Zach
@reallyoldfish.bsky.social
3rd year PhD candidate in the Friedman Lab at the University of Michigan. Volunteer @ Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Pitt alum
Fan of fishes, particularly extinct ones
Fan of fishes, particularly extinct ones
Pinned
Reposted by Zach
- 'wolverine' is a marketing term
- eight members, a narrow majority of the new FDA panel, voted in favor of allowing pharmacies to sell untested and previously unapproved peptides
- seven members operate or work for clinics or businesses selling peptide treatments
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
- eight members, a narrow majority of the new FDA panel, voted in favor of allowing pharmacies to sell untested and previously unapproved peptides
- seven members operate or work for clinics or businesses selling peptide treatments
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
September 16, 2026 at 4:52 PM
- 'wolverine' is a marketing term
- eight members, a narrow majority of the new FDA panel, voted in favor of allowing pharmacies to sell untested and previously unapproved peptides
- seven members operate or work for clinics or businesses selling peptide treatments
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
- eight members, a narrow majority of the new FDA panel, voted in favor of allowing pharmacies to sell untested and previously unapproved peptides
- seven members operate or work for clinics or businesses selling peptide treatments
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
Reposted by Zach
Oops, I hadn’t even shared a link to our latest paper…. “Hard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in #Devonian #placoderms” from @theskullywaglab.bsky.social et al.
www.nature.com/articles/s41... published in Scientific Reports 🐟 🦷 🩻 #FEA
www.nature.com/articles/s41... published in Scientific Reports 🐟 🦷 🩻 #FEA
Hard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in Devonian placoderms - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Hard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in Devonian placoderms
www.nature.com
September 14, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Oops, I hadn’t even shared a link to our latest paper…. “Hard-object feeding adaptations infer relative predator-prey size relationships in #Devonian #placoderms” from @theskullywaglab.bsky.social et al.
www.nature.com/articles/s41... published in Scientific Reports 🐟 🦷 🩻 #FEA
www.nature.com/articles/s41... published in Scientific Reports 🐟 🦷 🩻 #FEA
Reposted by Zach
Obituary:
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) - Nature Ecology & Evolution
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
www.nature.com
September 14, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Obituary:
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Robert Ricklefs (1943–2026) www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polymath ecologist whose research and textbooks integrating ecology and evolution have inspired generations of students.
Free to read: rdcu.be/D33fLgYcv4Ba
Reposted by Zach
#SICB Members and Friends,
We are happy to announce that registration is open
#SICB2027's Annual Meeting
· Hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning #organismal biology, #physiology, #ecology, #evolution, #biomechanics, & more
Register Today!
cf23.xcddev.com/sicb/store/i...
We are happy to announce that registration is open
#SICB2027's Annual Meeting
· Hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning #organismal biology, #physiology, #ecology, #evolution, #biomechanics, & more
Register Today!
cf23.xcddev.com/sicb/store/i...
September 15, 2026 at 12:50 PM
#SICB Members and Friends,
We are happy to announce that registration is open
#SICB2027's Annual Meeting
· Hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning #organismal biology, #physiology, #ecology, #evolution, #biomechanics, & more
Register Today!
cf23.xcddev.com/sicb/store/i...
We are happy to announce that registration is open
#SICB2027's Annual Meeting
· Hundreds of oral and poster presentations spanning #organismal biology, #physiology, #ecology, #evolution, #biomechanics, & more
Register Today!
cf23.xcddev.com/sicb/store/i...
Reposted by Zach
I heard you like clingfishes! Check out our new preprint on the evolution and ecomorphology of their adhesive discs and skull!
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
September 11, 2026 at 5:01 PM
I heard you like clingfishes! Check out our new preprint on the evolution and ecomorphology of their adhesive discs and skull!
doi.org/10.64898/202...
doi.org/10.64898/202...
Reposted by Zach
Really excited to share our latest paper with you! We examine patterns of skull shape evolution in an awesome group of fishes and show that they rapidly innovated following the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Selection, constraints, and contingency drive mosaic patterns of evolution during the carangarian adaptive radiation
Adaptive radiations generate remarkable morphological diversity, yet traits often diversify at different rates and modes, producing mosaic patterns of evolution. Modularity, the semiautonomous organization of traits, can shape how selection and ...
urldefense.com
September 11, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Really excited to share our latest paper with you! We examine patterns of skull shape evolution in an awesome group of fishes and show that they rapidly innovated following the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs.
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Reposted by Zach
Paleontology job in Mexico!
Full-time Researcher Position
Full-time Researcher Position at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México - UNAM. Located in Queretaro, Mexico. Deadline: 15/09/2026.
www.earthworks-jobs.com
September 7, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Paleontology job in Mexico!
Reposted by Zach
Nice to see some #FossilFriday coverage of the display and centennial from the Detroit News: www.detroitnews.com/picture-gall...
September 4, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Nice to see some #FossilFriday coverage of the display and centennial from the Detroit News: www.detroitnews.com/picture-gall...
Reposted by Zach
Tenure-track job in vertebrate paleo! 🦬🦕🦈🦴
This is my former position at the Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences. Can confirm that the collections are excellent & understudied; AND that the people at the IMNH and BioSci are wonderful colleagues. APPLY!
This is my former position at the Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences. Can confirm that the collections are excellent & understudied; AND that the people at the IMNH and BioSci are wonderful colleagues. APPLY!
Curator/Assistant Professor, Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences (3756)
Job DescriptionThe Idaho Museum of Natural History and the Department of Biological Sciences at Idaho State University invite applications for a joint...
isu.csod.com
September 4, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Tenure-track job in vertebrate paleo! 🦬🦕🦈🦴
This is my former position at the Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences. Can confirm that the collections are excellent & understudied; AND that the people at the IMNH and BioSci are wonderful colleagues. APPLY!
This is my former position at the Idaho Museum of Natural History & Biological Sciences. Can confirm that the collections are excellent & understudied; AND that the people at the IMNH and BioSci are wonderful colleagues. APPLY!
A sign of the end of summer. Dog-day cicadas being increasingly easy to find on the ground. They’re finishing up their grand chorus before the eventual silence of winter settles in.
September 5, 2026 at 3:57 PM
A sign of the end of summer. Dog-day cicadas being increasingly easy to find on the ground. They’re finishing up their grand chorus before the eventual silence of winter settles in.
Reposted by Zach
Following up on this old post with some crushing news: www.inquirer.com/education/ac...
September 1, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Following up on this old post with some crushing news: www.inquirer.com/education/ac...
Reposted by Zach
Some exciting news for #TrilobiteTuesday
I've been nominated to be the Avocational Representative for the @paleosoc.bsky.social Council.
I will be a voice for fossil clubs and amateur collectors, connecting the academic community with the general public. I'm excited to work with everyone.
I've been nominated to be the Avocational Representative for the @paleosoc.bsky.social Council.
I will be a voice for fossil clubs and amateur collectors, connecting the academic community with the general public. I'm excited to work with everyone.
September 2, 2026 at 12:07 AM
Some exciting news for #TrilobiteTuesday
I've been nominated to be the Avocational Representative for the @paleosoc.bsky.social Council.
I will be a voice for fossil clubs and amateur collectors, connecting the academic community with the general public. I'm excited to work with everyone.
I've been nominated to be the Avocational Representative for the @paleosoc.bsky.social Council.
I will be a voice for fossil clubs and amateur collectors, connecting the academic community with the general public. I'm excited to work with everyone.
Reposted by Zach
NSF PRFB RFP is out. If you have interests in AI approaches to studying bird color across big phylogenies, let me know! I have some ideas...
And, if you don't, that's cool too, but please apply to do something with someone else if you can!
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
And, if you don't, that's cool too, but please apply to do something with someone else if you can!
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
www.nsf.gov
September 2, 2026 at 10:18 PM
NSF PRFB RFP is out. If you have interests in AI approaches to studying bird color across big phylogenies, let me know! I have some ideas...
And, if you don't, that's cool too, but please apply to do something with someone else if you can!
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
And, if you don't, that's cool too, but please apply to do something with someone else if you can!
www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Reposted by Zach
I can’t explain how grateful I am to have been a part of building this case! Chasing down stories and learning more about the people, scientists, and history of UMMP was so much fun.
Something a little different on #FossilFriday: new temporary exhibit at UMMNH highlighting the history of paleontological collections at U-M. Timed to recognize UMMP's centennial (although the collection itself is approaching its bicentennial). 📸 Elliot Zirulnik/UMMNH
August 24, 2026 at 2:48 PM
I can’t explain how grateful I am to have been a part of building this case! Chasing down stories and learning more about the people, scientists, and history of UMMP was so much fun.
Reposted by Zach
Even unassuming specimens have backstories. Here’s a good example for #FossilFriday: the Paleocene gastropod Turritella mortoni from near Fredericksburg, VA (UMMP IP 329).
August 28, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Even unassuming specimens have backstories. Here’s a good example for #FossilFriday: the Paleocene gastropod Turritella mortoni from near Fredericksburg, VA (UMMP IP 329).
Reposted by Zach
man I loved being an international student at Berkeley and it kills me to think that these opportunities are just being pulled out from under the younger generation
“The Berkeley International Office announced Wednesday that it will pause international students’ applications for Course Credit Curricular Practical Training “for the foreseeable future.”
After second ICE threat, UC Berkeley indefinitely suspends international student work authorizations
The Berkeley International Office announced Wednesday that it will pause international students’ applications for Course Credit Curricular Practical Training “for the foreseeable future.”
www.dailycal.org
August 31, 2026 at 12:18 AM
man I loved being an international student at Berkeley and it kills me to think that these opportunities are just being pulled out from under the younger generation
Reposted by Zach
Hot Take for #FossilFriday - the quest to make paleontology "useful" and "relevant" and "high impact" has backfired spectacularly. A hypothetical "Big Data Approaches to Deep Time Ecosystem Services" almost always end up largely disconnected from actual fossils. (thread) <1/n>
August 28, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Hot Take for #FossilFriday - the quest to make paleontology "useful" and "relevant" and "high impact" has backfired spectacularly. A hypothetical "Big Data Approaches to Deep Time Ecosystem Services" almost always end up largely disconnected from actual fossils. (thread) <1/n>
Reposted by Zach
🧪⚛️ So, down to 1500 targeted awards, and strongly emphasizing the executive branch’s priority research areas. What happened to the Golden Age of Science idea of funding the best people, rather than specific ideas? Oh wait, that was last month. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
www.nsf.gov
August 26, 2026 at 2:07 AM
🧪⚛️ So, down to 1500 targeted awards, and strongly emphasizing the executive branch’s priority research areas. What happened to the Golden Age of Science idea of funding the best people, rather than specific ideas? Oh wait, that was last month. www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
First scan of the semester looks promising. Sometimes fish look like fish!! Gzhelian of the Appalachian Basin.
August 25, 2026 at 8:08 PM
First scan of the semester looks promising. Sometimes fish look like fish!! Gzhelian of the Appalachian Basin.
Reposted by Zach
Something a little different on #FossilFriday: new temporary exhibit at UMMNH highlighting the history of paleontological collections at U-M. Timed to recognize UMMP's centennial (although the collection itself is approaching its bicentennial). 📸 Elliot Zirulnik/UMMNH
August 21, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Something a little different on #FossilFriday: new temporary exhibit at UMMNH highlighting the history of paleontological collections at U-M. Timed to recognize UMMP's centennial (although the collection itself is approaching its bicentennial). 📸 Elliot Zirulnik/UMMNH
Reposted by Zach
EcoEvoJobs 2026-27 just opened for business and we've already got 79 faculty / permanent jobs listed. Please repost!
ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net 2026-27
ecoevojobs.net
August 5, 2026 at 2:34 PM
EcoEvoJobs 2026-27 just opened for business and we've already got 79 faculty / permanent jobs listed. Please repost!
ecoevojobs.net
ecoevojobs.net
Rule #1: don’t overtighten your lugs, or you’ll end up like me!
August 16, 2026 at 6:18 PM
Rule #1: don’t overtighten your lugs, or you’ll end up like me!
Reposted by Zach
A wee explainer on why the NIH hiding impact scores and percentages from peer review of grants:
1. Spend 6 months writing proposal
2. Submit to NIH
3. Peers review it, give it a score, and it’s ranked by percentile—the lower, the better
4. If you’re in the 1st percentile you can expect funds
1. Spend 6 months writing proposal
2. Submit to NIH
3. Peers review it, give it a score, and it’s ranked by percentile—the lower, the better
4. If you’re in the 1st percentile you can expect funds
August 15, 2026 at 2:03 AM
A wee explainer on why the NIH hiding impact scores and percentages from peer review of grants:
1. Spend 6 months writing proposal
2. Submit to NIH
3. Peers review it, give it a score, and it’s ranked by percentile—the lower, the better
4. If you’re in the 1st percentile you can expect funds
1. Spend 6 months writing proposal
2. Submit to NIH
3. Peers review it, give it a score, and it’s ranked by percentile—the lower, the better
4. If you’re in the 1st percentile you can expect funds
Reposted by Zach
This is an absolute travesty.
Northwestern has, probably, the 2nd best library collection for African History/Studies in the USA (behind Yale and ahead of MSU, UCLA, etc).
A self-inflicted wound that is absolutely, 100% unnecessary given the massive wealth of Northwestern--north of $15 billion.
Northwestern has, probably, the 2nd best library collection for African History/Studies in the USA (behind Yale and ahead of MSU, UCLA, etc).
A self-inflicted wound that is absolutely, 100% unnecessary given the massive wealth of Northwestern--north of $15 billion.
SCOOP: Northwestern moves to close Program of African Studies
thepurplewire.beehiiv.com
August 15, 2026 at 1:49 AM
This is an absolute travesty.
Northwestern has, probably, the 2nd best library collection for African History/Studies in the USA (behind Yale and ahead of MSU, UCLA, etc).
A self-inflicted wound that is absolutely, 100% unnecessary given the massive wealth of Northwestern--north of $15 billion.
Northwestern has, probably, the 2nd best library collection for African History/Studies in the USA (behind Yale and ahead of MSU, UCLA, etc).
A self-inflicted wound that is absolutely, 100% unnecessary given the massive wealth of Northwestern--north of $15 billion.