Seán Thomas Kane

YouTube video by Seán Thomas Kane André Thevet's Ascension Island "Aponar" as the Confluence of Auks and Penguins

You can watch my recording of the talk here youtu.be/f888NWAuTL8

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I always try to do something fun after a research stop. Today I was happy to learn that SUNY students get free admission to MOMA. Neat collection in a labyrinthine building. Along with neat art, I gave myself a strong dose of vertigo zooming my camera out to take the 2nd photo from the 5th floor.

Last day of this trip and I decided to make one final stop at NYPL to read their Parisian edition of Marco Polo published in 1556. Another fascinating mile marker in the history of the European perception of everyone else that will be useful in my dissertation. #earlymodern #skystorians

I'm making a quick stop on the way home from #HSS2025 in NYC to read the NYPL's copy of Vespucci's 1503 "Mundus Novus" and look through some of the objects on display at @amnh.org that relate to my current research. #earlymodern #histsci #skystorians

I’m making a quick stop in NYC 🍎 on the way home from New Orleans ⚜️ to see Alie Ward do her first @ologies.bsky.social podcast live show. This is one of my favorite science podcasts that’s been a regular feature of my weekly listening since the pandemic.

Join me online on Thurs Dec 6th! And a horror novel even for scaredy-cats Hallo, nerds with a conscience - and thanks for subscribing! This week’s newsletter: Event newsflashA horror novel recommendation, even for scaredy-catsNew...

I'm not at #HSS2025 but wrote a #NOLA -themed newsletter, anyway - with registration info for an online #histsci talk on HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY.

Fans of @danielkraus.com - this is for you, too!

#horror 💙📚 🗃

buttondown.com/surekhadavie...

This morning I presented a project about how André Thevet was partially responsible for the taxonomic confusion between the Great auk and Penguins. It was well received. #hss2025 #greatauk #penguins #histsci #earlymodern #animalhistory

An engraving of a Magellanic penguin from 1605.

A photograph of a stuffed Great auk taken by the author at the Field Museum in June 2025.

On Sunday at 11 am CT I will be presenting a fun project of mine concerning Thevet’s flightless seabird sighting on 26 Oct. 1555 which contributed to the taxonomic muddle between penguins (L) and the Great auk (R). Come see me at #HSS2025 in room Napoleon A2 (3rd floor). #histsci #earlymodern

I go to a fair few conferences. Along the chance to present my work to fellow experts the biggest draw remains getting that refresher that as isolated as I am in my daily life that I am not alone in this profession. Thanks, friends! #skystorians #earlymodern #histsci

Took a break from #SCS2025 to go to the Rocky Butte State Park to catch a glimpse of Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens in the distance. Coming from the prairies I do love seeing mountains.

A gallery of four early depictions of a three-toed sloth’s face dating from 1557 & 1558 (top left), 1558 (top right), 1560 (bottom left), and 1562 (bottom right).

I’ll be speaking tomorrow at the #SCS2025 conference in Portland about variations in the early printings of Thevet’s sloth’s face. Come see me at 15:30 Pacific in the Park Room as part of the Bodies, Nature, Knowledge discipline. #earlymodern #histsci #skystorians

Right. I have a pretty clear idea of the outbound voyage that the people I’m writing about took but the return route seems to go against the currents in several places. Appreciate the source!

Thanks!

Good thought there!

The Wednesday Blog This week, to conclude what I’ve been saying.

I've decided to end my writing my weekly "Wednesday Blog" after 238 weeks. It's been a good run, and I've accomplished what I set out to do. So, for this week, to conclude what I’ve been saying with a bit of politics, a bit of language, and a bit of history.
wednesdayblog.org/2025/10/15/t...

Does anyone have recommendations on sources concerning South Atlantic ocean currents and navigational routes in the 16th century? I see a lot of maps showing how Europeans got to Brazil, but not the return voyage. #earlymodern #histsci #skystorians

YouTube video by Team Coco Norm Macdonald Tells The Most Convoluted Joke Ever - CONAN on TBS

All this porpoise talk reminds me of my favorite Norm Macdonald joke. youtu.be/n3LMSflEN54?...

A 16th century engraving of a dolphin (below) and a dolphin skull (above)

I spent some time this afternoon at the Linda Hall Library reading Gessner’s entries for dolphins, porpoises, and orcas looking for connections to Thevet’s accounts of the animals. This research visit was a success. #histsci #skystorians #earlymodern

networks.h-net.org/group/announ...

CFP: Contested Conceptions of Atlantic Animals.

I’m looking for interested scholars working on the histories of animals on Atlantic islands & in the Atlantic Ocean in the early modern period to join a panel at the ESHS/HSS conference next June in Edinburgh. #histsci #animalhistory #earlymodern

On Drink This week, bringing together my research and my life through wine.

This week I wrote about Thevet’s claim that wine is necessary for human life and the role of alcohol in culture & ritual. #earlymodern #winehistory #frhistory wednesdayblog.org/2025/09/24/o...

To follow up on this: the book I ordered from France after seeing this news arrived today. The seller shipped it to an importer in Miami who then shipped it onto me with UPS. So, friends, there’s a solution.

On Little Things This week, recent events have inspired me to think about the wide, wide world on a smaller scale.

This week, I wrote about breaking down bigger projects into smaller pieces in the twin contexts of #academic writing & #cooking. #phd wednesdayblog.org/2025/09/17/o...

Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools The Southern Netherlands — better known today as Flanders — was home to revolutionary artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, Hans Memling, and others. These extraordinary painters found ...

I don't think I'm going to be in Toronto anytime soon, but this exhibit on Flemish masterworks looks like it'll be a good one. #earlymodern #arthistory www.rom.on.ca/whats-on/exh...

The table of contents for this one looks great. #earlymodern #FrHistory

Bear down!

The Lotus-Eaters This week, comparing the benefits of pleasure with the rewards of good work.

wednesdayblog.org/2025/09/03/t...
This week on my blog I drew from the Renaissance humanist proclivity to have everything refer back to antiquity to make a point about finding a work-life balance in grad school. #earlymodern

Yesterday, I went onstage with my friends at the KC Irish Fest where we talked about our Irish classes at the Irish Center of Kansas City. It was a very nice conversation and I hope to see more people in our classes this Fall.

Inné, chuaigh mé ar stáitse le mo chairde ag an Fhéile Éireannach in KC mar áit labhraíomar faoi ár ranganna Gaeilge ar an Chultúrlann Éireannach. Bhí sé an-deas comhrá agus tá mé ag súil ag feiceáil breis daoine inár ranganna san Fómhair seo. #Gaeilge #GaelMeiriceánach