Dr. Lynne Elkins
@ljelkins.bsky.social
Volcanologist, petrologist, isotope geochemist, & geology instructor and researcher at West Chester U! I study the Earth using fieldwork, geochemistry, and computational modeling.
**Personal account, does not reflect employer positions.
**Personal account, does not reflect employer positions.
Latest bizarre AI thing:
My social media feed video suggestions have suddenly been populated by large parrots interacting with first police officers, then veterinarians, and most recently, babies. Just from the automated previews, I can see the videos are computer generated. It is SO weird.
My social media feed video suggestions have suddenly been populated by large parrots interacting with first police officers, then veterinarians, and most recently, babies. Just from the automated previews, I can see the videos are computer generated. It is SO weird.
November 24, 2025 at 1:57 AM
Latest bizarre AI thing:
My social media feed video suggestions have suddenly been populated by large parrots interacting with first police officers, then veterinarians, and most recently, babies. Just from the automated previews, I can see the videos are computer generated. It is SO weird.
My social media feed video suggestions have suddenly been populated by large parrots interacting with first police officers, then veterinarians, and most recently, babies. Just from the automated previews, I can see the videos are computer generated. It is SO weird.
Been a while since I did this! I’ve missed it.
November 23, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Been a while since I did this! I’ve missed it.
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
An explosive #eruption of Hayli Gubbi #volcano, located SE of Erta'Ale in the Afar Rift (Ethiopia), began at ~08:30 UTC on Nov 23. Eruption onset was fortuitously captured by a @planet.com overpass at 08:31 UTC. Hayli Gubbi has no record of Holocene eruptions. Toulouse VAAC reporting ash to ~15 km.
November 23, 2025 at 5:23 PM
An explosive #eruption of Hayli Gubbi #volcano, located SE of Erta'Ale in the Afar Rift (Ethiopia), began at ~08:30 UTC on Nov 23. Eruption onset was fortuitously captured by a @planet.com overpass at 08:31 UTC. Hayli Gubbi has no record of Holocene eruptions. Toulouse VAAC reporting ash to ~15 km.
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
My favorite piece of content today.
November 21, 2025 at 8:28 PM
My favorite piece of content today.
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
Indonesian authorities evacuate more than 900 people and are facilitating the safe return of 170 climbers stranded after the eruption of its Semeru volcano, one of the country’s tallest mountains.
Indonesia evacuates stranded climbers after Semeru volcano erupts
The alert level was maintained at its highest after Semeru erupted 10 times, emitting massive plumes of ash and sending lava and rocks as far as 8 miles down its slopes, officials said.
nbcnews.to
November 20, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Indonesian authorities evacuate more than 900 people and are facilitating the safe return of 170 climbers stranded after the eruption of its Semeru volcano, one of the country’s tallest mountains.
Oh this is excellent.
just learned we won an award for our blog post about Tom Holland and stormwater management.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
remember, when you see an article about stormwater management, you repost it. i don’t make the rules.
What Tom Holland’s historic lip-sync showcase taught us about stormwater management
Grab your umbrella and your tights.
neorsd.medium.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:11 AM
Oh this is excellent.
Guys. Just put dates in all the filenames (YYYY-MM-DD so it sorts correctly).
Ah yes of course "final final version 7".
That is the one!
That is the one!
November 18, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Guys. Just put dates in all the filenames (YYYY-MM-DD so it sorts correctly).
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
Open AI loses copyright case in Germany.
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Judge Elke Schwager summarized the case saying that if you want to build something and need components, "then you purchase them and do not use the property of others."
Blow for OpenAI in Germany as court rules song lyrics used illegally
A German court ruled on Tuesday that OpenAI violated copyright on nine popular songs in a lawsuit that marked another attempt to prevent the free use of artists' content online. The Munich Regional Co...
www.yahoo.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
THEN YOU PURCHASE THEM AND DO NOT USE THE PROPERTY OF OTHERS
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
A new state-by-state evaluation of the projected energy and water use of "AI" data centers in the US. Looks… real bad. Like, "undoing tech sector climate gains" bad.
Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Environmental impact and net-zero pathways for sustainable artificial intelligence servers in the USA - Nature Sustainability
The rapid expansion of AI server installations in the United States poses sustainability challenges in terms of water usage and carbon emissions. A study now quantifies these potential impacts and out...
www.nature.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:06 AM
A new state-by-state evaluation of the projected energy and water use of "AI" data centers in the US. Looks… real bad. Like, "undoing tech sector climate gains" bad.
Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Strongly recommends immediately ensuring any & all new "AI" data centers to run on existing & expanded renewables grids. Which… yeah.
Sounds exciting! Now just stop working with Wiley (or any for-profit publisher that sells our stuff to AI) and stop charging APCs for open access, and we'll really be talking. It's long past time to reconsider the (not-for-profit) society publishing model at AGU.
Relevant: bsky.app/profile/paol...
Relevant: bsky.app/profile/paol...
AGU Publications is pleased to welcome five new Editors-in-Chief to our journals program in 2026!🎉
We thank the outgoing EiCs for their leadership and contributions during their terms, and offer a warm welcome to their successors!
🔗 buff.ly/PZKSOuC
#AGUPubs #Publishing
We thank the outgoing EiCs for their leadership and contributions during their terms, and offer a warm welcome to their successors!
🔗 buff.ly/PZKSOuC
#AGUPubs #Publishing
Announcing New AGU Journal Editors-in-Chief Starting in 2026 - Eos
AGU is excited to welcome new Editors-in-Chief for five of our journals in 2026.
buff.ly
November 12, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Sounds exciting! Now just stop working with Wiley (or any for-profit publisher that sells our stuff to AI) and stop charging APCs for open access, and we'll really be talking. It's long past time to reconsider the (not-for-profit) society publishing model at AGU.
Relevant: bsky.app/profile/paol...
Relevant: bsky.app/profile/paol...
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
UPDATE: Kp8 (EIGHT!)
November 12, 2025 at 3:20 AM
UPDATE: Kp8 (EIGHT!)
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
“Nobody knows what magnets are”
November 12, 2025 at 3:34 AM
“Nobody knows what magnets are”
I want to see an aurora WITH MY EYEBALLS
November 12, 2025 at 1:44 AM
I want to see an aurora WITH MY EYEBALLS
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
Very disheartened by the UNL chancellor's decision to recommend the Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department for elimination, despite the opposition from the Academic Planning Committee's vote.
Both the opposing and in favor summary noted the value EAS provides to the discipline, and both sides
Both the opposing and in favor summary noted the value EAS provides to the discipline, and both sides
November 11, 2025 at 3:23 AM
Very disheartened by the UNL chancellor's decision to recommend the Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Department for elimination, despite the opposition from the Academic Planning Committee's vote.
Both the opposing and in favor summary noted the value EAS provides to the discipline, and both sides
Both the opposing and in favor summary noted the value EAS provides to the discipline, and both sides
They are really planning to go through with these cuts at Nebraska, despite recommendations not to. Unbelievable.
If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
Final Budget Reduction Plan | Budget Process | Nebraska
budgetprocess.unl.edu
November 10, 2025 at 11:19 PM
They are really planning to go through with these cuts at Nebraska, despite recommendations not to. Unbelievable.
If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
If you want to hire highly qualified, very successful earth and atmospheric sciences faculty in teaching and research, quite a few are probably looking for jobs for next year.
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
Rosalind Franklin died at 37 of ovarian cancer attributed to radiation exposure from the methods she & her assistant used to photograph a cross-section of the DNA double helix.
Meanwhile, Watson won a Nobel off that work & survived to the ripe old age of 97 by simply: stealing those notes!
Meanwhile, Watson won a Nobel off that work & survived to the ripe old age of 97 by simply: stealing those 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 8:38 PM
Rosalind Franklin died at 37 of ovarian cancer attributed to radiation exposure from the methods she & her assistant used to photograph a cross-section of the DNA double helix.
Meanwhile, Watson won a Nobel off that work & survived to the ripe old age of 97 by simply: stealing those notes!
Meanwhile, Watson won a Nobel off that work & survived to the ripe old age of 97 by simply: stealing those notes!
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
This is all to say that yes Watson was a dyed in the wool bigot, but we shouldn't forget that was he was also a huckster.
November 7, 2025 at 9:00 PM
This is all to say that yes Watson was a dyed in the wool bigot, but we shouldn't forget that was he was also a huckster.
James Watson was a deeply hateful human being who stole the credit for the work he was celebrated for, and apparently was unable to refrain from offensive comments on almost any public occasion.
November 7, 2025 at 11:06 PM
James Watson was a deeply hateful human being who stole the credit for the work he was celebrated for, and apparently was unable to refrain from offensive comments on almost any public occasion.
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
It's really important to note that not only was Watson a racist and misogynist but his contribution to the double helix was listening to a Rosalind Franklin lecture and getting mad because Francis Crick wouldn't invite him to his sex parties.
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 7:59 PM
It's really important to note that not only was Watson a racist and misogynist but his contribution to the double helix was listening to a Rosalind Franklin lecture and getting mad because Francis Crick wouldn't invite him to his sex parties.
Feeling this today
there was a time i never thought i could hate a politician more than i hated that guy. in retrospect, very naive of me
November 4, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Feeling this today
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
They fired me from the paleontology department cause I kept drawings the dinosaurs too sexy
November 3, 2025 at 2:11 AM
They fired me from the paleontology department cause I kept drawings the dinosaurs too sexy
This is going to be a completely niche comment for allergy sufferers, but wow, the OTC version of azelastine tastes really weird. They have obviously added sweet flavoring to it to mask the horrendous bitterness. I'm not sure how I feel about it!
November 3, 2025 at 12:39 AM
This is going to be a completely niche comment for allergy sufferers, but wow, the OTC version of azelastine tastes really weird. They have obviously added sweet flavoring to it to mask the horrendous bitterness. I'm not sure how I feel about it!
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
as a bird artist, in honor of tonight’s game i have attempted to draw the gorgeous blue jay as accurately as possible. as always please let me know if you have any constructive criticism
October 31, 2025 at 5:56 PM
as a bird artist, in honor of tonight’s game i have attempted to draw the gorgeous blue jay as accurately as possible. as always please let me know if you have any constructive criticism
This is an extremely bad idea.
NOAA’s National Weather Service holds the federal responsibility for tsunami warnings, and has historically been a primary supporter of seismic data collection in Alaska
NOAA cancels longstanding funding for seismic data collection crucial to tsunami warning systems
The Alaska Earthquake Center has long provided NOAA with seismic data for tsunami monitoring and warning purposes. That work will wind down in November, after the federal agency said it can no longer fund the contract.
akpub.io
November 1, 2025 at 1:08 PM
This is an extremely bad idea.
Reposted by Dr. Lynne Elkins
Melissa is the worst Atlantic storm you could imagine, and it’s making landfall in Jamaica as I write this. Very few places on the planet have experienced conditions like some portions of Jamaica will in the coming hours. Our thoughts are with the Caribbean. Details below or at theeyewall.com.
Melissa is now a top 5 storm all-time, and it is about to make landfall in Jamaica
Jamaica is experiencing impacts that few places have ever experienced from a hurricane
open.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Melissa is the worst Atlantic storm you could imagine, and it’s making landfall in Jamaica as I write this. Very few places on the planet have experienced conditions like some portions of Jamaica will in the coming hours. Our thoughts are with the Caribbean. Details below or at theeyewall.com.