Dr. Jason Loxton
@jasonloxton.bsky.social
Paleontologist. Science educator (cbu.ca). Curator (capebretonfossilcentre.com). Lover of fiddle, grower of veggies. Posts (mostly!) about geoscience, geoheritage, pedagogy, & Nova Scotia.
Pinned
Over decade I was on Twitter, I contributed >20 K posts. That timeline documents my evolution as an educator, & contains innumerable geological photos, links, and other useful resources. I am slowly migrating these over, as both historical record and searchable archive. Please search & explore!
I think I'd watched one baseball game in my life before the last week. I watched every minute of this series... and it was fantastic. Sad to lose, but amazing to come so close. And amazing to see how sport brought together ppl accross country in hope and support. #GoJaysGo
November 2, 2025 at 4:55 AM
I think I'd watched one baseball game in my life before the last week. I watched every minute of this series... and it was fantastic. Sad to lose, but amazing to come so close. And amazing to see how sport brought together ppl accross country in hope and support. #GoJaysGo
Fingers crossed!
Found this 80,000 year old seed in #MastodonMud at the museum today. Will it sprout? @novascotiamuseum.bsky.social
September 26, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Fingers crossed!
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
One of our temporary displays at the @johnsongeocentre.bsky.social features a group of Artemia, aka fairy shrimp or sea monkeys. These delicate little crustaceans have a fossil record extending back at least 115 million years! #FossilFriday
See doi.org/10.1080/0311...
See doi.org/10.1080/0311...
August 22, 2025 at 12:00 PM
One of our temporary displays at the @johnsongeocentre.bsky.social features a group of Artemia, aka fairy shrimp or sea monkeys. These delicate little crustaceans have a fossil record extending back at least 115 million years! #FossilFriday
See doi.org/10.1080/0311...
See doi.org/10.1080/0311...
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
This research not only provides exciting new insight into mammoth evolutionary history, it reveals an entirely unknown lineage of ancient mammoth. 🦣
gizmodo.com/million-year...
gizmodo.com/million-year...
August 21, 2025 at 11:55 PM
This research not only provides exciting new insight into mammoth evolutionary history, it reveals an entirely unknown lineage of ancient mammoth. 🦣
gizmodo.com/million-year...
gizmodo.com/million-year...
Great story! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
'Starsailor' rocket to lift off from Cree territory — Canada's first space launch in more than 25 years. | CBC News
A Concordia University student team is preparing to launch the first Canadian rocket to enter space in over two decades — right from Cree territory near Mistissini, Quebec.
www.cbc.ca
August 9, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Great story! www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Planning on applying for PromoScience for outreach activities through the Cape Breton Fossil Centre. Am hoping that some successful applicants might be willing to share their applications/budgets. In particular, I am curious how people made up the 2/3rds of $$$ that NSERC doesn't cover.
August 5, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Planning on applying for PromoScience for outreach activities through the Cape Breton Fossil Centre. Am hoping that some successful applicants might be willing to share their applications/budgets. In particular, I am curious how people made up the 2/3rds of $$$ that NSERC doesn't cover.
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
Another way of putting this: in the past 20 years or so, China and India *alone* have increased student places by about 70 million - that's roughly the same number of university places that existed in the entire world circa 1990.
The changing world of higher education in a single graph: post-secondary enrolments, in millions, US India and China, 2006 vs. 2024.
August 5, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Another way of putting this: in the past 20 years or so, China and India *alone* have increased student places by about 70 million - that's roughly the same number of university places that existed in the entire world circa 1990.
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
Digitizing collections to unlock the full potential of palynology: A case study with the Smithsonian palynology collection
Carlos Jaramillo, Surangi W. Punyasena, Daurys de Alba, Roxana Alveo, Angelica Arcila, Jorge Bermudez, Jonatan Bustos et al
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Carlos Jaramillo, Surangi W. Punyasena, Daurys de Alba, Roxana Alveo, Angelica Arcila, Jorge Bermudez, Jonatan Bustos et al
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Digitizing collections to unlock the full potential of palynology: A case study with the Smithsonian palynology collection
Large palynological collections have been built over decades and contain vital information. However, they are often difficult to access and use effectively. What is the point of having such collectio....
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:00 AM
Digitizing collections to unlock the full potential of palynology: A case study with the Smithsonian palynology collection
Carlos Jaramillo, Surangi W. Punyasena, Daurys de Alba, Roxana Alveo, Angelica Arcila, Jorge Bermudez, Jonatan Bustos et al
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Carlos Jaramillo, Surangi W. Punyasena, Daurys de Alba, Roxana Alveo, Angelica Arcila, Jorge Bermudez, Jonatan Bustos et al
nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
More exciting news! I am now able to share with you more of the concept art I did for the amazing upcoming NBC Universal show “Surviving Earth” premiering next year! This time for a fan favorite, Dimetrodon!
I can’t say much more than this for now 🙊
I can’t say much more than this for now 🙊
July 30, 2025 at 12:59 PM
More exciting news! I am now able to share with you more of the concept art I did for the amazing upcoming NBC Universal show “Surviving Earth” premiering next year! This time for a fan favorite, Dimetrodon!
I can’t say much more than this for now 🙊
I can’t say much more than this for now 🙊
For those still considering US academic positions, this is a great one!
And for those interested in a teaching-focused job, UChicago is looking to replace me with a new assistant instructional professor! Review technically already began, but I was a late applicant when I got the job. DM or email if you have questions about the role: apply.interfolio.com/168942
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
July 25, 2025 at 8:30 PM
For those still considering US academic positions, this is a great one!
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
Wrote a long book that comes out August. It covers from the origins of life at alkaline hydrothermal vents some 4 billion years ago through the Volcker Shock. I'm told pre-orders help, so if that sounds like your thing, buy one, won't you? www.harpercollins.com/products/the...
The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything
How carbon dioxide made planet Earth, shaped human history, and now holds our future in the balance.
Every year, we are dangerously warping the climate by ...
www.harpercollins.com
May 21, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Wrote a long book that comes out August. It covers from the origins of life at alkaline hydrothermal vents some 4 billion years ago through the Volcker Shock. I'm told pre-orders help, so if that sounds like your thing, buy one, won't you? www.harpercollins.com/products/the...
As someone with a PhD in earth science, who is generally pro exploration/extraction, and teaches engineering and petroleum geology, it's hard for me to overstate how offbase I think APGNS is here. (It's also terrible optics.) www.halifaxexaminer.ca/dismantling-...
Geoscientists Nova Scotia threatens people opposed to uranium mining with fines, jail time - Halifax Examiner
The provincial geoscientist associations were created in the wake of the Bre-X scandal to protect investors from defrauding exploration companies, not to protect the exploration industry from criticis...
www.halifaxexaminer.ca
July 17, 2025 at 2:41 PM
As someone with a PhD in earth science, who is generally pro exploration/extraction, and teaches engineering and petroleum geology, it's hard for me to overstate how offbase I think APGNS is here. (It's also terrible optics.) www.halifaxexaminer.ca/dismantling-...
Found while searching for merch for our museum gift store. The more you look, the worse it gets. :)
May 31, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Found while searching for merch for our museum gift store. The more you look, the worse it gets. :)
What do you make of this, sedimentologists and ichnologists? Structure I've found periodically around Nova Scotia. Don't know if it's a trace or abiotic. One ichnologist said rill casts another suggested Phycodes. Thoughts? @ichnologist.bsky.social
May 23, 2025 at 9:56 PM
What do you make of this, sedimentologists and ichnologists? Structure I've found periodically around Nova Scotia. Don't know if it's a trace or abiotic. One ichnologist said rill casts another suggested Phycodes. Thoughts? @ichnologist.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
For #FossilFriday, a dramatically lit replica (epoxy-resin cast) of an Early Ordovician (~480 mya) sedimentary-rock surface from Portugal with abundant trilobite burrows. Replica was part of a traveling display put together by ichnologist Dolf Seliacher that he titled "Fossil Art." 🧪🪨⚒️
May 23, 2025 at 1:50 PM
For #FossilFriday, a dramatically lit replica (epoxy-resin cast) of an Early Ordovician (~480 mya) sedimentary-rock surface from Portugal with abundant trilobite burrows. Replica was part of a traveling display put together by ichnologist Dolf Seliacher that he titled "Fossil Art." 🧪🪨⚒️
Wild that we not only have these 300 million year old forests in our backyard, but there's a reasonable chance every tree holds a brand species of vertabrate cradled within it. #CapeBreton
May 11, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Wild that we not only have these 300 million year old forests in our backyard, but there's a reasonable chance every tree holds a brand species of vertabrate cradled within it. #CapeBreton
Set up basecamp and am conducting some important sedimentological research this morning in Eastbourne, UK.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
April 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Set up basecamp and am conducting some important sedimentological research this morning in Eastbourne, UK.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
Visited Downe House, Darwin's home. As a Darwinophile, this was a lifelong bucketlist stop. English Heritage has done a lovely job of restoring and adding interpretation. Highly recommend even for casual science history fans.
April 25, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Visited Downe House, Darwin's home. As a Darwinophile, this was a lifelong bucketlist stop. English Heritage has done a lovely job of restoring and adding interpretation. Highly recommend even for casual science history fans.
This gazelle is actually called 'dorcas (species name). Apt name for the nerdiest of deer. (At the Natural History Museum.)
April 24, 2025 at 11:53 PM
This gazelle is actually called 'dorcas (species name). Apt name for the nerdiest of deer. (At the Natural History Museum.)
So, in case you don't know (we didnt until terrifyingly last min), UK now requires you complete application before departing & pay fee, even for Canadians. Also: The app does not work. We tried on two phones, a dozen times. Eventually, we used the online version and approval took minutes. (Whew!)
April 20, 2025 at 4:14 AM
So, in case you don't know (we didnt until terrifyingly last min), UK now requires you complete application before departing & pay fee, even for Canadians. Also: The app does not work. We tried on two phones, a dozen times. Eventually, we used the online version and approval took minutes. (Whew!)
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
#Strataday Well-bedded #Ordovician (~450 MYA) Gull River Fm marine limestones overlie Shadow Lake Fm transgressive clastics. The Paleozoic rx unconformably sit on Precambrian metasediments (below water in left image) which host a massive Fe skarn deposit (right image) #MarmoratonIronMine #Ontario 🇨🇦
April 19, 2025 at 3:04 PM
#Strataday Well-bedded #Ordovician (~450 MYA) Gull River Fm marine limestones overlie Shadow Lake Fm transgressive clastics. The Paleozoic rx unconformably sit on Precambrian metasediments (below water in left image) which host a massive Fe skarn deposit (right image) #MarmoratonIronMine #Ontario 🇨🇦
You can't see it, but there's a 350 million year old cyanobacterial reef exposed in this #CapeBreton quarry.
April 19, 2025 at 3:39 AM
You can't see it, but there's a 350 million year old cyanobacterial reef exposed in this #CapeBreton quarry.
Reposted by Dr. Jason Loxton
Canada - your vote counts. Election Day is Monday 28th. I’ll be on travel so I just voted by mail. Please make sure you’re registered - and VOTE! 🇨🇦
elections.ca/home.aspx
elections.ca/home.aspx
April 16, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Canada - your vote counts. Election Day is Monday 28th. I’ll be on travel so I just voted by mail. Please make sure you’re registered - and VOTE! 🇨🇦
elections.ca/home.aspx
elections.ca/home.aspx