Benjamin Mohler

@ptpaleo.bsky.social

169 Followers 398 Following

Paleontologist, Research Technician, Independent science writer. Keep up with my work: https://discord.gg/hZbqC2vVPx patreon.com/PTPALEO

Title slide for a conference talk: First Report of Coprolites from the Upper Cretaceous Menefee Formation, New Mexico, USA. Image at the center of the slide shows a turd-shaped fossil the size and shape of a baby carrot.
Conclusions: 1. Horner and Epstein had repeated direct and indirect contact throughout 2012. Horner initiated contact again in 2016. Unclear which man first initiated contact and the extent to their communication not revealed in current DOJ releases. Reminder: Epstein was first convicted of attempting to hire a minor for sex in 2008. 2. Horner visited Epstein's Zorro Ranch in New Mexico on the weekend of August 3rd, 2012, to fossil hunt alongside Epstein and Danny Hillis. We have his exact flight numbers and departure/landing times. This was originally set for late July, but Epstein's scheduling issues with Woody Allen bumped the Ranch event by several days. 3. Afterwards, Horner solicited Epstein for funds to host a Dinochicken project conference at MSU from October 24-25 of that year. It is confirmed that Epstein cut a check to make this happen. 4. Afterwards, Horner sends a thank you message to Epstein and offers to add him to a dropbox of conference videos and photos, but mentions that this will make Epstein's name and email publicly visible, and asks Epstein if he has another email that is "less conspicuous". 5. In his correspondence with Epstein, Horner repeatedly mentions "the girls" to whom he offers best wishes, and calls Epstein someone "whom I envy". 6. Horner attempted to return to Zorro Ranch with a student in September of 2016, and it is unclear whether this took place. No emails more recent than 9/2016 mentioning Horner are publicly available from the DOJ. 7. An exchange between Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in August of 2012 confirms that the two of them, alongside Bobby Kennedy, went looking for fossils with Horner during a previous, separate trip to North Dakota.
View of a virtual exhibit showcasing a Cretaceous-aged fish vertebra. There is a sign in the middle of the shot indicating that the next room contains tyrannosaur fossils, and some of these bones are visible through the entrance.
Screenshot of an interactive display with an enlarged dinosaur eggshell. Text reads dinosaur eggshell fragment, Sauropoda indet., Anacleto Formation, Patagonia, Argentina, Late Cretaceous Period
A sign that lists Brachychampsa, cf. Denazinosuchus, and Deinosuchus, color-coded to resemble the bisexual pride flag.
A world map highlighting SHADOWBOX players. The following countries are highlighted in yellow to denote more than 5 players: the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, Canada, Germany, Turkey, Australia, The Netherlands, France, Indonesia, and China. The following countries are highlighted in blue to denote between 1 and 5 players: Greece, Hungary, Poland, India, The Philippines, Spain, Belgium, Czechia, Italy, Ukraine, Colombia, South Africa, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Austria, Argentina, Estonia, Portugal, Namibia, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Mexico, Serbia, Hong Kong, Belarus, Malaysia, Iraq, Chile, New Zealand, Sweden, Malta, Morocco, Bulgaria.
Bigoted commenter: What happened to that girl's voice? Me: I'm a dude. Bigoted commenter: Yeah... and pigs fly... everyone is switching genders... this is madness... just because you're talking with a deeper voice and take hormones doesn't make you an ACTUAL dude. Me: I am male and a man. Bigoted commenter: I mean I like bones and paleontology, but I think we're after different kinds of bones. Me: I think you're right about that champ, given I'm the paleontologist and you're the one worrying about what's in my pants.