Andy Farke
@andyfarke.bsky.social
Paleontologist, educator, museum person, open science person, homebrewer, spouse, parent. Homebrewing blog at http://andybrews.com
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Andy Farke
@andyfarke.bsky.social
· Nov 14
Welcome, new followers! Here's an introductory post to tell a little about me and what I focus on here. My name is Andy Farke, and I am a vertebrate paleontologist, museum director, high school educator, and homebrewer, among other things (not all at once, of course!).
Reposted by Andy Farke
WHY DINOSAURS? Official Trailer. Streaming worldwide very soon! Get updates at www.whydinosaurs.com #whydinosaurs #dinosaurs #fossils #paleontology #jurassicpark
November 23, 2025 at 5:49 PM
WHY DINOSAURS? Official Trailer. Streaming worldwide very soon! Get updates at www.whydinosaurs.com #whydinosaurs #dinosaurs #fossils #paleontology #jurassicpark
Reposted by Andy Farke
November 21, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Manuscript submitted, for an unexpected and fun little writing project. Not primary literature, but very cool nonetheless. Fingers crossed for the editorial process...
November 20, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Manuscript submitted, for an unexpected and fun little writing project. Not primary literature, but very cool nonetheless. Fingers crossed for the editorial process...
Reposted by Andy Farke
Reposted by Andy Farke
Now that Rogue has apparently shed its mortal coil, I have to do another brewery obit. (Ugh!) Given Rogue’s reputation today, one may imagine its legacy is merely surviving. In fact, it was a hugely influential brewer, and at one time its beers were considered groundbreaking.
Rogue Ales, 1988-2025 — Beervana
With the apparent permanent closure of Rogue Ales, it’s time to consider the legacy of this early craft brewery. It may surprise many drinkers who today think of Rogue as tame and boring to learn that...
www.beervanablog.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Now that Rogue has apparently shed its mortal coil, I have to do another brewery obit. (Ugh!) Given Rogue’s reputation today, one may imagine its legacy is merely surviving. In fact, it was a hugely influential brewer, and at one time its beers were considered groundbreaking.
Reposted by Andy Farke
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
Collections Study Grants
Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the University of Washington Burke Museum (UWBM).
www.burkemuseum.org
October 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...
I remember vividly photos of his cranial sculptures, widely published when I was a kid! They were lifelike in a way that was ahead of their time.
Got informed about some sad news. Garfield Minott, a prolific dinosaur modeller, special effects and palaeoartist, recognised for contributions to the description of dinosaur binocular vision, passed away at age of 58.
November 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I remember vividly photos of his cranial sculptures, widely published when I was a kid! They were lifelike in a way that was ahead of their time.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Central Asian radiation of modern large-mammal faunas in Miocene | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Central Asian radiation of modern large-mammal faunas in Miocene
Faunal phylogenetic contribution analysis of a mammal supertree shows Central Asia was the Neogene hub for modern megafauna.
www.science.org
November 11, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Central Asian radiation of modern large-mammal faunas in Miocene | Science Advances www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Andy Farke
Scientists discover telephone-cord-like optic nerves in chameleons, which were overlooked by Aristotle, Newton, and everyone else, until now...
Story:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scie...
Study:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Story:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scie...
Study:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Scientists discover telephone-cord-like optic nerves in chameleons, which were overlooked by Aristotle, Newton, and everyone else, until now...
Story:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scie...
Study:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Story:
www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/scie...
Study:
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
A happy SVP to all attending this week! I'll (hopefully) be there next year!
November 10, 2025 at 7:23 PM
A happy SVP to all attending this week! I'll (hopefully) be there next year!
Reposted by Andy Farke
Oops…“Principal components (PC) axes
identified by a PCA are not necessarily the most informative biologically. Nevertheless, paleoanthropologists frequently interpret proximity in PC space as indicative of morphological and thus evolutionary affinity or relatedness”
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
identified by a PCA are not necessarily the most informative biologically. Nevertheless, paleoanthropologists frequently interpret proximity in PC space as indicative of morphological and thus evolutionary affinity or relatedness”
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Principal Components Analysis fails to recover phylogenetic structure in hominins
Objectives Paleoanthropologists often utilize geometric morphometrics and principal components analysis (PCA) to interpret shape variation within the hominin fossil record. It is common practice to in...
www.biorxiv.org
November 8, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Oops…“Principal components (PC) axes
identified by a PCA are not necessarily the most informative biologically. Nevertheless, paleoanthropologists frequently interpret proximity in PC space as indicative of morphological and thus evolutionary affinity or relatedness”
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
identified by a PCA are not necessarily the most informative biologically. Nevertheless, paleoanthropologists frequently interpret proximity in PC space as indicative of morphological and thus evolutionary affinity or relatedness”
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
I got some stellar views of a great egret this afternoon! It's been hanging around our area, and was totally fun to observe.
November 8, 2025 at 11:31 PM
I got some stellar views of a great egret this afternoon! It's been hanging around our area, and was totally fun to observe.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Parents, PLEASE check your kids’ Halloween candy this year. I just found atoms in this candy bar that were formed during BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS, and many more that were the result of earlier generations of stars exploding as POWERFUL SUPERNOVA. Parents need to know about this dangerous trend!!
October 24, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Parents, PLEASE check your kids’ Halloween candy this year. I just found atoms in this candy bar that were formed during BIG BANG NUCLEOSYNTHESIS, and many more that were the result of earlier generations of stars exploding as POWERFUL SUPERNOVA. Parents need to know about this dangerous trend!!
Reposted by Andy Farke
It’s true, since we put up that giant cat skeleton, 407,013 people went full anti-vax, 1103 kindergarteners embraced fasting diets for longevity, 79,406 science majors dropped out of college, & 5 archaeology programs had to close because students could no longer discern reality from fiction.
October 31, 2025 at 11:51 AM
It’s true, since we put up that giant cat skeleton, 407,013 people went full anti-vax, 1103 kindergarteners embraced fasting diets for longevity, 79,406 science majors dropped out of college, & 5 archaeology programs had to close because students could no longer discern reality from fiction.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Whew. We’ve reached the point where the flood of People Serious About Scientific Accuracy need to DM me about all the ways they hope my Halloween/life/death is terrible because I’m spreading disinformation with my *checks notes* obviously comedically fake Halloween skeletons.
October 31, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Whew. We’ve reached the point where the flood of People Serious About Scientific Accuracy need to DM me about all the ways they hope my Halloween/life/death is terrible because I’m spreading disinformation with my *checks notes* obviously comedically fake Halloween skeletons.
Reposted by Andy Farke
This is exactly the reason every mission and scientist should have a wide-open data policy! PUNCH has specific science objectives (looking at the solar wind) – but in the right hands the data can reveal amazing things NOT part of our original science. Giving those hands access is best for all. ☀️🔭🧪
Interstellar comet 3I Atlas from all clear filter data from PUNCH's WFI3 satellite on October 29th. This is the combination of 134 separate images. It's again visible in single frames (moving coming next). Probably visual magnitude ~9.5ish.
October 31, 2025 at 3:50 AM
This is exactly the reason every mission and scientist should have a wide-open data policy! PUNCH has specific science objectives (looking at the solar wind) – but in the right hands the data can reveal amazing things NOT part of our original science. Giving those hands access is best for all. ☀️🔭🧪
The lectionary for this past Sunday in the Episcopal Church (and many other liturgical churches) was Luke 18:9-14, and today I realized that it is of course not at all reminiscent of the discourse around Nanotyrannus.
October 31, 2025 at 4:09 AM
The lectionary for this past Sunday in the Episcopal Church (and many other liturgical churches) was Luke 18:9-14, and today I realized that it is of course not at all reminiscent of the discourse around Nanotyrannus.
Reposted by Andy Farke
Remember to check your kids candy for paleontology! #paleontology
October 30, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Remember to check your kids candy for paleontology! #paleontology
Reposted by Andy Farke
You know, the longer I look at this specimen, the more skeptical I am. That doesn't look anything like an Appalachian tyrannosaur.
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
October 30, 2025 at 4:43 PM
You know, the longer I look at this specimen, the more skeptical I am. That doesn't look anything like an Appalachian tyrannosaur.
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
I'm pretty sure Nanotyrannus is Triceratops
Reposted by Andy Farke
Science fact: if you look at any tyrannosaur from far enough away it becomes a nanotyrannus
October 30, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Science fact: if you look at any tyrannosaur from far enough away it becomes a nanotyrannus
I would love love love to see an anthropological study of the social / cultural dynamics of the whole history of the Nanotyrannus thing, done by someone genuinely outside of the field and independent of any of the folks involved.
October 30, 2025 at 9:28 PM
I would love love love to see an anthropological study of the social / cultural dynamics of the whole history of the Nanotyrannus thing, done by someone genuinely outside of the field and independent of any of the folks involved.
Reposted by Andy Farke
I'm a palaeobiologist, of course I have a favourite average
(It's the mode. Love me a modal value)
(It's the mode. Love me a modal value)
October 30, 2025 at 8:57 PM
I'm a palaeobiologist, of course I have a favourite average
(It's the mode. Love me a modal value)
(It's the mode. Love me a modal value)
Excellent thread (speaking also as now ?mature stage of former teenage dino nerd)! I'll also, somewhat grumpily, say that many of us professionals also fan the flames of dino fandom, engage in meme-ing and fanbase engagement, and then are suddenly surprised when a fandom behaves like a fandom.
October 30, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Excellent thread (speaking also as now ?mature stage of former teenage dino nerd)! I'll also, somewhat grumpily, say that many of us professionals also fan the flames of dino fandom, engage in meme-ing and fanbase engagement, and then are suddenly surprised when a fandom behaves like a fandom.
Reposted by Andy Farke
It was a real joy to write this paper with @guillermodiazliano.bsky.social - in many ways an overdue love letter to my colleagues in the trenches over the years.
Huge thanks to those who spoke to G, their job is hard and #archaeology is only the half of it! 🏺👷🏻♀️
Huge thanks to those who spoke to G, their job is hard and #archaeology is only the half of it! 🏺👷🏻♀️
So happy to see this article out!
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/TYFU3...
In this ethnography of the relationship between archaeologists and construction, we explore how both disciplines communicate, and how concepts such as risk, incommensurability, uncertainty and translation..
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/TYFU3...
In this ethnography of the relationship between archaeologists and construction, we explore how both disciplines communicate, and how concepts such as risk, incommensurability, uncertainty and translation..
www.tandfonline.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:20 AM
It was a real joy to write this paper with @guillermodiazliano.bsky.social - in many ways an overdue love letter to my colleagues in the trenches over the years.
Huge thanks to those who spoke to G, their job is hard and #archaeology is only the half of it! 🏺👷🏻♀️
Huge thanks to those who spoke to G, their job is hard and #archaeology is only the half of it! 🏺👷🏻♀️
Reposted by Andy Farke
“science number” 😂
- Hey, is your science good?
- Man, my science is like super-good. Look at my science number, it's 4.76 !
- Dude, that's nothing - my science number is 4.93 ! My science is so much gooder than your science !
I guess the dumbing down of society now extends to scientists.
- Man, my science is like super-good. Look at my science number, it's 4.76 !
- Dude, that's nothing - my science number is 4.93 ! My science is so much gooder than your science !
I guess the dumbing down of society now extends to scientists.
October 29, 2025 at 7:58 AM
“science number” 😂