Dr. Emma E. Bird
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dremmabird.bsky.social
Dr. Emma E. Bird
@dremmabird.bsky.social
340 followers 230 following 61 posts
Palaeoanthropologist @ Natural History Museum, London. Interested in functional adaptation, the biological implications of behaviour, and humans of the late Pleistocene.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
us.theconversation.com
Why can’t I wiggle my toes one at a time, like my fingers?
Why can’t I wiggle my toes one at a time, like my fingers?
What muscles feet have, how your brain controls them, and how humans evolved all play a part in why people can’t easily move individual toes.
buff.ly
December 8, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
us.theconversation.com
Ever wonder why people can’t use their feet like chimpanzees, easily grasping things with our toes just as easily as we do with our fingers? A biological anthropologist explains: buff.ly/54qWhti
Why can’t I wiggle my toes one at a time, like my fingers?
What muscles feet have, how your brain controls them, and how humans evolved all play a part in why people can’t easily move individual toes.
theconversation.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
claireboardman.bsky.social
👀 Postdoctoral position in radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modelling at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies @auarcher.bsky.social

international.au.dk/about/profil...
Postdoctoral position in radiocarbon dating and Bayesian modelling at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies - Vacancy at Aarhus University
Vacancy at School of Culture and Society - Department of Heritage Studies, Aarhus University
international.au.dk
December 8, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
whiterabbit36.bsky.social
Happy to share the new virtual collection of comparative anatomy, SKELETONS ONLINE (cor.iphes.cat).

The specimens come from the comparative anatomy collection of @iphes-cerca.bsky.social , in Tarragona (Spain).

Please, use it and share!!!
December 4, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
uclarchaeology.bsky.social
🚨 @ucl.ac.uk IoA PhD alert!

"Human or Animal? Biomolecular Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Bone Artefacts to Explore Raw Material Selection"

More info: bit.ly/48Bgffm

TREES PhD applications open 2026 intake of students.
Application deadline is 5pm on 17th Dec 2025.

www.trees-dla.ac.uk/apply
Image shows worked bones on the left, graphs and science equipment related to the study of Archaeology and specifically: "Human or Animal? Biomolecular Analysis of Upper Palaeolithic Bone Artefacts to Explore Raw Material Selection" Photo: https://www.trees-dla.ac.uk/projects/human-or-animal-biomolecular-analysis-upper-palaeolithic-bone-artefacts-explore-raw
December 4, 2025 at 10:25 AM
dremmabird.bsky.social
The Natural History Museum at 🦜 #Tring 🦜 has free tactile tours / hands-on workshops designed for adults with additional needs🌻 #SEND #SENDadults 🌻

www.nhm.ac.uk/events/tring...
Tring: Adult SEND offer | Natural History Museum
www.nhm.ac.uk
December 1, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
oliverdemuth.bsky.social
🚨 Palaeo jobs alert!! 🚨

Two(!!) postdoc positions available in Cambridge!

1. Human Evolutionary Anatomy: cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...
2. Evolutionary Biomechanics: cam.ac.uk/jobs/researc...

As part of the @erc.europa.eu funded STEPS project!
November 28, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
urban-sci.bsky.social
The problems with academic publishing in one graph. The big for-profit publishers get product for free and sell it back to us. Their profits rival those from the big tech companies. This is money that could have supported research, teaching and graduate students.

From: danielroelfs.com/pos...
November 27, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
rebeccasear.bsky.social
"‘Which is the best university in the world?’ is not a useful question. ‘Which university might be best for me, given that I care about X and Y?’ is a better question — but one for which current measures are unlikely to provide a good answer"

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
To reform universities, first tackle global rankings
Universities are in thrall to a rankings system that prioritizes narrow aspects of academic life. Three changes would give institutions the freedom to explore fresh ways of working.
www.nature.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
nhm-london.bsky.social
One week to go! ⚡

Tickets for the Pokémon x Natural History Museum pop-up shop will be available from 10am next Thursday, 20 November.
A graphic titled “Pokémon x Natural History Museum pop-up tickets released next week!” and reading “Priority list: 10am Wednesday 19 November, General sale: 10am Thursday 20 November” over a photo of Pikachu peeking out from behind a pillar in Hintze Hall.
November 13, 2025 at 10:00 AM
dremmabird.bsky.social
✨Published✨

Thank you so much to the American School of Prehistoric Research Science, Harvard University, and SAPIENS magazine for supporting my Science Communications Fellowship!

#AcademicSky
sapiens.org SAPIENS Magazine @sapiens.org · 27d
“Immersed in dusty archives of personal letters, newspaper clips, and journal articles, I found a history I was not expecting: the influence of personality, politics, and power on scientific interpretation.”

Read more: www.sapiens.org/biology/pale...
November 13, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
drnwillburger.bsky.social
Like a time capsule: a #Roman tile marked with #finger lines, hobnail #shoe prints, #dog's paw prints, and a #stamp of the LEG(io) XIIII G(emina). Tiles with imprints are very common, since tiles were laid out to dry in the open air ahead of firing, where...🧵1/2

#TilesOnTuesday 🏺
A tile with well-preserved surface impressions: three distinct outline of shoes with hobnail patterns in the center, a animal paw prints nearby, and a rectangular maker's stamp with worn lettering and an imprint of a foot. And finger lines. The tile surface shows additional small impressions and chips.
November 11, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
paleoanthjourn.bsky.social
The latest issue of PaleoAnthropology is out now!
Volume 2025, Issue 2 #openaccess

📖Read Here: paleoanthropology.org/ojs/index.ph...

#paleoanthropology #humanevolution
Front Cover of the 2025, Issue 2 PaleoAnthropology Journal. Featuring images from Balzeau et al.
November 6, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
lemoustier.bsky.social
Young people don't need more "Religious Education" to live in modern world.
If it's inclusion/social cohesion govt is aiming for, then a better approach would be to drop RE, and create new subject Anthropology, on critical thinking, philosophy & belief systems.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
National curriculum review in England: 10 key recommendations
Proposals include shortening length of GCSE exams, a new diagnostic test in maths and English, and expanding RE
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:51 AM
dremmabird.bsky.social
I wrote an article for the NHM magazine about how we study 💀Neanderthal💀 hand use through functional adaptation and artistic expression ... and what this means for our understanding of survival and extinction
💙 #AcademicSky 🌳 #NaturalHistory 🦴 #HumanEvolution

issuu.com/immediatemed...
Natural History Museum Magazine Autumn 2025
issuu.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
ehemmott.bsky.social
Funding for students!!

New £6k UCL Anthropology MSc Bursary for Home students:
www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships...

You can also apply to the £10k UCL Bursary at the same time - so if you get both, it should cover all your fees & a chunk of living costs🤞
www.ucl.ac.uk/scholarships...
Julia Scott Memorial Bursary
The aim of the Julia Scott Memorial Bursary is intended to enable students in financial need to pursue their postgraduate studies in the Anthropology Department at UCL.
www.ucl.ac.uk
November 2, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
royalarchinst.bsky.social
We are accepting 𝗥𝗔𝗜 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗧 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: 8 December 2025.
Full details/application at www.royalarchinst.org/grants
Grants
Each year the Royal Archaeological Institute offers funds for research. Find out more about eligibility criteria and our different funding opportunities.
www.royalarchinst.org
October 30, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
bonej.org
OMG this is a good catch. We wrestled with this a long time ago when setting up Slice Geometry. The correct way to set slice spacing (pixel spacing in z) from a DICOM is to use the slice position info (0020,1041 or 0020,0032) and divide by (stack size - 1). It can be out by not much or quite a bit.
October 27, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
fossilhistory.bsky.social
#OnThisDay in 2004, we were introduced to "a stranger from Flores," a new species of human called Homo floresiensis. @chrisbstringer.bsky.social's thoughts at the time on the big (or small) surprise: go.nature.com/34s9xbM 🏺🧪
Cover of the 28 October 2004 issue of Nature magazine featuring the skull and jaw of Homo floresiensis. A researcher’s hand steadies the small, brown-stained skull, which rests beside a lower jaw on a white surface. The headline reads “Short for her age: Third Asian Homo species reveals diversity of Pleistocene humanity.”
October 28, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
us.theconversation.com
About half of Americans believe ghosts and demons are real, according to a 2020 poll. An English scholar explores the literary record to uncover how people have imagined ghosts and demons — and what sets them apart. buff.ly/FuYV4Dv #Halloween 👻
What’s the difference between ghosts and demons? Books, folklore and history reflect society’s supernatural beliefs
Artists often turn to the supernatural to reflect on and speak to the anxieties brought about by social, religious and political upheaval.
buff.ly
October 28, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
science.org
On #NationalPumpkinDay, learn more about how pumpkin, squash, and gourds would likely have gone the way of the dodo were it not for humans domesticating them. https://scim.ag/3J7LNRl
A pumpkin with text: Without us, pumpkins may have gone extinct
October 26, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
johnhawks.net
The skull known as OH 5 was first uncovered by Mary Leakey in 1959, soon became the type fossil of the species Zinjanthropus boisei. Around 1.75 million years old, I'm sure that this individual would have loved pumpkins if they had existed in Africa at the time. #inktober
Line drawing of a skull of a Paranthropus boisei with orange coloration
October 26, 2025 at 11:04 PM
dremmabird.bsky.social
First look 👀 at 🦚Wildlife Photographer🦚 of the Year 61

#WildlifePhotography #Wildlife #NaturalHistory
First look at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 61 | Natural History Museum
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is back, celebrating the most extraordinary life with which we share this planet while spotlighting the many threats they face.
www.nhm.ac.uk
October 24, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
martinporr.bsky.social
www.abc.net.au/news/science...
Did humans kill Australia's ancient megafauna? Bone study prompts rethink
Palaeontologists say there is no hard evidence in the fossil record that extinct Australian megafauna were butchered by First Nations people.
www.abc.net.au
October 22, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Reposted by Dr. Emma E. Bird
nature.com
Hand bones from a human relative, found in Kenya, reveal features similar to those of living gorillas, complicating the evolutionary history of hand and tool manipulation

go.nature.com/4nQn3ff
First known fossil hand of the hominin Paranthropus boisei
Hand bones from a human relative, found in Kenya, reveal features similar to those of living gorillas, complicating the evolutionary history of hand and tool manipulation.
go.nature.com
October 18, 2025 at 11:24 AM