Jesse Wolfhagen
@uncertainarch.bsky.social
Bayesian Zooarchaeologist, studying animal domestication and philosophical questions like "how many cows were in this pit?"
GitHub: https://github.com/wolfhagenj
OSF: https://osf.io/va7ye/
GitHub: https://github.com/wolfhagenj
OSF: https://osf.io/va7ye/
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
Storytelling, it’s what archaeology is for. Telling stories about people, different ways of being, strangeness, the diversity of the human condition - that how we organise our world, our societies, our relationships with people, places, animals, plants, things, & time have not always been like this
New landmark research out today: We've just launched Trowel and Error, the most in-depth look in 25 years at how audiences want to engage with archaeology. The findings are clear: people want human, accessible, story-led archaeology.
Read the report here 👉 www.archaeologyuk.org/our-work/tro...
Read the report here 👉 www.archaeologyuk.org/our-work/tro...
November 29, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Storytelling, it’s what archaeology is for. Telling stories about people, different ways of being, strangeness, the diversity of the human condition - that how we organise our world, our societies, our relationships with people, places, animals, plants, things, & time have not always been like this
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
It is odd to me that, like, you'd think it'd be parody if you said: to be clear, they only like the bad bits of Western Civilisation -- but that turns out to be true. They like the rapacious imperial murder, but not the art or intellectual achievements or civil liberties, etc.
i mean what are these "western values" these guys are so hopped up about? they are directly antagonistic to western europe. they don't believe in civil liberties. they reject democracy. and don't get me started on christianity, they hate their white neighbors almost as much as the brown ones
November 29, 2025 at 1:06 PM
It is odd to me that, like, you'd think it'd be parody if you said: to be clear, they only like the bad bits of Western Civilisation -- but that turns out to be true. They like the rapacious imperial murder, but not the art or intellectual achievements or civil liberties, etc.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is an evolutionary wonder with "stars for eyes".
They're exceptional in so many ways: they're the fastest-eating mammals, they're just as comfortable in water as (under) the land, have exceptional nerve conduction & senses you don't have access to.
They're exceptional in so many ways: they're the fastest-eating mammals, they're just as comfortable in water as (under) the land, have exceptional nerve conduction & senses you don't have access to.
November 29, 2025 at 12:30 AM
The star-nosed mole (Condylura cristata) is an evolutionary wonder with "stars for eyes".
They're exceptional in so many ways: they're the fastest-eating mammals, they're just as comfortable in water as (under) the land, have exceptional nerve conduction & senses you don't have access to.
They're exceptional in so many ways: they're the fastest-eating mammals, they're just as comfortable in water as (under) the land, have exceptional nerve conduction & senses you don't have access to.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
We’ve got a good palate cleanser for you: a special news #quiz focussed on nice news of the year: theconversation.com/the-conversa... (Yes, there were at least 8 stories we published that qualified)
November 28, 2025 at 7:40 PM
We’ve got a good palate cleanser for you: a special news #quiz focussed on nice news of the year: theconversation.com/the-conversa... (Yes, there were at least 8 stories we published that qualified)
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
The aim should be for individual, not institutional, accountability.
Did a university obviously violate the first amendment rights of its faculty to suck up to Trump? Don't seek to fine the university, *seek to jail its president and trustees.*
People make decisions, people bear consequences.
Did a university obviously violate the first amendment rights of its faculty to suck up to Trump? Don't seek to fine the university, *seek to jail its president and trustees.*
People make decisions, people bear consequences.
November 28, 2025 at 6:14 PM
The aim should be for individual, not institutional, accountability.
Did a university obviously violate the first amendment rights of its faculty to suck up to Trump? Don't seek to fine the university, *seek to jail its president and trustees.*
People make decisions, people bear consequences.
Did a university obviously violate the first amendment rights of its faculty to suck up to Trump? Don't seek to fine the university, *seek to jail its president and trustees.*
People make decisions, people bear consequences.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
What's that? 5 ancient doggy papers in 10 days is too many dogs?
Can I interest you in some cats?
Perhaps a complete retelling of cat domestication, dispersal, and replacement across Eurasia?
As you wish!
Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cell Genomics
www.cell.com/cell-genomic...
Can I interest you in some cats?
Perhaps a complete retelling of cat domestication, dispersal, and replacement across Eurasia?
As you wish!
Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cell Genomics
www.cell.com/cell-genomic...
The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago
The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...
www.science.org
November 28, 2025 at 12:40 PM
What's that? 5 ancient doggy papers in 10 days is too many dogs?
Can I interest you in some cats?
Perhaps a complete retelling of cat domestication, dispersal, and replacement across Eurasia?
As you wish!
Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cell Genomics
www.cell.com/cell-genomic...
Can I interest you in some cats?
Perhaps a complete retelling of cat domestication, dispersal, and replacement across Eurasia?
As you wish!
Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cell Genomics
www.cell.com/cell-genomic...
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
Sixty years ago this week in the Berkshire (MA) Eagle: "Saturday, Richard J. Robbins, 19, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Arlo Guthrie, 18, of Howard Beach, N.Y., each paid a fine of $25 in Lee District Court after pleading guilty of illegally disposing of rubbish...."
web.archive.org/web/20201125... 1/2
web.archive.org/web/20201125... 1/2
November 27, 2025 at 7:07 PM
Sixty years ago this week in the Berkshire (MA) Eagle: "Saturday, Richard J. Robbins, 19, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Arlo Guthrie, 18, of Howard Beach, N.Y., each paid a fine of $25 in Lee District Court after pleading guilty of illegally disposing of rubbish...."
web.archive.org/web/20201125... 1/2
web.archive.org/web/20201125... 1/2
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
To put this in context, I was offered a teaching track job in 2023 that had a salary of $55,000.
November 27, 2025 at 9:09 PM
To put this in context, I was offered a teaching track job in 2023 that had a salary of $55,000.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
A *huge* vaccine victory. I've been writing on this for years; Australia has seen remarkable progress in cervical cancer prevention with the HPV vaccine. I love seeing science triumph like this.
Australia recorded ZERO cases of cervical cancer in women under 25 for the first time since they started tracking the cancer in the 80s.
This is the power of vaccines.
The HPV vaccine is extremely effective at preventing cancer.
Viruses can be oncogenic. Get your vaccines and protect yourself!
This is the power of vaccines.
The HPV vaccine is extremely effective at preventing cancer.
Viruses can be oncogenic. Get your vaccines and protect yourself!
newsGP - Australia set for world-first cervical cancer elimination
Vaccination programs have played a key role, and GPs remain ‘instrumental’ in boosting screening rates to reach the 2035 target.
www1.racgp.org.au
November 27, 2025 at 6:12 PM
A *huge* vaccine victory. I've been writing on this for years; Australia has seen remarkable progress in cervical cancer prevention with the HPV vaccine. I love seeing science triumph like this.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
🏺 Two things have become clear in researching #Matriarcha:
1) direct evidence of how dangerous birth is – skeletons with stuck at-term babies inside them – goes back many millennia
2) humans/hominins have likely been obligate social birthers for about as long as they've been obligate tool users
1) direct evidence of how dangerous birth is – skeletons with stuck at-term babies inside them – goes back many millennia
2) humans/hominins have likely been obligate social birthers for about as long as they've been obligate tool users
Point of order: all human births are “natural.” Medical interventions in fertility are a fundamental part of the deep history of our species. Stop mom-shaming women who want and need medicine for being, um, human. Cheers!
November 27, 2025 at 6:06 PM
🏺 Two things have become clear in researching #Matriarcha:
1) direct evidence of how dangerous birth is – skeletons with stuck at-term babies inside them – goes back many millennia
2) humans/hominins have likely been obligate social birthers for about as long as they've been obligate tool users
1) direct evidence of how dangerous birth is – skeletons with stuck at-term babies inside them – goes back many millennia
2) humans/hominins have likely been obligate social birthers for about as long as they've been obligate tool users
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
A paper in Nature reports on the origins, social structure, and cultural practices of the people of Shimao, a 4,000-year-old walled city in northern China. The study indicates that the populations had genetic ties to settlements to the south of the city. go.nature.com/4ok4ShE 🏺 🧪
November 27, 2025 at 8:42 PM
A paper in Nature reports on the origins, social structure, and cultural practices of the people of Shimao, a 4,000-year-old walled city in northern China. The study indicates that the populations had genetic ties to settlements to the south of the city. go.nature.com/4ok4ShE 🏺 🧪
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
Another hominin cousin! Nice toes!
The Burtele foot has been puzzling anthropologists for a while - but it looks like there was another australopith living around the same time as Lucy (A. afarensis) - 3.4 Myra - that liked climbing trees a lot more
go.nature.com/49BkCZY
The Burtele foot has been puzzling anthropologists for a while - but it looks like there was another australopith living around the same time as Lucy (A. afarensis) - 3.4 Myra - that liked climbing trees a lot more
go.nature.com/49BkCZY
New finds shed light on diet and locomotion in Australopithecus deyiremeda - Nature
3.4-million-year-old hominin fossils discovered in Ethiopia provide insight into the diet and locomotion of Australopithecus deyiremeda.
go.nature.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Another hominin cousin! Nice toes!
The Burtele foot has been puzzling anthropologists for a while - but it looks like there was another australopith living around the same time as Lucy (A. afarensis) - 3.4 Myra - that liked climbing trees a lot more
go.nature.com/49BkCZY
The Burtele foot has been puzzling anthropologists for a while - but it looks like there was another australopith living around the same time as Lucy (A. afarensis) - 3.4 Myra - that liked climbing trees a lot more
go.nature.com/49BkCZY
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
I wrote a “How to” book for conference posters that’s a great present for early career researchers or a lab resource!
If you’d like to give one a a gift with a little something extra, DM me for a bookplate!
pelagicpublishing.com/products/bet...
If you’d like to give one a a gift with a little something extra, DM me for a bookplate!
pelagicpublishing.com/products/bet...
November 27, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I wrote a “How to” book for conference posters that’s a great present for early career researchers or a lab resource!
If you’d like to give one a a gift with a little something extra, DM me for a bookplate!
pelagicpublishing.com/products/bet...
If you’d like to give one a a gift with a little something extra, DM me for a bookplate!
pelagicpublishing.com/products/bet...
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
It's a tiny amount of money ($25K, $12K when I was a student), but the consequences are huge. e.g., Years ago, this funding enabled me to conduct my PhD research, which ultimately informed the Supreme Court litigation that prohibited patents on human genes.
Talk about undone science.
Talk about undone science.
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:08 PM
It's a tiny amount of money ($25K, $12K when I was a student), but the consequences are huge. e.g., Years ago, this funding enabled me to conduct my PhD research, which ultimately informed the Supreme Court litigation that prohibited patents on human genes.
Talk about undone science.
Talk about undone science.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
The NSF social sciences program has funded some of the best research I’ve seen, especially at the PhD level. There really isn’t another country in the world with the equivalent funding capacity to fill this gap, and the damage from this choice will be felt for a long time.
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:04 AM
The NSF social sciences program has funded some of the best research I’ve seen, especially at the PhD level. There really isn’t another country in the world with the equivalent funding capacity to fill this gap, and the damage from this choice will be felt for a long time.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
I guess I now have to do a thread on shoes in ancient Mesopotamia in response to this (which happens to be from one of my favourite accounts).
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
can't believe this ancient mesopotamia shoe wearing ass said people need to dress up at the airport
November 26, 2025 at 9:03 AM
I guess I now have to do a thread on shoes in ancient Mesopotamia in response to this (which happens to be from one of my favourite accounts).
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
I’m not an archaeologist, nor do I really know anything about shoes, but let’s go on this journey together.
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
Archaeopooches!
November 27, 2025 at 4:55 AM
Archaeopooches!
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
An amazing accomplishment, the 670 kyr long high Andes Lake Junin vegetation record www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪🌿
A neotropical perspective on the uniqueness of the Holocene among interglacials - Nature Communications
A 670,000-year vegetation and climate history from Lake Junín, Peru, showed that the last interglacial was the warmest while the current interglacial had uniquely high fire frequencies that were cause...
www.nature.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:10 AM
An amazing accomplishment, the 670 kyr long high Andes Lake Junin vegetation record www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪🌿
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
I'm no Luddite - far from it - but the ways in which in this development has been spoken of seem blind to, or completely uninterested in, what cannot be machine read and searched for: the pounce, sweat marks, soot, or wax; the non-semantic yet semiotically rich substrate that OCR strips away.
November 26, 2025 at 10:12 PM
I'm no Luddite - far from it - but the ways in which in this development has been spoken of seem blind to, or completely uninterested in, what cannot be machine read and searched for: the pounce, sweat marks, soot, or wax; the non-semantic yet semiotically rich substrate that OCR strips away.
Hurray for prior predictive checks!
Working on a toy model for a blog post that presumably will come out at some point. Figured I'd write up a prior predict check to make sure those priors make sense. Ended up getting 10 m (10000 mm) wide sheep tibias. A different post! Also time to tighten priors
Working on a toy model for a blog post that presumably will come out at some point. Figured I'd write up a prior predict check to make sure those priors make sense. Ended up getting 10 m (10000 mm) wide sheep tibias. A different post! Also time to tighten priors
November 27, 2025 at 4:21 AM
Hurray for prior predictive checks!
Working on a toy model for a blog post that presumably will come out at some point. Figured I'd write up a prior predict check to make sure those priors make sense. Ended up getting 10 m (10000 mm) wide sheep tibias. A different post! Also time to tighten priors
Working on a toy model for a blog post that presumably will come out at some point. Figured I'd write up a prior predict check to make sure those priors make sense. Ended up getting 10 m (10000 mm) wide sheep tibias. A different post! Also time to tighten priors
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
Years and years ago, shortly after I got sober, I was complaining to @chrisgeidner.bsky.social about the uniquely dysfunctional alcohol culture in academia when he stopped me and said something that changed my life: every field - academia, journalism, everyone - thinks this is true of their field
yep. also really can't overstate how much nuzzi is very much the product of an environment that rewards amoral ambition and frowns on people who sincerely believe anything
November 27, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Years and years ago, shortly after I got sober, I was complaining to @chrisgeidner.bsky.social about the uniquely dysfunctional alcohol culture in academia when he stopped me and said something that changed my life: every field - academia, journalism, everyone - thinks this is true of their field
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
We're officially one week, seven days, away from the launch of my new history podcast Past Lives! We've got so much great content on the way - three full episodes on December 3, plus a Patreon bonus - so be sure to subscribe now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Past Lives
History Podcast · Updated Weekly · History is built by people like you, and Past Lives is here to bring their stories to life. Every week, we’ll focus on the lived experiences of real people in the pa...
podcasts.apple.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:29 PM
We're officially one week, seven days, away from the launch of my new history podcast Past Lives! We've got so much great content on the way - three full episodes on December 3, plus a Patreon bonus - so be sure to subscribe now: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Today's biggest science news: Doomed comet explodes | Comet 3I/ATLAS course alteration | Dark matter detected?
Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025: Your daily feed of the biggest discoveries and breakthroughs making headlines.
www.livescience.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:01 PM
NEW from me - NSF cancels grant scheme for social science research.
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Seems the NSF quietly archived ALL calls for DDRIG grants in the SBE directorate. This is a massive blow for PhD students wanting to do cutting-edge social science research. 🏺🧪
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
Cool aDNA results from Estonia! 🏺🧪
Funny though, that the only paper referred to in the Guardian article is our 2024 paper discussing the oral microbiome found in the birch bark pitch chewing gums from Huseby klev, Sweden (www.nature.com/articles/s41...)
Funny though, that the only paper referred to in the Guardian article is our 2024 paper discussing the oral microbiome found in the birch bark pitch chewing gums from Huseby klev, Sweden (www.nature.com/articles/s41...)
📰 DNA analysis of saliva from 10,500-year-old birch tar 'gum' indicates it was chewed by a girl with brown hair and brown eyes.
🏺 #ArchaeologyNews via @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
🏺 #ArchaeologyNews via @theguardian.com
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
DNA reveals stone age teenager as chewer of 10,500-year-old ‘gum’
The prehistoric birch tar found in Estonia contained traces of saliva that were analysed by genetics experts
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Cool aDNA results from Estonia! 🏺🧪
Funny though, that the only paper referred to in the Guardian article is our 2024 paper discussing the oral microbiome found in the birch bark pitch chewing gums from Huseby klev, Sweden (www.nature.com/articles/s41...)
Funny though, that the only paper referred to in the Guardian article is our 2024 paper discussing the oral microbiome found in the birch bark pitch chewing gums from Huseby klev, Sweden (www.nature.com/articles/s41...)
Reposted by Jesse Wolfhagen
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 9:17 PM
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.