Phoebe Cohen

Hi y'all - a bit of an intro - I'm a liberal arts professor, a paleontologist / earth scientist, a photographer, a human and dog parent, and a progressive lefty, to name a few. I'm still figuring out how I want to use this account so stay tuned - but expect a mix of science and snark and sincerity.

Congrats to @paleodb.bsky.social on our 2,000,000th occurrence!!!! This momentum occurrence is Larcopyle buetschlii, a radiolarian from the E-ODP collections. The collections is from Site U1344 (IODP expedition 323). paleobiodb.org/classic/basi...

Are you publishing research using @paleodb.bsky.social? Tag us here so we can amplify your research!

Climate change is as straightforward as it gets: Democrats vote to address it and Republicans vote not to. There's a weird tic among the pundit class where they think saying "it's more complicated than that" is the intelligent stance on everything but sometimes it's not complicated!

Do I have time to write an op-ed about the crisis facing small natural history museums dot com.

Faculty who work with undergrads over the ⛱️ summer ⛱️ - do you get any sort of compensation (financial 💰 or course credit, etc)? Trying to compile some data that seems pretty hard to come by... #SLAC #undergrad #mentoring #STEM

In some truly excellent company on this list 💫 - thanks @geosociety.bsky.social!

Attention Philadelphia! We're hosting a rally to demand that Drexel University maintain The Academy of Natural Sciences Museum open to the public. Join us on Tuesday morning at 10am in front of the academy. Please spread the word, we need all hands on deck! RSVP here: luma.com/1qwnrqz2

Still time to share your feedback! We want to hear from you!

Survey time - we want to hear from YOU! Your answers will help us better understand how the community uses and accesses @paleodb.bsky.social and will help shape future work on the database. Browsed Navigator once? Entered 1,342 taxa? Either way, we want your feedback! forms.gle/GFZukC1koFAb...

This funky little animation shows the June 2026 heatwave sweeping across Europe day by day. It's oddly hypnotic, a bit weird, and surprisingly fun to watch, even if the underlying story is a serious one. Source: buff.ly/RaAArwQ

uh...yes?

Taxonomy is far from complete but it also is not "complete enough" to warrant the disinvestment seen in ithe field and natural history generally. Museums and herbaria need funds to store, curate, and describe species and taxonomists need to be paid to do it www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Apparently the "boring billion" was actually exciting! We provide molecular evidence of complex Mesoproterozoic eukaryotic communities. So happy to see this out 🥳 Thanks to @phoebefossil.bsky.social , Hélène Morlon & @fburki.bsky.social for a lovely collab! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

This was a long and complex project led by a tenacious @sandinmm.eurosky.social but it was all very worth it. This was also my first collaboration with @phoebefossil.bsky.social and Hélène Morlon so I’m grateful for that.

Super excited that our paper led by @sandinmm.eurosky.social in PNAS is out! We show that crown-group eukaryotes were already taxonomically and ecologically diverse throughout the Mesoproterozoic, revealing complex communities well before the Neoproterozoic radiation. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

⏳ The deadline is here. Submit a public comment on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed rule today by 11:59 p.m. ET: spklr.io/63326EPTye We encourage our AGU community to speak up and add their voice to the more than 1,300 comments submitted through AGU's Action Center.

I see it’s going to be another day where the Six Law Wizards commit crimes against us all and call it “justice”

Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...

Megathread resources now compiled in a Google doc. Send it to your friends. Share with your departments and trainees. And share with non-scientists! I also have a template for non-scientist comments, because this is an all-taxpayer, all medical service user issue. docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Today is — at long last — official launch day for my book, "Unlocking Justice." I wrote it to help and to be hopeful. Tradition says I post a pic of me with the book. 🤷‍♂️I'm overthrowing tradition and posting (abbreviated) acknowledgments. This book exists only because of so many people. I feel moved.

Kickstarter backers! Go check your email 👀 - a little something for you to listen to over the weekend... (everyone else, you'll have to wait a little longer!

Hey @patagonia.com please drop your ridiculous lawsuit against the incredible climate activist and drag performer Pattie Gonia - it is not a good look. www.out.com/drag/patagon...

The New Paleobiology Database User Guide is here! This is the second edition of the volume designed to be a comprehensive guide for Paleobiology Database users -- escholarship.org/uc/item/9gg7...

5,000 faculty members at Penn State have won their union. That includes all full-time and part-time faculty across multiple campuses. The union says this is the largest public sector win in 50 years.

If you have a fossil specimen or fieldwork photo to share, we welcome new submissions through the form below: bit.ly/47U31vm

"You can't prompt your way into greatness" should be printed on a 50 foot banner and hung at the entrance of every college in the country.

My kid's dad in @insidehighered.com on Hampshire's closing, and what it means for the rest of us: “To befriend a graduate of Hampshire is to have an ally on stormy seas: These are people who can navigate complexity and thrive in ambiguity.” <-- truth. www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

In the last week, I have submitted 2 papers. "Wow!" you might say "You're so productive Phoebe! What's your secret?" One has been in the works since 2014. The other since 2018. (But really, it does feel amazing, and my brain feels ready to tackle new things! At least until I get reviews!)

"If she has her own house, what will she need me for?" I don't know, dude, maybe be cool and fun to be around and be happy for her success instead being whiny little sad-ass troll about it? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Congratulations to @chadtopaz.bsky.social on his incredible new book "Unlocking Justice"! I'm only one chapter in but have already learned a ton and his writing style is snappy, insightful, and informative. We had serviceable rural Thai food to celebrate. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

Yikes Bernie, yikes...