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David Moscato

@dmos150

Paleontologist. Science Writer. Podcaster. Host of the Common Descent Podcast. He/they

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Latest posts by David Moscato @dmos150

The Dinosaur Renaissance was a pivotal event in paleontology. But there's more than a little mythology to the story, distorting a complex history involving the ways the public encountered dinosaurs as well as scientific shifts. It was a joy to dig into the history with @commondescentpod.bsky.social.

16.02.2026 15:32 πŸ‘ 75 πŸ” 26 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

they're good geese Brent

11.02.2026 23:47 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Just posted a long message about my favorite PokΓ©mon, then immediately posted another long message about the appropriate response to abusers in science, both on the same Discord server that I built with my friend by talking a lot about fossils.
What a life.

For the record, Steelix and ostracism.

11.02.2026 23:44 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Columbia from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Columbia from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

What did this sweet angel ever do to anyone?

20.11.2025 23:30 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

It was! Your work is amazing! I'm honored to have contributed πŸ’š

16.10.2025 03:07 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Turns out sometimes you make a silly science video for the internet and then someone goes and makes incredible art about it.

16.10.2025 01:28 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Spook-E Season has begun!

04.10.2025 20:12 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

In case you missed it, we got a new dinosaur yesterday!

18.09.2025 20:27 πŸ‘ 88 πŸ” 23 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 1

At long last, @paleolorax.bsky.social gives us her Plant-Based History of the Earth!

18.09.2025 18:43 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Sounds like we really made an impact πŸ˜…

18.09.2025 18:11 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Plants require sunlight to survive, but when night falls and the daytime-dwellers disappear, many varieties of flower come alive. This episode, Nora and Aly explore the allure of β€œmoon gardens” and the adaptations that allow beautiful and aromatic flowers to thrive in darkness.

04.09.2025 09:53 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

Thank you!

02.09.2025 22:25 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Such fun! Such chaos! Such science!

31.08.2025 20:42 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Well I do say that

30.08.2025 19:36 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
An image of a grove of Pando trees, with text that says Episode 10: Plant Super-Organisms.

An image of a grove of Pando trees, with text that says Episode 10: Plant Super-Organisms.

Some plants get big – like, several acres big – like, an entire forest big – like, the largest living things on the planet big. This episode, Nora and Aly address some of the most sprawling plants on Earth and explore the plant super-powers that allow them to achieve super-size.

21.08.2025 19:55 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1

PUMPED

21.08.2025 05:01 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

DragonCon is NEXT WEEK!

20.08.2025 01:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

We'll get through this together!

13.08.2025 03:19 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Title: "We Have Wolves At Home": Dire Wolves, Dodos, and De-Extinction

Time: Sat 04:00 pm
Location: 209-211 Hilton (Length: 1 Hour)

@dmos150.bsky.social and I have sworn to support each other emotionally, and hold each other back physically, in this panel.

13.08.2025 02:16 πŸ‘ 14 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 0
A bunch of grapes hangs among leaves. The grapes are different colors at different levels of ripeness. Text above the image says "Episode 8 What Makes Fruit Ripe?"
Image by Dominique Hessel

A bunch of grapes hangs among leaves. The grapes are different colors at different levels of ripeness. Text above the image says "Episode 8 What Makes Fruit Ripe?" Image by Dominique Hessel

Did you know that placing a banana next to an apple can help the banana ripen faster? Well that was news to some people! This episode, Nora and Aly discuss what exactly is going on inside a ripening fruit and how the fruit knows it’s time to signal its own deliciousness.

Image by Dominique Hessel

24.07.2025 18:15 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 1
Screenshot of Stealing from Wizards Goodreads review series summaries.
Volume 1: 4.44 avg rating - 332 ratings
Volume 2: 4.55 avg rating - 209 ratings
Volume 3: 4.72 avg rating - 114 ratings

Screenshot of Stealing from Wizards Goodreads review series summaries. Volume 1: 4.44 avg rating - 332 ratings Volume 2: 4.55 avg rating - 209 ratings Volume 3: 4.72 avg rating - 114 ratings

I have been told I should crow about this more.
Apparently goodreads reviewers are known to be brutal.

Mostly I'm just glad my books found their audience. #booksky

www.goodreads.com/series/27255...

17.07.2025 15:20 πŸ‘ 18 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

Blunt head and tail suggests Slimey is a burrower, but the fairly prominent eyes suggest not totally subterranean.

Are the stripes just coloration? Given that he's called a worm, they might be annuli, in which case he's likely an amphisbaenian.

16.07.2025 05:39 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
-plants, somehow

11.07.2025 20:28 πŸ‘ 7 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Making a Mesozoic meal!

28.06.2025 18:56 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

So you're not reading a book about vivid and vivacious viviparous vipers? πŸ˜„

27.05.2025 02:40 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 0 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A chart that explains what to do If You Find A Baby Songbird Out Of The Nest. Is it hurt or did a cat get it? (Cat bites & scratches cause deadly infections.) or, Has a person kept it for over a day, given it food or water, or gotten it wet? If yes, Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator 
or wildlife care center near you. An online search can help. If no, what does it look like? Eyes not yet open. You have a hatchling. It's very young. Eyes open; feathers few & may be in tube-like sheaths. You have a nestling. Feathered; awkwardly hops or flutters; tail & wings short. You have a fledgling. Many sharp teeth; large claw on second toe. You have a velociraptor. If a hatchling or nestling, can you see the nest? If yes, Return it to its nest. The parents won’t care if they can smell you. If no, Make a nest from a basket & dried grass. Wire it to a tree. (Note: A few species, like Juncos, need a nest on the ground.) If a fledgling, is it in immediate danger? If yes, carefully move it to a safer spot nearby. If no, DO NOT INTERVENE! Though the bird looks awkward, it’s in a natural stage & the parents are still feeding it. If a velociraptor, has it seen you? If yes, back away slowly. Do not show fear. If no, run. Watch for others that may attack from the sides. FYI: Some babies (eg. swifts, most woodpeckers) only sit on the ground if in trouble. When in doubt, keep watch & contact a wildlife rehabilitator if needed!

A chart that explains what to do If You Find A Baby Songbird Out Of The Nest. Is it hurt or did a cat get it? (Cat bites & scratches cause deadly infections.) or, Has a person kept it for over a day, given it food or water, or gotten it wet? If yes, Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or wildlife care center near you. An online search can help. If no, what does it look like? Eyes not yet open. You have a hatchling. It's very young. Eyes open; feathers few & may be in tube-like sheaths. You have a nestling. Feathered; awkwardly hops or flutters; tail & wings short. You have a fledgling. Many sharp teeth; large claw on second toe. You have a velociraptor. If a hatchling or nestling, can you see the nest? If yes, Return it to its nest. The parents won’t care if they can smell you. If no, Make a nest from a basket & dried grass. Wire it to a tree. (Note: A few species, like Juncos, need a nest on the ground.) If a fledgling, is it in immediate danger? If yes, carefully move it to a safer spot nearby. If no, DO NOT INTERVENE! Though the bird looks awkward, it’s in a natural stage & the parents are still feeding it. If a velociraptor, has it seen you? If yes, back away slowly. Do not show fear. If no, run. Watch for others that may attack from the sides. FYI: Some babies (eg. swifts, most woodpeckers) only sit on the ground if in trouble. When in doubt, keep watch & contact a wildlife rehabilitator if needed!

Found a baby songbird? Here's a newly updated chart!

22.05.2025 15:01 πŸ‘ 3205 πŸ” 1506 πŸ’¬ 47 πŸ“Œ 53
CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the internal structure and positions of seeds within.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the internal structure and positions of seeds within.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the internal structure and positions of seeds within.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the internal structure and positions of seeds within.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the external structure.

CT-scan image of a pinecone, showing the external structure.

Episode 3 - What's Inside a Pinecone?

Out now!

Featuring an animated discussion about these CT-scan images from the Regents of the University of Michigan.

15.05.2025 22:17 πŸ‘ 15 πŸ” 6 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 1

For the curious, this is the article that inspired this first episode:

The "sex change" (not really, but kinda) of the Fortingall Yew Tree in Scotland
www.thepinknews.com/2015/11/03/e...

11.05.2025 20:36 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Episode 2's bonus episode (Before We Leaf) is now available for our Patrons!

Featuring even more stories of plants vs pets, including that one time David lost a lizard.

11.05.2025 20:32 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0

I'm producing a podcast with a pair of proficient plant-ladies! The first two episodes are out, and it's a ton of fun!

(I'm also on the podcast, but you'll mostly have to check out the bonus content to hear me)

02.05.2025 17:20 πŸ‘ 9 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0