Dr Val Finlayson
@justsomeisotope.bsky.social
UMD Assistant Research Scientist; views entirely mine. NSF-funded #saveNSF #saveNOAA. Isotopes, volcanoes, and Earth's mantle. Midwestern by birth, sort of all over these days. Sometimes at sea, learning the stories seamounts tell. she/they
Pinned
Pacific hotspots reveal a Louisville–Ontong Java Nui tectonic link - Nature
Geochemistry and geochronology show that Samoa and Rurutu–Arago are the longest-lived Pacific hotspots, providing better constraints on plate rotation and support for a link between the Louisville vol...
www.nature.com
New paper out by my team, led originally by the late Jasper Konter, an amazing human being and scientist, and with important contributions from the late Paul Wessel, both of whom we lost during review.
The whole team stepped up to get this paper to the finish line.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The whole team stepped up to get this paper to the finish line.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Get in, losers, we’re going to the Cambrian Explosion.
ZOMG LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE SHALE
Okay, so the Burgess Shale is a fossil bed in British Columbia that contains a whole bunch of fossils of weirdass creatures from the Cambrian era, over 500 million years ago. But the great thing about the shale is that it has fossilized SOFT PARTS!
Okay, so the Burgess Shale is a fossil bed in British Columbia that contains a whole bunch of fossils of weirdass creatures from the Cambrian era, over 500 million years ago. But the great thing about the shale is that it has fossilized SOFT PARTS!
November 14, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Get in, losers, we’re going to the Cambrian Explosion.
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
I've been a bit quiet the last two weeks. Caught the classic early autumn community cold, and, well, a break's not so bad now and again.
But today's thread's about something you're probably already aware of—it's the 50th anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.
But today's thread's about something you're probably already aware of—it's the 50th anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.
November 10, 2025 at 5:34 PM
I've been a bit quiet the last two weeks. Caught the classic early autumn community cold, and, well, a break's not so bad now and again.
But today's thread's about something you're probably already aware of—it's the 50th anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.
But today's thread's about something you're probably already aware of—it's the 50th anniversary of the loss of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior.
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
November 10, 2025 at 4:31 AM
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
It's like Chuck Schumer wakes up every day by asking "what can I do to make young people despise my party even more?"
November 10, 2025 at 2:55 AM
It's like Chuck Schumer wakes up every day by asking "what can I do to make young people despise my party even more?"
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
This is a really remarkable piece of writing and in its particulars it describes so, so many people
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:31 AM
This is a really remarkable piece of writing and in its particulars it describes so, so many people
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
I still remember my anthropology professor’s favorite joke from college:
“What did Watson and Crick discover?”
“Rosalind Franklin’s notes.”
“What did Watson and Crick discover?”
“Rosalind Franklin’s notes.”
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I still remember my anthropology professor’s favorite joke from college:
“What did Watson and Crick discover?”
“Rosalind Franklin’s notes.”
“What did Watson and Crick discover?”
“Rosalind Franklin’s notes.”
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
The #FindThatLizard Scholarship is accepting applications until 12/10.
We fund girls, women, and gender non conforming persons pursuing herpetology🦎🐍🐸🐢
I can’t wait to read your application! earynmcgee.com/findthatliza...
We fund girls, women, and gender non conforming persons pursuing herpetology🦎🐍🐸🐢
I can’t wait to read your application! earynmcgee.com/findthatliza...
November 5, 2025 at 2:37 PM
The #FindThatLizard Scholarship is accepting applications until 12/10.
We fund girls, women, and gender non conforming persons pursuing herpetology🦎🐍🐸🐢
I can’t wait to read your application! earynmcgee.com/findthatliza...
We fund girls, women, and gender non conforming persons pursuing herpetology🦎🐍🐸🐢
I can’t wait to read your application! earynmcgee.com/findthatliza...
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Today seems like a good day… well, full stop, really. But also a good day to learn about the Project for the New American Century and how its architects will all burn in hell for eternity
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
Project for the New American Century - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Today seems like a good day… well, full stop, really. But also a good day to learn about the Project for the New American Century and how its architects will all burn in hell for eternity
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project...
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
I think a lot about the chance we had at the start of COVID to finally become a more compassionate, collectivist nation, and how profoundly we were failed not only by the sociopathic greed of the ruling class but by each other.
It doesn’t mean we won’t get there, but the lost opportunity haunts me.
It doesn’t mean we won’t get there, but the lost opportunity haunts me.
Remember how just a few years ago during the worst of the pandemic when we saw how the govt can actually do big things and saw that our collective health & well-being are intertwined, and then corporations got mad that they lost a modicum of power and helped fund a backlash of amnesia and fascism?
October 30, 2025 at 4:02 AM
I think a lot about the chance we had at the start of COVID to finally become a more compassionate, collectivist nation, and how profoundly we were failed not only by the sociopathic greed of the ruling class but by each other.
It doesn’t mean we won’t get there, but the lost opportunity haunts me.
It doesn’t mean we won’t get there, but the lost opportunity haunts me.
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.
October 27, 2025 at 4:11 PM
From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.
This story is detailing EXACTLY why we need to socialize healthcare in this country.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Why the ACA needs young people — and the looming 'death spiral' for health insurance
Young and healthy people who get Affordable Care Act health insurance are thinking about dropping coverage next year, as the government remains shutdown over health care tax credits.
www.npr.org
October 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM
This story is detailing EXACTLY why we need to socialize healthcare in this country.
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
www.npr.org/sections/sho...
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Single points of failure (like this) are generally frowned upon.
October 21, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Single points of failure (like this) are generally frowned upon.
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
you have the right to not hang out with assholes. you deserve not to hang out with assholes. you are under 0 obligation to socially interact with assholes in your free time.
it is truly terrible that our culture tricked so many people into thinking that they’re obliged to be friends with assholes!
it is truly terrible that our culture tricked so many people into thinking that they’re obliged to be friends with assholes!
we have spent the last decade witnessing a national epidemic of “it should be illegal to not hang out with me just because I’m a mean asshole” behavior
"disliking me is persecution" describes so incredibly many people's entire outlook these days defector.com/free-press-r...
October 15, 2025 at 11:03 PM
you have the right to not hang out with assholes. you deserve not to hang out with assholes. you are under 0 obligation to socially interact with assholes in your free time.
it is truly terrible that our culture tricked so many people into thinking that they’re obliged to be friends with assholes!
it is truly terrible that our culture tricked so many people into thinking that they’re obliged to be friends with assholes!
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
People experiencing miscarriages in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves.
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position 👇
(Published Dec. 2024)
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position 👇
(Published Dec. 2024)
If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What You Should Know About the Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life
Women experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves. We created this guide for anyone who finds themselv...
www.propublica.org
October 15, 2025 at 3:00 AM
People experiencing miscarriages in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves.
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position 👇
(Published Dec. 2024)
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position 👇
(Published Dec. 2024)
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Another reminder that a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users.
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all.
For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them.
Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all.
For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them.
Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org
Separated Bike Lanes Means Safer Streets, Study Says — Streetsblog USA
Cities that build protected lanes for cyclists end up with safer roads for people on bikes and people in cars and on foot, a new study of 12 large metropolises revealed Wednesday.
usa.streetsblog.org
October 15, 2025 at 1:32 AM
Another reminder that a 13-year study found that protected bike-lanes led to a drastic decline in fatalities for all road users.
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all.
For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them.
Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org
ALL ROAD USERS.
And painted bike-lanes? No safety improvement at all.
For sharrows, it’s actually safer to NOT have them.
Via @usa.streetsblog.org @nyc.streetsblog.org
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
QUEEN GERTRUDE
(places her hand on HALL’s chest)
Stay, you lion-maned pair, tell me
Of your distant City of Brotherly Love,
That we may, as they say, get to know
The heft and measure of each other’s thoughts.
HALL
I can’t go for that.
OATES
No can do.
(places her hand on HALL’s chest)
Stay, you lion-maned pair, tell me
Of your distant City of Brotherly Love,
That we may, as they say, get to know
The heft and measure of each other’s thoughts.
HALL
I can’t go for that.
OATES
No can do.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Hall and Oates
ACT II, SCENE II Enter KING CLAUDIUS, QUEEN GERTRUDE, ROSENCRANTZ, GUILDENSTERN, HALL, OATES, and Attendants. KING CLAUDIUS Welcome, gentlemen; our...
buff.ly
October 11, 2025 at 6:15 PM
QUEEN GERTRUDE
(places her hand on HALL’s chest)
Stay, you lion-maned pair, tell me
Of your distant City of Brotherly Love,
That we may, as they say, get to know
The heft and measure of each other’s thoughts.
HALL
I can’t go for that.
OATES
No can do.
(places her hand on HALL’s chest)
Stay, you lion-maned pair, tell me
Of your distant City of Brotherly Love,
That we may, as they say, get to know
The heft and measure of each other’s thoughts.
HALL
I can’t go for that.
OATES
No can do.
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Chiles vs Salazar: US Supreme Court case to determine future of conversion therapy bans
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/07/chiles-v-salazar-us-supreme-court/?utm_content=1759987200&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/07/chiles-v-salazar-us-supreme-court/?utm_content=1759987200&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
US Supreme Court case could decide future of conversion therapy bans
The Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments on Chiles v Salazar this week, here's what the legal case could mean for conversion therapy.
www.thepinknews.com
October 9, 2025 at 5:20 AM
Chiles vs Salazar: US Supreme Court case to determine future of conversion therapy bans
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/07/chiles-v-salazar-us-supreme-court/?utm_content=1759987200&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
https://www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/07/chiles-v-salazar-us-supreme-court/?utm_content=1759987200&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
AKA "we can't do our cash grab scheme if we do this ethically"
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry
Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.
buff.ly
October 9, 2025 at 5:15 AM
AKA "we can't do our cash grab scheme if we do this ethically"
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
One of the more incredible stories out of LA this year has been how a taco review blog became the best on-the-ground coverage of ICE raids in the city.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
@lataco.bsky.social first began as a blog documenting local Mexican cuisine. Now, it’s an essential reporting powerhouse to the city as Trump’s mass deportation plot unfolds.
Check out the latest from our friends at Reveal: tinyurl.com/4cm2bsdr
Check out the latest from our friends at Reveal: tinyurl.com/4cm2bsdr
October 7, 2025 at 4:03 AM
One of the more incredible stories out of LA this year has been how a taco review blog became the best on-the-ground coverage of ICE raids in the city.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
They do a dispatch every day, follow-up on the kidnapped people (which almost no media outlet has done), and fact-check government claims.
Reposted by Dr Val Finlayson
Earlier this year, Dr. Jane Goodall sat down for an interview for Brad Falchuk’s new Netflix series, Famous Last Words.
The premise of the series is to interview people on the condition that the interview not air until the subject has passed away.
The premise of the series is to interview people on the condition that the interview not air until the subject has passed away.
October 5, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Earlier this year, Dr. Jane Goodall sat down for an interview for Brad Falchuk’s new Netflix series, Famous Last Words.
The premise of the series is to interview people on the condition that the interview not air until the subject has passed away.
The premise of the series is to interview people on the condition that the interview not air until the subject has passed away.