Bob Patalano
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robertpatalano.bsky.social
Bob Patalano
@robertpatalano.bsky.social
PhD in Archaeology. Biomarkers & early human paleoecology. Husband. Father x2. Lecturer, coordinator for environmental science & sustainability and climate action programs and sustainability liaison at Bryant University.

🔗 robertpatalano.squarespace.com
Reposted by Bob Patalano
November 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Analyses of fossils and ancient genomics reveal how early human populations bred less wolf-like companions, and might have traded them around the world.
🏺🐕
How ancient humans bred and traded the first domestic dogs
Analyses of fossils and ancient genomics reveal how early human populations bred less wolf-like companions, and might have traded them around the world.
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:22 PM
And here I am feeling guilty for forgetting to turn a light off.
OpenAI’s colossal AI data center targets would consume as much electricity as entire nation of India — 250GW target would require 30 million GPUs annually to ensure continuous operation, emit twice as...
How much more artificial intelligence can the planet take?
www.tomshardware.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
"To stay within the 1.5°C maximum threshold of global warming, Oxfam projects that the richest 1% and 0.1% would need to cut their per capita emissions by 97% and 99%, respectively, by 2030."

But sure, I'll turn my lights off for Earth Hour.
Climate Plunder: How a powerful few are locking the world into disaster - Oxfam Policy & Practice
Ahead of the major international climate conference COP30 in Belem, Brazil, new Oxfam research finds that the high-carbon lifestyles of the super-rich are blowing through the world’s remaining carbon ...
policy-practice.oxfam.org
November 12, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
AI has not made the jump to reasoning, but it has made the jump to business. For all of my life, researchers and philosophers have studied AI, but they are no longer the experts that governments pay attention to. Now it's the people asking for money that are deemed experts
"The commission’s response was not filled with references to the scientific literature. Instead, the Commission referred to the essays and books by tech CEOs."

Unglaublich. Wirklich unfassbar. Politik, die auf Lobby-Bullshit basiert, und dabei Grundrechte rasiert.
November 11, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Interesting new read by @elizkolbert.bsky.social in the New Yorker about the ongoing #COP30
Governments and Billionaires Retreat Ahead of COP30 Climate Talks
Worldwide, every other week seems to bring a new climate-related crisis. Increasingly, the response has seemed to be a dulled acceptance.
www.newyorker.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
I know this is shared often, but this scene from the Simpsons is as relevant today as it was 31 years ago.
November 10, 2025 at 12:16 PM
It’s baffling that people still believe calling their senators will make any difference whatsoever.
November 10, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
Maybe important to note it was the disruption in air travel that Democrats couldn't stand and not, you know, 40+ million people not knowing where their next meal was coming from.
November 10, 2025 at 1:13 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
TAKEN AT HER COURT HEARING. To all those Americans deceiving themselves that ICE is only going after rapists and murderers, another reminder that’s a lie. They are targeting folks doing the right thing, because it is easier and otherwise they don’t have enough people to arrest. Wake up now.
November 7, 2025 at 8:22 AM
Just taught/presented this to my Intro to Environmental Sustainability class yesterday.

1,000,000 square kilometres (390,000 sq mi) of the approximately 4,500,000 square kilometres (1,700,000 sq mi) that makes up the Clarion–Clipperton zone is claimed for deep sea mining…
This study by my colleagues at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa shows that deep sea mining waste to be released near the ocean surface would disrupt marine food webs.

The same would be true of grinding and spreading rocks in the ocean for CO₂ removal. 🌊
Deep-sea mining discharge can disrupt midwater food webs - Nature Communications
Deep-sea mining in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone may release waste into midwaters that support diverse marine life. This study finds such discharges could dilute key food particles and disrupt trophic l...
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:16 PM
No way Colossus didn’t just go get another dog that looks just like Brady’s deceased pet
Tom Brady Cloned His Dog. How He Did it and How Much it Cost
The Fox Sports broadcaster revealed that his dog, Junie, is a clone of a previous beloved family dog.
www.today.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
A fun question. In 5 years time, what looks better? The US’s enormous bet & capex on AI? Or China’s equally enormous bet and capex on renewables?
China has made cheap, clean energy available in huge quantities. The world should take the win econ.st/4oqFszB

Photo: Eyevine
November 7, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Internet is shut down in Tanzania. Haven’t heard from friends in a few days. Hoping for the best.
Tanzania election: Hundreds feared dead in crackdown on protests
A diplomatic source tells the BBC there is credible evidence that at least 500 people have been killed.
www.bbc.com
November 2, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
“Individuals on the ground sent a message that reached us Monday morning that 1,200 were dead,” Nathaniel Raymond, the lab’s executive director, said. “By that evening, they said 10,000. By Tuesday, we couldn’t reach them anymore. We assume our ground contacts are dead.”
Yale lab reports mass killings in Sudan, calls for student activism
The Humanitarian Research Lab was told this week that over 10,000 people in Sudan were killed within three days.
yaledailynews.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:02 PM
I love this thread. It reminds me of how science twitter used to be (and shows BlueSky’s potential) 🧪
So, I hate to be this guy, but as the director of Yale’s new program on attribution science (!?), uh, most of the commentary on Bluesky about Hurricane Melissa and climate change has been… not quite right
October 31, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Border bill guts the Wilderness Act allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to build roads, land aircraft, and install surveillance technology across America’s entire 112 million-acre National Wilderness Preservation System.
Senator Mike Lee’s Border Bill guts the Wilderness Act, potentially impacting all Wilderness areas in the U.S.
Bill would open entire Wilderness System to road construction, motor vehicles, aircraft landings, and deployment of tactical infrastructure, including video surveillance systems and motion sensors
open.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
Once again urging archaeologists to critically assess the AI push into archaeology. There is a huge swath of problematic ethical issues that come with the AI tech & tech lords & we don't have to make it easier for them to insert themselves in archaeology by welcoming them in. Don't be complicit.
🏺
October 29, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
This is what corporations should be doing to face this moment!! 🤝

Door Dash now we just need you to pay employees their fair share.
October 27, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Love this from Mass.gov. Rightfully pointing out that SNAP benefits are being cut because of the One Big Beautiful Bill.
October 28, 2025 at 1:38 AM
Reposted by Bob Patalano
Oh Bari Weiss is just Ms Rachel’s Wario
October 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
“…it’s important to be aware that the top 10 percent of households own 87 percent of equities, while the bottom half own almost no stock at all and gain nothing from a rising market.”

Once the AI bubble pops, the crash is going to be severe.
The U.S. Economy is in Worse Shape Than it Looks
No recession so far, but the no-hiring economy is hurting workers
open.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 6:46 PM