Andy Farke
@andyfarke.bsky.social
Paleontologist, educator, museum person, open science person, homebrewer, spouse, parent. Homebrewing blog at http://andybrews.com
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Andy Farke
@andyfarke.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Welcome, new followers! Here's an introductory post to tell a little about me and what I focus on here. My name is Andy Farke, and I am a vertebrate paleontologist, museum director, high school educator, and homebrewer, among other things (not all at once, of course!).
Thank you kindly! I enjoyed reading your piece over in the other glossy, too.
January 16, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Thank you kindly! I enjoyed reading your piece over in the other glossy, too.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org
December 4, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Very excited to share that our latest paper is out in Science! We show that the type specimen of Nanotyrannus—an isolated skull—is fully grown, showing that it is not a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex but a distinct species (1/12)
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Andy Farke
IOB
Resolving #evolutionary relationships-
IOB’s Selina-Viktor Robson details more about their co-authored work
iobopen.com/2026/01/12/r...
& read the paper
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
by Robson, @jmtheodor.bsky.social et al
#science #fossils #paleobiology #morphology #taxa, #ontogeny.
Resolving #evolutionary relationships-
IOB’s Selina-Viktor Robson details more about their co-authored work
iobopen.com/2026/01/12/r...
& read the paper
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
by Robson, @jmtheodor.bsky.social et al
#science #fossils #paleobiology #morphology #taxa, #ontogeny.
January 12, 2026 at 12:09 PM
IOB
Resolving #evolutionary relationships-
IOB’s Selina-Viktor Robson details more about their co-authored work
iobopen.com/2026/01/12/r...
& read the paper
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
by Robson, @jmtheodor.bsky.social et al
#science #fossils #paleobiology #morphology #taxa, #ontogeny.
Resolving #evolutionary relationships-
IOB’s Selina-Viktor Robson details more about their co-authored work
iobopen.com/2026/01/12/r...
& read the paper
doi.org/10.1093/iob/...
by Robson, @jmtheodor.bsky.social et al
#science #fossils #paleobiology #morphology #taxa, #ontogeny.
The world is inevitably cooler than we could possibly imagine, and there is some super creative science happening to show us! (I *love* that they thought to cut up hyoids...)
January 15, 2026 at 7:41 PM
The world is inevitably cooler than we could possibly imagine, and there is some super creative science happening to show us! (I *love* that they thought to cut up hyoids...)
I'm certainly guilty of that, too! But the ontogenetic angle has been personally frustrating at times, especially have spent some time with baby dinos and having named a very diagnostic but likely juvenile taxon!
January 15, 2026 at 7:20 PM
I'm certainly guilty of that, too! But the ontogenetic angle has been personally frustrating at times, especially have spent some time with baby dinos and having named a very diagnostic but likely juvenile taxon!
I am a little too attached to it. But seriously, the occasional attitude that we can't possibly know anything taxonomic about juvenile specimens is a rather drastic overcorrection!
January 15, 2026 at 7:12 PM
I am a little too attached to it. But seriously, the occasional attitude that we can't possibly know anything taxonomic about juvenile specimens is a rather drastic overcorrection!
My only slight grumble is that they made me ditch the phrase "ontogenetic nihilism". Still gotta slip that into the literature at some point. But more seriously, editors are awesome, and I'm thrilled to have this out in the world.
January 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
My only slight grumble is that they made me ditch the phrase "ontogenetic nihilism". Still gotta slip that into the literature at some point. But more seriously, editors are awesome, and I'm thrilled to have this out in the world.
Some behind-the-scenes notes - it was an honor and a treat to be invited to write this! The process illustrated how fantastic and important editors are - the Science editorial crew took what I thought was a pretty good draft, and kicked it up to the next level.
January 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Some behind-the-scenes notes - it was an honor and a treat to be invited to write this! The process illustrated how fantastic and important editors are - the Science editorial crew took what I thought was a pretty good draft, and kicked it up to the next level.
Not a big baby! My commentary in @science.org about the latest Nanotyrannus research. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Not a big baby
Multipronged approaches resolve the debate about the Nanotyrannus fossil species
www.science.org
January 15, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Not a big baby! My commentary in @science.org about the latest Nanotyrannus research. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Oh, we definitely get black hole talk in our house, too. "How small could a black hole be?" "What's the smallest thing that could be a black hole?" "What would happen if a black hole formed out of [household object X/Y/Z?" etc. etc.
January 15, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Oh, we definitely get black hole talk in our house, too. "How small could a black hole be?" "What's the smallest thing that could be a black hole?" "What would happen if a black hole formed out of [household object X/Y/Z?" etc. etc.
Reposted by Andy Farke
I love how just adding a blue tarp transformed this Crystal Palace Iguanodon into a caped superhero.
“They can be a great people, Igg-Don - they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way.
For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you...”
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (probably), 1854
For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you...”
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (probably), 1854
January 15, 2026 at 4:32 PM
I love how just adding a blue tarp transformed this Crystal Palace Iguanodon into a caped superhero.
Natural consequences of their mom having a Ph.D. in physics...
January 15, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Natural consequences of their mom having a Ph.D. in physics...
The whole family woke up to catch the re-entry in the SoCal skies...what an amazing sight! 10/10, would do again, even as a non-night-owl.
The 8 year old on the event: "That's only the *second* time I've seen plasma in the atmosphere!"
The 8 year old on the event: "That's only the *second* time I've seen plasma in the atmosphere!"
January 15, 2026 at 2:29 PM
The whole family woke up to catch the re-entry in the SoCal skies...what an amazing sight! 10/10, would do again, even as a non-night-owl.
The 8 year old on the event: "That's only the *second* time I've seen plasma in the atmosphere!"
The 8 year old on the event: "That's only the *second* time I've seen plasma in the atmosphere!"
January 15, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Reposted by Andy Farke
Mollusc-related Academic Grant alert
Deadline: February 28, 2026
For:malacological topic, usually within biology or paleontology, with any molluscan taxon or taxa as the focus. All scientific disciplines in studying mollusks eligible
Please see : www.conchologistsofamerica.org/grants/
🦑 #snails
Deadline: February 28, 2026
For:malacological topic, usually within biology or paleontology, with any molluscan taxon or taxa as the focus. All scientific disciplines in studying mollusks eligible
Please see : www.conchologistsofamerica.org/grants/
🦑 #snails
Grants - coa
COA Grants to Malacology Since the inception of the program in June 1985, COA has awarded over $200,000 US in grants toward research in malacology. Individual grants range between $1,000 and $2,500. I...
www.conchologistsofamerica.org
January 15, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Mollusc-related Academic Grant alert
Deadline: February 28, 2026
For:malacological topic, usually within biology or paleontology, with any molluscan taxon or taxa as the focus. All scientific disciplines in studying mollusks eligible
Please see : www.conchologistsofamerica.org/grants/
🦑 #snails
Deadline: February 28, 2026
For:malacological topic, usually within biology or paleontology, with any molluscan taxon or taxa as the focus. All scientific disciplines in studying mollusks eligible
Please see : www.conchologistsofamerica.org/grants/
🦑 #snails
"Prolonged growth and extended subadult development in the Tyrannosaurus rex species complex revealed by expanded histological sampling and statistical modeling" - new in @peerj.bsky.social, by @histo-holly.bsky.social et al.
January 14, 2026 at 2:05 PM
"Prolonged growth and extended subadult development in the Tyrannosaurus rex species complex revealed by expanded histological sampling and statistical modeling" - new in @peerj.bsky.social, by @histo-holly.bsky.social et al.
Reposted by Andy Farke
We no longer have raven biplanes around... sad.
November 3, 2025 at 4:26 PM
We no longer have raven biplanes around... sad.
I guess it comes down to the classic "impact is more than citations" kind of thing! <end thread>
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I guess it comes down to the classic "impact is more than citations" kind of thing! <end thread>
I use "data papers" from the early 20th century all of the time - but "big idea papers"? Of course I read them and cite them and their intellectual contributions influenced the direction of the field, but I rarely *use* them directly in my day-to-day.
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I use "data papers" from the early 20th century all of the time - but "big idea papers"? Of course I read them and cite them and their intellectual contributions influenced the direction of the field, but I rarely *use* them directly in my day-to-day.
This is not to say that "data papers" are superior to "big idea" papers that move the field forward in sometimes major ways - but I often think that the long half-life of "data papers" (and their use in non-citation-based work, like museum specimen ID or illustration) is not always recognized.
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
This is not to say that "data papers" are superior to "big idea" papers that move the field forward in sometimes major ways - but I often think that the long half-life of "data papers" (and their use in non-citation-based work, like museum specimen ID or illustration) is not always recognized.
Now, drawings in his work (and other works of the time) are notoriously unreliable as primary data, and discussions/interpretations of significance are often dated, but the raw morphological data - they *still* stand quite well.
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Now, drawings in his work (and other works of the time) are notoriously unreliable as primary data, and discussions/interpretations of significance are often dated, but the raw morphological data - they *still* stand quite well.
This morning I saw a post w/photos of Smithsonian paleontologist Charles Gilmore, and it dislodged a thought from my brain: I *still* use the dude's work, 80 years after his last paper. Why? Because he published copious data - measurements, solid morphological descriptions, great photos. <thread>
January 13, 2026 at 3:28 PM
This morning I saw a post w/photos of Smithsonian paleontologist Charles Gilmore, and it dislodged a thought from my brain: I *still* use the dude's work, 80 years after his last paper. Why? Because he published copious data - measurements, solid morphological descriptions, great photos. <thread>
Reposted by Andy Farke
The first chapter of my PhD is published! If you're interested in how bones can be buried in floods, check it out in Paleobiology! (doi:10.1017/pab.2025.10087) And if you want to see the full scale experiments we ran, I did a summary video featuring a cover of When the Levee Breaks! #Taphonomy
When the Levee Breaks - Taphonomy in Action
YouTube video by Earth Encompassed
youtu.be
January 13, 2026 at 1:31 AM
The first chapter of my PhD is published! If you're interested in how bones can be buried in floods, check it out in Paleobiology! (doi:10.1017/pab.2025.10087) And if you want to see the full scale experiments we ran, I did a summary video featuring a cover of When the Levee Breaks! #Taphonomy
Reposted by Andy Farke
The School of Botanical Art & Illustration at the Denver Botanical Gardens released their lineup of lectures and classes for Winter/Spring 2026. With online and in-person options, these classes are a great way to learn new techniques or advance your current skills for artists of all skill levels!
January 12, 2026 at 5:04 PM
The School of Botanical Art & Illustration at the Denver Botanical Gardens released their lineup of lectures and classes for Winter/Spring 2026. With online and in-person options, these classes are a great way to learn new techniques or advance your current skills for artists of all skill levels!
Reposted by Andy Farke
Just saw a content-theft account reposted by someone here. A tip: if their bio says something like, “if you own the original, DM me,” you can tell they are happy to steal, mislead, and profit off other people’s work (and don’t want to be called out about it in public). Personally, I block on sight.
January 11, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Just saw a content-theft account reposted by someone here. A tip: if their bio says something like, “if you own the original, DM me,” you can tell they are happy to steal, mislead, and profit off other people’s work (and don’t want to be called out about it in public). Personally, I block on sight.