Clare Rainsford
@littlebonelady.bsky.social
Zooarchaeologist and Yorkshire import. Owned by a lurcher called Baz. Often baffled.
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
People could die for want of rescue because of this.
Failure of govt and police to sct as promptly and firmly as they have for progressive protests is a disgrace and a real giveaway.
Failure of govt and police to sct as promptly and firmly as they have for progressive protests is a disgrace and a real giveaway.
RNLI have closed (temporarily) the Portsmouth station because of these violent ‘men’. Patriot Platform needs to be proscribed now
RNLI closes Portsmouth lifeboat station after huge anti-migrant protests
RNLI volunteers were branded ‘traitors’ after bringing migrants ashore
www.independent.co.uk
September 17, 2026 at 10:44 AM
People could die for want of rescue because of this.
Failure of govt and police to sct as promptly and firmly as they have for progressive protests is a disgrace and a real giveaway.
Failure of govt and police to sct as promptly and firmly as they have for progressive protests is a disgrace and a real giveaway.
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
neolithic guys get pissed if you tell them their cultures are organized by the type of pots and jewelry they made. "we called ourselves the blood hunters" "we conquered villages far beyond this horizon" sorry bud you're the western linear pottery culture now
January 17, 2026 at 2:52 PM
neolithic guys get pissed if you tell them their cultures are organized by the type of pots and jewelry they made. "we called ourselves the blood hunters" "we conquered villages far beyond this horizon" sorry bud you're the western linear pottery culture now
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
When people disappear, nature rebounds. Or so the story goes. Plant biodiversity nosedived during the Black Death because people had been creating diverse, wildlife-rich farmland – and when farming stopped, those habitats disappeared.
Me for #science focus 🧪
www.sciencefocus.com/nature/black...
Me for #science focus 🧪
www.sciencefocus.com/nature/black...
The Black Death should have been good for nature. Staggering new research reveals it was anything but | BBC Science Focus Magazine
We all know what the plague did to us humans, but how did the natural world fare?
www.sciencefocus.com
September 8, 2026 at 2:19 PM
When people disappear, nature rebounds. Or so the story goes. Plant biodiversity nosedived during the Black Death because people had been creating diverse, wildlife-rich farmland – and when farming stopped, those habitats disappeared.
Me for #science focus 🧪
www.sciencefocus.com/nature/black...
Me for #science focus 🧪
www.sciencefocus.com/nature/black...
This is VERY cool.
🐑📜 Some of Europe’s most well-known historic manuscripts, including the York Gospels, have proven to be biological time capsules for uncovering the 3,500-year history of the sheeppox virus (SPPV). 🧵
September 3, 2026 at 12:54 PM
This is VERY cool.
Rievaulx Abbey from Rievaulx Terrace. #yorkshire
August 23, 2026 at 5:27 PM
Rievaulx Abbey from Rievaulx Terrace. #yorkshire
I have a preferred variety of notebook and have blasted through so many of these now that I have to use stickers to determine which one is which.
Anyway. This one would like to say hi.
Anyway. This one would like to say hi.
August 21, 2026 at 12:26 AM
I have a preferred variety of notebook and have blasted through so many of these now that I have to use stickers to determine which one is which.
Anyway. This one would like to say hi.
Anyway. This one would like to say hi.
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
MUST READ: The Wetwang aDNA pre-print is out | Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal organisation and recurrent unions between dominant matrilines in Iron Age Britain www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
(thank you @radicalanthro.bsky.social)
(thank you @radicalanthro.bsky.social)
Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal organisation and recurrent unions between dominant matrilines in Iron Age Britain
Kinship practices underpin all traditional societies, forming the basis for socially sanctioned reproductive unions, residence patterns and the inheritance of rights and property[1][1],[2][2]. Althoug...
www.biorxiv.org
August 10, 2026 at 9:43 AM
MUST READ: The Wetwang aDNA pre-print is out | Ancient DNA reveals matrilineal organisation and recurrent unions between dominant matrilines in Iron Age Britain www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
(thank you @radicalanthro.bsky.social)
(thank you @radicalanthro.bsky.social)
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
BREAKING NEWS!! The #AEA Conference abstract submission deadline has been extended to the 12th August 2026.
Get your submissions ready 🤠
For more details visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology
Get your submissions ready 🤠
For more details visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology
July 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM
BREAKING NEWS!! The #AEA Conference abstract submission deadline has been extended to the 12th August 2026.
Get your submissions ready 🤠
For more details visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology
Get your submissions ready 🤠
For more details visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology
There is a very large spider in my house.
I do not like large spiders.
I live on my own and therefore have no choice but to co-exist with the large spider.
On the basis that it is hard to be scared of a spider with a name, my spider is called Penelope.
1/n
I do not like large spiders.
I live on my own and therefore have no choice but to co-exist with the large spider.
On the basis that it is hard to be scared of a spider with a name, my spider is called Penelope.
1/n
July 28, 2026 at 9:54 PM
There is a very large spider in my house.
I do not like large spiders.
I live on my own and therefore have no choice but to co-exist with the large spider.
On the basis that it is hard to be scared of a spider with a name, my spider is called Penelope.
1/n
I do not like large spiders.
I live on my own and therefore have no choice but to co-exist with the large spider.
On the basis that it is hard to be scared of a spider with a name, my spider is called Penelope.
1/n
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
A new poster and a fresh reminder about the #AEA Conference in York Guildhall between 13th-15th Nov 2026.
Abstracts deadline is 30/07/26 🤠
Visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology #landscapearchaeology See less
Abstracts deadline is 30/07/26 🤠
Visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology #landscapearchaeology See less
July 15, 2026 at 10:57 AM
A new poster and a fresh reminder about the #AEA Conference in York Guildhall between 13th-15th Nov 2026.
Abstracts deadline is 30/07/26 🤠
Visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology #landscapearchaeology See less
Abstracts deadline is 30/07/26 🤠
Visit: envarch.net/conferences
#environmentalarchaeology #archaeology #archaeobotany #palynology #zooarchaeology #landscapearchaeology See less
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
Last week, about a third of the History department were able to gather together on graduation day.
Rather than lend our intellectual authority to the official procession and ceremony we invited our students to come and celebrate their achievements with us in a shady courtyard.
They came. 1/
Rather than lend our intellectual authority to the official procession and ceremony we invited our students to come and celebrate their achievements with us in a shady courtyard.
They came. 1/
July 24, 2026 at 7:18 AM
Last week, about a third of the History department were able to gather together on graduation day.
Rather than lend our intellectual authority to the official procession and ceremony we invited our students to come and celebrate their achievements with us in a shady courtyard.
They came. 1/
Rather than lend our intellectual authority to the official procession and ceremony we invited our students to come and celebrate their achievements with us in a shady courtyard.
They came. 1/
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
Of course, it’s a woman www.theguardian.com/science/2026... The presumption of maleness in history of power, religion and roles is overwhelming
Ancient DNA analysis reveals Wiltshire’s Upton Lovell Shaman was a woman
Exclusive: Analysis offers ‘smoking gun evidence’ that overturns previous assumption that bronze age individual was male
www.theguardian.com
July 14, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Of course, it’s a woman www.theguardian.com/science/2026... The presumption of maleness in history of power, religion and roles is overwhelming
Proof from the archives that Count Binface is a green bin.
Under a Binface government, anyone who doesn’t accept human-made climate change as fact will be sent back to school, from Year 1 right the way to A Levels, to see if anything goes in the second time round. #VoteBinface
July 13, 2026 at 5:25 PM
Proof from the archives that Count Binface is a green bin.
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
This is great news! The @britishlibrary.bsky.social EThOS (E-Theses Online Service) platform, referencing 650K PhD theses, is available again following systems restoration work.
EThOS records restored https://www.bl.uk/stories/news/ethos-records-restored
July 9, 2026 at 4:43 PM
This is great news! The @britishlibrary.bsky.social EThOS (E-Theses Online Service) platform, referencing 650K PhD theses, is available again following systems restoration work.
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
Good article on the potential and challenges of looking for pathogen DNA on ancient faunal remains, and really how without them we are only seeing a small part of the story of human disease through time. Possible it will change everything we think we know about infectious disease in the past.
Wrote a short piece about the opportunities and challenges of pushing ancient pathogen genomics into a new frontier: the zooarchaeological record.
Pretty excited about what is going to come. www.science.org/eprint/MSG3Z...
Pretty excited about what is going to come. www.science.org/eprint/MSG3Z...
Tracking the roots of zoonoses
Ancient pathogen DNA from animals elucidates the origin and evolution of infectious diseases
www.science.org
June 18, 2026 at 7:59 PM
Good article on the potential and challenges of looking for pathogen DNA on ancient faunal remains, and really how without them we are only seeing a small part of the story of human disease through time. Possible it will change everything we think we know about infectious disease in the past.
Oh damn, David Hockney. I read Spring Cannot Be Cancelled last spring when I was at a low ebb and it was a beautiful reminder to keep observing and creating regardless.
Farewell, David Hockney, & thank you.
You painted a hill I used to have to cycle up as a broke student in York going home to East Yorkshire once a month - a terrible, merciless, wretch of a thing that always left me walking like a sailor for days afterwards.
Your painting pulled no punches.
1/
You painted a hill I used to have to cycle up as a broke student in York going home to East Yorkshire once a month - a terrible, merciless, wretch of a thing that always left me walking like a sailor for days afterwards.
Your painting pulled no punches.
1/
June 12, 2026 at 5:59 PM
Oh damn, David Hockney. I read Spring Cannot Be Cancelled last spring when I was at a low ebb and it was a beautiful reminder to keep observing and creating regardless.
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
The first white-tailed eagle to fledge in Dorset for more than 240 years has gone missing on the North York Moors
“The disappearance is being treated as suspicious”
“Birds of prey regularly go missing in areas associated with game shooting”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
“The disappearance is being treated as suspicious”
“Birds of prey regularly go missing in areas associated with game shooting”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Rare white-tailed eagle disappearance investigated by police
The satellite-tagged bird, part of a breeding programme, lost contact in the North York Moors.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 1, 2026 at 8:09 PM
The first white-tailed eagle to fledge in Dorset for more than 240 years has gone missing on the North York Moors
“The disappearance is being treated as suspicious”
“Birds of prey regularly go missing in areas associated with game shooting”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
“The disappearance is being treated as suspicious”
“Birds of prey regularly go missing in areas associated with game shooting”
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
June 1, 2026 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
As an anthropologist, I endorse this message!
May 27, 2026 at 11:05 AM
As an anthropologist, I endorse this message!
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
There was a time, not long ago, when peaceful protestors were never sent to jail in the UK
But at least 286 people have been locked up for protesting climate breakdown and genocide in recent years
It's a fucking scandal
But at least 286 people have been locked up for protesting climate breakdown and genocide in recent years
It's a fucking scandal
New breed of political prisoner arises in Britain as anti-protest sentences rise
More people are being jailed in England and Wales as a result of acting to prevent climate breakdown and the war in Gaza, research reveals
www.theguardian.com
May 24, 2026 at 8:16 AM
There was a time, not long ago, when peaceful protestors were never sent to jail in the UK
But at least 286 people have been locked up for protesting climate breakdown and genocide in recent years
It's a fucking scandal
But at least 286 people have been locked up for protesting climate breakdown and genocide in recent years
It's a fucking scandal
If you're a writer, write "I waited" without saying it.
God, the silence was painful. There's probably only so many times I could refresh the conversation, my message sitting like a lead weight at the end of it, but I was apparently going for the record.
God, the silence was painful. There's probably only so many times I could refresh the conversation, my message sitting like a lead weight at the end of it, but I was apparently going for the record.
If you're a writer, write "I waited" without saying it.
"Looking back, it might not have even been that long. But on that day time stretched out cat-like in a sunspot. Whole ecosystems grew from amoebas to gargantuan beasts and great dense jungles, then died, withered, ossified. The phone pinged."
"Looking back, it might not have even been that long. But on that day time stretched out cat-like in a sunspot. Whole ecosystems grew from amoebas to gargantuan beasts and great dense jungles, then died, withered, ossified. The phone pinged."
If you’re a writer, write “I waited” without saying it.
“Steven. When you want to play hide and seek with someone, generally you ask for consent BEFORE HIDING FOR SEVEN HOURS.”
“Steven. When you want to play hide and seek with someone, generally you ask for consent BEFORE HIDING FOR SEVEN HOURS.”
May 18, 2026 at 9:00 AM
If you're a writer, write "I waited" without saying it.
God, the silence was painful. There's probably only so many times I could refresh the conversation, my message sitting like a lead weight at the end of it, but I was apparently going for the record.
God, the silence was painful. There's probably only so many times I could refresh the conversation, my message sitting like a lead weight at the end of it, but I was apparently going for the record.
Hi Zooarchs, is anyone from the UK looking at going to Vancouver ICAZ next year? Can you give me a wave if so?
May 13, 2026 at 1:08 PM
Hi Zooarchs, is anyone from the UK looking at going to Vancouver ICAZ next year? Can you give me a wave if so?
So eighty-odd years ago my grandfather was studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge and, as part of it, had a class where he had to learn how to identify fossils.
My grandfather was a) not an observant man and b) from Birmingham. This was not his time to shine. 1/n
My grandfather was a) not an observant man and b) from Birmingham. This was not his time to shine. 1/n
May 9, 2026 at 2:17 AM
So eighty-odd years ago my grandfather was studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge and, as part of it, had a class where he had to learn how to identify fossils.
My grandfather was a) not an observant man and b) from Birmingham. This was not his time to shine. 1/n
My grandfather was a) not an observant man and b) from Birmingham. This was not his time to shine. 1/n
WHAAAT? Well, this is excellent news! More of this, please!
We are delighted to announce that every research article accepted for publication in Antiquity after 1 June 2026 will be published completely #OpenAccess at no cost to the author or reader!
More information here: www.cambridge.org/core/service...
@cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org 🏺 #Archaeology
More information here: www.cambridge.org/core/service...
@cambup-archaeology.cambridge.org 🏺 #Archaeology
Open research initiatives oa journal flip faqs
Welcome to Cambridge Core
www.cambridge.org
April 29, 2026 at 1:06 PM
WHAAAT? Well, this is excellent news! More of this, please!
Reposted by Clare Rainsford
Come join our aDNA community at Trinity College Dublin and explore medieval ruminant genomes!
Funded PhD studentship in ancient animal genomics at Trinity College Dublin. Deadline 27th May 2026
Please see the information attached for full description and application process.
Funded PhD studentship in ancient animal genomics at Trinity College Dublin. Deadline 27th May 2026
Please see the information attached for full description and application process.
April 21, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Come join our aDNA community at Trinity College Dublin and explore medieval ruminant genomes!
Funded PhD studentship in ancient animal genomics at Trinity College Dublin. Deadline 27th May 2026
Please see the information attached for full description and application process.
Funded PhD studentship in ancient animal genomics at Trinity College Dublin. Deadline 27th May 2026
Please see the information attached for full description and application process.