Rebecca Dean
@rmdean.bsky.social
Anthropologist (archaeology, biological anth, ecology). Director of Assessment and Data Analytics. Former Michigan diaspora now home but missing Minnesota. UMich grad working at MSU. Never speaks for MSU.
Pinned
Rebecca Dean
@rmdean.bsky.social
· Sep 21
and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
Every t-day I make a wonderful wild rice stuffing. 20 years ago, when I wrote down the recipe, I doubled it so we had enough for dinner and leftovers. Every year, when I make the stuffing, I forget it’s doubled and I double it. Every year I swear I won’t double double it again. #SwimmingInStuffing
November 27, 2025 at 12:57 AM
Every t-day I make a wonderful wild rice stuffing. 20 years ago, when I wrote down the recipe, I doubled it so we had enough for dinner and leftovers. Every year, when I make the stuffing, I forget it’s doubled and I double it. Every year I swear I won’t double double it again. #SwimmingInStuffing
My faith in the transformative power of education is like my faith in the Almighty: unshakeable, even in the face of all evidence to the contrary.
November 25, 2025 at 2:27 PM
My faith in the transformative power of education is like my faith in the Almighty: unshakeable, even in the face of all evidence to the contrary.
The MSU career portal has a profile page that asks you to choose a title. "Dr" is not one of the options. 🤔
November 25, 2025 at 12:39 PM
The MSU career portal has a profile page that asks you to choose a title. "Dr" is not one of the options. 🤔
This is giving so much joy
yes, hello, I would like to place an order for everyone’s funniest stories of holiday food-related family grudges / drama / chaotic incidents / lore
I feel like we need this
I feel like we need this
November 25, 2025 at 10:39 AM
This is giving so much joy
Updating my CV and realizing that I've been publishing for 25 years. When the heck did that happen?!?
November 24, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Updating my CV and realizing that I've been publishing for 25 years. When the heck did that happen?!?
I have a unique ability to destroy any computer device that comes within my aura. In related news, I can no longer use a mouse on my computer, and even failing to connect my husband's mouse to mine cause it to die.
November 23, 2025 at 8:24 PM
I have a unique ability to destroy any computer device that comes within my aura. In related news, I can no longer use a mouse on my computer, and even failing to connect my husband's mouse to mine cause it to die.
Is it too much to hope for ONE Big 10 win?? I feel for these kids. It’s tough.
November 23, 2025 at 12:01 AM
Is it too much to hope for ONE Big 10 win?? I feel for these kids. It’s tough.
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
Omar El Akkad's One Day, Everyone will have Always Been Against This has won the National Book Award. This is a deserving, necessary win. His words need to be on all of our minds and in all of our hearts.
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
November 21, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Omar El Akkad's One Day, Everyone will have Always Been Against This has won the National Book Award. This is a deserving, necessary win. His words need to be on all of our minds and in all of our hearts.
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
"When it mattered, who sided with justice and who sided with power?"
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
This fascinating short article is highly recommended for anyone interested in marine mammals, zooarchaeology, history, folklore, Orkney and the links between humans, seals and the sea.
@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@coastalpaleo.bsky.social
@nesmammals.bsky.social
@marinemammalogy.bsky.social
@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@coastalpaleo.bsky.social
@nesmammals.bsky.social
@marinemammalogy.bsky.social
What a privilege to be among the final contributing authors for @sapiens.org. This piece grows out of my Earth fellowship in Orkney, Scotland, exploring deep-time human–seal relations.
Grateful for the chance to share it and keen to hear what you think. www.sapiens.org/culture/seal...
Grateful for the chance to share it and keen to hear what you think. www.sapiens.org/culture/seal...
Connections and Conflicts With Seals in a Scottish Archipelago
An environmental archaeologist investigates deep-time, mythical, and contemporary relations between seals and Orkney Islanders.
www.sapiens.org
November 22, 2025 at 10:26 AM
This fascinating short article is highly recommended for anyone interested in marine mammals, zooarchaeology, history, folklore, Orkney and the links between humans, seals and the sea.
@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@coastalpaleo.bsky.social
@nesmammals.bsky.social
@marinemammalogy.bsky.social
@mammalsociety.bsky.social
@coastalpaleo.bsky.social
@nesmammals.bsky.social
@marinemammalogy.bsky.social
The one and only thing I know about Ryan Lizza is that he greatly overestimates how much I give a flying fig about knowing more.
November 22, 2025 at 12:22 PM
The one and only thing I know about Ryan Lizza is that he greatly overestimates how much I give a flying fig about knowing more.
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
🚨 MORAES DECRETA PRISÃO PREVENTIVA DE JAIR BOLSONARO
O ministro Xands de Moraes, do STF, determinou neste sábado (22) a prisão preventiva do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro, condenado a 27 anos e 3 meses por tentar um golpe de Estado após perder as eleições de 2022.
O ministro Xands de Moraes, do STF, determinou neste sábado (22) a prisão preventiva do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro, condenado a 27 anos e 3 meses por tentar um golpe de Estado após perder as eleições de 2022.
November 22, 2025 at 9:39 AM
🚨 MORAES DECRETA PRISÃO PREVENTIVA DE JAIR BOLSONARO
O ministro Xands de Moraes, do STF, determinou neste sábado (22) a prisão preventiva do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro, condenado a 27 anos e 3 meses por tentar um golpe de Estado após perder as eleições de 2022.
O ministro Xands de Moraes, do STF, determinou neste sábado (22) a prisão preventiva do ex-presidente Jair Bolsonaro, condenado a 27 anos e 3 meses por tentar um golpe de Estado após perder as eleições de 2022.
Confirms anthropological assumptions, tbh, but interesting nonetheless
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Confirms anthropological assumptions, tbh, but interesting nonetheless
People, a Newsweek article just flashed on my browser home page with the title “Fact Check: Is Mamdani introducing Arabic numerals to NYC schools?”
Honestly, what is even the point anymore?
Honestly, what is even the point anymore?
November 20, 2025 at 8:09 PM
People, a Newsweek article just flashed on my browser home page with the title “Fact Check: Is Mamdani introducing Arabic numerals to NYC schools?”
Honestly, what is even the point anymore?
Honestly, what is even the point anymore?
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
This vid has been out a couple of weeks, but I didn't get a chance to announce it, since I was traveling. In this one, I examine claims made by fantasy-archaeology proponents about the Smithsonian. Give it a watch=> youtu.be/KZivcQ98I9g
November 20, 2025 at 7:57 PM
This vid has been out a couple of weeks, but I didn't get a chance to announce it, since I was traveling. In this one, I examine claims made by fantasy-archaeology proponents about the Smithsonian. Give it a watch=> youtu.be/KZivcQ98I9g
I don’t know where to begin. For some reason, that footnote on the headline is just so bleakly absurd it overshadows all else.
CDC has overhauled its website to assert that “the claim ‘vaccines do not cause autism’ is not an evidence-based claim”
November 20, 2025 at 11:48 AM
I don’t know where to begin. For some reason, that footnote on the headline is just so bleakly absurd it overshadows all else.
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
I can't (yes I can) believe I am sending out another email to archaeologists asking them to do a few more Skype a Scientist sessions for LEGO league. But here we are. Putting our scientific network to the test. Really learning the limits here this semester, whew.
November 19, 2025 at 7:51 PM
I can't (yes I can) believe I am sending out another email to archaeologists asking them to do a few more Skype a Scientist sessions for LEGO league. But here we are. Putting our scientific network to the test. Really learning the limits here this semester, whew.
My Facebook just reminded me that 10 years ago today I learned that Bill Longacre had died. Today I heard that Suzy Fish has died. She was an important mentor for me. My thoughts are with Paul and their family.
November 19, 2025 at 7:33 PM
My Facebook just reminded me that 10 years ago today I learned that Bill Longacre had died. Today I heard that Suzy Fish has died. She was an important mentor for me. My thoughts are with Paul and their family.
Unless I am the chair of a committee or meeting, I limit myself to no more than three attempts to bring any one meeting back to the topic at hand. The fact that I ha ve this as an explicit personal policy says a lot about academia.
November 19, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Unless I am the chair of a committee or meeting, I limit myself to no more than three attempts to bring any one meeting back to the topic at hand. The fact that I ha ve this as an explicit personal policy says a lot about academia.
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
Happy birthday to the Soviet linguist Yuri Knorozov who casually deciphered the Mayan script in 1952 and got pissed when editors removed his cat as co-author on papers or cropped her out of his author headshot (the only picture of himself he even liked)
November 19, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Happy birthday to the Soviet linguist Yuri Knorozov who casually deciphered the Mayan script in 1952 and got pissed when editors removed his cat as co-author on papers or cropped her out of his author headshot (the only picture of himself he even liked)
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
Great news that the Senate has passed the bill forcing the DOJ to release its Epstein file. Now Bondi must comply. But our work cannot stop there. We need to force the Treasury to release the Epstein bank records too. I have a bill to make that happen. FOLLOW THE MONEY.
November 18, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Great news that the Senate has passed the bill forcing the DOJ to release its Epstein file. Now Bondi must comply. But our work cannot stop there. We need to force the Treasury to release the Epstein bank records too. I have a bill to make that happen. FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Me: I can't believe I'm paid six figures to look up basic contact info and put it in a table.
Hubby: You're not paid 6 figures to look up contact info. You're paid 6 figures to spend 4 hours looking up contact info and putting it in a table after you spent 8 hours at work already today.
Hubby: You're not paid 6 figures to look up contact info. You're paid 6 figures to spend 4 hours looking up contact info and putting it in a table after you spent 8 hours at work already today.
November 18, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Me: I can't believe I'm paid six figures to look up basic contact info and put it in a table.
Hubby: You're not paid 6 figures to look up contact info. You're paid 6 figures to spend 4 hours looking up contact info and putting it in a table after you spent 8 hours at work already today.
Hubby: You're not paid 6 figures to look up contact info. You're paid 6 figures to spend 4 hours looking up contact info and putting it in a table after you spent 8 hours at work already today.
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Any other long-term NPR listeners think that their coverage has gotten noticeably more blunt since they lost their federal funding?
November 18, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Any other long-term NPR listeners think that their coverage has gotten noticeably more blunt since they lost their federal funding?
Reposted by Rebecca Dean
Finally!
My new book Boarding Schools and the Indigenous Story is a comprehensive history of the efforts of the US government to remove native children from their families, from colonization to today. For middle grades, but for everyone.
You can pre-order here: www.rhcbooks.com/books/744961...
My new book Boarding Schools and the Indigenous Story is a comprehensive history of the efforts of the US government to remove native children from their families, from colonization to today. For middle grades, but for everyone.
You can pre-order here: www.rhcbooks.com/books/744961...
November 18, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Finally!
My new book Boarding Schools and the Indigenous Story is a comprehensive history of the efforts of the US government to remove native children from their families, from colonization to today. For middle grades, but for everyone.
You can pre-order here: www.rhcbooks.com/books/744961...
My new book Boarding Schools and the Indigenous Story is a comprehensive history of the efforts of the US government to remove native children from their families, from colonization to today. For middle grades, but for everyone.
You can pre-order here: www.rhcbooks.com/books/744961...