Derek D. Houston
@derekdhouston.bsky.social
Evolutionary Biology, Phylogeography, Ichthyology, Conservation Genetics, Community Ecology, Friend of Rough Fish
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
For #FossilFriday & in honor of @alinemghilardi.bsky.social & colleagues' fantastic discovery of a new Cretaceous pterosaur in Brazil in a dinosaur regurgitalite ("fossil vomit"), here's a diagram I made for my book 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (2014) showing the physics of a puking brachiosaur. 🧪🦕🤮🪨
November 14, 2025 at 1:14 PM
For #FossilFriday & in honor of @alinemghilardi.bsky.social & colleagues' fantastic discovery of a new Cretaceous pterosaur in Brazil in a dinosaur regurgitalite ("fossil vomit"), here's a diagram I made for my book 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (2014) showing the physics of a puking brachiosaur. 🧪🦕🤮🪨
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
November 14, 2025 at 5:16 PM
This has gotten surprisingly little attention — it's not even on the front page of @science.org right now — but it's really hard to describe what the SAFE Research Act would do to US science and scientists without sounding insane
www.science.org/content/arti...
www.science.org/content/arti...
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Because international student enrollment is so often used as a cudgel in discussions about immigration, this is a good time to remind people that international students aren't taking up spaces for US students at state schools, they are paying full tuition that FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR US STUDENTS.
November 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Because international student enrollment is so often used as a cudgel in discussions about immigration, this is a good time to remind people that international students aren't taking up spaces for US students at state schools, they are paying full tuition that FUNDS SCHOLARSHIPS FOR US STUDENTS.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
New paper on deep-sea fish diversity out now in @sse-evolution.bsky.social, with @cmartinez.bsky.social and @sarahtfried.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Distinct evolutionary signatures underlie body shape diversity across deep sea habitats
Abstract. The deep sea is known for extreme biological conditions such as high pressure, little-to-no solar light and cold temperatures. Despite these chal
academic.oup.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:09 PM
New paper on deep-sea fish diversity out now in @sse-evolution.bsky.social, with @cmartinez.bsky.social and @sarahtfried.bsky.social
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
I don't want to gloat TOO much about this accomplishment, but someone's all caught up on grading as of ten minutes ago
November 5, 2025 at 11:57 PM
I don't want to gloat TOO much about this accomplishment, but someone's all caught up on grading as of ten minutes ago
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Meet the Apalachicola redhorse, a newly described fish species.
Meet the Apalachicola Redhorse, a Newly Recognized Fish Species
For more than 50 years, the Apalachicola redhorse was a fish with no name. Learn more about this newly recognized species of sucker.
blog.nature.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Meet the Apalachicola redhorse, a newly described fish species.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Hear from Dr. Lindsay Zanno, associate research professor at North Carolina State University, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and co-author of a new study published in Nature.
Nanotyrannus Confirmed: Dueling Dinosaurs Fossil Rewrites the Story of T. rex
YouTube video by North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Hear from Dr. Lindsay Zanno, associate research professor at North Carolina State University, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, and co-author of a new study published in Nature.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Yet another example of the importance of natural history collections. Here, helping to address two questions:
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
Herbarium specimens reveal shifts in species' elevational ranges
Zu et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/VB8MUG...
Zu et al.
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/VB8MUG...
October 30, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Yet another example of the importance of natural history collections. Here, helping to address two questions:
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
• Responses to climate change (here, temperature and precipitation mattered in different ways)
• What sets range limits
🧪
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Genuinely delighted to download a PhD thesis from a university repository where the author has neglected to remove the words "BITCH THIS IS YOUR THESIS" from the filename.
October 30, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Genuinely delighted to download a PhD thesis from a university repository where the author has neglected to remove the words "BITCH THIS IS YOUR THESIS" from the filename.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
New sucker just dropped -
Description of the Apalachicola Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma ) | Zootaxa share.google/ixQSEQq1DX3p...
Description of the Apalachicola Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma ) | Zootaxa share.google/ixQSEQq1DX3p...
October 16, 2025 at 10:36 PM
New sucker just dropped -
Description of the Apalachicola Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma ) | Zootaxa share.google/ixQSEQq1DX3p...
Description of the Apalachicola Redhorse (Catostomidae: Moxostoma ) | Zootaxa share.google/ixQSEQq1DX3p...
Excited to see our latest paper out in Environmental DNA. We used environmental DNA to detect gill lice and DNA barcoding to assess their population genetic structure across the state of Colorado.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Environmental DNA Is Effective at Detecting a Salmonid Ectoparasite: A Statewide Survey of the Distribution and Genetic Diversity of the Gill Louse Salmincola californiensis in Colorado, USA
A statewide survey of gill lice in the state of Colorado using environmental DNA and DNA barcoding approaches to assess spread and likely origin. Abstract includes pictures of gill lice, a map showin...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Excited to see our latest paper out in Environmental DNA. We used environmental DNA to detect gill lice and DNA barcoding to assess their population genetic structure across the state of Colorado.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
University administration:
"We need you to complete 26 hours of lab safety training 🧪 each year so that everyone is safe and responsible."
Also university administration:
"We need you to complete 26 hours of lab safety training 🧪 each year so that everyone is safe and responsible."
Also university administration:
October 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
University administration:
"We need you to complete 26 hours of lab safety training 🧪 each year so that everyone is safe and responsible."
Also university administration:
"We need you to complete 26 hours of lab safety training 🧪 each year so that everyone is safe and responsible."
Also university administration:
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
New in @science.org, meet Acronichthys maccagnoi, a new species from Late Creatacous Canada that changes what we know about the origins and evolution of one of the most successful fish groups on Earth.
October 2, 2025 at 6:18 PM
New in @science.org, meet Acronichthys maccagnoi, a new species from Late Creatacous Canada that changes what we know about the origins and evolution of one of the most successful fish groups on Earth.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
She built a legacy that wove science AND emotion together to help us better understand ourselves, our primate cousins, and nature. She was a giant and it’s on all the people she inspired and influenced to keep her work and her values alive. abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Jane Goodall, famed primatologist and conservationist, dies at 91
Jane Goodall, the most prolific primatologist of a generation, has died. She was 91 years old.
abcnews.go.com
October 1, 2025 at 8:25 PM
She built a legacy that wove science AND emotion together to help us better understand ourselves, our primate cousins, and nature. She was a giant and it’s on all the people she inspired and influenced to keep her work and her values alive. abcnews.go.com/Internationa...
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Check out our new paper in Nature describing trends in US freshwater fish biodiversity! Great to be part of such an amazing team.
Nature research paper: Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams
go.nature.com/42JFObR
go.nature.com/42JFObR
Diverging fish biodiversity trends in cold and warm rivers and streams - Nature
In the past three decades, fish abundance, richness and uniqueness have diverged across cold and warm streams, and the effects on native fish communities of stream warming and increases in introduced fishes have magnified each other.
go.nature.com
September 25, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Check out our new paper in Nature describing trends in US freshwater fish biodiversity! Great to be part of such an amazing team.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Come work with me as my #bird #scicomm team is growing!
@abcbirds.bsky.social is hiring an #ornithology writer/editor! They'll be reporting to our Senior Writer/Editor, Molly Toth (who is the hiring manager too!).
More info/apply by Oct 14 deadline:
recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...
@abcbirds.bsky.social is hiring an #ornithology writer/editor! They'll be reporting to our Senior Writer/Editor, Molly Toth (who is the hiring manager too!).
More info/apply by Oct 14 deadline:
recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...
September 19, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Come work with me as my #bird #scicomm team is growing!
@abcbirds.bsky.social is hiring an #ornithology writer/editor! They'll be reporting to our Senior Writer/Editor, Molly Toth (who is the hiring manager too!).
More info/apply by Oct 14 deadline:
recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...
@abcbirds.bsky.social is hiring an #ornithology writer/editor! They'll be reporting to our Senior Writer/Editor, Molly Toth (who is the hiring manager too!).
More info/apply by Oct 14 deadline:
recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
BIG Bigmouth Buffalo fish! These native freshwater planktivores can live for over 100 years!
We caught, fin-clipped, released several during yesterday’s @garlab.bsky.social native fishes survey!
We caught, fin-clipped, released several during yesterday’s @garlab.bsky.social native fishes survey!
September 17, 2025 at 5:38 PM
BIG Bigmouth Buffalo fish! These native freshwater planktivores can live for over 100 years!
We caught, fin-clipped, released several during yesterday’s @garlab.bsky.social native fishes survey!
We caught, fin-clipped, released several during yesterday’s @garlab.bsky.social native fishes survey!
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
That time @tnaquarium.bsky.social asked me how long I could go without talking about gars…
#GarWeek BEGINS TODAY (I mean later this morning)!
#GarWeek BEGINS TODAY (I mean later this morning)!
December 16, 2024 at 6:17 AM
That time @tnaquarium.bsky.social asked me how long I could go without talking about gars…
#GarWeek BEGINS TODAY (I mean later this morning)!
#GarWeek BEGINS TODAY (I mean later this morning)!
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Political violence is bad. It usually begets more political violence.
Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.
Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.
It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.
Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.
Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.
It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.
September 10, 2025 at 7:06 PM
Political violence is bad. It usually begets more political violence.
Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.
Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.
It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.
Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.
Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.
It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.
Today's fisheries management lab: Backing a trailer. Wish me luck. This one could be a huge headache.
September 4, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Today's fisheries management lab: Backing a trailer. Wish me luck. This one could be a huge headache.
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
ICYMI: Next week I am leading a free online 2-hour crash course in scientific writing and publishing, perfect for graduate students about to write their first paper.
Learn more and sign up at the link below. Feel free to spread the word, all are welcome.
🧪🦑🌎
Learn more and sign up at the link below. Feel free to spread the word, all are welcome.
🧪🦑🌎
I’m offering a free online crash course in scientific writing and publishing. Here’s how to join!
The world of scientific writing and pubilshing is complex and confusing, and it can be hard for early career scientists to master. But don’t worry! I am an experienced and award-winning scien…
www.southernfriedscience.com
September 3, 2025 at 2:32 PM
ICYMI: Next week I am leading a free online 2-hour crash course in scientific writing and publishing, perfect for graduate students about to write their first paper.
Learn more and sign up at the link below. Feel free to spread the word, all are welcome.
🧪🦑🌎
Learn more and sign up at the link below. Feel free to spread the word, all are welcome.
🧪🦑🌎
Nothing like a -80 freezer failure to liven up one's day (luckily nothing important was lost)
September 3, 2025 at 11:58 PM
Nothing like a -80 freezer failure to liven up one's day (luckily nothing important was lost)
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Excuse me, what?
A common type of ant in Europe breaks a fundamental rule in biology: its queens can produce male offspring that are a whole different species
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
go.nature.com/4mOb5T9
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
go.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 9:22 PM
Excuse me, what?
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
August 30, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Derek D. Houston
Do you study, advocate for, or live near an at-risk species? Consider sharing their story in our "Save This Species" feature. Here's how: https://therevelator.org/save-this-species-template/
Save This Species Template • The Revelator
therevelator.org
August 31, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Do you study, advocate for, or live near an at-risk species? Consider sharing their story in our "Save This Species" feature. Here's how: https://therevelator.org/save-this-species-template/