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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Paul D. Taylor @nhmbryozoa.bsky.social · 12d

#FossilFriday Several comatulid crinoids are visible on this small slab from the Middle Jurassic of Wiltshire. An unused image taken for ‘Fossils. The essential guide’.

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 17d

Cool study showing how the physical forcing of the background geochemistry of oceans, drives multiple convergences in the mineralogy of bryozoans!
🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio

James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Aug 25

New paper out in Geology! Cheilostome bryozoans evolved aragonite skeletons dozens of times during the transition from calcite to aragonite seas, in contrast to other marine calcifiers. Fossil occurrence data corroborate the story and help nail down the timeline. doi.org/10.1130/G537...

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Alessio Capobianco @acapomorphic.bsky.social · 19d

We (me, @barankarapunar.bsky.social, @sinjinis.bsky.social and @harriedrage.bsky.social) organized a symposium for the next IPC (Cape Town 2026!) on evolution, diversity and ecology in marine ecosystems throughout the Phanerozoic.
Contact us if you would like to participate or to know more about it!

IPC7 @ipc7.bsky.social · 19d

Symposia 🔍

Among our 29 themed symposia + 1 open symposium, we are pleased to feature:

✨ Life in the Phanerozoic Oceans: Evolution, diversity and ecology in deep time marine ecosystems✨

📩 To participate in this symposium or get more information, contact the conveners: 👇

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

tomomi parins-fukuchi @tomopfuku.bsky.social · Sep 5

Excited to share a new paper! "Sorting of ancestral polymorphism and its impact on morphological phylogenetics and macroevolution". Part of some work I've been doing on modelling the evolution of polymorphic traits in fossil echinoderms.

academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

Sorting of ancestral polymorphism and its impact on morphological phylogenetics and macroevolution

Abstract. Intraspecific phenotypic variation provides the basic substrate upon which the evolutionary processes that give rise to morphological innovation,

academic.oup.com

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Aug 25

with @lhliow.bsky.social , Emanuela Di Martino, Piotr Kukliński, and Anna Piwoni-Piórewicz

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Aug 25

New paper out in Geology! Cheilostome bryozoans evolved aragonite skeletons dozens of times during the transition from calcite to aragonite seas, in contrast to other marine calcifiers. Fossil occurrence data corroborate the story and help nail down the timeline. doi.org/10.1130/G537...

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Kjetil Lysne Voje @klvoje.bsky.social · May 22

Here is our attempt at summarizing the state of the evidence for the punctuated equilibrium hypothesis. The paper is part of a special issue of Paleobiology celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PE Hypothesis. Work led by Gene Hunt. @lhliow.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Punctuated equilibrium: state of the evidence | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core

Punctuated equilibrium: state of the evidence

www.cambridge.org

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · May 7

We worked out its evolutionary relationships and suggest an origin for this weird beast by an evolutionary lengthening of development, or peramorphosis. Take a read :)

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · May 7

Castaneametra (named for its resemblance to the chestnut) had a record ~1,000 cirri or claw-like appendages on its underside. It's also probably the largest known feather star, and had big internal cavities which we think were adaptations for respiration at large size.

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · May 7

New open access paper out with Tom Baumiller and Jim Sprinkle in Journal of Paleontology! New fossil crinoids from Texas, including a very large and weird new genus of feather star:
doi.org/10.1017/jpa....

New comatulid crinoids from the Early Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation (Texas, USA): paleobiology and evolutionary relationships of an endemic, ephemeral giant | Journal of Paleontology | Cambridge Core

New comatulid crinoids from the Early Cretaceous Glen Rose Formation (Texas, USA): paleobiology and evolutionary relationships of an endemic, ephemeral giant

www.cambridge.org

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Gina Baucom @gbaucom.bsky.social · Mar 17

Here's a super helpful site called Signal in the Storm that is automated to keep track of federal policy changes (EO's and Ed dept) and news re: academia. Also includes suggestions on what to do, and a faq's page about indirects, etc. Pls RT!

signalinthestorm.org/index.html

Signal in the Storm

signalinthestorm.org

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Mar 17

New 📜 with @tomopfuku.bsky.social , now fully formatted!
academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...

The Consequences of Budding Speciation on Trees

Abstract. Paleobiologists have long sought to explain how alternative modes of speciation, including budding and bifurcating cladogenesis, shape patterns o

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Jeff Goodell @jeffgoodell.bsky.social · Mar 14

The single most important laboratory in climate science, the tool that is telling us the story of our time, is now in the MAGA crosshairs. Not surprising. But sad, stupid, and tragic in the saddest and stupidest and most tragic way.

The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · Mar 14

The Trump administration is planning to cancel its lease at a government laboratory in Hawaii, a site where scientists support key observations of surging greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, according to a list obtained by Democratic members of Congress and shared with The Post.

Trump moves to close facility that helps track planet-warming pollution

The lab is connected to the Mauna Loa Observatory, where scientists gather data to produce the Keeling Curve, a chart on the daily status of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Lee Hsiang Liow （廖珕庠） @lhliow.bsky.social · Mar 4

Last year @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social led a paper on how Hubbell's Neutral Theory can inform on age-dependency in fossil lineages. #graptolites as an e.g. Now we had another chance to say a bit more to consolidate our observations. Link to first paper in comments www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

www.pnas.org

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Mar 3

We're back in @pnas.org 🥴 We address a comment on our recent article on fossil survivorship. A nice chance to discuss ad hoc vs. unified models in paleobiology. See what you think 🙂
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Reply to Johnson: Holistic evaluation of ecological models in paleobiology | PNAS

Reply to Johnson: Holistic evaluation of ecological models in paleobiology

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · Mar 3

NSF plans to reinstate all probationary employees who were fired on 18 Feb!
NSF’s decision. 👏🏻👏🏻❤️

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Dr. Brendan Anderson @fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social · Feb 20

@science.org just published this article about the Paleontological Research Institution and its importance in this time of financial crisis for the institution. Please share widely as donations in any amount can make a real difference in the short-medium term. ⚒️🧪🦑

www.science.org/content/arti...

Financial peril could doom a famed New York paleontological institute

“Exceptional” fossil collections housed by the Paleontological Research Institute risk being orphaned

www.science.org

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

tomomi parins-fukuchi @tomopfuku.bsky.social · Feb 18

New paper in Systematic Biology with cool dude @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...

The consequences of budding speciation on trees

Abstract. Paleobiologists have long sought to explain how alternative modes of speciation, including budding and bifurcating cladogenesis, shape patterns o

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Leslie Rissler @ljrissler.bsky.social · Feb 18

Colleagues, including my partner, with years of service at the agency. Some Permanent POs reclassified as Probationary. Exceptional scientists who were former professors at major institutions, and came to NSF to serve the community and ensure science thrives in the US.

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Feb 5

Thanks for sharing, didn't know about his woodturning powers. Just read the story of the MBL group in David Sepkoski's book, includes some funny anecdotes of Raup trying to moderate Schopf the paleo-radical:

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Jan 24

I could be on here for invertebrate paleobiology, especially of crinoids :)

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Jan 6

Short, non-technical summary here: t.co/7jeLYMAMX0

Zero-sum competition explains ancient extinctions

Like people, species have lifespans: they originate at some time, get older, and eventually go extinct. Is the aging process in species anything like that in people, where the risk of death (or extinc...

t.co

James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Jan 2

A simple ecological drift model captures the relationship between species age and extinction risk, here in graptolites and probably in other groups too. Points toward role for competition in extinction (like Red Queen)

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Reposted by James Saulsbury

Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · Jan 2

Graptoloids strike back!
"extinction among young species does not necessarily refute RQ [Red Queen] or require a special explanation but can instead be parsimoniously explained by neutral dynamics operating across species regardless of age"
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
🧪 #Paleobio #EvoBio ⚒️ #Geology

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James Saulsbury @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social · Jan 2

New📜in PNAS! Age-dependent extinction and the neutral theory of biodiversity (w/ great collaborators @tomopfuku.bsky.social , Connor J. Wilson, Trond Reitan, & Lee Hsiang Liow)

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

www.pnas.org

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