Our paper on generalized dynamic phylogenetic models is finally out in MEE 🥳 The brainchild of @err-ring.bsky.social, GDPMs open up a vast new space for comparative studies on complex, coevolving traits, greatly aided by @scottclaessens.bsky.social's work on the accompanying R package. Check it out!
My friend @samhforbes.bsky.social doing the most incredible research
www.instagram.com/reel/DXT1kiu...
The Cultural Evolution Society is delighted to announce that Mason Youngblood (he/they) @masonyoungblood.bsky.social, Institute for Advanced Computational Science, Stony Brook University, is the recipient of the 2026 CES New Investigator Award.
Congratulations Mason on this well-deserved award!!
10. Text analysis isn't my usual gig, so if any experts in this area are bored or need to procrastinate, here's my word cloud #rstats code so far. Suggestions welcome!
Once I finalize, we will issue a correction to the original article.
\end
github.com/grasshopperm...
1. In this paper, we included this word cloud of the top 200 words in the volume Man the Hunter. A reader wondered how could the top 200 words in a book with the title "Man the Hunter" include "woman" but not "man"? Doh!
🧪 #rstats #BioAnth #AcademicSky 🧵
Please do this, I would use the paper in my teaching!
I'm with them 😂
The deadline applications to the CES New Investigator Award has been extended until April 2 - don't miss out getting your application in!
Statement by the Senate of Tel Aviv University For a long time now, we have been witnessing acts of violence by Jewish residents in the West Bank against Palestinian residents. These acts, which include severe harm to persons and property, intimidation, humiliation, and displacement, have in some cases escalated into shocking acts of murder. These phenomena have intensified over the past month, under the cover of the war with Iran. As citizens of the State of Israel, we bear a heavy moral responsibility and feel deep shame in the face of this rampant Jewish terrorism. We protest the failure of the government and security forces to act with the necessary resolve against this phenomenon by using all means at their disposal. Terror directed against innocent civilians does not change according to the identity of the perpetrator or the victim; terror is terror, and it must be eradicated. The State of Israel, as the authority responsible for the territories, bears a clear obligation under both international and Israeli law: to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents, Jews and Palestinians alike. Beyond this legal duty, the government bears a paramount moral obligation: not to permit the shedding of blood in the West Bank, whether by action or by failure to act. As a people who have experienced pogroms and persecution driven by racism, we are bound to remember where such a path may lead. We must not stand idly by. History teaches us that in times of war, human rights are often pushed to the margins in the name of the demands of the moment or the pursuit of victory. We refuse to accept this reality. Jewish terrorism serves no legitimate purpose; on the contrary, it erodes the very foundations of our existence. Silence in the face of terror from within is a moral stain that cannot be erased, for the strength of the State of Israel is measured not only by its military power but first and foremost by the integrity of its values.
Statement by the Senate of Tel Aviv University
Thelma Rowell’s writing is iconic 🙈🙊
A fresh take on kid innovation in relation to task properties. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thanks to the many co-authors on this piece (shout-outs below) and to a number of colleagues for critical feedback. We looking forward to further constructive engagement on this topic.
One historical contingency that has led to much confusion was Sherwood Washburn's decision to call the famous conference Man the Hunter. This was against the pleading of Richard Lee and others.
The conference was progressive in many ways, but the title is stuck in the past.
One common error is to equate Washburn and Lancaster's chapter (The Evolution of Hunting) at the Man the Hunter conference with the entire volume.
We show this is a mistake: there was tremendous viewpoint diversity at the conference, and their chapter was not presented at the conference.
We show that this doesn't exist in any unified sense. The history is messy and diverse. Let's get specific on the exact models we're critiquing.
So how should we talk about Man the Hunter? Our primary suggestion is this: Let's avoid critiquing a 'general' Man the Hunter paradigm.
We also review how the study of contemporary hunter-gatherers have added to our knowledge of human evolution. Briefly, HGs have been a critical source of information when considered with care and skepticism.
Some great plots here made by @edhagen.net
The scientific study of hunter-gatherers has long been at odds with the vision presented by Dart and Ardrey. There was mutual disdain between these thinkers. Thus, we should not casually conflate them.
There is no basis for equating Dart and Ardrey and the Killer Ape Theory with the Man the Hunter conference of 1966, or with human behavioral ecology, as has been common in the recent literature.
In this paper, we tackle the intellectual history of this concept and its various meanings.
We distinguish between popular versions of this idea (Dart and Ardrey and the Killer Ape) and more scientific ones, showing that there was little intellectual interaction between these strands of thought.
I’m happy to announce that our paper "The Meanings and Dividends of Man the Hunter" has now been published in Evolution and Human Behavior.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
New paper out! Using data from 219 BaYaka HGs and 33 plant species, I find that plants used by more people tend to show stronger agreement on their main function. Drop me an email if you don't have access to the paper and would like a PDF copy.
www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/10.3828/...
Priceless interview for all anthropologists and fieldworkers. Thank you, @ilarimakela.bsky.social & RB Lee!!
Lee’s discussions on establishing new field sites closely parallel my experiences in the Omo in Ethiopia with the @omovalleyresearchproject.org
We're pleased to announce the call for the 2026 Richerson Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research, for a recent PhD dissertation that significantly contributes to the field of CE.
Recipients receive a $300 award, a 3-yr CES membership and CES conference registration.
forms.gle/p4MqcskCs2Yz...
Evolutionary psychology suggests humans are drawn to features such as facial symmetry, implying universal standards of attractiveness linked to health and fertility. But are these preferences universal? Prof Boothroyd challenges this idea through her research in Nicaraguan communities
bit.ly/4r5yrEQ
Looking forward to seeing friends @radicalanthro.bsky.social in London tomorrow
“The children are always ours, every single one of them, all over the globe; and I am beginning to suspect that whoever is incapable of recognizing this may be incapable of morality.”
James Baldwin
Quite honored to be included in this amazing cohort of 2026 APS Janet Taylor Spence Award recipients. Grateful to APS for the recognition, and to the mentors & collaborators & friends who make it all possible.
Thrilled to share our latest paper, out now in Science Advances! We explored the development of cooperative behaviors — fairness, trustworthiness, forgiveness, & honesty — across five societies, culturally contextualizing them & seeing how they correlate. (1/5) www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Soooo proud of my postdoc, Eve, for her work on this highly personal and important topic!