Derek Larson, Ph.D. 🇨🇦
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dlarson.bsky.social
Derek Larson, Ph.D. 🇨🇦
@dlarson.bsky.social
1.2K followers 2K following 340 posts
Collection Manager and Researcher at the Royal BC Museum. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Ph.D. studying lizards, dinosaur teeth, and fossil turtles. MtG, TTRPG, and boardgame enthusiast. He/him
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dlarson.bsky.social
Bit of a change today.
New edited Bluesky profile, including information about my Ph.D. "Derek Larson, Ph.D. Collection Manager and Researcher at the Royal BC Museum, Ecology and Evolutionary Ph.D. studying lizards, dinosaur teeth, and fossil turtles. MtG, TTRPG, and boardgame enthusiast. He/him"
October 29, 2025 at 5:08 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Me, standing with my PhD diploma in the shade of a tree on a lawn full of families and other other grads at the University of Toronto. Me, PhD degree in hand, in my red and black convocation robes shaking hands with my supervisor, Dr. David Evans, in front of the oversized dinosaur collection in the ROM.
October 29, 2025 at 4:45 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Waiting in front of a pillar with a black mask and black and red robes. Julia and I. I have red and black convocation robes.
October 29, 2025 at 12:30 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Convocation today!
Derek and Julia in front of a University of Toronto sign saying Congratulations Graduates.
October 29, 2025 at 11:59 AM
dlarson.bsky.social
What's the cover that got you started in RPGs? I was completely enamored with my older cousin's AD&D books, and I wouldn't stop asking until he DMed my first campaign.
Original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook by Gary Gygax cover featuring the classic artwork of a large fire-lit horned statue being robbed of one of its large red ruby-like eyes while an adventuring party in the foreground plans their next move.
May 27, 2025 at 9:57 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Just saw T. rex 3D in IMAX @royalbcmuseum.bsky.social Congrats to Tyler Lyson, @arctomet.bsky.social, @markwitton.bsky.social, and everyone else involved. Really great documentary!
An orange sunlit and shadowed T. rex looms over the title "T. rex 3D - narrated by Sam Neill" Art by Mark Witton.
March 20, 2025 at 5:43 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Happy Holidays, all!
A Jurassic Park Christmas tree ornament hanging amidst decorated tree branches. T. rex is bursting through the park gates. Green, blue, yellow and red lights, a silver garland, and reflective balls are visible.
December 25, 2024 at 4:46 AM
dlarson.bsky.social
Every time I run into a product crammed with an LLM use case that no one wants, I remember Arthur C. Clarke's "Against the Fall of Night" where humans almost become extinct because we forget how to ask computers "the right questions." Maybe we should all take a trip to our local library right now.
A book cover reading, "Golden Age Masterworks" in gold text and, "Arthur C. Clarke Against the Fall of Night" in white text. The image shows a futuristic city skyline with blurring red and orange lights streaking across the foreground and plumes of sparks in the background floating into a deep blue cloudy sky.
December 12, 2024 at 6:13 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Kris Kristofferson
November 23, 2024 at 1:29 AM
dlarson.bsky.social
In 2019, another team from the RBCM, including Dr. Victoria Arbour and Dr. Thomas Cullen, retraced where the other team had gone, and did find bone again. However, an August snowstorm cut the trip short.
Dr. Victoria Arbour, looking happy and cold, pointing to a fossil she just found. Dr. Thomas Cullen, in a red jacket with camera in his lap, reclines on the grey rocks of Spatsizi Plateau.
September 20, 2024 at 6:44 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
But in 2013, while sampling modern plants and insects, a group of researchers from the Royal BC Museum happened upon dinosaur teeth and bones in the Park. They only found a handful of specimens, but the stage had been set.
September 20, 2024 at 6:37 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
There haven't been many dinosaur bones found in BC, despite abundant rock exposure that spans the Mesozoic. Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park is quite remote and mostly alpine. Not many people have been there.
Map of northwestern North America, with Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Provincial Park highlighted in red. BC, Alaska, Yukon, NWT, and Alberta are visible.
September 20, 2024 at 6:32 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
For #FossilFriday let's go on a journey to chat about our #dinosaur fieldwork in BC, Canada.
View of a green and brown mountainous landscape taken from a helicopter. White snow patches dot the landscape.
September 20, 2024 at 6:24 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #577,510!
September 17, 2024 at 2:58 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
Had a good hike today.
A person in a white hat and a grey shirt looking down through moss-covered trees at a waterfall and pool, Ammonite Falls, BC, Canada. A small waterfall in front of a grey shale rockface. A green-tinged pool and fallen logs are in the foreground. Ammonite Falls, BC, Canada Tree branches covered with beards of moss hanging down with the sun almost breaking through the canopy to the left. Ammonite Falls, BC, Canada A fisheye view of a shallow creek running over grey shale. Two pools reflecting the green tree canopy are visible in the middle distance. Ammonite Falls, BC, Canada
September 1, 2024 at 6:52 AM
dlarson.bsky.social
Pretty neat world we've got here.
Northern lights in green and purple just becoming visible. Stronger green and red northern lights. Cool waves viable in pink and green northern lights. Deep red and green northern lights.
May 11, 2024 at 6:23 AM
dlarson.bsky.social
Our paper was featured in National Geographic. www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/arti....
National Geographic 11 Most Astonishing Scientific Discoveries of 2023. #4 T. rex had lips. Art by Mark Witton.
December 14, 2023 at 3:05 PM
dlarson.bsky.social
I picked up the Parasaurolophus for my young cousin.
August 15, 2023 at 2:32 PM