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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández

@mathchaos.bsky.social

3.9K followers 3.4K following 990 posts

I'm a Palaeobiologist working on #dinosaur evolution and #phylogenetics (🟥️🟪️🟦️). 🇲🇽 Advocate for #decolonisation in palaeo and STEM (he/him). Exhibition Curator at Senckenbergmuseum Frankfurt (views my own) ORCID: 0000-0002-6247-6181

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · Nov 23

Colonial heritage in natural history

Thread 1 - Poinsettia and Monroe's Doctrine

Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · Oct 23

Thread 1 (from 12 September 2022)
This flower is called a Poinsettia in English. September is the best time to discuss the name's connection to colonialism and why I would never call this plant a poinsettia.

Photo of a flower typical from North America known in English as Poinsettia. The actual flowers are small and yellow, but they have large flaming red bracts at the base, followed by leaves that have a combination of red and green colours. The photo is taken from above, so you can see two inflorescences with mostly red bracts.

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Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 2d

"...regional extinction rate of between 75 and 84% for squamates in the Western Interior of North America and suggests this group was more severely impacted across the K/Pg boundary than other small-bodied vertebrates."
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio #Geology

Diversity of North American squamates across the K/Pg boundary.

Late Cretaceous squamates from DMNH Loc.3648 (a–aa) and early Palaeocene squamates from DMNH Loc.2560 (bb–dd).

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Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 1d

Despite all of the threats and nasty messages I have received, I’ve actually received more notes of support and solidarity.

So I just wanted to take a moment amidst a hectic time to thank everyone who has reached out.

I don’t know when I will have the time to reply to everyone, but I intend to.

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Emma Dunne @emmadnn.bsky.social · 2d

Let Palestinians lead: Researchers warn against ‘top down’ solutions as ceasefire is agreed in the first phase of a peace deal.

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Rebuilding Gaza: don’t sideline Palestinian scientists, say experts

Researchers warn against ‘top down’ solutions as ceasefire is agreed in the first phase of a peace deal.

www.nature.com

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Dr Kat Day (she/her) @chronicleflask.katday.com · 3d

There are hundreds of years of history of women’s scientific accomplishments not being recognised or being minimised (“not notable”). It *still* happens. Many female scientists are only acknowledged on Wikipedia thanks to the efforts of, yes, other female scientists, notably physicist Dr Jess Wade.

Prof Anna Watts @profannawatts.bsky.social · 3d

Lol the Nobels can't even acknowledge women's contribution to discovery. But sure let's acknowledge The Machines.

Headline from an article in Nature this week that states "Prizes must recognize machine contributions to discovery. The future of science will be written by humans and machines together. Awards should reflect that reality."

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 3d

"Give me a Nobel Peace Prize or I attack your country" is a very bad strategy to win a Nobel Peace Prize

"Tell us where the talking lama is and we'll burn your house to the ground" level of bad.

Reposted by Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández

Amypteride🏳️‍⚧️🔻🕷🦂 @amypteride.bsky.social · 4d

#paleoctober2025 day 9 : Protobalanus spinicoronatus !

Despite its name, this animal is a devonian mollusk, more specifically a basal polyplacophoran. You may know its current day relatives as little criters on the beaches called "chitons" (that are not slugs with shells nor crustaceans).

A drawing of Protobalanus spinicoronatus, a flat oval-shaped mollusk with no distinct head and armored plates and also spikes on the body's edge.

A fossil 3D-scan of Protobalanus spinicoronatus, showing the oval-shaped body of the mollusk with armored plates and also a few spikes on the body's edge.

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UCL Discovery @ucldiscovery.bsky.social · 6d

Open Access UCL Research: Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project
discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...

Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project - UCL Discovery

UCL Discovery is UCL's open access repository, showcasing and providing access to UCL research outputs from all UCL disciplines.

discovery.ucl.ac.uk

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Raptor's Nest (He/Him) @drmambobob.bsky.social · 7d

If you attend or work at a university in the UK, chances are you know someone who is on Indefinite Leave to Remain. Please consider what the recent attacks on ILR from both Reform and Labour are doing to those people you probably know.

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 7d

I have little respect for El Chavo del Ocho. That SNL got El Chavo del Ocho wrong is just beyond me. And on top of that, I feel the need to defend it!

But then I remember it's a concept created so that the audience will be dormant as the fascist regimes in LatAm opressed us and then I let go

Reposted by Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 8d

If you’re white, your accomplishments are your own and you can resent and criticize the country all you like, but if you’re black and successful you should be grateful to white people for allowing you in their presence. bsky.app/profile/jess...

Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 8d

Weaponized gratitude is a key tool in the abuser's toolkit. The goal is to convince the victim that they owe the abuser so much, they should feel guilty for wanting to complain.

Tweet from the VP:
Joy Reid has had such a good life in this country. It's been
overwhelmingly kind and gracious to her. She is far wealthier than most.
Yet she oozes with contempt.
My honest, non-trolling advice to Joy Reid is that you'd be a much
happier person if you showed a little gratitude

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Nicole Kearney @nicolekearney.bsky.social · Sep 11

I've been managing BHL's #Bluesky account for 4 months now. It's an honour to share such beautiful & significant content, particularly at this critical time. BHL's future is uncertain, but hopeful. Follow along @biodivlibrary.bsky.social & on the #BHLblog: blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/tag/transition

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Tannis Davidson @tannisdavidson.bsky.social · 11d

If you ever wondered how to photograph a gorilla skeleton without a studio …

Hannah Cornish and Alice Holloway holding up a black drape behind UCL Grant Museum’s male gorilla skeleton ‘Hugo’ for some quick photos. They are smiling but their arms are screaming.

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 13d

I bought myself Outer Wilds this summer to treat myself and finally got to play it... Such a fun game!

Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 16d

And this figure summarises how we hope this paper helps our community!

I tried to represent all major paleontological research areas through easter eggs in this flowchart.

A diagram showing four nodes connected by arrows in a cycle. "Paleontological community identifies research priorities as Big Questions" leads to "Use Big Questions to communicate relevance and importance of palaeontology" leads to "Secure funding, resources and staff to pursue Big Questions" leads to "Conduct research to generate more questions and inform society"

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 16d

Another years-long project I was a working group co-leader was published today as well!

Me, @lepidodendron.bsky.social and @rachelwarnock.bsky.social co-led the phylogenetics group and I had such a formative experience! ⚒️

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core

Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project

www.cambridge.org

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 16d

#FossilFriday
A 2-year-long project reaches the end. A new Cretaceous collection found a new home.

A wide angle photo showing wooden drawers piled up in metal shelves. They are a lot!

Foto panorámica mostrando cajones de madera apilados en estantes de metal. Son un montón!

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 17d

I don't care if their executives have green-cards, or if they know a lawsuit will fail in the courts. I want them spending their top dollar, used against small content creators, hiring expensive lawyers and wasting the fascists courts's time... Aversion to bad publicity? Too bad... Too fking bad...

Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 17d

Huh? No, no, if Nintendo, a super litigious company, doesn't enforce their IP protection when *checks notes* a fascist government uses it in fascist propaganda... Then it is added to the boycott list of this Mexican.

Nintendo Life @nintendolife.com · 18d

Former Pokémon Legal Chief Says He "Wouldn't Touch" That DHS Video That Has Fans Calling For Action. (Repost)

Former Pokémon Legal Chief Says He "Wouldn't Touch" That DHS Video That Has Fans Calling For Action

"This will blow over in a couple of days and they'll be happy to let it"

www.nintendolife.com

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Alessio Capobianco @acapomorphic.bsky.social · 17d

I am extremely happy to see that our review on fossil tip-dating is out in early view in Systematic Biology! A huge thanks to all the authors of this massive project (@heckeberg.bsky.social, @basantakhakurel.bsky.social, Gustavo Darlim, and @hoehna.bsky.social)! academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...

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Tannis Davidson @tannisdavidson.bsky.social · 17d

So the answer to the question ‘how many people does it take to hang a python skeleton’ is five.

African rock python skeleton articulated around a branch and temporarily suspended between coat racks. Which is the best use of coat racks ever.

Emilia Kingham holding branch with python skeleton before mounting in newly refurbished case. Alice Holloway crunching the numbers in distance.

Alice Holloway, Cyrus Shroff and Hannah Cornish ease python skeleton into case for positioning.

She’s up! Python skeleton hanging in case at UCL’s Grant Museum of Zoology.

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 18d

"Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he will join Italy in sending a military warship to protect an international flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece."

www.reuters.com/world/middle...

Spain's PM says he will send warship to protect Gaza aid flotilla

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday he will join Italy in sending a military warship to protect an international flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza after it was attacked by drones off Greece.

www.reuters.com

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Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 19d

The Stupidest Speech in UN History! “Everyone’s saying so,” writes @billmckibben.bsky.social

“the shots of delegates looking on in disbelief as Trump vented about broken escalators, MAGA hats, & his general greatness for nearly an hour (ignoring the 15min time limit…)”

Global embarrassment. Joke.

The Stupidest Speech in UN History

Everyone's saying so!

billmckibben.substack.com

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 19d

Quote this with your reaction to getting left behind

(and seeing all the bigoted disappointed millennial dispensalists pondering whether they were also left behind)

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 19d

Dropped off the grid?

In the colonised world often referred to as "the thirld world", we call that 'forced disappearance', a crime against humanity.

I guess this is the kind of concepts that are easier to identify if the perpetrator is not white? Rookie mistake

www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site

As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

www.miamiherald.com

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Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández @mathchaos.bsky.social · 19d

It is with great regret that I announce that he died... without facing any consequences for his actions.

– “El País. The extravagant mayor of San Pedro Garza García, dies."
elpais.com/mexico/2025-...

Muere Mauricio Fernández Garza, el extravagante alcalde de San Pedro Garza García

El político, empresario e ‘influencer’, ha fallecido este martes a los 75 años tras librar una lucha contra el cáncer

elpais.com