Ben Miller
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extinctmonsters.bsky.social
Ben Miller
@extinctmonsters.bsky.social
Mostly posts about the art history of paleontology in museums. Exhibit developer at the Field Museum, opinions my own. he/him

Website: extinctmonsters.net
Pinned
I’m closing in on 2k followers (thanks!) so I think I should clarify what I mean in my profile when I say the fun dinosaur pictures I post are a form of art history (besides wanting to sound elitist or something). 🧵
Reposted by Ben Miller
Seems like the exact wrong time to look for ways to compromise with Republicans and exactly the right time to go for the jugular and secure the thousand year woke dynasty
Pew has Trump's approval at 37%. And:

"Only about a quarter of Americans today (27%) say they support all or most of Trump’s policies and plans, down from 35% when he returned to office last year. That change has come entirely among Republicans."

www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...
Confidence in Trump Dips, and Fewer Now Say They Support His Policies and Plans
Only 27% of Americans say they support all or most of Trump's policies – down since last year, with the change coming entirely among Republicans.
www.pewresearch.org
January 29, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
Absolutely thrilled to have seen the new Chicago Archaeopteryx exhibit. This specimen never ceases to amaze me. Featuring my fanart of said dead bird.

#chicagoarchaeopteryx #fieldmuseum
January 29, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
We finished prep on the Tylosaurus that we excavated in May! 28 linear feet of murder lizard.
January 29, 2026 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
This beautiful woolly rhino skull comes from Belgium. Not much more was recorded about its provenance, because it was effectively bycatch on the 1934 Marshall Field Anthropological Expedition to the Near East.
January 28, 2026 at 4:42 PM
This sand thing is exactly the kind of drama I’m here for
January 28, 2026 at 10:32 PM
This beautiful woolly rhino skull comes from Belgium. Not much more was recorded about its provenance, because it was effectively bycatch on the 1934 Marshall Field Anthropological Expedition to the Near East.
January 28, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
Quick reminder to anyone unsure. Yes, the US can still have major cold blasts with record low temperatures in a warming climate. 🧪

Here's why:

(image credit: NOAA)
January 28, 2026 at 12:09 PM
The default iphone focal length isn’t doing it complete justice, but this nanmu rex is really something
January 26, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
If you need me, I’m hanging out with the Gilbert’s Skink co-housing community. #herps
January 25, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
The Art and Science of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge ... a new discussion from @skeletoncrewpaleo.bsky.social on YouTube, featuring me and Framestore's Russ and Dorothy youtu.be/IVu9Mfc38Es?...
The Art and Science of Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
YouTube video by Skeleton Crew
youtu.be
January 25, 2026 at 11:34 AM
If you've got 20 minutes and some imagination, here's a tour of the new museum/showroom BHIGR is planning in a repurposed winery. The buried lede is that they're planning a room with *seven* mounted rexes (2 original, 5 cast).

Guess this is where that UAE/Stan money is going...
Tour of the Future Museum Building for The Natural History Museum of the Black Hills!
YouTube video by Black Hills Institute of Geological Research
youtu.be
January 23, 2026 at 5:51 PM
(sub) #FossilFriday: For a change of pace, here are some mostly-uncataloged remains of aurochs, bison, goats, etc from Jarmo, a 9,000 year-old agricultural village in Iraq. 🐃🦬🐐
January 23, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Gwangi says hey
January 22, 2026 at 7:38 PM
lousy smarch weather
January 22, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Interesting approach to allowing students to use ai during an open-laptop exam. Now how do we go about requiring this accountability everywhere? ploum.net/2026-01-19-e...
January 22, 2026 at 1:52 PM
I love buying a used book and discovering gift notes and author inscriptions inside.
January 21, 2026 at 11:46 PM
Check out this cutie: an extinct Myotragus (“mouse goat”) from southern France.
January 21, 2026 at 8:51 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
Gorgeous #paleoart: Prototaxites towering over an expanse of early land plants. Great work @matt-humpage.bsky.social!
Our paper on the mysterious Devonian organism Prototaxites has now finally been published! See the paper here (www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...) and our explainer thread below!
Prototaxites reconstruction by Matt Humpage
January 21, 2026 at 8:44 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
How to get into nature.
January 20, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Warmer places
January 20, 2026 at 4:03 PM
lol why do I live here
January 20, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Reposted by Ben Miller
I wrote about how concentration camp regimes evolve and why it's not too late to stop this, even though we are deep in it now.
Into the abyss
The correct response to Dachau was not better training for the guards.
degenerateart.beehiiv.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:37 AM
Reposted by Ben Miller
Maybe 2/3 of the way there? After some notable color and light adjustments, I’ll be ready to start finer details - mostly highway markers and bone textures.

#mammoth 🦣 #iceage #paleoart #fossil #painting #charcoal #mixedmedia 🐡 #megafauna
January 20, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Reposted by Ben Miller
Another (incredibly grainy) look at Dolores the Corythosaurus from the old earth sciences hall, thanks to this old commercial www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_LE...
January 19, 2026 at 8:39 PM
our take:
January 20, 2026 at 12:59 AM