Branigan et al. (2026-08 preprint, bioRxiv) 「クラウン有胎盤類の急速な放散のモデル化」 Modelling a rapid radiation of crown-group placentals doi.org/10.64898/202...
Richard Mann
@richardpmann.bsky.social
https://eps.leeds.ac.uk/maths/staff/4057/professor-richard-mann
Why do some groups adopt a collective 'many-eyes' approach to vigilance, while in others sentinels keep watch for all? Our paper, led by @charliepilgrim.bsky.social, shows the shape of the cost function determines the optimal strategy. @templetonworld.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Many-eyes and sentinels in selfish and cooperative groups | PNAS
Collective vigilance describes how animals in groups benefit from the predator detection efforts of others. Empirical observations typically find e...
pnas.org
Our paper out today shows that the presence of dissent can be an indicator of collective wisdom in groups, whereas consensus decisions may indicate groupthink rather than genuine agreement. doi.org/10.1098/rsif...
Dissent enhances the credibility of groups of Bayesian conformist decision-makers
Abstract. When making a decision, individuals use their private information to evaluate the available options. In a group, they can also learn from other g
doi.org
📣New Lecture with @chriskrupenye.bsky.social Learn how studies of great apes are reshaping our understanding of social cognition and animal intelligence. 📅 Saturday, 11 July 🕓 16:00 GMT | 12:00 EDT | 09:00 PDT 📍 Online (Zoom) 🔗https://shorturl.at/FmkNy
Our new paper is out today! How is social information used in sequential decision-making? We did a virtual evacuation experiment with participants chosing between two options, standing in a line. We found that they followed the majority of previous decisions, rather than most recent ones.
Determining social mechanisms for sequential decision-making in a virtual pedestrian route choice experiment
Abstract. Moving groups are routinely faced with a choice of different routes as part of their daily lives, such as choosing between exits from a building.
royalsocietypublishing.org
We have funding for SWARM-E, a long-term group at @zif-bielefeld.bsky.social! I'll be leading with co-leads @marinapapa.bsky.social @joefresna.bsky.social to better understand collective behaviour across biological and artificial systems. First workshop 2027... www.shoalgroup.org/swarm More soon!
Very fun to chat with BBC World Service about Bluetooth and how it's powering our bird tracking projects. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w... @scienceanu.bsky.social @biologyanu.bsky.social
BBC World Service - CrowdScience, How does Bluetooth work?
Bluetooth lets us share files and listen to music without wires. But how does it work?
bbc.co.uk
Really pleased to see this paper out! We show that collective intelligence emerges in wild birds, using radar traces from flocks of migratory hirundines. Many wild social animals might benefit from similar processes, but we could also see Allee effects as migratory populations decline.
The WISDOM OF CROWDS emerges in flocks of thousands of migrating songbirds! Excited to share our work published by @aaas.org in Science Advances! doi.org/10.1126/scia...
The WISDOM OF CROWDS emerges in flocks of thousands of migrating songbirds! Excited to share our work published by @aaas.org in Science Advances! doi.org/10.1126/scia...
The wisdom of crowds emerges in flocks of thousands of migrating songbirds
Larger flocks of migrating songbirds orient more accurately toward their population’s migratory direction than smaller flocks.
doi.org
How does climate threat fuel polarization? 🧵 In our new paper, we introduce the ARCADE model. Using a 1,967-person experiment, we found that authoritarians suppress climate anger toward leaders and displace it onto outgroups, driving policy obstruction. Read: doi.org/10.1016/j.cr...
Redirecting
doi.org
We are (somewhat astonishingly) hiring 5 full-time permanent lecturers in the School of Mathematics at Leeds across all specialisms. Note the explicit focus on interdisciplinary research. Closing date for applications: June 30 jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...
Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Lecturer in Mathematics (x5)
Do you have a track record of high‑quality research and a clear vision for developing your profile at an international level? Can you contribute to innovative research‑led teaching and support an exce...
jobs.leeds.ac.uk
I will be talking about The Tree of Life at the Linnean Society on 25th June. If you are interested you can find out a little more and sign up for a ticket at the link below. Hope to see some of you there! members.linnean.org/events/69f21...
IQ-TREE 3: Phylogenomic Inference Software using Complex Evolutionary Models academic.oup.com/mbe/article/...
IQ-TREE 3: Phylogenomic Inference Software using Complex Evolutionary Models
Abstract. IQ-TREE (https://iqtree.github.io/) is a widely used open-source software tool for efficiently inferring phylogenetic trees under maximum likelih
academic.oup.com
Excited to publish my first article for @newscientist.com for over ten years. It’s on the subject of - you’ll never guess - huge numbers. www.newscientist.com/article/2521...
The monstrous number sequences that break the rules of mathematics
Some seemingly simple sequences of multiplication and addition grow so quickly that they question the very foundations of mathematics. In doing so, they demand a whole new level of logic
newscientist.com
A new publication from the TWCF-funded “Rationality and Reason Beyond the Individual Project” found evidence that chimpanzees may be able to reason about mutually exclusive future possibilities. Read more below. 👇
New paper alert! 📢 Out now, fully #openaccess, in a special issue of Phil Trans on the evolution of collective intelligence (1/4) royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...
Opportunity: A fully funded PhD position for statisticians passionate about epidemiology. University of Leeds, start in September 2026. phd.leeds.ac.uk/project/2470...
Next Generation Farrington Model for Infection Prevention/Control: A Farrington Algorithm with Spatiotemporal & Adaptive Baseline Capabilities
Project opportunity - Next Generation Farrington Model for Infection Prevention/Control: A Farrington Algorithm with Spatiotemporal & Adaptive Baseline Capabilities at the University of Leeds
phd.leeds.ac.uk
Final version of record here: elifesciences.org/articles/107... Enjoy tracking
New idtracker.ai rethinks multi-animal tracking as a representation learning problem to increase accuracy and reduce tracking time
Identification of each animal in a collective becomes possible even when individuals are never all visible simultaneously, enabling faster and more accurate analysis of collective behavior.
elifesciences.org
🛠️ February’s most-read Tools and Resources paper introduces idtracker.ai to rethink multi-animal tracking: buff.ly/Ho0b3xz Learn more about publishing your tools or resources with us: buff.ly/pivLQX0
Can chimpanzees prepare for mutually exclusive possibilities individually or collectively? Check out our new paper in Phil Trans @royalsociety.org, led by @drelizabethwarren.bsky.social, and funded by @templetonworld.bsky.social! And stay tuned for the next paper, clarifying the mechanism!
New paper alert! 📢 Out now, fully #openaccess, in a special issue of Phil Trans on the evolution of collective intelligence (1/4) royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...
New paper alert! 📢 Out now, fully #openaccess, in a special issue of Phil Trans on the evolution of collective intelligence (1/4) royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...
Chimpanzees spontaneously prepare for mutually exclusive possibilities, and collective context strengthens this behaviour
Abstract. In both humans and non-human animals, collectives can sometimes overcome individual cognitive biases or shortcomings to execute more rational beh
royalsocietypublishing.org
In a new book, mathematician Richard Elwes shares how mathematical boundaries have been broken time and time again, thanks to the creative explorers of the biggest numbers known. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/huge-numbers-book-math-googology
Huge Numbers tackles mathematics at its most incomprehensibly large
Mathematician Richard Elwes surveys googology, the study of enormous numbers, in a new book.
sciencenews.org
A special moment when something which has been buzzing around your brain and computer for ages finally achieves a physical form!
Intelligent agents can still take irrational actions and, sometimes, groups of animals are better at making good decisions than their constituent individuals. Read the latest article from the TWCF-funded project, “Rationality and Reason beyond the Individual“ project below.
Does being in a collective buffer against individual forgetting, when it comes to navigation? New paper by Joe Morford: we find that collectives of homing pigeons remember their routes better than individuals @dorabiro.bsky.social @richardpmann.bsky.social Thanks to @templetonworld.bsky.social !
Does being in a collective buffer against individual forgetting, when it comes to navigation? New paper by Joe Morford: we find that collectives of homing pigeons remember their routes better than individuals @dorabiro.bsky.social @richardpmann.bsky.social Thanks to @templetonworld.bsky.social !
Collective wisdom emerges in pigeons through forgetting randomly-different information over time doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Collective wisdom emerges in pigeons through forgetting randomly-different information over time doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Collective route memories emerge through differential forgetting of navigational information in homing pigeons - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Collective route memories emerge through differential forgetting of navigational information in homing pigeons
doi.org
I’m looking for a post doc (up to five years) interested in phylogenetics and earth systems - please spread the word!
We are looking for 6 motivated Postdocs interested in various aspects of Earth system sciences. More information here: fau-earth-system-science.github.io #geochemistry
Call for fully funded PhD positions at our Lab. All positions are open worldwide. Students develop their own project within any area of complex systems (for our PhD track). Please share with potential applicants and, if relevant to you, visit the link or DM for info. sys.imtlucca.it/program-over...
SyS@IMT School - Complex Systems and Networks (CN)
Complex Systems and Networks (CN)
sys.imtlucca.it
Inviting anyone who is interested to come to my inaugural lecture, 'Why the Cambrian Explosion happened', on March 24 at the University of Leeds eps.leeds.ac.uk/faculty-engi...
Inaugural Lecture: Professor Richard Mann, School of Mathematics
Join us on 24 March for the upcoming Inaugural Lecture of Richard Mann, Professor of Mathematical Ecology and Evolution in the School of Mathematics.
eps.leeds.ac.uk
From Knowable Magazine: The curious life of a clever slime mold | Knowable Magazine knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
The curious life of a clever slime mold
In its quest to feed, avoid nasty substances and just generally live its life, the brainless, one-celled Physarum polycephalum performs some impressive tricks of learning and memory
knowablemagazine.org
This #FossilFriday I am delighted to share a postdoctoral position that we @deeptimeecology.bsky.social @camzoology.bsky.social are advertising on early animal evolution in the #Ediacaran. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc...
I’ve written something for The Conversation on a fascinating recent paper by @grahbudd.bsky.social and @richardpmann.bsky.social on problems with molecular clocks. academic.oup.com/sysbio/artic... theconversation.com/a-speeding-c...
A speeding clock could solve Darwin’s mystery of gaps in animal fossil records
Scientists have long been confused about ‘missing’ animal fossils.
theconversation.com