Andrew D Thaler
@drandrewthaler.bsky.social
Deep-sea ecologist investigating how humans shape and reshape the sea floor. Conservation technologist developing open-source tools to understand our changing oceans. Ocean educator creating novel programs to help students interact with marine ecosystems.
Pinned
The Last Hunt for the Jabberwock: A Feywild Adventure in Ecologic Succession - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild
Hunt the Jabberwock, Defend the Warren, Save the Forest
Welcome to the Warren. Within this tiny Domain of Delight, Rabb
www.dmsguild.com
For teachers, environmental educators, and D&D dorks!
In December, I published The Last Hunt for the Jabberwock, a D&D 5e adventure in environmental science and ecologic succession.
www.dmsguild.com/product/5056...
In December, I published The Last Hunt for the Jabberwock, a D&D 5e adventure in environmental science and ecologic succession.
www.dmsguild.com/product/5056...
I am fascinated by the alien/bigfoot split. Republicans are less likely to believe in aliens than Democrats and more likely to believe in Bigfoot and The Yeti.
I need to know why.
I need to know why.
New polling on aliens
% of U.S. adult citizens who believe the following definitely or probably exist:
Aliens 56%
Bigfoot 28%
The Yeti 23%
The Loch Ness Monster 22%
Chupacabra 16%
today.yougov.com/health/artic...
% of U.S. adult citizens who believe the following definitely or probably exist:
Aliens 56%
Bigfoot 28%
The Yeti 23%
The Loch Ness Monster 22%
Chupacabra 16%
today.yougov.com/health/artic...
November 26, 2025 at 1:17 AM
I am fascinated by the alien/bigfoot split. Republicans are less likely to believe in aliens than Democrats and more likely to believe in Bigfoot and The Yeti.
I need to know why.
I need to know why.
Oh, right! Seasonal reminder that if you're carving a turkey on Thursday and, like many Americans, this is the largest whole animal you've ever disarticulated, go get a rotisserie chicken tonight or tomorrow and practice.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Hi, former turkey farmer here who raised flocks of heritage breed turkeys specifically for Thanksgiving:
What?!
What?!
Trump: "Despite their size, Secretary Kennedy has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys. They could be fat, but they're still MAHA. They've been fattened on a steady diet of grass, beef, to allow the smoothies and all the other things they have been eating for this occasion."
November 25, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Oh, right! Seasonal reminder that if you're carving a turkey on Thursday and, like many Americans, this is the largest whole animal you've ever disarticulated, go get a rotisserie chicken tonight or tomorrow and practice.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Look at where the joints are. Think about how to support each cut.
Book piracy is so specifically weird to me. We have whole buildings where you walk in and get books for free. And if they don't have what you want, often they will find it for you. And libraries help authors. And libraries build communities.
We already made books a common good, no piracy needed.
We already made books a common good, no piracy needed.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Book piracy is so specifically weird to me. We have whole buildings where you walk in and get books for free. And if they don't have what you want, often they will find it for you. And libraries help authors. And libraries build communities.
We already made books a common good, no piracy needed.
We already made books a common good, no piracy needed.
I also did a tech audit last December to determine what would need to be replaced in the next few years and stocked up, because we knew tariffs would be a slow rolling disaster, so I don't anticipate any device purchases for a good while.
This will never be me - I bought an M4 Mac Air just before my book tour - but I think the premise of "device hoarding" here is ridiculous. With every major purchase, buy as well as you can and then use that thing until you can't use it any more. That's just sensible.
www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/h...
www.cnbc.com/2025/11/23/h...
Americans are holding onto devices longer than ever and it's costing the economy
Americans are holding onto devices longer than ever before, and while it may be consumer smart, it comes at a cost to work productivity and the U.S. economy.
www.cnbc.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:04 PM
I also did a tech audit last December to determine what would need to be replaced in the next few years and stocked up, because we knew tariffs would be a slow rolling disaster, so I don't anticipate any device purchases for a good while.
Since the deep-sea accounts for over half the surface of the planet and more than 90% of this world's biosphere, in a very really and quantified way, the unknowable wonders of the deep are the normal ones and us terrestrial outliers are the weird ones.
November 25, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Since the deep-sea accounts for over half the surface of the planet and more than 90% of this world's biosphere, in a very really and quantified way, the unknowable wonders of the deep are the normal ones and us terrestrial outliers are the weird ones.
My contribution to the Star Wars discourse is that I enjoyed the movies that I saw when I was a child more than I enjoyed the movies that I saw when I was not a child.
This is also my position on nearly all media.
This is also my position on nearly all media.
November 25, 2025 at 10:52 PM
My contribution to the Star Wars discourse is that I enjoyed the movies that I saw when I was a child more than I enjoyed the movies that I saw when I was not a child.
This is also my position on nearly all media.
This is also my position on nearly all media.
Hi, former turkey farmer here who raised flocks of heritage breed turkeys specifically for Thanksgiving:
What?!
What?!
Trump: "Despite their size, Secretary Kennedy has formally certified that these are the first ever MAHA turkeys. They could be fat, but they're still MAHA. They've been fattened on a steady diet of grass, beef, to allow the smoothies and all the other things they have been eating for this occasion."
November 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Hi, former turkey farmer here who raised flocks of heritage breed turkeys specifically for Thanksgiving:
What?!
What?!
Reposted by Andrew D Thaler
tech bro: i have made Artificial General Intelligence
programmer: you fucked up a perfectly good calculator is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
programmer: you fucked up a perfectly good calculator is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 5:12 PM
tech bro: i have made Artificial General Intelligence
programmer: you fucked up a perfectly good calculator is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
programmer: you fucked up a perfectly good calculator is what you did. look at it. it's got anxiety
Were you wondering where your daily capybaras are? Worry not, for they are here.
November 25, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Were you wondering where your daily capybaras are? Worry not, for they are here.
First findings of metal-rich particles from the Central Indian Ocean Basin: Evidence of hydrothermal mineralization
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
First findings of metal-rich particles from the Central Indian Ocean Basin: Evidence of hydrothermal mineralization
Metalliferous sediments are known to exist at mid-ocean ridges and near active intraplate seamounts. Here we report the occurrence of metal-rich parti…
www.sciencedirect.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
First findings of metal-rich particles from the Central Indian Ocean Basin: Evidence of hydrothermal mineralization
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Microplastics in ecosystems: ecotoxicological threats and strategies for mitigation and governance
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
Frontiers | Microplastics in ecosystems: ecotoxicological threats and strategies for mitigation and governance
Microplastic (MP) pollution is an emergent global threat with widespread implications for ecological integrity, food security, and public health. These parti...
www.frontiersin.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Microplastics in ecosystems: ecotoxicological threats and strategies for mitigation and governance
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...
‘The narwhals stop calling’: how the noise from ships is silencing wildlife in the Arctic
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘The narwhals stop calling’: how the noise from ships is silencing wildlife in the Arctic
Evidence that the whales and other marine animals are particularly vulnerable to sound is driving calls for quieter vessels
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:07 PM
‘The narwhals stop calling’: how the noise from ships is silencing wildlife in the Arctic
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Andrew D Thaler
Is Deep Sea Mining Feasible?
feat. @miriamgoldstein.bsky.social
A new feasibility report on deep sea mining in American Samoa region finds that the approaches of two leading companies are plagued by flawed financial models, underestimated costs, and immature tech.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
feat. @miriamgoldstein.bsky.social
A new feasibility report on deep sea mining in American Samoa region finds that the approaches of two leading companies are plagued by flawed financial models, underestimated costs, and immature tech.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Pressure Testing: Is Deep Sea Mining Feasible? . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.
A new report on the technical and economic feasibility of deep sea mining in the American Samoa region finds that the approaches of two leading companies are plagued by flawed financial models, undere...
us02web.zoom.us
November 25, 2025 at 3:35 AM
Is Deep Sea Mining Feasible?
feat. @miriamgoldstein.bsky.social
A new feasibility report on deep sea mining in American Samoa region finds that the approaches of two leading companies are plagued by flawed financial models, underestimated costs, and immature tech.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
feat. @miriamgoldstein.bsky.social
A new feasibility report on deep sea mining in American Samoa region finds that the approaches of two leading companies are plagued by flawed financial models, underestimated costs, and immature tech.
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welp, it appears that my computer cannot run ArcGIS and Fusion360 while playing a VR game.
Honestly, I don't know what I expected.
Honestly, I don't know what I expected.
Arrested Development Dead Dove GIF
Alt: Arrested Development Dead Dove GIF
media.tenor.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Welp, it appears that my computer cannot run ArcGIS and Fusion360 while playing a VR game.
Honestly, I don't know what I expected.
Honestly, I don't know what I expected.
Paint is dry, books are loaded. Shelves hold in both open and closed positions.
This project is done!
This project is done!
November 24, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Paint is dry, books are loaded. Shelves hold in both open and closed positions.
This project is done!
This project is done!
Reposted by Andrew D Thaler
This month marks one year for me on Bluesky. I’ve connected w/ more people here than I ever did at the bird place. 🎉
Last year, I left my job @politico.com / E&E News to make a film about new ocean industries. I started covering the war on U.S. offshore wind for @canarymedia.com. Been a good year!
Last year, I left my job @politico.com / E&E News to make a film about new ocean industries. I started covering the war on U.S. offshore wind for @canarymedia.com. Been a good year!
November 24, 2025 at 5:10 PM
This month marks one year for me on Bluesky. I’ve connected w/ more people here than I ever did at the bird place. 🎉
Last year, I left my job @politico.com / E&E News to make a film about new ocean industries. I started covering the war on U.S. offshore wind for @canarymedia.com. Been a good year!
Last year, I left my job @politico.com / E&E News to make a film about new ocean industries. I started covering the war on U.S. offshore wind for @canarymedia.com. Been a good year!
I had to punch a hole in our bedroom wall to insulate the upstairs crawlspace. Once we had the hole, I figured we might as well move some outlets around and add a nice little built in bookcase.
Don't want to tell you how long this little project took.
Don't want to tell you how long this little project took.
November 24, 2025 at 5:11 PM
I had to punch a hole in our bedroom wall to insulate the upstairs crawlspace. Once we had the hole, I figured we might as well move some outlets around and add a nice little built in bookcase.
Don't want to tell you how long this little project took.
Don't want to tell you how long this little project took.
What we know we don't know: impacts of deep-sea mining on whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and other migratory species. www.southernfriedscience.com/what-we-know...
What we know we don’t know: impacts of deep-sea mining on whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and other migratory species.
Migratory species depend on a vast, interconnected ocean. Disturbance in the deep-sea isn’t localized, it ripples across a globally-connected ocean and impacts made today may persist long aft…
www.southernfriedscience.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:08 PM
What we know we don't know: impacts of deep-sea mining on whales, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and other migratory species. www.southernfriedscience.com/what-we-know...
Capybara's at dawn.
November 24, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Capybara's at dawn.
Reposted by Andrew D Thaler
@schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 869 is live! #asgardarchaea #MarineLife
www.youtube.com/live/PXoEr6u...
www.youtube.com/live/PXoEr6u...
Station 11 | SOI Divestream 869
YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:24 PM
@schmidtocean.bsky.social dive 869 is live! #asgardarchaea #MarineLife
www.youtube.com/live/PXoEr6u...
www.youtube.com/live/PXoEr6u...
Working up a new policy paper with some great co-authors and had to dive into some of my past work.
A look, I am totally shameless. This paper I wrote with @divaamon.bsky.social is an absolute banger.
peerj.com/articles/7397/
A look, I am totally shameless. This paper I wrote with @divaamon.bsky.social is an absolute banger.
peerj.com/articles/7397/
262 Voyages Beneath the Sea: a global assessment of macro- and megafaunal biodiversity and research effort at deep-sea hydrothermal vents
For over 40 years, hydrothermal vents and the communities that thrive on them have been a source of profound discovery for deep-sea ecologists. These ecosystems are found throughout the world on activ...
peerj.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Working up a new policy paper with some great co-authors and had to dive into some of my past work.
A look, I am totally shameless. This paper I wrote with @divaamon.bsky.social is an absolute banger.
peerj.com/articles/7397/
A look, I am totally shameless. This paper I wrote with @divaamon.bsky.social is an absolute banger.
peerj.com/articles/7397/
My sincere belief that we probably should all dress a little nicer while traveling is superseded by my sincere belief that we should mind our own business.
November 23, 2025 at 5:22 PM
My sincere belief that we probably should all dress a little nicer while traveling is superseded by my sincere belief that we should mind our own business.
Make time for Capybaras.
November 23, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Make time for Capybaras.
I briefly commanded the largest, by vessel count, private navy in the world, while spending a year as submersible Santa Claus.
November 23, 2025 at 12:58 AM
I briefly commanded the largest, by vessel count, private navy in the world, while spending a year as submersible Santa Claus.
Time for capybaras.
November 22, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Time for capybaras.