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P. David Polly

@pdpolly.bsky.social

1.3K followers 360 following 180 posts

David is a vertebrate paleontologist who grew up near Boonville, Missouri. He is also British. “Read broader, think deeper, do better”: https://pollylab.org/

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Paul David Polly is an American paleontologist and the Robert R. Shrock Professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Indiana University as well as the sitting chair of the department. .. more

Environmental science 34%

Mathematics 19%

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Reposted by P. David Polly

Will Quinn @willquinnart.bsky.social · 3d

Daily bunny no.3100 is just a branch away

A bunny sits on the branch of a tree at night, sipping tea and looking at the full moon. On the moon, another small bunny is visible, also drinking tea while looking back at the bunny on the tree branch

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 10

Daily bunny is not F100 material…. #MakeWayForNobody

Will Quinn @willquinnart.bsky.social · Sep 10

Daily bunny no.3073 still has a lot to unpack

A bunny sits in a large cardboard box, exhausted, in their new apartment. They are surrounded by messy piles of other boxes, some open and some closed, and one containing their pet cat. There is also a mattress and a lamp amongst the boxes

Reposted by P. David Polly

Will Quinn @willquinnart.bsky.social · Sep 10

Daily bunny no.3073 still has a lot to unpack

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Reposted by Jussi T. Eronen

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 9

We Are Watching a Scientific Superpower Destroy Itself www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/o...

Opinion | We Are Watching a Scientific Superpower Destroy Itself

www.nytimes.com

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 7

One if by land, two if by sea. Don’t fire till you see the masks of their ICE, Boston. #OldNorthChurch #TinyHandsOffAmerica

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 7

He came from outer space, lookin for something to eat #EggplantThatAteChicago youtu.be/Db8LxhzAml0?...

1966 Dr. West’s Medicine Show and Junk Band - The Eggplant That Ate Chicago (mono 45)

YouTube video by The45Prof

youtu.be

Reposted by Tim Hitchcock

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 6

@ellecordova.bsky.social youtube.com/shorts/AYm9w...

For our scientists

YouTube video by Elle Cordova

youtube.com

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Reposted by P. David Polly

Will Quinn @willquinnart.bsky.social · Sep 5

Daily bunny no.3068 hopes you get the message

A bunny, standing on a rocky cliff overlooking the seashore, throws a paper airplane to another cliff in the distance. On the other cliff, another bunny reaches to catch the plane. It is a cool summer day.

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 5

Truth. And such a waste for the future of the state of Indiana after five generations of investment to elevate Hoosier kids to world class status. thebtownbee.com/2025/08/31/t...

The decline of a great university

THE ACADEMY IS AN OUTDATED CONCEPT TO THE IU TRUSTEES AND STATE GOVERNMENT By Mike Leonard Peaceful , beautiful and under attack. SUVs blowing through stop signs. Cars going the wrong way on one-wa…

thebtownbee.com

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Sep 4

From Doctors Without Borders: Risk of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/risk-...

Risk of ethnic cleansing in the West Bank

MSF urges states with close ties to Israel—including the US—to apply meaningful pressure to halt the forced displacement of Palestinians.

www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Reposted by Adrian Vickers, P. David Polly

American Museum of Natural History @amnh.org · Sep 1

The little pygmy possum is the smallest possum in the world! Weighing ~0.4 oz (10 g), it's about the weight of 10 almonds. This omnivore has a taste for the nectar & pollen of flowering plants: It can consume up to 7% of its body weight in a single day!
Photo: Tom Hunt, CC BY-NC 4.0, iNaturalist

A photo of a little pygmy gray possum held in a human hand. The animal is tiny and gray in color, with pink hands and feet. It is about the size of a human thumb.

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 29

….community-facing conservation projects. Through this, they will contribute to Indiana University’s 2030 vision of student empowerment, creative research, and global service.” Sounds like IU these days, doesn’t it?

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 29

“Water Bunnies: Ecology, Imagination, and Innovation” is a multidisciplinary course exploring how aquatic biodiversity and cultural storytelling can drive climate awareness and ecological action. Students will research real and mythical freshwater species, produce digital media, and collaborate….

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 29

It is fun sometimes to ask chatgpt to do things few humans could do. I asked it to “align a course on water bunnies to the IUB 2030 Strategic Plan”. What it wrote would definitely make it past ICHE , probably with meritorious rating….

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 17

www.aam-us.org/2025/08/15/a...

AAM Statement on the Growing Threats of Censorship Against U.S. Museums

For Immediate Release Arlington, VA–Today, the American Alliance of Museums, the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum field, issued a statement in response to the gro…

www.aam-us.org

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 16

More from @robstonemd.bsky.social on effects of the new cuts to medicaid on rural Indiana hospital care. medicareforallindiana.substack.com/p/prescripti...

Prescription for Healthcare – Dr. Rob Stone, “Medicaid Cuts Affect Everyone” August, 2025

Welcome to Prescription for Healthcare, a podcast collaboration between the WFHB Local News and Medicare for All Indiana, broadcasting the second Thursday of every month as part of the Local News at 5

medicareforallindiana.substack.com

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 16

Thanks to @robstonemd for sharing this sobering summary of the crisis in rural health care www.counterpunch.org/2025/08/13/i...

It Will Take National Single Payer to Save Rural Hospitals

After 30 years of service to a rural Nebraska community, the Curtis Medical Center will close. Troy Bruntz, CEO of Community Hospital which owns the

www.counterpunch.org

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 10

An era when even Richard Nixon had soul. Today shame has vanished.

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Aug 5

Judges Openly Doubt Government as Justice Dept. Misleads and Dodges Orders www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/u...

Judges Openly Doubt Government as Justice Dept. Misleads and Dodges Orders

www.nytimes.com

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Jul 29

I stand corrected, it WAS 50.5 in Silopi, Turkey. The map I posted was from wrong day and time. New European heat record.

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Jul 29

I stand corrected, it was 50.5 in Silopi 🤦‍♂️

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Jul 29

I stand corrected, it was 50.5 in Silopi. My map was from weather underground, but probably at wrong time of day and wrong grain size to pick up the record.

P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Jul 28

Warm though it may have been, it wasn’t 50+c in Turkey. 🤔

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P. David Polly @pdpolly.bsky.social · Jul 18

Or perhaps White House euphemism that Putin and Netanyahu have sucked so much blood from the man that he’s turned yellow instead of orange… #DrainTheVein. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...