Clint Boyd
@boydpaleo.bsky.social
Vertebrate Paleontologist. Curator of the North Dakota State Fossil Collection. Leading the #DinoMummy Research Group. All opinions are my own. He/Him/His.
The deadline for submitting abstracts & workshop proposals for the 2026 AMMP meeting is Sunday Nov 23rd.
The 2026 meeting is hosted by the North Dakota Geological Survey in Bismark, ND. Our symposium will be: Defining “Best Practices”.
paleomethods.org/Symposium
paleomethods.org/Annual-Meeting
The 2026 meeting is hosted by the North Dakota Geological Survey in Bismark, ND. Our symposium will be: Defining “Best Practices”.
paleomethods.org/Symposium
paleomethods.org/Annual-Meeting
November 20, 2025 at 5:10 AM
The deadline for submitting abstracts & workshop proposals for the 2026 AMMP meeting is Sunday Nov 23rd.
The 2026 meeting is hosted by the North Dakota Geological Survey in Bismark, ND. Our symposium will be: Defining “Best Practices”.
paleomethods.org/Symposium
paleomethods.org/Annual-Meeting
The 2026 meeting is hosted by the North Dakota Geological Survey in Bismark, ND. Our symposium will be: Defining “Best Practices”.
paleomethods.org/Symposium
paleomethods.org/Annual-Meeting
Out before dawn on a cool October morning. The NDGS Paleontology field season continues, now entering our sixth month this year.
October 2, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Out before dawn on a cool October morning. The NDGS Paleontology field season continues, now entering our sixth month this year.
Remember! Our open Paleontologist position [Field and Outreach Lead] closes Sunday, May 4th. Get your application in and come work with Jimmothy, our newest star specimen from the Pembina Gorge!
See this page for more details and linknto the application site: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
See this page for more details and linknto the application site: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
May 2, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Remember! Our open Paleontologist position [Field and Outreach Lead] closes Sunday, May 4th. Get your application in and come work with Jimmothy, our newest star specimen from the Pembina Gorge!
See this page for more details and linknto the application site: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
See this page for more details and linknto the application site: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
We are hiring a Paleontologist to join the @ndgspaleo.bsky.social team! We are looking for someone to lead our outreach efforts, including taking a leading role on our Public Fossil Digs each summer, and assist in the Johnsrud Fossil Preparation Lab.
To apply: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
To apply: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
April 7, 2025 at 5:16 PM
We are hiring a Paleontologist to join the @ndgspaleo.bsky.social team! We are looking for someone to lead our outreach efforts, including taking a leading role on our Public Fossil Digs each summer, and assist in the Johnsrud Fossil Preparation Lab.
To apply: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
To apply: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/ndgs/jobs
Since it is officially announced, it is time to spread the word:
The 2026 Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology annual meeting will be hosted by @ndgspaleo.bsky.social in Bismarck, North Dakota!
Mark your calendars for April 15-17th next Spring and join us for a great meeting!
The 2026 Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology annual meeting will be hosted by @ndgspaleo.bsky.social in Bismarck, North Dakota!
Mark your calendars for April 15-17th next Spring and join us for a great meeting!
April 4, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Since it is officially announced, it is time to spread the word:
The 2026 Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology annual meeting will be hosted by @ndgspaleo.bsky.social in Bismarck, North Dakota!
Mark your calendars for April 15-17th next Spring and join us for a great meeting!
The 2026 Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology annual meeting will be hosted by @ndgspaleo.bsky.social in Bismarck, North Dakota!
Mark your calendars for April 15-17th next Spring and join us for a great meeting!
Join our Public Fossil Digs this summer in North Dakota!
NDGSdigs2025.eventbrite.com
Registration opens Feb 1st, but if you want to be assured of getting a spot you can become a Dig Supporter donor and get access to early registration next week. More info here:
Ndpaleofriends.org/dig-supporters/
NDGSdigs2025.eventbrite.com
Registration opens Feb 1st, but if you want to be assured of getting a spot you can become a Dig Supporter donor and get access to early registration next week. More info here:
Ndpaleofriends.org/dig-supporters/
January 25, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Join our Public Fossil Digs this summer in North Dakota!
NDGSdigs2025.eventbrite.com
Registration opens Feb 1st, but if you want to be assured of getting a spot you can become a Dig Supporter donor and get access to early registration next week. More info here:
Ndpaleofriends.org/dig-supporters/
NDGSdigs2025.eventbrite.com
Registration opens Feb 1st, but if you want to be assured of getting a spot you can become a Dig Supporter donor and get access to early registration next week. More info here:
Ndpaleofriends.org/dig-supporters/
Back working on our review of North American leptictid taxonomy and systematics since Bill Korth is visiting. I hold three genera in the palm of my hand. Yes, sometimes #mammals are fun to work on.
November 19, 2024 at 10:31 PM
Back working on our review of North American leptictid taxonomy and systematics since Bill Korth is visiting. I hold three genera in the palm of my hand. Yes, sometimes #mammals are fun to work on.
Enjoy a nice jugal from the hadrosaurid Edmontosaurus we collected at our Hell Creek Formation public fossil dig site in North Dakota this past summer. Prepared by one of the volunteers @ndgspaleo.bsky.social.
November 17, 2024 at 4:23 AM
Enjoy a nice jugal from the hadrosaurid Edmontosaurus we collected at our Hell Creek Formation public fossil dig site in North Dakota this past summer. Prepared by one of the volunteers @ndgspaleo.bsky.social.
I do it wrong every...time...
If it makes you feel any better
If it makes you feel any better
November 16, 2024 at 9:29 PM
I do it wrong every...time...
If it makes you feel any better
If it makes you feel any better
The elemental map on the left shows concentrations of Ba, largely in two small barite grains. The map on the left is for the rare earth element Pr, showing dense concentrations in the same grains (but also wider scatter around). The tiny Barite grains are concentrating trace elements in the skin.
November 16, 2024 at 3:42 AM
The elemental map on the left shows concentrations of Ba, largely in two small barite grains. The map on the left is for the rare earth element Pr, showing dense concentrations in the same grains (but also wider scatter around). The tiny Barite grains are concentrating trace elements in the skin.
Hello beautifully formed Ilmenite grain [titanium iron oxide: FeTiO3]. Previous pXRF work we have done on Dakota's fossilized skin showed slightly elevated titanium values. These Ilmenite grains seem to be the source.
November 16, 2024 at 3:30 AM
Hello beautifully formed Ilmenite grain [titanium iron oxide: FeTiO3]. Previous pXRF work we have done on Dakota's fossilized skin showed slightly elevated titanium values. These Ilmenite grains seem to be the source.
Part of the work today is generating elemental maps to see what elements are present, especially which are concentrated in the fossil skin compared to the surrounding rock. In this image we see an area about 10 mm wide mapped for concentrations of phosphorous.
November 16, 2024 at 3:23 AM
Part of the work today is generating elemental maps to see what elements are present, especially which are concentrated in the fossil skin compared to the surrounding rock. In this image we see an area about 10 mm wide mapped for concentrations of phosphorous.
Time to take it for a spin! Here is a well-preserved section of skin. Lets see what its made of (literally).
November 15, 2024 at 7:29 PM
Time to take it for a spin! Here is a well-preserved section of skin. Lets see what its made of (literally).
Me (front, left) getting trained on how to use the system. Nice setup, very easy to use, even for a vertebrate paleontologist.
November 15, 2024 at 7:22 PM
Me (front, left) getting trained on how to use the system. Nice setup, very easy to use, even for a vertebrate paleontologist.
First specimen loaded, a section of very well preserved skin from the right elbow region. This should show us what some of the best preserved skin looks like in thin section. Is there any original structure?
November 15, 2024 at 7:12 PM
First specimen loaded, a section of very well preserved skin from the right elbow region. This should show us what some of the best preserved skin looks like in thin section. Is there any original structure?
Here is the machine we are using to unlock Dakota's secrets today.
November 15, 2024 at 7:07 PM
Here is the machine we are using to unlock Dakota's secrets today.
Sorry for the delay! Catching up on posting over a lunch break.
@mhouseholder.bsky.social and I set off early this morning to run some SEM-EDS analysis on thin sections of fossilized skin from Dakota the #dinomummy at NDSU in Fargo.
@mhouseholder.bsky.social and I set off early this morning to run some SEM-EDS analysis on thin sections of fossilized skin from Dakota the #dinomummy at NDSU in Fargo.
November 15, 2024 at 6:58 PM
Sorry for the delay! Catching up on posting over a lunch break.
@mhouseholder.bsky.social and I set off early this morning to run some SEM-EDS analysis on thin sections of fossilized skin from Dakota the #dinomummy at NDSU in Fargo.
@mhouseholder.bsky.social and I set off early this morning to run some SEM-EDS analysis on thin sections of fossilized skin from Dakota the #dinomummy at NDSU in Fargo.
Gonna SEM-EDS analyze some Dinomummy skin tomorrow. Should I live tweet the findings?
November 15, 2024 at 12:29 AM
Gonna SEM-EDS analyze some Dinomummy skin tomorrow. Should I live tweet the findings?
Our current collections assistant is leaving us this week and we are accepting applications to fill the position. This job also includes fieldwork (see the advertisement below for details). To learn more about our team and the work we do, visit our website: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/paleonto... .
November 10, 2024 at 1:26 AM
Our current collections assistant is leaving us this week and we are accepting applications to fill the position. This job also includes fieldwork (see the advertisement below for details). To learn more about our team and the work we do, visit our website: www.dmr.nd.gov/dmr/paleonto... .
We ( @uglyfossils.bsky.social ) are studying how fossils of dinosaurian natural mummies form. The pXRF allows us to non-destructively sample these rare specimens and collect extensive data on their composition, so we can learn the chemical pathway that preserves them. Paper in progress.
November 9, 2024 at 5:18 PM
We ( @uglyfossils.bsky.social ) are studying how fossils of dinosaurian natural mummies form. The pXRF allows us to non-destructively sample these rare specimens and collect extensive data on their composition, so we can learn the chemical pathway that preserves them. Paper in progress.
Hello Everyone! I am Clint, a vertebrate paleontologist studying how dinosaur 'mummies' fossilize and what they can teach us about how dinosaurs looked and lived. I also do a lot of descriptive taxonomic work, including recent papers naming the new early bear Eoarctos and the mosasaur Jormungandr.
November 9, 2024 at 4:32 PM
Hello Everyone! I am Clint, a vertebrate paleontologist studying how dinosaur 'mummies' fossilize and what they can teach us about how dinosaurs looked and lived. I also do a lot of descriptive taxonomic work, including recent papers naming the new early bear Eoarctos and the mosasaur Jormungandr.
I am really enjoying XRF work. Not a sentence I ever expected to say.
November 9, 2024 at 4:02 PM
I am really enjoying XRF work. Not a sentence I ever expected to say.
Look, there is only so much work I am going to put into collecting a fish. Ichthyodectes is my limit. Xiphactinus is just crazy big and I want nothing to do with it.
November 9, 2024 at 3:54 PM
Look, there is only so much work I am going to put into collecting a fish. Ichthyodectes is my limit. Xiphactinus is just crazy big and I want nothing to do with it.
Does Ichthyodectes count? Or is being in the same subfamily not close enough?
November 9, 2024 at 3:41 PM
Does Ichthyodectes count? Or is being in the same subfamily not close enough?