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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · 14d

🚨 New 🦎 🚨
Breugnathair (“Bree-ack na-haird”) elgolensis is the oldest and most complete squamate from the Middle Jurassic of Scotland. Its Gaelic name means ‘false snake of Elgol’, referencing the snake-like teeth and jaws but lizard-like body and limb proportions.

Nature @nature.com · 14d

Nature research paper: Mosaic anatomy in an early fossil squamate

go.nature.com/46WNnNU

Mosaic anatomy in an early fossil squamate - Nature

Breugnathair elgolensis gen. et sp. nov., an early squamate identified from a newly discovered Middle Jurassic skeleton on the Isle of Skye, provides new evidence on the origins of snakes.

go.nature.com

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Apr 24

A permineralized #Dimetrodon femur ready for #ThinSectionThursday #Paleohistology

A cut surface of a permineralized fossil femur embedded in clear epoxy

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Dr. Jaimi Gray @jaimiagray.bsky.social · Apr 4

Every year UTCT teaches NSF sponsored short courses on high-resolution X-ray CT, taught by UTCT staff (including me!). Applications for the 2025 courses are now open! See below for the biological/paleontological course info, & we also have a geological one. If you'd like to apply, send me a DM 🩻☢️🦴

Text that reads: The University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray CT Facility (UTCT) will host a short course on the fundamentals of acquisition, visualization, and analysis of high-resolution X-ray CT (HRXCT) data for biological and paleontological specimens June 2-4, 2025 in Austin, TX.
This short course will present an overview of the acquisition, interpretation, 3D visualization and analysis of HRXCT data. This will be followed by hands-on training focused on 3D visualization, surface extraction, and segmentation (e.g., endocasts, digital dissection) including deep learning. Covered programs include ImageJ, Dragonfly, and 3D Slicer/SlicerMorph.
This course is sponsored in part by NSF and funds are available to help cover the cost of travel, lodging, and meals. There is no charge to attend. Because we will not be able to accept all applicants, preference will be given to those who have/will have HRXCT data for the course and have a demonstrated need for immediate application of the skills learned. Students and early-career researchers receive priority. Participants are invited to bring their own HRXCT data, or to have specimens scanned (at a significant discount) at UTCT prior to the course.

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Mar 28

Agreed! 😊

Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Mar 28

Happy #FossilFriday

A few weeks ago we opened the first exhibit I helped design based on my work on bone histology and taphonomy of a #dicynodont bonebed from Tanzania!

If you are passing by the #FieldMuseum, go check out the #GraingerScienceHub

Huge thanks to @markwitton.bsky.social for 🎨🖼️

I am installing the life size 3D printed dicynodont skeleton on display in the Field Museum Grainger Science Hub. Grey bones represent real fossils from the bonebed, blue bones are resized or reflected bones.

The fossil dicynodont skull in a plaster cradle custom made for the display. In the background are shin bones that I thin sectioned to tell us information on how old these animals were when they died around 240 million years ago

Augmented reality of a dicynodont skeleton in Stanley Field Hall.

A reconstruction of Dolichuranus in the river beds of what is now Tanzania some 240 million years ago. Image credit to Mark Witton who is thanked for this artistic reconstruction.

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Mar 27

New pub alert! 🚨 and the final installment of papers from my dissertation!

Really happy to share this work on Triassic cynodonts that reveals surprising growth differences, helping to reshape our understanding of stem mammal evolution #ThinSectionThursday #Paleontology #Cynodonts #Triassic

Disparate life histories in coeval Triassic cynodonts and their implications for the evolution of mammalian life histories | Paleobiology | Cambridge Core

Disparate life histories in coeval Triassic cynodonts and their implications for the evolution of mammalian life histories

www.cambridge.org

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Feb 7

Why do bone histologists use the middle of bones when examining growth patterns? Because mid-shaft record the longest history of growth, seen in this tiny femur where the joint ends are made of spongy bone and only the middle shows growth marks.

CT scan of fossilized femur with 1 mm scale bar

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Greg Wilson Mantilla @gpwilson11.bsky.social · Jan 2

If you don't know about the @burkemuseum.bsky.social DIG Field School, it's a great time to learn about this PD program for K-12 educators and classrooms www.burkemuseum.org/education/ed...
Sign up for a Microfossil Workshop by Jan 3! and the DIG Field School applications open soon! #paleo #K12STEM

DIG Field School

The DIG Field School connects K-12 STEM teachers with scientific research and researchers through ongoing professional development and teaching curricula.

www.burkemuseum.org

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Kirstin Brink @kirstinbrink.bsky.social · Nov 27

New paper alert! This was a fun study examining intraskeletal growth patterns in leopard geckos using fluorescent labeling. Labels administered in ovo are still present up to 4 years post-hatching! doi.org/10.1111/joa....

Bone labeling experiments and intraskeletal growth patterns in captive leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius)

In this study, we used fluorochrome labels in captive leopard geckos (Eublepharis macularius) to track bone growth and intraskeletal variability from embryonic to adult growth stages. Overall, the ti...

doi.org

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Dr. Jessica L Ware @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social · Dec 9

Our 2025 #REU applications are now open! Come learn with us next summer at the #AMNH! More information can be found www.amnh.org/research/ric...

Biological Sciences: Research Experience for Undergraduates | AMNH

Approximately eight students gather each summer at the Museum for a ten-week experience working with curators, faculty, and post-doctoral fellows.

www.amnh.org

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Will Gearty @willgearty.bsky.social · Dec 6

🚨New Diamond 💎 Open Access Journal in Paleontology 🦴🐚!🚨

Send us your manuscripts 📜 and publish fully open access 🔓 entirely for free!

#openacess #paleontology #free #palaeontology #diamond #open

Open Palaeontology @openpalaeo.bsky.social · Dec 6

Hello 👋We are Open Palaeontology, or OPal, a brand new Diamond Open Access journal for palaeontology research.

Our mission is to provide a flexible platform for research that is free to authors and readers.

Read more in our editorial www.openpalaeo.org/article/view... or at www.openpalaeo.org!

View of Open Palaeontology: a new model of diamond open access journal for palaeontology

www.openpalaeo.org

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Dec 5

Happy #ThinSectionThursday

Here is a side by side comparison of virtual histology from synchrotron tomography on the left and “traditional” histology from optical microscopy on the right. It’s sometimes hard to tell what’s a growth mark in virtual histology but with this, we can can train our 👀

The left image is a grey value CT scan of a fossil bone thin section. The right image is the same fossil bone viewed under cross-polarized light microscopy with brightly colored pink, purple, blue, and yellow colors indicating bone mineral fiber orientations. The inside of the bone’s marrow cavity is infilled with brown crystals that look like a geode.

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Prof. Sharlene Santana @sesantana.bsky.social · Nov 22

Job alert! Two Full-time Assistant Teaching Professor positions in our Department (UW Biology). Come join us! Please share: apply.interfolio.com/147513

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Nov 22

A late night #ThinSectionThursday

Resisting that “we’ll pick it up in the new year” mentality with cool collaborations that have data that looks this good

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Nov 20

Happy to help! And spread the word that JVP needs submissions to fill volumes. It’s unclear when or if the journal will move to an online format that frees us up from this type of constraint.

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Nov 20

I’m a JVP editor & we talked about this at the publications meeting at SVP. The journal had a backlog but as of today, the pace of finishing volumes is dependent on copy flow. I don’t know what caused the backlog, but JVP now needs submissions to fill volumes so the long lead times should be over.

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Nov 17

Please add me too!

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Nov 15

Paleobluesky has risen!
So happy to be here and share a sneak peak of some micro-CT scans. Check out the 3D histology of some truly tiny Mesozoic mammal fossils 🤩 🐭🐹🐿️
#fossilfriday #fossil #zeissxradia #amnh #watchthisspace

A picture of a computer screen showing a live feed of the inside of a CT scan machine chamber with lenses and a shiny detector. In the middle of the image is a toothpick with a tiny fossil glued to it.

An image of a CT scan showing gray and black colors that correspond to microscopic cellular and vascular spaces inside fossil bone Some of the cellular spaces have been colored red in the upper right corner.

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Reposted by Zoe Kulik

Dr. Jessica L Ware @jessicalwarelab.bsky.social · Nov 14

Come work with us! We are hiring a new #curator in invertebrate paleontology! careers.amnh.org/postings/4301 #academicjobs #tenuretrack #AMNH

Assistant Curator/Professor of Invertebrate Paleontology

The Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) seeks an Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology to start on or after July 1, 2025.The successful candidate will be...

careers.amnh.org

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Nov 14

#ThinSectionThursday brought to you by this stunning watercolor painting by Leonie Schön. Check out her histology artwork!

lamellipodiumart.com

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Zoe Kulik @paleozoek.bsky.social · Oct 25

I’m new to this online paleo community and am looking forward to getting connected. If you’re going to #2024SVP next week, stop by my talk on Wed. at 8am in the mammalian life history evolution symposium for a deep dive into 3D bone histology from some of the earliest non-mammalian synapsids!

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