Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

@ichnologist.bsky.social

7K followers 760 following 2.3K posts

Traces & trace fossils. Wrote 'Life Sculpted' (2023), 'Dinosaurs Without Bones' (2014), 'The Evolution Underground' (2017), & more. Hubby, Trekkie, reading, cooking, craft-beer imbibing, childless cat dude. https://ajmartinauthor.com

ajmartinauthor.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · Aug 21

Hello Bluesky science appreciators! I'm a geologist, paleontologist, & (most importantly) an ichnologist, which means I study modern traces (tracks, burrows, etc.) & trace fossils. I teach undergrad students in environmental sciences, write books about ichnology, & do lots of public outreach. 🧪🪨⚒️🐾🦕🦖

Alligator tracks on a beach, showing the direction of movement by a large alligator from the lower part of the beach and up to its dunes, with a prominent sinuous tail drag in its middle and front-rear track pairs on either side. I am squatting to the left of the tracks, wearing a hat, sunglasses, shirt, shorts, and sandals. Tracks were on Sapelo Island, Georgia (USA).

Cover of my latest book LIFE SCULPTED (2023, U. of Chicago Press), with black background and cut section of a grayish tree trunk as its central image, in which the trunk has many borings made by insects and fungi. The book title and subtitle at the top of the cover says, "LIFE SCULPTED: Tales of the Animals, Plants, and Fungi that Drill, Break, and Scrape to Shape the Earth," and my author name (Anthony J. Martin) is in the lower right corner.

Sauropod dinosaur tracks evident as semi-circular depressions in a slanted sandstone surface, with me wearing a broad-brimmed hat while sitting next to the tracks on that surface and facing downslope. Tracks were in a Jurassic formation in southern Portugal.

Rear view of a camera crew (two people) filming me in the atrium of Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, GA (USA), with me sitting and partial views of dinosaur skeletons in the background, which are replicas of Argentinosaurus (left) and Gigantosaurus (right), dinosaurs that lived in what is now Argentina about 100 million years ago.

1 6 53

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 1m

A fringe benefits of following people on Bluesky who are not in my academic disciplines (ichnology, paleontology, taphonomy) is learning about unique modern animal-behavioral modes & traces: e.g., pigs using lumps of biscuit dough to construct dens for attracting avians & ambush predation. 🧪🐖🕳️🐦

Dawn of the Paul Riddell @kyloboomhauer.bsky.social · 15h

I read about a pig farm that would get uncooked biscuit dough rejects from a Pillsbury factory, big lumps of dough. The pigs would chew dens in the dough, climb inside, and then wait for starlings.

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 44m

¡Muy bien! ¡Optimo! ¡Viva las plantas y traza fossiles!

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Aparna Nair @disabilitystor1.bsky.social · 13h

The comic is FULL of excellent lines and visuals, but this one is exceptional

A screenshot of the Oatmeal comic, featuring a colorful meal on a plate with emojis around it, the text reads: "Someone once told me that art is like emotional nutriton. That made sense to me. Art feeds my feelings (accompanied by a smiley face and sad face emoji). And if thats the case, consuming AI art is like eating styrofoam"

20 69

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Ezequiel Vera @ezequielvera.bsky.social · 1h

Day 3, people! From the field, looking for dinosaurs!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWC4...

Expedición Cretácica I - Dia 3

YouTube video by Paleocueva Lacev

www.youtube.com

1 6 8

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 1h

But what about the most important fossils, the plants!? And who is looking for the trace fossils?!
(P.S. I love that the dig crew is live-streaming this.]

1 1

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 1h

I approve of your auto-reply responding to this auto-reply. Yours also reminds me of the Inigo Montoya model for an effective and memorable introduction.

Still shot from the movie "The Princess Bride" of Inigo Montoya (played by Mandy Patinkin), with him saying "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." At the bottom of the image is a list composed of the following: "Remember Inigo Montoya: 1. Polite greeting. 2. Name. 3. Relevant personal link. 4. Manage expectations."

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 3h

In my #ENVSCOMM25-2 class today, students will practice old-fashioned editing. For this, I anonymized & printed their recent short essays, then will pass them out & give students red pens for marking. After marking, paired discussions, & feedback, students match essays with their authors. Fun! 🧪✍️

a piece of paper has a question mark on it

Alt: A sheet of paper with lots of red lines crossing out its text, which must have felt demoralizing for whoever wrote the original text.

media.tenor.com

1 3

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Historical Biology @historicalbiology.bsky.social · 4h

📣Editor spotlight

Diego Castanera is a Researcher at Deparment of Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Zaragoza (Spain). He specialises in vertebrate ichnology with emphasis on dinosaur, pterosaur, crocodylomorph, mammal and bird tracks 🦖 🐊

5 18

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

NightMar on Hicks Street, Part 4: The Rabbit’s Revenge @histoftech.bsky.social · 8h

doomscroll break

14 460 1.1K

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 3h

I always adore alliterations, and particularly for puppy pushups. What a tremendous trainer!

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Esther van Hulsen wildlife art @esthervanhulsen.bsky.social · 7h

Muttaburrasaurus munching on some leafs
Water color and colored pencil on board
11.8″ x 17.7″ (30 x 45 cm)

www.esthervanhulsen.com

#paleoart #paleoillustration #naturalhistoryillustration #naturalhistoryart #dinosaurart #animalart

2 13 47

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Emily Stepp @emilyart.bsky.social · 11h

#Paleoctober2025 day 7 paleoart sketch of the extinct conifer Sequoites.

#Paleoctober #Paleoart #Sequoites #Enantiornithes

The genus existed until the Miocene, but I chose the Late Cretaceous Sequoites dakotensis so I could include an enantiornithine bird. The juvenile avialan is begging for food from an unseen parent perched atop the conifer branch with a cone and speculative leaves below it. The scene is overcast with fine rain.

2 31 140

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 14h

I've used Poster Nerd a few times since 2021 & they've always worked well for me. But nice to see folks have given you so many other options, then you can shop around & find the best price + quality. Good luck! www.posternerd.com

Scientific Poster Printing, Templates, and Tutorials

PosterNerd is a scientific poster printing company with a focus on a simple ordering process and unbeatable customer service. We also offer free templates and tutorials to help you make your research ...

www.posternerd.com

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Mike DiGirolamo @mikedigirolamo.bsky.social · 18h

Wildlife biologist Corina Newsome joins me on this week's podcast to talk about how birding is beneficial for racial justice and conservation at large.

“ What birds require of us will benefit us in ways that are far beyond bird conservation."

Listen @mongabay.com

Bird-watching for nature connection & social justice

Wildlife biologist and ornithologist Corina Newsome of the U.S. NGO National Wildlife Federation joins Mongabay’s podcast to discuss how bird-watching plays a role in environmental justice for underse...

news.mongabay.com

8 28

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 18h

I'm confident whatever book you're proposing will be meaningful, Jacquelyn, & I look forward to celebrating your success. Keep on writing, both for your future self & your future readers. 🧪📚✍️

1 7

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 19h

That looks like a chocolate ammonite cookie, which I would totally eat immediately after appreciating its beauty.

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Silvia Pineda-Munoz, PhD - Climate Ages @climateages.bsky.social · 20h

Sea turtles outlived the dinosaurs, surviving 100 million years of change. 🌊
Now, in just one century, they’re at risk...
because of us.

Read their story:
🧪 #SciComm
buff.ly/jKeHI0h

What Happens When a Hundred Million Years Meets a Century of Humans?

How sea turtles went from surviving mass extinctions to struggling against us Imagine a creature so resilient it swam alongside dinosaurs, outlived multiple ice ages, and...

climateages.com

1 10 21

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Dr. Dawn Wright @deepseadawn.bsky.social · 20h

On ocean exploration, Black excellence, and the power of nerdiness ...

New "Black Nerds Matter" podcast

#Blacksky 🌊 🦑 ⚒️ 🌎 🌍 🌏 #geosky #GISchat #geogchat

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM-6... or

open.spotify.com/episode/1Pwg...

Banner for this episode of Black Nerds Matter showing picture of Dawn Wright with her new Black Nerds Matter coffee cup and t-shirt (both sporting a graphic of a young Black man SCUBA diving through a beautiful coral reef).

16 54

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 20h

It's in my department (Environmental Sciences), requested in 2019 by my department chair & I've taught it since. It counts as a general-ed Continuing Communication (upper-level writing-intensive) course in Emory College, but this one is intended specifically for our majors & minors.

1 1

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 20h

Right, the students see the cut without my pointing it out to them. But they also see how it had to be planned & scenes composed in a way that _feels_ continuous, even if it wasn't.

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 21h

I show this clip in my Environmental Communication class as a perfect example of "walk & talk" #scicomm, & it always prompts a lively discussion answering my question, "How did they do this?" Also gets across the importance of pre-planning, especially if you only get one chance to do it right. 🧪

Henning @geohenning.bsky.social · Sep 11

Just to make things clear, this might be the best-timed shot in science TV history. In the BBC series "Connections", James Burke points to a rocket just as it launches. It was filmed on August 20, 1977, during the launch of Voyager 2 spacecraft. 🧪🚀

13 35 180

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson @ayanaeliza.bsky.social · 1d

Recording a special Jane Goodall episode for the What If We Get It Right? podcast. Coming your way tomorrow — subscribe wherever you get your pods 🎙️ www.getitright.earth/podcast

2 13 99

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Bookshop.org @bookshop.org · 1d

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

62 2.7K 7.3K

Reposted by Anthony (Tony) J. Martin

Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 23h

I've been working on a book proposal and alternating between "this is meaningful" and "this is pointless," and a friend recently shared this quote that she stumble on in a Goodreads review: "Every book is a grand gesture of optimism on the part of both the reader and writer." Keep creating, friends.

10 63 380

Anthony (Tony) J. Martin @ichnologist.bsky.social · 1d

Tracks in the snow also that the child changed from a quadrupedal to bipedal gait once she encountered the stairs. Hey best-selling authors: pay real artists for your book covers & say no to AI slop.

Jaime Green @jaimealyse.bsky.social · 1d

Jesus Christ the new John Irving cover is AI