Andy Farke
@andyfarke.bsky.social
Paleontologist, educator, museum person, open science person, homebrewer, spouse, parent. Homebrewing blog at http://andybrews.com
he/him
he/him
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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!).
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.
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.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Protocera
January 10, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Protocera
Reposted by Andy Farke
The Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology conference is coming up on February 14, hosted at the Alf Museum in Claremont, California. Abstract deadline is January 19. Lots of details at the updated conference website - www.wavp.us
Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology
www.wavp.us
January 9, 2026 at 5:15 PM
The Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology conference is coming up on February 14, hosted at the Alf Museum in Claremont, California. Abstract deadline is January 19. Lots of details at the updated conference website - www.wavp.us
The Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology conference is coming up on February 14, hosted at the Alf Museum in Claremont, California. Abstract deadline is January 19. Lots of details at the updated conference website - www.wavp.us
Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology
www.wavp.us
January 9, 2026 at 5:15 PM
The Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology conference is coming up on February 14, hosted at the Alf Museum in Claremont, California. Abstract deadline is January 19. Lots of details at the updated conference website - www.wavp.us
Reposted by Andy Farke
Hops have changed a lot in the past dozen years, and this cool visualizer gives a dynamic look at how the industry has evolved.
Visualizing Hops — Beervana
Hops have changed a lot in the past dozen years, and this cool visualizer gives a dynamic look at how they’ve changed.
www.beervanablog.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Hops have changed a lot in the past dozen years, and this cool visualizer gives a dynamic look at how the industry has evolved.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Via Sally Hollingworth and Sue Forrest comes the unexpected news that Richard passed this morning. This is a shock and a major loss. Richard is a notable person in the Mesozoic research community, known for his work on marine reptiles and his role in organising conferences and meetings. Very sad.
January 9, 2026 at 11:01 AM
Via Sally Hollingworth and Sue Forrest comes the unexpected news that Richard passed this morning. This is a shock and a major loss. Richard is a notable person in the Mesozoic research community, known for his work on marine reptiles and his role in organising conferences and meetings. Very sad.
Reposted by Andy Farke
The California Geological Survey offers a variety of interactive web maps, including geologic and geohazard maps, mineral resource maps, and earthquake regulatory zone maps. These maps can be found here: maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/#datalist
January 8, 2026 at 10:24 PM
The California Geological Survey offers a variety of interactive web maps, including geologic and geohazard maps, mineral resource maps, and earthquake regulatory zone maps. These maps can be found here: maps.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/#datalist
Reposted by Andy Farke
I think this is an incredibly important point
this doesn't mean that you have to keep doing the exact kind of work you did as a student/postdoc for the rest of your career
but it does mean you have to keep learning, pushing through the discomfort of not being good at something right away
this doesn't mean that you have to keep doing the exact kind of work you did as a student/postdoc for the rest of your career
but it does mean you have to keep learning, pushing through the discomfort of not being good at something right away
Last spring, I was asked to give carreer advice to grad students. And the one thing I told them was: our best skill is our ability to learn difficult things -- it's also the first skill you will lose unless you intentionally don't let yourselves go.
January 8, 2026 at 2:45 PM
I think this is an incredibly important point
this doesn't mean that you have to keep doing the exact kind of work you did as a student/postdoc for the rest of your career
but it does mean you have to keep learning, pushing through the discomfort of not being good at something right away
this doesn't mean that you have to keep doing the exact kind of work you did as a student/postdoc for the rest of your career
but it does mean you have to keep learning, pushing through the discomfort of not being good at something right away
This is a really great paper, with a big boost from new fossils for Ajkaceratops. European ceratopsians are weird--and a ceratopsian identity is the hypothesis best supported by the evidence. Some thoughts / notes...
Out in @nature.com today, we shake up the ornithischian family tree. Remember those weird Late Cretaceous iguanodontians, the rhabdodontids? Well they're weird because they aren't iguanodontians. They're ceratopsians. Well, at least some of them are... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A hidden diversity of ceratopsian dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous Europe - Nature
New results indicate that rhabdodontids and the previously described Ajkaceratops are actually distinctive European ceratopsians, a group better known from Asia and North America.
www.nature.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:29 PM
This is a really great paper, with a big boost from new fossils for Ajkaceratops. European ceratopsians are weird--and a ceratopsian identity is the hypothesis best supported by the evidence. Some thoughts / notes...
Reposted by Andy Farke
New material of Ajkaceratops cements its identity as a ceratopsian, but adds a new wrinkle. It turns out that many european ornithischians previously classified as iguanodontians may actually be ceratopsians! New paper by @tweetisaurus.bsky.social et al., that I provided art for (link in reply).
January 7, 2026 at 5:44 PM
New material of Ajkaceratops cements its identity as a ceratopsian, but adds a new wrinkle. It turns out that many european ornithischians previously classified as iguanodontians may actually be ceratopsians! New paper by @tweetisaurus.bsky.social et al., that I provided art for (link in reply).
Reposted by Andy Farke
Four new entries in my collection of A.I.-generated images 🤖🎨 in academic journals:
bit.ly/academic-slop, version 2.
bit.ly/academic-slop, version 2.
Pulled From the Trough: Slop Images in Academic Journals
This project collects images created using generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) that have appeared in academic journals.If you run across examples of gen AI images in journals or books - whethe...
bit.ly
January 5, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Four new entries in my collection of A.I.-generated images 🤖🎨 in academic journals:
bit.ly/academic-slop, version 2.
bit.ly/academic-slop, version 2.
Reposted by Andy Farke
He was an alumni of my high school and it was some fossils he found. My high school has its own paleontological museum, and its director is even on Bluesky, at @andyfarke.bsky.social
www.alfmuseum.org
www.alfmuseum.org
Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology – The Webb Schools
www.alfmuseum.org
January 2, 2026 at 6:55 PM
He was an alumni of my high school and it was some fossils he found. My high school has its own paleontological museum, and its director is even on Bluesky, at @andyfarke.bsky.social
www.alfmuseum.org
www.alfmuseum.org
Reposted by Andy Farke
One time in high school I was bitten by a radioactive papier-mâché dinosaur, which gave me all the powers of old newspaper drenched in wheat paste and dried via evaporation
January 2, 2026 at 6:19 PM
One time in high school I was bitten by a radioactive papier-mâché dinosaur, which gave me all the powers of old newspaper drenched in wheat paste and dried via evaporation
Hey paleontologists! The Alf Museum is hosting WAVP (Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology) next month. (should have abstract submission details pretty quick). Details here: www.wavp.us
Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology
www.wavp.us
January 2, 2026 at 7:21 PM
Hey paleontologists! The Alf Museum is hosting WAVP (Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontology) next month. (should have abstract submission details pretty quick). Details here: www.wavp.us
Happy New Year! 2025 was an...interesting...one in many ways both good and...interesting. Here's to 2026!
January 2, 2026 at 7:20 PM
Happy New Year! 2025 was an...interesting...one in many ways both good and...interesting. Here's to 2026!
Reposted by Andy Farke
Reposted by Andy Farke
Determination of Smilodon fatalis (Carnivora: Felidae) brain volume and its place among extant felids by use of MicroCT scans
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...
Determination of Smilodon fatalis (Carnivora: Felidae) brain volume and its place among extant felids by use of MicroCT scans
ABSTRACT. After Leidy discovered Smilodon fatalis in 1869, Merriam and Stock became interested in this felid. They made the first endocast. Since then, the
academic.oup.com
January 1, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Determination of Smilodon fatalis (Carnivora: Felidae) brain volume and its place among extant felids by use of MicroCT scans
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...
academic.oup.com/biolinnean/a...
Reposted by Andy Farke
Please note that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" starts ON December 25th.
Which means it's still ongoing.
It's also why I'd get annoyed with TV channels that did "12 days of christmas" shows in the days leading up to Christmas.
Which means it's still ongoing.
It's also why I'd get annoyed with TV channels that did "12 days of christmas" shows in the days leading up to Christmas.
January 1, 2026 at 3:07 AM
Please note that "The Twelve Days of Christmas" starts ON December 25th.
Which means it's still ongoing.
It's also why I'd get annoyed with TV channels that did "12 days of christmas" shows in the days leading up to Christmas.
Which means it's still ongoing.
It's also why I'd get annoyed with TV channels that did "12 days of christmas" shows in the days leading up to Christmas.