Duncan Irschick
@duncanirschick
Followers
1K
Following
8K
Media
468
Statuses
5K
Professor UMASS Amherst; Ecology/Evolution; Geckskin/Beastcam tech; #sharks #reptiles #amphibians; Director Digital Life Project & Center Evolutionary Materials
Amherst MA
Joined October 2010
Thinking about E.S. Vrba —one of the 'Three Musketeers' of evolutionary biology— on this International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
I am deeply saddened to have learned of the death, on Feb 5, 2025, of Elisabeth Vrba—a fantastically creative scientist and a warm, wonderful human being. She leaves us a legacy of original macroevolutionary thinking that is still fresh and illuminating.
0
3
4
Pleased to release 3D model (w/o fur) of adult male Polar bear (Kalluk, 2.44 m) from San Diego Zoo. We thank Megan Owen & the Zoo for funding and guidance. @jerbotnet created bear from images & video and did an amazing job. #free 3D model download link https://t.co/toDAvn8IZP
0
0
6
Looking forward to visiting @SICB_ for the meeting in Atlanta in a few days. I'll be talking about 3D work we have been doing with various colleagues on different animal species, and implications for scaling, energetics, body condition and more!
0
6
17
What is the significance of the tremendous diversity of #shark skin #denticles? Presenting our experimental approach to understanding this at the Atlanta #SICB2025 meetings. Come to the session for all things shark skin!
1
5
37
#geckskin has a new landing page at @UMassAmherst - Thanks to the web developers for working on this! @Crosby__Group Geckskin, a UMass-born Technology, Inspires Innovative Applications from the Home to Outer Space : College of Natural Sciences : UMass Amherst
1
2
8
We revived an extinct species, virtually! Excited to show our animated 3D model of an Imperial Woodpecker w/ @DigitalLife3D. Once the largest woodpecker in the world, the species went extinct due to human persecution. Check out the models & read about it:
1
7
20
Finally, here is the 3D mesh of the Imperial woodpecker showing all the flight feathers - all carefully reconstructed. We hope this model can be widely used for research, education and conservation purposes https://t.co/bY3Sd5fGZl
0
0
0
Josh and Johnson also reconstructed the bird climbing a pine tree! This bird went extinct likely in the late 1950s's/early 1960's due to deforestation of their pine forest habitat https://t.co/eyUTr5Kvl7
0
0
0
@johnsonlmCG & Josh used a 3D scan of a preserved specimen & video to reconstruct the feathers and flight pattern - here is the model showing fast-flapping, gliding & bounce-gliding flight https://t.co/dxpvoui8t5
0
0
0
After 2 years of research, we are thrilled to release 3D model of the extinct Imperial Woodpecker - created w/@LAevolving, Josh Medina, & @johnsonlmCG & @OxyMLZ @Occidental @DigitalLife3D 🐦⬛ Bringing a vanished bird back to life | The Moore Lab of Zoology | Occidental College
3
1
4
Our incredible colleagues in Colombia (shout-out to AnaMeli Fernandes) - and also my PhD student Josh Medina - created this awesome poster of the Picocam 3D scanner we created - en Espanol! Me encanta este poster!! 😃
0
0
0
Thanks to the other amazing collaborators - Kevin Epperly, David Cuban, Rosalee Elting, Lucas Mansfield, Nora Lee, Ana Melisa Fernandes and Felipe Garzón-Agudelo!
0
1
1
With #picocam, Josh, Alejo and Collaborators were able to create beautiful 3D scans of 19 species of South American hummingbird species, as seen below. As these beaks will change when the animal dies, getting data on live birds is critical
0
1
1
This image showcases the method and the gear. Importantly, Josh was able to work with Alejo and collaborators to scan the bills of live hummingbirds with this method, which is not easy.
0
1
1
This 3D #picocam system creates extremely high-resolution 3D scans, is field portable, and flexible. It's a big upgrade over the original Beastcam system. Also, it is lighter, and uses fewer cameras
2
1
1
Excited to announce paper on #3D photogrammetry method in @MethodsEcolEvol by my PhD student Josh Medina, working w/@ecophysicslab & other collaborators! We used this method to create 3D scans of hummingbird bills 🐦 Congrats Josh, Alejo & everyone! https://t.co/D00baU1vCJ
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The PicoCam system is a multi-camera photogrammetry rig used for generating high-resolution 3D models of animals in the field, or preserved specimens in laboratory or museum settings. The digital ...
2
6
13
It now appears that with the transition to Fab, @sketchfab will no longer be available as a home for our non-profit 3D @DigitalLife3D content. This is a pity, as it has served as a good home for our 3D non-profit work. We will have to find another way to distribute this content
1
0
1
With other scientists & technologists, I'm giving a talk on using our 3D technologies & methods to reconstruct the shape of life at Art Tech Psyche at @harvard library on Thursday (9/26) at 11 AM - Art Tech Psyche – Art Technology Psyche Symposium ( https://t.co/EX1RMvFU2y)
harvard.edu
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders who make a difference globally.
0
1
6
Finishing my PhD and looking for a postdoc for summer/fall 2025! I do functional morphology, biomechanics, kinematics, phylo comp methods, CT scanning, R and python coding and more! I like fish & herps but open to system! If you have funding or know of opportunities, let me know
15
81
287
Our hard-working intern Isabel just showed me the data from five years of @DigitalLife3D downloads - we just eclipsed 200,000 downloads from just over 100 animal 3D models. #Openaccess works - Looking forward to the next five years and more models to come! 🐺🪲🐢🦎
0
1
4