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.

Joe Morford@morfjoe.bsky.social · last mo.

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...

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. 👇

Elizabeth Warren@drelizabethwarren.bsky.social · 4mo ago

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...

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

eLife@elife.bsky.social · 5mo ago

🛠️ 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!

Elizabeth Warren@drelizabethwarren.bsky.social · 4mo ago

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.

Chris Krupenye@chriskrupenye.bsky.social · 5mo ago

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 !

Richard Mann@richardpmann.bsky.social · 5mo ago

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!

Barbara Kleine-Marshall@barbaraikm.bsky.social · 5mo ago

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

I'm teaching Statistical Rethinking again starting Jan 2026. This time with live lectures, divided into Beginner and Experienced sections. Will be a lot more work for me, but I hope much better for students. I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...

I'm really enjoying this memoir on the history of numerical methods in phylogenetics by F. James Rohlf: academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...

Too Many Numbers?

Abstract. A somewhat personal account of the development and acceptance of numerical taxonomic methods during the early years of the journal Systematic Zoo

academic.oup.com