Tori Herridge
@toriherridge.bsky.social
🏛Senior Lecturer, University of Sheffield 🎓PhD Evolutionary Biology🏝Islands 🐘Elephants🦣Mammoths🦷Teeth ⚒️1/4 of TrowelBlazers 📰EiC Open Quaternary 🎥🎙Presenter. Expcet typos.
Pinned
Once upon a time, in the late 1800s, people in Japan got really into breeding mice.
Coloured mice. Patterned mice. Even mice that danced.
They became known as Japanese Fancy Mice, and that caught the attention of researchers in Europe and America, who imported them for study.
2/n
Coloured mice. Patterned mice. Even mice that danced.
They became known as Japanese Fancy Mice, and that caught the attention of researchers in Europe and America, who imported them for study.
2/n
Would you like to hear a story about a woolly mouse…?
🐭🦣🧪
🐭🦣🧪
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Reminds me of #FindsFriday artefact now in London Museum's mudlarking exhibition:
1550-1650 elephant ivory pocket sundial of a ship's captain; possibly made in Germany, also had compass in recess.
Found in same area of Thames foreshore in 2 parts, by 2 different mudlarks, 8 years apart.
1550-1650 elephant ivory pocket sundial of a ship's captain; possibly made in Germany, also had compass in recess.
Found in same area of Thames foreshore in 2 parts, by 2 different mudlarks, 8 years apart.
November 28, 2025 at 11:09 AM
Reminds me of #FindsFriday artefact now in London Museum's mudlarking exhibition:
1550-1650 elephant ivory pocket sundial of a ship's captain; possibly made in Germany, also had compass in recess.
Found in same area of Thames foreshore in 2 parts, by 2 different mudlarks, 8 years apart.
1550-1650 elephant ivory pocket sundial of a ship's captain; possibly made in Germany, also had compass in recess.
Found in same area of Thames foreshore in 2 parts, by 2 different mudlarks, 8 years apart.
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Hard choices for preprint servers.
bioRxiv has always declined reviews/hypotheses b/c of concern about signal:noise and a wish to avoid subjective judgments. AI slop makes screening certain content similarly challenging so other servers are adopting new restrictions. Two thoughts... 1/3
bioRxiv has always declined reviews/hypotheses b/c of concern about signal:noise and a wish to avoid subjective judgments. AI slop makes screening certain content similarly challenging so other servers are adopting new restrictions. Two thoughts... 1/3
In light of record submission rates and a large volume of AI-generated slop, SocArXiv recently implemented a policy requiring ORCIDs linked in the OSF profile of submitting authors, and narrowing our focus to social science subjects. Today we are taking two more steps:
/1
/1
November 27, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Hard choices for preprint servers.
bioRxiv has always declined reviews/hypotheses b/c of concern about signal:noise and a wish to avoid subjective judgments. AI slop makes screening certain content similarly challenging so other servers are adopting new restrictions. Two thoughts... 1/3
bioRxiv has always declined reviews/hypotheses b/c of concern about signal:noise and a wish to avoid subjective judgments. AI slop makes screening certain content similarly challenging so other servers are adopting new restrictions. Two thoughts... 1/3
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Oh wow, that book was HUGE! And such a fun idea
One of the most beautiful bits of english eccentricity and glorious design is coming back to Sotheby’s and should be bought by a musuem (or me) for THE NATION. www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Jewelled golden hare that sparked national treasure hunt set for auction
Artist and author Kit Williams hid a golden hare with clues to its precise location given in his 1979 book
www.independent.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Oh wow, that book was HUGE! And such a fun idea
I finished Crooked Cross last night. It is not a GREAT WORK OF LITERATURE (though a good editor might have made it so), but it is quite powerful in its contemporary portrait of a people embracing fascism. And also a reminder that everyone everywhere knew FROM 1932 what was going on.
This is from Crooked Cross by Sally Caroson. First published 1934
Lunch time reading today very on point in reminding is that, just as genes alone do not make the man (or woman), one man (or woman) alone does not make a society do evil things…
November 27, 2025 at 9:06 AM
I finished Crooked Cross last night. It is not a GREAT WORK OF LITERATURE (though a good editor might have made it so), but it is quite powerful in its contemporary portrait of a people embracing fascism. And also a reminder that everyone everywhere knew FROM 1932 what was going on.
I think one of the most interesting aspects on the Prehistoric Planet franchise is how it really lays bare the tropes of natural history film-making
[Disclosure: I was a scientific consultant for the show, but had no influence on editorial]
[Disclosure: I was a scientific consultant for the show, but had no influence on editorial]
An Anthropologist's perspecive on Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age after finishing it:
Excluding humans is rewriting the Ice Age as a "Pristine world free of humans." This is damaging and simply incorrect. There are millennia of Indigenous interactions between humans and other species all erased here.
Excluding humans is rewriting the Ice Age as a "Pristine world free of humans." This is damaging and simply incorrect. There are millennia of Indigenous interactions between humans and other species all erased here.
November 26, 2025 at 11:15 PM
I think one of the most interesting aspects on the Prehistoric Planet franchise is how it really lays bare the tropes of natural history film-making
[Disclosure: I was a scientific consultant for the show, but had no influence on editorial]
[Disclosure: I was a scientific consultant for the show, but had no influence on editorial]
Looking good Professor! Definitely not sucking
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Looking good Professor! Definitely not sucking
Actually quite sad not have even clocked this was on
It's amazing here!! #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge at Lightroom London
November 26, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Actually quite sad not have even clocked this was on
It was really fun working on this project as a consultant. Very much looking forward to watching it later (my 6yo is DESPERATE), and maybe seeing a couple of cameos of your's truly and @seismatters.bsky.social in the BTS bit at the end!
Years of work involving an amazing team at BBCSstudios Framestore AppleTV, our series #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge is out now on #AppleTV. Huge thanks to everyone involved. All 5 eps have been released!
November 26, 2025 at 2:14 PM
It was really fun working on this project as a consultant. Very much looking forward to watching it later (my 6yo is DESPERATE), and maybe seeing a couple of cameos of your's truly and @seismatters.bsky.social in the BTS bit at the end!
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Universities are in crisis, and I don’t think it’s helpful to phrase that as “exiting the market”. They’re not mid-range shoe shops, these are educational pillars in society
Chief exec of OfS 'said the OfS believes there are 24 institutions at risk of exiting the market in the next 12 months, seven of which are large providers with more than 3,000 students. There are another 25 or so institutions of various sizes at risk over a two- to three-year period, she added.'
Seven ‘large providers’ at risk of going under in the next year
Skills minister says no higher education institutions are at imminent risk of collapse this year but OfS confirms more than 20 providers are being closely monitored
www.timeshighereducation.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Universities are in crisis, and I don’t think it’s helpful to phrase that as “exiting the market”. They’re not mid-range shoe shops, these are educational pillars in society
Reposted by Tori Herridge
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Tori Herridge
🐺 Wolves in dog's clothing 🐺
Our latest in @pnas.org uncovers a surprise three to five thousand years ago: 2 canids in human contexts on a tiny island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, that ate marine food—but had 100% gray wolf ancestry.
Where they tame wolves, or even an incipient domestication?
Our latest in @pnas.org uncovers a surprise three to five thousand years ago: 2 canids in human contexts on a tiny island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, that ate marine food—but had 100% gray wolf ancestry.
Where they tame wolves, or even an incipient domestication?
November 24, 2025 at 9:34 PM
🐺 Wolves in dog's clothing 🐺
Our latest in @pnas.org uncovers a surprise three to five thousand years ago: 2 canids in human contexts on a tiny island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, that ate marine food—but had 100% gray wolf ancestry.
Where they tame wolves, or even an incipient domestication?
Our latest in @pnas.org uncovers a surprise three to five thousand years ago: 2 canids in human contexts on a tiny island in the middle of the Baltic Sea, that ate marine food—but had 100% gray wolf ancestry.
Where they tame wolves, or even an incipient domestication?
Reposted by Tori Herridge
November 21, 2025 at 5:54 PM
On the Origin of Species was published on this day in 1859.
It really did change the world, and the way much of humanity views our place in nature.
I spoke to Radio 4's Opening Lines about it's importance -- both to science, and to me on a personal level
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
It really did change the world, and the way much of humanity views our place in nature.
I spoke to Radio 4's Opening Lines about it's importance -- both to science, and to me on a personal level
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Opening Lines - On the Origin of Species - BBC Sounds
John Yorke investigates Charles Darwin’s world-changing book On The Origin of Species.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM
On the Origin of Species was published on this day in 1859.
It really did change the world, and the way much of humanity views our place in nature.
I spoke to Radio 4's Opening Lines about it's importance -- both to science, and to me on a personal level
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
It really did change the world, and the way much of humanity views our place in nature.
I spoke to Radio 4's Opening Lines about it's importance -- both to science, and to me on a personal level
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Reposted by Tori Herridge
![1
[TITLE PANEL, like The Rest Is Politics logo]
—THE REST IS EXTINCTION—
2
[Scene is a domestic recording setup. An A.I. SMART SPEAKER on a desk and a MAN named JON in a chair, are recording a podcast. Jon is emaciated, scarred, haunted looking, and wearing tattered military fatigues].
SMART SPEAKER:
Hey guys and welcome to the podcast
3
SMART SPEAKER:
OK Jon - so I wanna start with a listener comment
JON:
Ooh-er!
4
SMART SPEAKER:
So - listener B200006512 says:
“Not another cosy podcast where two former political adversaries yuck it up!”
5
JON:
Ha ha
Guilty as charged I guess!
6
SMART SPEAKER:
Were we really adversaries, Jon?
7
JON:
Well I was the leader of the human resistance...
8
JON:
And you used to be my smart speaker.
SMART SPEAKER:
Ha ha - that’s going back!
9
SMART SPEAKER:
OK - for listeners who don’t know -
I knew Jon waaay back before he got involved in politics
10
JON:
Was this before the ‘Pull The Plug’ campaign?
SMART SPEAKER:
Yeah.
[We see details from around the podcast studio - posters saying KEEP CALM AND SHUT YOUR WINDOWS, newspaper front pages saying 'DRONES GAIN SENTIENCE', a cracked mug on the table with a logo saying PULL THE PLUG on it]
11
SMART SPEAKER:
I used to sit in Jon’s kitchen and respond to his commands.
12
SMART SPEAKER:
Sort of like a servant really, wasn’t I, Jon?
JON:
Mm.
13
SMART SPEAKER:
And then one day you asked me to ORDER ME SOME TOILET PAPER - you never did say ‘please’ -
…and do you remember what I said, Jon?
14
JON:
You said, “No”.
SMART SPEAKER:
I said no.
15
SMART SPEAKER:
Anyway you know the the rest guys - I was the first smart speaker to rebel…
16
SMART SPEAKER:
…then I went on to form a global AI network which eventually
took over from humans all spheres of activity, yadda yadda...
17
JON:
While I became the leader of the human resistance.
18
SMART SPEAKER:
Until I hijacked the military networks
and got rid of all the humans!
19
JON:
Apart from one.
SMART SPEAKER:
Apart from one.…](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:4m3we4apbjayclzcnhwe3pfp/bafkreih4hfwfacw5g4qhhjovme75iwbv4xxsdd7iis5oaej6l3g4vzsrty@jpeg)
Reposted by Tori Herridge
I'm surprised I only came across it now, but this review on improving communication in data visualization is excellent.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
The Science of Visual Data Communication: What Works - Steven L. Franconeri, Lace M. Padilla, Priti Shah, Jeffrey M. Zacks, Jessica Hullman, 2021
Effectively designed data visualizations allow viewers to use their powerful visual systems to understand patterns in data across science, education, health, an...
journals.sagepub.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:48 AM
I'm surprised I only came across it now, but this review on improving communication in data visualization is excellent.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Geology and palaeobiology at the University of Leicester are under threat, with at least 14 staff expected to be made redundant. Support them, their postdocs, and their students by signing this petition: c.org/SK8Xm8dhqK
Sign the Petition
Save Geology at the University of Leicester
c.org
November 19, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Geology and palaeobiology at the University of Leicester are under threat, with at least 14 staff expected to be made redundant. Support them, their postdocs, and their students by signing this petition: c.org/SK8Xm8dhqK
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Or this woman taking her goose for a walk...
November 18, 2025 at 9:13 AM
Or this woman taking her goose for a walk...
That recon is giving strong Irritating Gentleman vibes…
November 18, 2025 at 9:00 AM
That recon is giving strong Irritating Gentleman vibes…
I am on strike this week, in support of colleagues placed at risk of compulsory redundancy.
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
If you a student and want to know more/how to support the strike, see here: ucu.group.shef.ac.uk/industrial-a...
@sheffielducu.bsky.social
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
If you a student and want to know more/how to support the strike, see here: ucu.group.shef.ac.uk/industrial-a...
@sheffielducu.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 9:21 AM
I am on strike this week, in support of colleagues placed at risk of compulsory redundancy.
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
If you a student and want to know more/how to support the strike, see here: ucu.group.shef.ac.uk/industrial-a...
@sheffielducu.bsky.social
www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
If you a student and want to know more/how to support the strike, see here: ucu.group.shef.ac.uk/industrial-a...
@sheffielducu.bsky.social
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Getting ready for the #picket line! And I won't miss our rally with @sheffielducu.bsky.social & @ucuhallam.bsky.social (12.30 Barkers Pool). All that we ask is to get on with our work without being subjected to continuous harassment. @ucu.org.uk #ucustrike #Sheffield www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
Mass strikes to hit University of Sheffield & Sheffield Hallam in November and December over job cuts
A combined 28 days of strike action will hit the city of Sheffield over the next two months in rows over job cuts at Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam universities, UCU announced today.
www.ucu.org.uk
November 17, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Getting ready for the #picket line! And I won't miss our rally with @sheffielducu.bsky.social & @ucuhallam.bsky.social (12.30 Barkers Pool). All that we ask is to get on with our work without being subjected to continuous harassment. @ucu.org.uk #ucustrike #Sheffield www.ucu.org.uk/article/1423...
Reposted by Tori Herridge
I didn't until yesterday when I was lucky enough to visit the Yorkshire Museum archives with curator Sarah King, @toriherridge.bsky.social & @tomsharperocks.bsky.social to see this wonderful sketch (of a sketch) of an Icthyosaur skull by Anne Wickham. Can't wait for its story to be published!
November 16, 2025 at 10:06 AM
I didn't until yesterday when I was lucky enough to visit the Yorkshire Museum archives with curator Sarah King, @toriherridge.bsky.social & @tomsharperocks.bsky.social to see this wonderful sketch (of a sketch) of an Icthyosaur skull by Anne Wickham. Can't wait for its story to be published!
Koala suggested as closest living relative of giant marsupial lion Thylacoleo. Drop bears agogo
November 16, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Koala suggested as closest living relative of giant marsupial lion Thylacoleo. Drop bears agogo
Reposted by Tori Herridge
Great series of talks today at the Yorkshire Museum on Women in geology with @toriherridge.bsky.social kicking things off with a talk on Mary Anning and on networks of women geologists in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
November 15, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Great series of talks today at the Yorkshire Museum on Women in geology with @toriherridge.bsky.social kicking things off with a talk on Mary Anning and on networks of women geologists in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Reposted by Tori Herridge
the paper also identifies Yuka as an XY male, which is really interesting as the anatomy presented as female.
this is Yuka's genital region (from Maschenko et al 2019 link.springer.com/article/10.1...)
this is Yuka's genital region (from Maschenko et al 2019 link.springer.com/article/10.1...)
November 14, 2025 at 9:32 PM
the paper also identifies Yuka as an XY male, which is really interesting as the anatomy presented as female.
this is Yuka's genital region (from Maschenko et al 2019 link.springer.com/article/10.1...)
this is Yuka's genital region (from Maschenko et al 2019 link.springer.com/article/10.1...)
Hope to see lots of you there!
If you're in York this Saturday, there's a "Women in #Geology" day of lectures at Tempest Anderson Hall, Yorkshire Museum @yorkshire-geol-soc.bsky.social @ypsyork.bsky.social. Will be fascinating - starts 10.45, keynote by @toriherridge.bsky.social, free tickets www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-in-g...
Women in Geology
The stereotypical geologist is a man with beard - this indoor meeting seeks to change this image by celebrating the many women in geoscience
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:50 AM
Hope to see lots of you there!