Brad Lepper

ohioarchaeology.org/file_downloa...

A paper I co-authored with OSU mollusc shell expert Nate Shoobs, on Ohio's Alligator Mound was just published in the Ohio Archaeological Council's online open access journal 'Current Research.'

Link to the (relatively) short paper in the comments.

Octagon Earthworks at Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

Please vote for the Octagon Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Site as the USA Today's Best New Attraction! And you can cast a vote every day!

(Pretend you did't notice that the image they've chosen is actually Mound City.)

incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty

New WOSU docuseries examines the wonder of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks The project is a collaboration between WOSU Public Media, the Ohio History Connection, the National Park Service and a Tribal Advisory Council.

On this hour of All Sides, we will learn more about the stories written on this land.

Guests include Logan York, tribal historic preservation officer, Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Jennifer Aultman, director of historic sites & museums, Ohio History Connection

YouTube video by Doodles and Digits | Educational Math Videos Ancient Geometry: The Math of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks | How It’s Math

"In this segment of How It’s Math, join Caroline and the Math Chicken as we explore the hidden math inside these giant earthworks with archaeologist Brad Lepper..."

Donald Trump’s Perfect Museum Why are museums filled with artifacts from the past? Why don’t they include things from the future?

"Why are museums filled with artifacts from the past and stories about the past? Why don’t museums include things from the future? These are normal questions that everyone has about museums, not just me, Donald J. Trump. ..."

This is not the time to step back from diversity, equity, and inclusion Recently, I exchanged views with a prominent Ivy League scientist who was complaining about the minority students and junior faculty applying to his program. He claimed that the university, through di...

"Today, as in the past, one group—people classified as white men—is overrepresented in the sciences, whereas other groups are underrepresented in nearly every scientific field..." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

YouTube video by The Scioto Post 2025-03-19 Brad Lepper on Burning Tree Mastodon

This was videotaped in March, but only recently posted. It's the short version of the discovery, excavation and analysis of the Burning Tree Mastodon.

The hidden science at the Newark Earthworks Today, mounds in Ohio can look like nothing but grassy hills, but this sacred place was once the Mecca of North America. Here are the hidden science and a visitors’ guide, from Ohio State University.

"It once was the cultural and spiritual center of eastern North America—the Jerusalem or Mecca of the Hopewell world. ..."

YouTube video by The Daily Show Jon Stewart on Fighting for the Modern American Dream - After The Cut | The Daily Show

"The arc of history is long and it bends towards justice, but it doesn't bend by itself! It's not efing gravity. People have to bend it. YOU have to bend it!"

Carl Sagan on how humanity can create its purpose and make its existence meaningful.

Were Hopewell people 2,000 years ago smarter than us? Experts debate on World Heritage Day The accomplishments of the Hopewell people who lived here and visited here more than 2,000 years ago beg the question, "Were they smarter than us?"

“They worked in huge numbers completely cooperatively without an authoritarian leader. In that sense, they’re smarter than us because we haven’t figured out how to do that."

YouTube video by Miniminuteman The Archaeological Site With Real Sacred Geometry: The Octagon Earthworks

Working with Milo is all kinds of fun!

In the latest issue of the Journal of Ohio Archaeology, Rob Cook and I review the history of the amazing Serpent Mound, and address how this history has been ignored or distorted by people with varying agendas that are all tied to the racist Moundbuilder Myth.
ohioarchaeology.org/file_downloa...

Octagon Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Site

Still Not Signing: A Superintendent's Response to the Department of Education's Anti-DEI Ultimatum The federal government gave us 10 days to sign away our values. Here’s our answer.

"We are not interested in joining your theater of compliance.

We are not interested in gutting equity programs that serve actual children in exchange for your political approval. ...."

Opinion | What exactly does Trump think is in the Smithsonian? Following his most recent executive order, I went in search of some “corrosive ideology.”

"America is a shocking place — shockingly beautiful and shockingly violent. And the people in it will make you weep with every emotion that can prompt tears. Jubilant, sad, ridiculous, sublime. It’s America, after all."

Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care. We count on engineers when we drive acr...

"The quest for truth—the mission of science—requires that scientists freely explore new questions and report their findings honestly, independent of special interests. The administration is engaging in censorship, destroying this independence."

More than 1,900 scientists write letter in ‘SOS’ over Trump’s attacks on science Members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine warned Americans of ‘real danger in this moment’

“We see real danger in this moment. We hold diverse political beliefs, but we are united as researchers in wanting to protect independent scientific inquiry. We are sending this SOS to sound a clear warning: the nation’s scientific enterprise is being decimated.”

YouTube video by Miniminuteman The Spectacular Archaeology of the Great Circle Earthworks

It was great fun working with Milo to share the story of the Great Circle Earthworks UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Come on down to the White House Tesla Auto Mall!

Saturn Gains 128 New Moons, Bringing Its Total to 274 (Gift Article) The objects around the ringed planet are tiny, but some of them may have formed relatively recently in the solar system’s history.

"There may be even more moons around Saturn awaiting discovery, potentially in the thousands."

It seems like this situation is getting out of hand.

Science is political The value of scientists who are willing to speak out on political issues is only increasing

"Expecting scientists to refrain from political discourse ... undermines the societal impact of their work and neglects the ethical responsibilities inherent in their scientific endeavours."

Chuck Sams reflects on the past, present and future of national parks The first Native American parks director in U.S. history discusses the role of public lands in American life, the importance of Indigenous knowledge in stewardship and the consequences of Trump’s budg...

“Morale has been stricken hard and maliciously. Those still in uniform and working will have to dig very deep to keep the faith that America’s best idea will continue. That America’s best idea is worth fighting for today and every day.”

YouTube video by Cambridge University Cambridge's Dr Ally Louks on going viral with your PhD research

"Cambridge PhD student Dr Ally Louks went viral last year when she posted a photo of her thesis on the politics of smell in modern and contemporary prose.

Here's her story about what happened next ..."