Dr. Brendan Anderson
@fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
4.1K followers 3.2K following 1.2K posts
Paleobiologist. evolution and paleoclimate. Coffee enthusiast. Snail evangelist. Visiting Professor @ SUNY Oneonta. Paleontological Research Institution Research Associate. Dartmouth, KU, Cornell alum. He/him. Opinions my own. https://www.brendan-anderson
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fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
what type of work does PRI do anyway?
Scholars at PRI work on conservation paleobiology (using paleo techniques to address conservation issues), Macroevolution, Paleoclimatology, modern and paleo marine biology, and Science Education #Geoscience ⚒️🦑🧪
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
ultralib.bsky.social
At least Newsom keeps reminding us that he has no consistent values, in case some of us forget.

Love his social media trolling of Trump - more Dems need to do that kind of thing - but I hate his poorly conceived strategy of triangulation. Nobody's looking for a leader who's "a little" transphobic.
assignedmedia.org
14 Oct 2025 -- CA Gov Gavin Newsom, still tacking right for 2028, vetoes bill passed by overwhelming majorities which would allow trans ppl to stockpile a year's GAMT in case of new fed restrictions, falsely claiming it would drive up health care costs. @rikiwilchins.bsky.social
Gavin Newsom Vetoes Important HRT Stockpiling Bill For Trans Californians, Signs Other Pro-LGBTQ+ Bills
The bill would have allowed transgender people to maintain a safe supply of medication in the era of government crackdowns on care.
www.erininthemorning.com
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Day164 of photoshopping @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver with fossils in the hopes that he saves the Paleontological Research Institution

PRI's current entryway decoration is fossil bivalves Ptychopteria (Cornellites) fasciculata, but perhaps a bust of John (H. sapiens) if he helps? #SavePRI 🦑⚒️🧪
John Oliver in a grey suit standing in front of a display of fossil bivalves on a grey rock. The bivalves have a didactic saying they are from Cayuga County and are Middle Devonian in age
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
cephalopodsdaily.bsky.social
Maori octopuses (Macroctopus maorum) are a large octopus species with even larger arms. They have a max mantle length of 30 cm, but their longest pair of arms can reach 3 m!

In 2012, a dolphin tried to eat a Maori octopus, but the octopus took the dolphin down with them.

#OCTOtober
A Maori octopus (Macroctopus maorum) sitting among some rocks. It is partially between a gap between to rocks, and it is facing into the gap and away from the camera. The octopus has its papillae raised, so its mantle and head look very bumpy. It has yellow eyes. It has a dark purple colour on its mantle and head, with its arms being a mix of purple and white, with white spots. A Maori octopus (Macroctopus maorum) floating while clutching a swim fin, while a diver in a wetsuit appears to be exasperated. The octopus's mantle is smaller than the fin. The octopus is a purplish brown and covered in white spots. There are sea plants in the water. A Maori octopus (Macroctopus maorum) sitting in among seaweed and extending its long arm at the camera. The seaweed looks like a bush, and its probably attached to a rock that the octopus is sitting on. The octopus is partially concealed, with its head and part of its mantle sticking out. The arm is rather long, although it might look a bit longer from how the camera was set up. It extends from the seaweed, curving down, then curving up while twisting, then going back down and then turning right and then steeply up. The tuckers are clearly visible as they are facing the camera at the end. They are cream coloured, contrasting with the brown of the rest of the octopus. There are two rows of offset suckers, and they are appear to have a brown rim with little fringes. There is not great visibility in the water in the background, but some pillars are visible in the background, possible part of a pier. A New Zealand Octopus (Macroctopus maorum) on the seafloor. It is reaching towards the photographer, with two of them lifted up and curving back, exposing their suckers towards the camera. The two arms take a significant part of the photo, so they make it look like the octopus is trying to block the camera. The octopus is dark orange and has a wrinkly texture with lots of larger bumps. There are fish swimming in the background and the sea floor is covered in medium sized rocks.
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
citrussapling.bsky.social
I spy... With my 30-40cm diameter eye #art #watercolour #sciart
A watercolour painting of a colossal squid, with eyelashes on it's large eye. The text around it reads "I spy with my COLOSSAL eye".
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Well you made my schedule. The app not letting you search by author this year has really made things hard to plan.
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
kateclancy.bsky.social
I am being asked to tell my department which pieces of lab equipment should be supported with backup power because they expect rolling blackouts and brownouts in 2026 due to increased energy demands from AI. In case you're wondering how my day is going.
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
helenm40.bsky.social
I simply do not trust Dr. David Levy to conduct this review appropriately and ethically.

If there was any intention of approaching this review from an ethical, evidential standpoint, it wouldn't be chaired by an oncologist.
effecttrans.com
Everyone's talking about the EHRC guidance banning trans people from single-sex spaces like toilets + changing rooms... but there is another looming threat in the Levy Review

TL;DR expected very soon; separate under-25 pathway, lays the groundwork for more gatekeeping in the NHS
Screenshot:  Review of adult gender dysphoria services  One of the recommendations of the Cass Review was a review of the adult service specification. [...] Dr David Levy, Medical Director of Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, and previously NHS England’s North West Regional Medical Director, will lead the review, supported by an expert panel of patients, clinicians experienced in the delivery of gender-related care, independent regulators and members of relevant professional bodies. Screenshot Levy Review  The review of NHS adult gender dysphoria services in England[1], led by Dr David Levy, was announced in August 2024[2], shortly after the publication of the Cass Review. The stated motivation for commissioning the review included concerns about "inadequate, time-limited assessment", weak consent procedures, waiting times, patient demographics, and administrative problems.[3] It is still underway. Though NHS England originally expected to publish the report in spring 2025[4], it has not yet been released as of yet. Internal documents suggest publication may be close. Its likely effects are uncertain, but it may lead to tighter gatekeeping in NHS services, with possible knock-on effects for private clinics, particularly for people under 25.
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
blmckean.bsky.social
Very bad: OSU unilaterally cancelled the registration of grad students attending the joint conference of the National Society of Black Physicists and the National Society of Hispanic Physicists. And OSU won't fund recruiting at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
Ohio State changes policy on group conferences after Trump administration threats
A federal investigation into potentially discriminatory practices at Ohio State prompted the university to change its policies regarding conferences.
www.dispatch.com
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Just going to keep posting these every day until LWT helps or you ask me to stop

Please consider mentioning PRI, if they can't raise additional funds by December this 100 year old institution will close and will be the largest museum collection ever orphaned in the USA
bsky.app/profile/foss...
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Day163 of photoshopping @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver with fossils in the hopes that he helps save the Paleontological Research Institution

John(H. sapiens) hiding from the fearsome and many-toothed conodonts Clydagnathus cavusformis, with many conodont elements below #toothytuesday #savePRI 🧪
John Oliver leaning around a panel in the void while a banner of terrible teeth is unfurled beneath him. above, hunting in the void, are two large eyed eel like creatures with gaping mouths. one may have spotted our intreped comedian. wish him luck.
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Conodont art by Nobu Tamura, Conodont elements modified from figs. 7-10 (combined here) in Waid and Cramer (2017; Palaeontologia Electronica); both a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license
More info at: www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org/learn/chorda...
Jawless Vertebrates
Page by: Jonathan R. Hendricks, Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York This page was first publicly announced on May 29, 2020. Chapter contents: Chordata: Overview and Basal Taxa Jawle...
www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Day163 of photoshopping @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver with fossils in the hopes that he helps save the Paleontological Research Institution

John(H. sapiens) hiding from the fearsome and many-toothed conodonts Clydagnathus cavusformis, with many conodont elements below #toothytuesday #savePRI 🧪
John Oliver leaning around a panel in the void while a banner of terrible teeth is unfurled beneath him. above, hunting in the void, are two large eyed eel like creatures with gaping mouths. one may have spotted our intreped comedian. wish him luck.
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Day 162 of photoshopping @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver with fossils in the hopes that he helps save the Paleontological Research Institution

Bellerophon crassus poses with an enamored John Oliver (H. sapiens) for #MolluskMonday
🦑 #SavePRI #fossils #JohnOliverCoprolitasticShed #lastweektonight
A grey curved shell with a raised ridge through the middle along the growth axis leans in towards John Oliver, seated on a blue chair leaning towards the shell. John sits with his leg crossed and smiles happily. books and a magic 8 ball are on the shelves behind him
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
elizabethbeston.bsky.social
It’s #worldalgaeday and my most favourite of algae is the diatoms! Single-celled and microscopic, these algae are so important, storing carbon, making oxygen, cycling nutrients, providing food, and even helping innovations in science and medicine! #marineplankton 🦑
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Welcome! Shares, tags of LWT/LWT staff, and mentions to anyone who may be willing to donate are deeply appreciated. They've raised most of the money they needed to get through the crisis but still need 500,000 by the end of the year to pay off the mortgage. Anything helps! www.priweb.org/donate
Donate — Paleontological Research Institution
www.priweb.org
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
I missed this despite teaching about primary productivity in oceanography on Oct 10th. Clearly it is meant to be!
godi.bsky.social
🌍💙 Happy International Coccolithophore Day! 💙🌍
Today, Oct 10, we celebrate tiny ocean builders that capture CO₂, shape marine ecosystems & keep our climate in balance.
When Cocco talks, climate walks.
#CoccolithophoreDay #OceanClimate #InvisibleHeroes #OceanGuardians #ClimateWarriors #protistsonsky
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Many specimens donated to museums like PRI don't have sufficient data associated with them to be used in research. As a center for continuing ed, PRI has strong ties to regional k-12 teachers and holds an annual event to give these materials away, many of which are excellent teaching specimens
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Day161 of photoshopping @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver with fossils in the hopes that he saves the Paleontological Research Institution

John(H. sapiens) with Busycon carica. K-college educators left with similar prizes from PRI's teacher resource day today, supplying 40+ teachers
#savePRI ⚒️ 🧪
John oliver holding a large fossil whelk in a checked shirt in front of a green background Crowded room of teachers sorting through long rows of tables covered in free specimens. Mostly of mollusks, but also publications, fossils, minerals and chemistry labware.
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
sarapartridge.bsky.social
There are reports that the *entire* office of special education at the US Dept of Education has been cut. These hardworking folks ensure kids with disabilities get equal access to a quality education.

America’s children deserve better than this.
fossilsndcoffee.bsky.social
Day 160 of photoshopping @lastweektonight.com 's John Oliver with fossils in the hopes that he helps save the Paleontological Research Institution

John (H. sapiens) could be a real saint if he'd get out the word about PRI! halo is the brachiopod Leptaena rhomboidalis (PRI76916) #savePRI 🦑 #geology
John Oliver in a medieval style art piece with gold paint on wood in an arch background. John is wearing a black suit and holding a microphone. behind his head like a halo is a semicircular brachiopod with many rays (ribs) like a halo in medieval art.
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
earthsciweek.bsky.social
NATIONAL FOSSIL DAY IS LESS THAN 1 WEEK AWAY! How will you celebrate on 10/15?! 🥳

Start celebrating NOW by exploring the amazing National Park Service #3Dmodels from our #FossilFriday series – links in bio, including this week’s #clam jam! (bit.ly/bivalves-chaco)

#Fossil #NPS #Paleontology
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
swarmofthoughts.bsky.social
Shameless self plug for this #fossilfriday - our team have published a very bizarre 🪰, that used a suction disc on abdomen to cling to dear life in Jurassic of Australia and helped us better understand continental drift 🦖
Reposted by Dr. Brendan Anderson
mesozoic.bsky.social
A fossilized osteoderm from a Cretaceous aged softshelled turtle, possibly Khunnuchelys kizylkumensis from the Bissekty Formation in Dzharakuduk, Kyzylkum Desert, Uzbekistan. Other species of this genus also occur in China and Kazakhstan. #FossilFriday

#turtle #fossil #paleontology #khunnuchelys
Fossilized softshelled turtle osteoderm or scute of a Khunnuchelys.