stories will be added to this year's issues!
Go here to learn more and back the magazine: www.backerkit.com/c/projects/b...
Made a pulp-art #Oryctodromeus last weekend but decided to share it here now. A #dinosaur that lived up in the foothills 100 million years ago of what is now #Idaho and #Montana. Based on the new scan data from the #IMNH.
March 2, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Made a pulp-art #Oryctodromeus last weekend but decided to share it here now. A #dinosaur that lived up in the foothills 100 million years ago of what is now #Idaho and #Montana. Based on the new scan data from the #IMNH.
Very important to leave a comment on this during the remaining comment period (26 days left, according to the site).
March 1, 2025 at 10:24 PM
Very important to leave a comment on this during the remaining comment period (26 days left, according to the site).
Reposted by Robert Gay
New paper! Multi-year controlled #SciComm experiment finds that tweeting about published papers does NOT lead to an increase in citations of those papers. Led by @TrevorABranch
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292201
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292201
November 17, 2024 at 6:04 PM
New paper! Multi-year controlled #SciComm experiment finds that tweeting about published papers does NOT lead to an increase in citations of those papers. Led by @TrevorABranch
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292201
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0292201
Today's #FossilFriday is a #tyrannosaur femur from #Idaho! I'm holding a #3Dprint of the original in the case. I'm comparing the paint job one of my interns did to the actual fossil; getting pretty close!. This print, and others like it, will be used in education kits for kids across the state!
March 1, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Today's #FossilFriday is a #tyrannosaur femur from #Idaho! I'm holding a #3Dprint of the original in the case. I'm comparing the paint job one of my interns did to the actual fossil; getting pretty close!. This print, and others like it, will be used in education kits for kids across the state!
Reposted by Robert Gay
@zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social has been asking JVP for the last 4 weeks when this paper will be out as we have a press release ready and now it's already out. Great.
Have a new azhdarchid. :)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Have a new azhdarchid. :)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Infernodrakon hastacollis gen. et sp. nov., a new azhdarchid pterosaur from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, and the pterosaur diversity of Maastrichtian North America
A considerable number of azhdarchid pterosaur fossils have been recovered from Maastrichtian deposits of North America. Historically, most of these specimens have been referred to Quetzalcoatlus ba...
www.tandfonline.com
February 28, 2025 at 11:04 AM
@zhejiang0pterus.bsky.social has been asking JVP for the last 4 weeks when this paper will be out as we have a press release ready and now it's already out. Great.
Have a new azhdarchid. :)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Have a new azhdarchid. :)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....