New 📃🚨! @rosetrappes.bsky.social & I explore how #environment & #niche concepts are understood & mobilized across the life sciences & beyond, highlighting similarities & differences through a rich range of examples! 👇 philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30940/ #HPbio #philsci #philsky #evobio #envhum #HPS

We are immensely proud of @andrameneganzin.bsky.social on her new appointment at @pacea.bsky.social! We are sure she will make waves there & help consolidate the philosophy of #paleoanthropology as a thriving field! Be sure to keep an eye out for her future work! #HPBio #philsci #HPS #Paleosky 🧪

Andra Meneganzin@andrameneganzin.bsky.social · last wk.

I’m excited, and still quite dazed, to share some big news. Starting this fall, I'll be an Associate Professor (Maître de Conférences) in Philosophy & History of Biology/Biomedical Sciences at the University of Bordeaux. 🧪🦣💀🏺 philinbiomed.cnrs.fr/andra-menega...

We are immensely proud of @andrameneganzin.bsky.social on her new appointment at @pacea.bsky.social! We are sure she will make waves there & help consolidate the philosophy of #paleoanthropology as a thriving field! Be sure to keep an eye out for her future work! #HPBio #philsci #HPS #Paleosky 🧪

Andra Meneganzin@andrameneganzin.bsky.social · last wk.

I’m excited, and still quite dazed, to share some big news. Starting this fall, I'll be an Associate Professor (Maître de Conférences) in Philosophy & History of Biology/Biomedical Sciences at the University of Bordeaux. 🧪🦣💀🏺 philinbiomed.cnrs.fr/andra-menega...

Less is more!

International Society of Developmental Biology@isdb.bsky.social · 2w ago

New #preprint by @alejandrofabregastejeda.com and @theramseylab.bsky.social argue that in computational modelling of complex biological systems, more is not necessarily better! It is the ratio of free parameters to the experimental constraints that is important! 👇👇👇 doi.org/10.48550/arX... #compbio

A perspective in @natmethods.nature.com on Why forces are fundamental to understanding how life comes into being - by us, @campaslab.bsky.social @yanlanmao.bsky.social @sarawickstrom.bsky.social Miguel Concha, Alba Diz-Muñoz and @streichan.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The physics of sculpting a living creature - Nature Methods

Cell biologists have long known that mechanical forces, such as tension and compression, influence tissue differentiation. Now, advanced methods are letting them observe and manipulate these forces in...

nature.com

Call for Abstracts International Society for the History, Philosophy & Social Studies of Biology biennial meeting ISHPSSB 18–23 JULY 2027 Buenos Aires, Argentina. Submissions deadline: October 15, 2026 #HPS congressin.com/e/ishpssb2027/

One week (!) left to apply to this #PhD opportunity with @sylviawenmackers.be investigating uncertainty & causality in climate models: www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... We would be grateful if you could share this with anyone who might be interested! More info in the 🧵👇 #philsci #philsky #HPS #AI 🧪

Centre for Logic and Philosophy of Science (CLPS)@clpskuleuven.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Are you interested in climate modeling & #ML? Sylvia Wenmackers is looking for a #philsci PhD student to examine #uncertainty & #causality in climate science 👇🌍🌡️ www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... Apply by August 31 & please help us spread the word! #philsky #academicsky #MLsky #envhum #HPS

What if species survive, but their behavioral diversity dissapear? Our paper in @science.org argues that behavioral homogenization is an overlooked form of biodiversity loss, and that global biodiversity monitoring should start measuring it. 👉 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New #preprint by @alejandrofabregastejeda.com and @theramseylab.bsky.social argue that in computational modelling of complex biological systems, more is not necessarily better! It is the ratio of free parameters to the experimental constraints that is important! 👇👇👇 doi.org/10.48550/arX... #compbio

What does a single-celled organism tell us about the origins of complex behaviour? Delighted to see the final version of our paper: Embodied behavioural complexity in a ciliated microorganism out in@natcomms.nature.com (Funded by @erc.europa.eu ERC) doi.org/10.1038/s414... #cilia #protistsonsky

Very interesting work that reminded me of the Bonini Paradox from computer science that I often reference in the context of stem-cell-based embryo models and organoids:

The Ramsey Lab@theramseylab.bsky.social · 4w ago

New 📄 🚨! #CellBio is teeming with simulations comprising an extraordinarily high number of components. We argue that model complexity will not automatically lead to a better understanding of biological systems & discuss how modeling practices could be repurposed: arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998 #philsci

What can development contribute to predicting evolution? I argue it sets what evolution can access, and this depends on timescale since different parts of development evolve at different rates. Hence coarse-graining: keep only what matters 📣 New in @evojlinnsoc.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evol...

As simulations grow in complexity, a set of non-trivial issues emerge: diminished identifiability as free parameters become too numerous relative to exp. constraints & difficulties grasping causality. In our new 📄, we point to potential avenues to move #CellBio forward 👇 arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998

Simulating is not always understanding: When model complexity obscures biology

In cell biology, computational models of biological systems range from minimal representations with a handful of parameters to whole-cell simulations tracking thousands of molecular species across a c...

arxiv.org

The Ramsey Lab@theramseylab.bsky.social · 4w ago

New 📄 🚨! #CellBio is teeming with simulations comprising an extraordinarily high number of components. We argue that model complexity will not automatically lead to a better understanding of biological systems & discuss how modeling practices could be repurposed: arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998 #philsci

New article in @nature.com by @sylviawenmackers.be & a great team of collaborators: the widely reported finding that disruptive science is in decline may be explained by dataset artefacts. Check out the 🧵 by @vincentholst.bsky.social 👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41... #philsci #academicsky #metasci

Dataset artefacts can partially drive the measured decline in disruption - Nature

Nature - Dataset artefacts can partially drive the measured decline in disruption

nature.com

vincentholst.bsky.social@vincentholst.bsky.social · 3w ago

In 2023, @nature.com published 'Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time', receiving world-wide media attention. Our Matters Arising, published after a 32 month delay (more on that soon), shows that the reported decline can largely be attributed to dataset artefacts. 🧵

New 📄 🚨! #CellBio is teeming with simulations comprising an extraordinarily high number of components. We argue that model complexity will not automatically lead to a better understanding of biological systems & discuss how modeling practices could be repurposed: arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998 #philsci

Simulating is not always understanding: When model complexity obscures biology

In cell biology, computational models of biological systems range from minimal representations with a handful of parameters to whole-cell simulations tracking thousands of molecular species across a c...

arxiv.org

New 📄 🚨! #CellBio is teeming with simulations comprising an extraordinarily high number of components. We argue that model complexity will not automatically lead to a better understanding of biological systems & discuss how modeling practices could be repurposed: arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998 #philsci

Simulating is not always understanding: When model complexity obscures biology

In cell biology, computational models of biological systems range from minimal representations with a handful of parameters to whole-cell simulations tracking thousands of molecular species across a c...

arxiv.org

"The central challenge is no longer building models that reproduce biological behavior, but building models from which causal structure can be inferred." Very sensible paper about not just throwing everything into your simulation or model. arxiv.org/abs/2608.06998

Simulating is not always understanding: When model complexity obscures biology

In cell biology, computational models of biological systems range from minimal representations with a handful of parameters to whole-cell simulations tracking thousands of molecular species across a c...

arxiv.org

Join us in Vienna! We are looking for a #PhD student and a #Postdoc to investigate #innovation in great #apes: PhD ad: share.eva.mpg.de/index.php/s/... Postdoc ad: share.eva.mpg.de/index.php/s/... Application deadline: August 17th. Please share widely!

Guess whose book was spotted on the shelves of the Whipple Library in Cambridge the other day @alejandrofabregastejeda.com

My first #SPSP conference in Cambridge was fun. Best bits: getting a glimpse of the many facets of philosophy of science in practice, presenting my work as part of a fun symposium on "making data speak" in archaeology, cows on campus, and a fantastic final gig ✨️ #philsky #philbio #evosky #hps 💀🏺

What do people actually mean when they say cells *communicate*? That question drove my PhD. The preprint with the main findings is now live: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30461/ 1/

Are you interested in climate modeling & #ML? Sylvia Wenmackers is looking for a #philsci PhD student to examine #uncertainty & #causality in climate science 👇🌍🌡️ www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo... Apply by August 31 & please help us spread the word! #philsky #academicsky #MLsky #envhum #HPS

What if some biological #traits are both one & many? 🤔 📄In our forthcoming paper @philsci.bsky.social, we show why recognizing composite traits matters for evolutionary inquiry & highlight the challenges they pose for #comparativebiology Preprint: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30388/ #philbio #philsky

What if some biological #traits are both one & many? 🤔 📄In our forthcoming paper @philsci.bsky.social, we show why recognizing composite traits matters for evolutionary inquiry & highlight the challenges they pose for #comparativebiology Preprint: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30388/ #philbio #philsky

➡️ New article out! ⬅️ What Lives? A Meta-Analysis of Diverse Opinions on the Definition of Life by Reed Bender, Karina Kofman, Blaise Agüera y Arcas & Michael Levin (@blaiseaguera.bsky.social, @drmichaellevin.bsky.social) Open access: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

What Lives? A Meta-Analysis of Diverse Opinions on the Definition of Life - Biological Theory

The question of "what is life?" has challenged scientists and philosophers for centuries, producing an array of definitions that reflect both the mystery of its emergence and the diversity of discipli...

link.springer.com

Worried #AI will turn selfish & harm us? In our new 📄(forthcoming @philscijournal.bsky.social), we argue that selfishness isn't the real danger. The threat is "niche prospecting"—evolutionary #AI exploring the space of possible niches: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30221/ #AISafety #HPS #philsci #philsky

Worried #AI will turn selfish & harm us? In our new 📄(forthcoming @philscijournal.bsky.social), we argue that selfishness isn't the real danger. The threat is "niche prospecting"—evolutionary #AI exploring the space of possible niches: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30221/ #AISafety #HPS #philsci #philsky

Since @philsci-archive.bsky.social has been experiencing some issues in recent days, we are also sharing the link to our recent manuscript on ResearchGate (@researchgate.bsky.social) 👇📃 www.researchgate.net/publication/... #philsci #HPBio #evosky #academicsky #paleosky #HPS

The Ramsey Lab@theramseylab.bsky.social · 3mo ago

We are very excited to share our latest 📄 (@philsci.bsky.social): a revamped version of #nicheconstruction theory that captures the evolutionary consequences of organismic activities beyond changes in selection. We call it the 'Matrix Account' 👇 philsci-archive.pitt.edu/30043/ #evobio #HPS #hpbio

I'm pleased to share that my paper, "Rethinking the Nature of Matter: Active Matter Physics and the Naturalisation of Teleology," is now published (Open Access) in the journal Erkenntnis!! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Rethinking the Nature of Matter: Active Matter Physics and the Naturalisation of Teleology - Erkenntnis

Contemporary efforts to naturalize teleology typically locate intrinsic purposiveness in the self-organizing dynamics of far-from-equilibrium biological systems, most prominently within the organizati...

link.springer.com