John Dawson
@dawsonpaleo.bsky.social
I teach Math, Earth & Environmental Science at a community college in Iowa. My interests include fossils, baseball, data science, and politics.
Reposted by John Dawson
Forgotten women of paleontology: Estella Bergere Leopold ⚒️🧪
paleonerdish.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/f...
paleonerdish.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/f...
Forgotten women of paleontology: Estella Bergere Leopold.
Paleoecological records suggest that the transition to agriculture marked a pivotal turning point in the environmental history of our planet. Tropical forests have been reduced by agricultural expa…
paleonerdish.wordpress.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:09 AM
Forgotten women of paleontology: Estella Bergere Leopold ⚒️🧪
paleonerdish.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/f...
paleonerdish.wordpress.com/2025/11/21/f...
Reposted by John Dawson
This baby pterosaur is no bigger than my thumb
July 14, 2025 at 1:17 PM
This baby pterosaur is no bigger than my thumb
Reposted by John Dawson
#FossilFriday Remarkable preservation of the brachidium which supported the lophophore in the brachiopod Spiriferina from the French Jurassic.
May 30, 2025 at 5:57 AM
#FossilFriday Remarkable preservation of the brachidium which supported the lophophore in the brachiopod Spiriferina from the French Jurassic.
Reposted by John Dawson
"Dude, that is so cool!" A group of hikers were left in awe when they spotted a Giant Pacific octopus in a tide pool near Bellingham, Washington!
They’re intelligent and adaptive creatures. It’s crucial we ensure their conservation and protect their habitats for future generations.
#Octopus 🐙
They’re intelligent and adaptive creatures. It’s crucial we ensure their conservation and protect their habitats for future generations.
#Octopus 🐙
March 8, 2025 at 1:04 AM
"Dude, that is so cool!" A group of hikers were left in awe when they spotted a Giant Pacific octopus in a tide pool near Bellingham, Washington!
They’re intelligent and adaptive creatures. It’s crucial we ensure their conservation and protect their habitats for future generations.
#Octopus 🐙
They’re intelligent and adaptive creatures. It’s crucial we ensure their conservation and protect their habitats for future generations.
#Octopus 🐙
Reposted by John Dawson
I'm currently at my godmother's baby shower and I still can't escape deep time. The building steps are made up of sandstone slabs completely full of trace fossils! These were once part of an ancient beach millions of years ago and Invertebrates burrowed into the sand. Not sure on age or province.
February 24, 2025 at 12:26 AM
I'm currently at my godmother's baby shower and I still can't escape deep time. The building steps are made up of sandstone slabs completely full of trace fossils! These were once part of an ancient beach millions of years ago and Invertebrates burrowed into the sand. Not sure on age or province.
Reposted by John Dawson
Here are more pictures I took of Ichnofossils I saw in the sandstone slabs that made up the steps at the baby shower venue I went to today. Many of these are cross-cutting one another. It must have been an active seabed. Some of these look like they were made by arthropods. Possibly trilobites.
February 24, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Here are more pictures I took of Ichnofossils I saw in the sandstone slabs that made up the steps at the baby shower venue I went to today. Many of these are cross-cutting one another. It must have been an active seabed. Some of these look like they were made by arthropods. Possibly trilobites.
Reposted by John Dawson
As the climate warms, the total land area affected by multiyear droughts has expanded by 50,000 square kilometers, or more than 12 million acres, each year since 1980.
Megadroughts Have Grown in Size and Scope - Eos
A new study maps and ranks the largest, longest-lasting, and most severe multiyear droughts from 1980 to 2018.
eos.org
February 9, 2025 at 2:40 PM
As the climate warms, the total land area affected by multiyear droughts has expanded by 50,000 square kilometers, or more than 12 million acres, each year since 1980.
Reposted by John Dawson
JOB: SEASONAL PALEONTOLOGIST
BADLANDS DINOSAUR MUSEUM
15wks, starting in mid-late May or early June 2025 (flexible). $19.07 / hr. Must be legally able to work in US. Applications close Feb 10th 2025.
Come work with us!
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/dick...
See listing & comments for details
BADLANDS DINOSAUR MUSEUM
15wks, starting in mid-late May or early June 2025 (flexible). $19.07 / hr. Must be legally able to work in US. Applications close Feb 10th 2025.
Come work with us!
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/dick...
See listing & comments for details
January 13, 2025 at 11:28 PM
JOB: SEASONAL PALEONTOLOGIST
BADLANDS DINOSAUR MUSEUM
15wks, starting in mid-late May or early June 2025 (flexible). $19.07 / hr. Must be legally able to work in US. Applications close Feb 10th 2025.
Come work with us!
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/dick...
See listing & comments for details
BADLANDS DINOSAUR MUSEUM
15wks, starting in mid-late May or early June 2025 (flexible). $19.07 / hr. Must be legally able to work in US. Applications close Feb 10th 2025.
Come work with us!
www.governmentjobs.com/careers/dick...
See listing & comments for details
Reposted by John Dawson
They did it!
"An international team of scientists announced they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet [...] to reach ice they say is at least 1.2 million years old."
So far scientific ocean drilling was the only way to go back in time further than 800ka!
apnews.com/article/anta...
"An international team of scientists announced they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet [...] to reach ice they say is at least 1.2 million years old."
So far scientific ocean drilling was the only way to go back in time further than 800ka!
apnews.com/article/anta...
Scientists drill nearly 2 miles down to pull 1.2 million-year-old ice core from Antarctic
An international team of scientists say they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet, penetrating nearly 2 miles to Antarctic bedrock to reach ice that's at least 1.2 million years old...
apnews.com
January 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM
They did it!
"An international team of scientists announced they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet [...] to reach ice they say is at least 1.2 million years old."
So far scientific ocean drilling was the only way to go back in time further than 800ka!
apnews.com/article/anta...
"An international team of scientists announced they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet [...] to reach ice they say is at least 1.2 million years old."
So far scientific ocean drilling was the only way to go back in time further than 800ka!
apnews.com/article/anta...
Reposted by John Dawson
Mitchell Ralphs bends over a portable XRF machine, which looks a little bit like a microscope but instead of the lens tube is a small box where you can put shards. He is writing notes down on a piece of paper.
Read more: https://buff.ly/3DBKkiS
Read more: https://buff.ly/3DBKkiS
January 7, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Mitchell Ralphs bends over a portable XRF machine, which looks a little bit like a microscope but instead of the lens tube is a small box where you can put shards. He is writing notes down on a piece of paper.
Read more: https://buff.ly/3DBKkiS
Read more: https://buff.ly/3DBKkiS
Reposted by John Dawson
January 7 is Old-Rock-Day 🪨 & you can't go older than with the Acasta Gneiss-a tonalite gneiss of the Slave craton, NWT/Canada. Dated at approximately 4.03 billion years with Earth being 4.543 billion years old
www.travelinggeologist.com/2014/10/acas...
www.travelinggeologist.com/2014/10/acas...
January 7, 2025 at 12:57 PM
January 7 is Old-Rock-Day 🪨 & you can't go older than with the Acasta Gneiss-a tonalite gneiss of the Slave craton, NWT/Canada. Dated at approximately 4.03 billion years with Earth being 4.543 billion years old
www.travelinggeologist.com/2014/10/acas...
www.travelinggeologist.com/2014/10/acas...
Reposted by John Dawson
What an exciting and relevant project😍!!
Deadline: 17 Jan
Deadline: 17 Jan
🔬 Exciting postdoc opportunity at @NHM_Denmark! Working on reconstructing ocean plastics history (1950s-70s) through sediments & foraminifera. 2-year position in geology dept. Deadline Jan 17!
Details: jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...
Please boost! 🌊 🔬
Details: jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabeli...
Please boost! 🌊 🔬
Postdoctoral researcher on ‘Unveiling the Ocean’s plastic time capsule"
jobportal.ku.dk
January 5, 2025 at 8:48 PM
What an exciting and relevant project😍!!
Deadline: 17 Jan
Deadline: 17 Jan
Reposted by John Dawson
Travel awards (up to $5,000) are available to support the study of collections in the United States National Herbarium. Applications are due on 15 January: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...
January 3, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Travel awards (up to $5,000) are available to support the study of collections in the United States National Herbarium. Applications are due on 15 January: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...
Reposted by John Dawson
Merychippus everyone 🎄🐎
December 24, 2024 at 8:45 AM
Merychippus everyone 🎄🐎
Happy #fossilfriday. Solitary scleractinian coral Asterosmilia from Caribbean Pleistocene.
December 20, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Happy #fossilfriday. Solitary scleractinian coral Asterosmilia from Caribbean Pleistocene.
Reposted by John Dawson
December 19, 1741, Danish explorer and officer in the Russian Navy Vitus Jonassen Bering passed away.
The Bering Strait and the ancient land of Beringia, exposed when sea levels were lower during the last glaciation, is named after him.
The Bering Strait and the ancient land of Beringia, exposed when sea levels were lower during the last glaciation, is named after him.
December 19, 2024 at 8:01 PM
December 19, 1741, Danish explorer and officer in the Russian Navy Vitus Jonassen Bering passed away.
The Bering Strait and the ancient land of Beringia, exposed when sea levels were lower during the last glaciation, is named after him.
The Bering Strait and the ancient land of Beringia, exposed when sea levels were lower during the last glaciation, is named after him.
Reposted by John Dawson
Looking for a last minute holiday gift for a deep-time loving friend in your life? Paleozoic Pals are the best - and super affordable! pri-gift-shop.myshopify.com/collections/... Consider making a donation to the incredible institution that makes these plushies possible - PRI-- www.priweb.org/donate
Plush
Paleozoic Pals™ Paleozoic Pals™ are the Paleontological Research Institution’s line of plush fossils. The Paleozoic is the era before dinosaurs, during which animal life first diversified in the seas,...
pri-gift-shop.myshopify.com
December 17, 2024 at 8:47 PM
Looking for a last minute holiday gift for a deep-time loving friend in your life? Paleozoic Pals are the best - and super affordable! pri-gift-shop.myshopify.com/collections/... Consider making a donation to the incredible institution that makes these plushies possible - PRI-- www.priweb.org/donate
Reposted by John Dawson
Due to a major financial shortfall, the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) in Ithaca, NY is in need of substantial support. If you're in a position to donate, I hope you will consider it (www.priweb.org/donate). 1/9
December 18, 2024 at 2:51 PM
Due to a major financial shortfall, the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) in Ithaca, NY is in need of substantial support. If you're in a position to donate, I hope you will consider it (www.priweb.org/donate). 1/9
Reposted by John Dawson
Are you a dog lover looking for a PhD? You're in luck, becuase we are advertising a BBSRC-funded project that combines evolution, morphology, and biomechanics, and actually helps #dogs live better lives! Check it out here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
BBSRC NWD CASE: Selective breeding, morphological and functional disparity in domestic dogs: implications for welfare and veterinary healthcare technologies at University of Liverpool on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - BBSRC NWD CASE: Selective breeding, morphological and functional disparity in domestic dogs: implications for welfare and veterinary healthcare technologies at University of Liverpool, l...
www.findaphd.com
December 17, 2024 at 3:38 PM
Are you a dog lover looking for a PhD? You're in luck, becuase we are advertising a BBSRC-funded project that combines evolution, morphology, and biomechanics, and actually helps #dogs live better lives! Check it out here: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by John Dawson
We've got a number of PhD projects up for grabs with competitive funding, but apply asap because they have Jan 13 and Jan 20 application deadlines!!
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Postgraduate research projects
www.bristol.ac.uk
December 13, 2024 at 5:16 PM
We've got a number of PhD projects up for grabs with competitive funding, but apply asap because they have Jan 13 and Jan 20 application deadlines!!
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Reposted by John Dawson
The dinosaur dance floor (a piece of it anyways).
A vast plateau by the side of a mountain preserves thousands of Triassic dinosaur footprints. Tait Berg, East Greenland July 1989.
🧪 #paleontology #dinosaurs
A vast plateau by the side of a mountain preserves thousands of Triassic dinosaur footprints. Tait Berg, East Greenland July 1989.
🧪 #paleontology #dinosaurs
December 12, 2024 at 7:06 PM
The dinosaur dance floor (a piece of it anyways).
A vast plateau by the side of a mountain preserves thousands of Triassic dinosaur footprints. Tait Berg, East Greenland July 1989.
🧪 #paleontology #dinosaurs
A vast plateau by the side of a mountain preserves thousands of Triassic dinosaur footprints. Tait Berg, East Greenland July 1989.
🧪 #paleontology #dinosaurs
Reposted by John Dawson
Awesome opportunity to conduct integrative research at a spectacular and absolutely beautiful field site!
Join our lab with this postdoc fund to research project on stratigraphy, paleontology, sedimentology and geochemistry of the end Ordovician. This theme is central to the development of Anticosti as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
December 6, 2024 at 6:58 PM
Awesome opportunity to conduct integrative research at a spectacular and absolutely beautiful field site!
Reposted by John Dawson
#FossilFriday an example of the large unicellular algae Tasminites from the early Jurassic black shales back home. This one is about 100 um across. The second image shows a close up where you can see the fine scale ornamentation #geology #paleontology
December 6, 2024 at 8:26 PM
#FossilFriday an example of the large unicellular algae Tasminites from the early Jurassic black shales back home. This one is about 100 um across. The second image shows a close up where you can see the fine scale ornamentation #geology #paleontology
Me too!
This hurts me so badly. IT HURTS.
Just because you can it doesn't mean you should.
December 4, 2024 at 8:20 PM
Me too!