Dr. Jason Loxton
@jasonloxton.bsky.social
Paleontologist. Science educator (cbu.ca). Curator (capebretonfossilcentre.com). Lover of fiddle, grower of veggies. Posts (mostly!) about geoscience, geoheritage, pedagogy, & Nova Scotia.
Planning on applying for PromoScience for outreach activities through the Cape Breton Fossil Centre. Am hoping that some successful applicants might be willing to share their applications/budgets. In particular, I am curious how people made up the 2/3rds of $$$ that NSERC doesn't cover.
August 5, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Planning on applying for PromoScience for outreach activities through the Cape Breton Fossil Centre. Am hoping that some successful applicants might be willing to share their applications/budgets. In particular, I am curious how people made up the 2/3rds of $$$ that NSERC doesn't cover.
I have a colleague down there with a student and some other profs doing unrelated work, but... the fossil has emerged!
July 3, 2025 at 7:03 PM
I have a colleague down there with a student and some other profs doing unrelated work, but... the fossil has emerged!
Found while searching for merch for our museum gift store. The more you look, the worse it gets. :)
May 31, 2025 at 3:33 AM
Found while searching for merch for our museum gift store. The more you look, the worse it gets. :)
The fourth is the same, I've just captured it at a different angle/lighting to emphasize the "feather" like geometry of central axis and secondary elements coming off. This one shows same.
May 24, 2025 at 2:24 AM
The fourth is the same, I've just captured it at a different angle/lighting to emphasize the "feather" like geometry of central axis and secondary elements coming off. This one shows same.
What do you make of this, sedimentologists and ichnologists? Structure I've found periodically around Nova Scotia. Don't know if it's a trace or abiotic. One ichnologist said rill casts another suggested Phycodes. Thoughts? @ichnologist.bsky.social
May 23, 2025 at 9:56 PM
What do you make of this, sedimentologists and ichnologists? Structure I've found periodically around Nova Scotia. Don't know if it's a trace or abiotic. One ichnologist said rill casts another suggested Phycodes. Thoughts? @ichnologist.bsky.social
See these examples. First two prompts I tried.
May 15, 2025 at 2:29 AM
See these examples. First two prompts I tried.
I am not sure about the specific prompt, but as much as I hate to admit it, in experiments I've run with Grok, it's been excellent and fair on most issues, including Musk related ones. For example:
May 15, 2025 at 2:28 AM
I am not sure about the specific prompt, but as much as I hate to admit it, in experiments I've run with Grok, it's been excellent and fair on most issues, including Musk related ones. For example:
Wild that we not only have these 300 million year old forests in our backyard, but there's a reasonable chance every tree holds a brand species of vertabrate cradled within it. #CapeBreton
May 11, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Wild that we not only have these 300 million year old forests in our backyard, but there's a reasonable chance every tree holds a brand species of vertabrate cradled within it. #CapeBreton
Set up basecamp and am conducting some important sedimentological research this morning in Eastbourne, UK.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
April 25, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Set up basecamp and am conducting some important sedimentological research this morning in Eastbourne, UK.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
My working hypothesis is this is a beach, but will need more investigation to confirm.
If you visit, make sure to walk the Sand Walk, Darwin's thinking path. (Sadly, I did not have any world changing epiphanies, but it's a lovely stroll.)
April 25, 2025 at 7:11 AM
If you visit, make sure to walk the Sand Walk, Darwin's thinking path. (Sadly, I did not have any world changing epiphanies, but it's a lovely stroll.)
Visited Downe House, Darwin's home. As a Darwinophile, this was a lifelong bucketlist stop. English Heritage has done a lovely job of restoring and adding interpretation. Highly recommend even for casual science history fans.
April 25, 2025 at 12:18 AM
Visited Downe House, Darwin's home. As a Darwinophile, this was a lifelong bucketlist stop. English Heritage has done a lovely job of restoring and adding interpretation. Highly recommend even for casual science history fans.
This gazelle is actually called 'dorcas (species name). Apt name for the nerdiest of deer. (At the Natural History Museum.)
April 24, 2025 at 11:53 PM
This gazelle is actually called 'dorcas (species name). Apt name for the nerdiest of deer. (At the Natural History Museum.)
This is what things look like uo close. Thrombolites!
April 19, 2025 at 3:41 AM
This is what things look like uo close. Thrombolites!
You can't see it, but there's a 350 million year old cyanobacterial reef exposed in this #CapeBreton quarry.
April 19, 2025 at 3:39 AM
You can't see it, but there's a 350 million year old cyanobacterial reef exposed in this #CapeBreton quarry.
Eternal Canadian question: Why do plain Tim Bits even exist?
April 16, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Eternal Canadian question: Why do plain Tim Bits even exist?
Front page of CBC News this morning. A play, in three acts:
April 7, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Front page of CBC News this morning. A play, in three acts:
This is from the official Grade 4 science curricula in Nova Scotia. This is a suggested field trip. Is it just me, or is this wildly optimistic? (Perhaps appropriate for a class of savants!)
April 7, 2025 at 1:50 AM
This is from the official Grade 4 science curricula in Nova Scotia. This is a suggested field trip. Is it just me, or is this wildly optimistic? (Perhaps appropriate for a class of savants!)
Yay. "Thanks," Open AI. (Grrrrr.)
April 6, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Yay. "Thanks," Open AI. (Grrrrr.)
Took advantage of CBU's rental of the Sydney Cineplex to show free geology movie for my students. BBC's 'A Perfect Planet' on the largest screen in town/David Attenborough on surround sound was a blast!
April 5, 2025 at 1:41 AM
Took advantage of CBU's rental of the Sydney Cineplex to show free geology movie for my students. BBC's 'A Perfect Planet' on the largest screen in town/David Attenborough on surround sound was a blast!
American friends, you might not know how wild the impact of the tarrifs have been on our national politics. Until a month ago, the polls predicted a complete wipe out of one of our two main parties (the governing Liberals). Today, they're set to reverse a decade of decline to seal a majority govt.
March 31, 2025 at 7:35 PM
American friends, you might not know how wild the impact of the tarrifs have been on our national politics. Until a month ago, the polls predicted a complete wipe out of one of our two main parties (the governing Liberals). Today, they're set to reverse a decade of decline to seal a majority govt.
This mini donut was almost too cute to eat. Almost.
March 31, 2025 at 2:22 PM
This mini donut was almost too cute to eat. Almost.
I have a student who just bought the pinkest hard hat you've ever seen. (It's pretty amazing.) Just saw these on Facebook, in the same vein. Safety and style! Why not?
March 30, 2025 at 1:38 AM
I have a student who just bought the pinkest hard hat you've ever seen. (It's pretty amazing.) Just saw these on Facebook, in the same vein. Safety and style! Why not?
Are you registered? Check! (Link below.) Didn't get around to register/didn't click box on your tax return? No worries. You can register at polling station itself. (Don't stay away because you aren't registered!) No picture ID? You can have someone vouch for you. www.elections.ca/content.aspx...
March 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Are you registered? Check! (Link below.) Didn't get around to register/didn't click box on your tax return? No worries. You can register at polling station itself. (Don't stay away because you aren't registered!) No picture ID? You can have someone vouch for you. www.elections.ca/content.aspx...