#evolutionarybiology — Public Fediverse posts

A political or religious cult functions as a synthetic, weaponized ecosystem meticulously structured to hijack adaptive human evolutionary traits, manipulate neurochemistry, and enforce cognitive compliance through systemic biological pressure.
#WhatIs #EvolutionaryBiology #Neurobiology #BehavioralPsychology #Neuroscience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05142601.html

A political or religious cult functions as a synthetic, weaponized ecosystem meticulously structured to hijack adaptive human evolutionary traits, manipulate neurochemistry, and enforce cognitive compliance through systemic biological pressure.
#WhatIs #EvolutionaryBiology #Neurobiology #BehavioralPsychology #Neuroscience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05142601.html

A political or religious cult functions as a synthetic, weaponized ecosystem meticulously structured to hijack adaptive human evolutionary traits, manipulate neurochemistry, and enforce cognitive compliance through systemic biological pressure.
#WhatIs #EvolutionaryBiology #Neurobiology #BehavioralPsychology #Neuroscience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05142601.html

A political or religious cult functions as a synthetic, weaponized ecosystem meticulously structured to hijack adaptive human evolutionary traits, manipulate neurochemistry, and enforce cognitive compliance through systemic biological pressure.
#WhatIs #EvolutionaryBiology #Neurobiology #BehavioralPsychology #Neuroscience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05142601.html

A political or religious cult functions as a synthetic, weaponized ecosystem meticulously structured to hijack adaptive human evolutionary traits, manipulate neurochemistry, and enforce cognitive compliance through systemic biological pressure.
#WhatIs #EvolutionaryBiology #Neurobiology #BehavioralPsychology #Neuroscience #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05142601.html

Daphnia (water fleas) exhibit phenotypic plasticity by altering their physical structure—such as growing enlarged heads or defensive spines—in direct response to chemical signals emitted by nearby predators.
#ChemicalEcology #MolecularBiology #EvolutionaryBiology #Limnology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/eco05132601.html

The virome refers to the vast, complex, and heterogeneous collection of all viruses that are found in or on an organism, or within a specific environmental ecosystem. To truly comprehend the sheer scale of this biological "dark matter," one must examine the staggering numerical reality of viral abundance.
#Virology #Microbiology #Immunology #EvolutionaryBiology #Neurology #Ecology #MarineBiology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/wi05132601.html

https://www.europesays.com/ie/480282/ Plants May Have Survived Earth’s Massive Extinctions by Doubling Their Genome #AncientGenomes #ClimateChange #Éire #EvolutionaryBiology #FloweringPlants #GenomeDuplication #IE #Ireland #KPgExtinction #MassExtinction #PlantGenetics #polyploidy #Science #WholeGenomeDuplication

The human gut microbiome is composed of evolutionarily distinct, highly adapted bacterial lineages rather than broadly homogeneous species. These specialized populations emerge through continuous evolutionary adaptation to specific ecological niches within the human digestive tract.
#Microbiology #EvolutionaryBiology #Genomics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/mcb05062601.html

Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) is a highly water-efficient form of photosynthesis where plants absorb carbon dioxide at night to minimize daytime evaporation. Recent genomic analysis of the tropical tree genus Clusia reveals that the extraordinary diversity of its CAM traits evolved through ancient genome duplications followed by millions of years of genetic restructuring.
#Genomics #EvolutionaryBiology #Botany #MolecularBiology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/geno05052601.html

Approximately 50 million years ago, the evolutionary adaptation allowing fish to bite and scrape food directly from hard surfaces triggered a rapid acceleration in species diversification across marine and freshwater ecosystems.
#EvolutionaryBiology #MarineBiology #Ichthyology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/ebio04282601.html

Two million years ago, ancestors’ brains were 900cc. In a radical shift—a mere 100,000 years—that volume hit 1600. It doubled.

Evolution usually demands millions of years. But here it was: a sudden surge in complexity that the standard timeline cannot explain.

Read the full anatomy:

The Psilocybin Code That Hacked Human Software

https://medium.com/the-haven/the-psilocybin-code-that-hacked-human-software-ffbb03f3c6f3

#H_Willraft #Evolution #Neuroscience #Psilocybin #Anthropology #Biology #History #EvolutionaryBiology #Science #Medium #Philosophy

Cross-species implementation of an innate courtship behavior by manipulation of the sex-determinant gene https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp5831

One gene is enough to start gift giving behavior! First transfer of behavior from one species to another.

"If I didn't buy you sweets, my dear, it's because I lack the gene."

#evolutionarybiology #biology #animalbehaviour

Meet The Bird That Kills Cobras With A Kick To The Face — A Biologist Explains

Not all birds of prey hunt from the sky. This bird reveals how an extreme environment is all…
#NewsBeep #News #Wildlife #AU #Australia #Biology #Evolution #EvolutionaryBiology #Sagittariusserpentarius #Science #secretarybird #secretarybirdkick #secretarybirdsnake
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/621530/

Meet The Bird That Kills Cobras With A Kick To The Face — A Biologist Explains

Not all birds of prey hunt from the sky. This bird reveals how an extreme environment is all…
#NewsBeep #News #Wildlife #AU #Australia #Biology #Evolution #EvolutionaryBiology #Sagittariusserpentarius #Science #secretarybird #secretarybirdkick #secretarybirdsnake
https://www.newsbeep.com/au/621530/

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown self-replicating circular RNA replicon within high-temperature hot spring microbiomes.
#EvolutionaryBiology #Microbiology #Virology #Environmental #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/ebio04212601.html

The EVApeCognition dataset is an open-access repository compiling 18 years of experimental data on great ape behavior and cognition. It integrates 262 experimental datasets from 150 publications, encompassing studies of over 80 great apes to analyze how these animals think, learn, and perceive the world.
#ComparativePsychology #EvolutionaryBiology #BiologicalAnthropology #BehavioralSciences #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/psy04212601.html

The EVApeCognition dataset is an open-access repository compiling 18 years of experimental data on great ape behavior and cognition. It integrates 262 experimental datasets from 150 publications, encompassing studies of over 80 great apes to analyze how these animals think, learn, and perceive the world.
#ComparativePsychology #EvolutionaryBiology #BiologicalAnthropology #BehavioralSciences #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/psy04212601.html

The EVApeCognition dataset is an open-access repository compiling 18 years of experimental data on great ape behavior and cognition. It integrates 262 experimental datasets from 150 publications, encompassing studies of over 80 great apes to analyze how these animals think, learn, and perceive the world.
#ComparativePsychology #EvolutionaryBiology #BiologicalAnthropology #BehavioralSciences #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/psy04212601.html

The EVApeCognition dataset is an open-access repository compiling 18 years of experimental data on great ape behavior and cognition. It integrates 262 experimental datasets from 150 publications, encompassing studies of over 80 great apes to analyze how these animals think, learn, and perceive the world.
#ComparativePsychology #EvolutionaryBiology #BiologicalAnthropology #BehavioralSciences #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/psy04212601.html

The EVApeCognition dataset is an open-access repository compiling 18 years of experimental data on great ape behavior and cognition. It integrates 262 experimental datasets from 150 publications, encompassing studies of over 80 great apes to analyze how these animals think, learn, and perceive the world.
#ComparativePsychology #EvolutionaryBiology #BiologicalAnthropology #BehavioralSciences #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/psy04212601.html

Elaborate courtship dances in male zebra #finches function primarily as indicators of superior physical health and motor skills rather than serving as markers of general intelligence.
#EvolutionaryBiology #Ethology #CognitiveScience #Ornithology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/ebio04172601.html

Understanding quorum sensing fundamentally reframes microscopic organisms not as solitary entities, but as highly social, coordinated societies. By intercepting these chemical lexicons, modern science can sustainably manage devastating human diseases, balance complex ecosystems.
#WhatIs #Microbiology #Biochemistry #BiomolecularBiology, #EvolutionaryBiology #Oncology #Pharmaceutical #MarineBiology #QuorumSensing #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/wi04152601.html

Avian kleptoparasitism is a behavioral ecological phenomenon wherein birds steal nest-building materials, such as twigs and moss, from the nests of neighboring individuals rather than foraging for them independently.
#Ornithology #BehavioralEcology #EvolutionaryBiology #Conservation #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/bs04152601.html

Microbes adapt to entirely new habitats—such as migrating from soil to freshwater lakes—by utilizing two divergent evolutionary pathways: expanding their genome to acquire new functional traits, or drastically reducing their genome to minimize resource dependency.
#EvolutionaryBiology #MicrobialEcology #Genomics #Limnology #Bioinformatics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/ebio04142601.html

🦗 Could insect ears inspire the future of acoustic technology?

🔗 Comparative Analysis of Morphological and Acoustic Correlates of Bush-Cricket Tympanic Membranes. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal (CSBJ). DOI: https://doi.org/10.34133/csbj.0035

📚 CSBJ - A Science Partner Journal: https://spj.science.org/journal/csbj

#Bioinspiration #Biomimetics #Acoustics #Bioacoustics #EvolutionaryBiology #Biosensors #Entomology #Neuroscience

Postdoctoral position in the Perry Lab, UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego

Join the Perry Lab as a #neural #evolution Postdoc.

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/

#animalbehavior #developmentalbiology #EvolutionaryBiology #g...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/?fsp_sid=11073

Postdoctoral position in the Perry Lab, UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego

Join the Perry Lab as a #neural #evolution Postdoc.

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/

#animalbehavior #developmentalbiology #EvolutionaryBiology #g...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/?fsp_sid=11073

Postdoctoral position in the Perry Lab, UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego

Join the Perry Lab as a #neural #evolution Postdoc.

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/

#animalbehavior #developmentalbiology #EvolutionaryBiology #g...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/?fsp_sid=11073

Postdoctoral position in the Perry Lab, UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego

Join the Perry Lab as a #neural #evolution Postdoc.

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/

#animalbehavior #developmentalbiology #EvolutionaryBiology #g...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/?fsp_sid=11073

Postdoctoral position in the Perry Lab, UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego

Join the Perry Lab as a #neural #evolution Postdoc.

See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/

#animalbehavior #developmentalbiology #EvolutionaryBiology #g...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/university-of-california-san-diego-27778-postdoctoral-position-in-the-perry-lab-uc-san-diego/?fsp_sid=11073

Climate change is prompting tree swallows to nest up to two weeks earlier in the spring, increasing their exposure to sudden cold snaps that hinder nestling growth and survival. However, individual variations in behavioral resilience among adult birds can dictate the survival rates of their offspring during these short-term temperature fluctuations.
#Ecology #EvolutionaryBiology #Ornithology #Climatology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/eco04062602.html

The Amazon Rainforest is undeniably a vital ecosystem, essential for maintaining terrestrial biodiversity, producing regional rainfall, and housing uncounted species. However, the grandiose title of "Lungs of the Earth" rests securely and unequivocally beneath the waves.
#WhatIs #MarineBiology #EvolutionaryBiology #Biochemistry #AtmosphericScience #Ecology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/wi04012601.html

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero”*…

To the extent that evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert Trivers has been in the news over the last decade, it has been for his entanglement with and highly-questionable defense of Jeffrey Epstein. But as Lionel Page reminds us, two decades before that– well before he could have known the execrable “financier”– Trivers made hugely important contributions to his field…

Steve Stewart-Williams announced… that Robert Trivers passed away.

Trivers was one of the most—perhaps the most—influential evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. His work should be much more widely known in social and behavioural sciences, in particular in economics, as Trivers’ intellectual approach is very much in line with a game theoretic understanding of social interactions.

It is hard to overstate the importance of his work. Einstein famously published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, a year often referred to as his “Annus mirabilis”, during which he revolutionised physics. Trivers might be said to have had a “Quinquennium Mirabile” for the five years between 1971 and 1976, during which he produced a series of ideas that revolutionised evolutionary biology…

[Page unpacks four of those contributions: Reciprocal Alturism, Parental Investment, Parental Offspring Conflict, and Self-Deception, each fascinating…]

… Trivers has been one of the most influential evolutionary biologists, and his papers are still worth reading today. His insights, published more than 50 years ago, are fascinating. They often align very well with economic theories of behaviour, and it is therefore regrettable that his ideas are not more well-known in economics, and in particular in behavioural economics.

A key feature of Trivers’ take across these contributions was to see that beneath the world of social interactions we observe, there are deep structures in terms of incentives that shape the game we play. Understanding these games and their structures helps us make sense of the seemingly endless complexity of human psychology and social dynamics. In several key contributions, Trivers helped lift the veil on the underlying logic of human behaviour…

From cooperation to conflict: the evolutionary grammar of social interactions: “The fascinating insights of Robert Trivers” from @lionelpage.bsky.social.

For more on Trivers and the controversies in his life (Epstein, but also the Black Panthers and a Rutgers set-to), all of which followed the burst of productivity described above, see here.

And for some thoughts on how one might reconcile appreciation for a scientist’s work with abhorence of his later sins, see “Ghosts of Science Past Still Haunt Us. We Can Put Them to Rest.“

* Bertolt Brecht (through the mouth of Galileo, in The Life of Galileo)

###

As we linger over legacies, we might send material birthday greetings to a man who helped lay the groundwork for the field to which Trivers contributed, Ludwig Büchner; he was born on this date in 1824. A philosopher, physiologist, and physician, he became one of the leading exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Büchner was an early champion of Darwin’s theory of evolution, endorsing it within a decade of its first issuance, then did much to spread it by citing and building on it in his own books.

As far as we know, Büchner’s life was free of the scandal and conflict that plagued Trivers. He taught at the University of Tübingen and published dozens of books and papers. Later in his life he founded he “German Freethinkers League” (“Deutsche Freidenkerbund”) and served as a member of the second chamber of the Landstände of the Grand Duchy of Hesse as a representative of the German Free-minded Party from 1884 to 1890. He was the younger brother of Georg Büchner, a famous revolutionary playwright, and Luise Büchner, a women’s rights advocate; and he was the uncle of Ernst Büchner, inventor of the Büchner flask.

source

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero”*…

To the extent that evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert Trivers has been in the news over the last decade, it has been for his entanglement with and highly-questionable defense of Jeffrey Epstein. But as Lionel Page reminds us, two decades before that– well before he could have known the execrable “financier”– Trivers made hugely important contributions to his field…

Steve Stewart-Williams announced… that Robert Trivers passed away.

Trivers was one of the most—perhaps the most—influential evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. His work should be much more widely known in social and behavioural sciences, in particular in economics, as Trivers’ intellectual approach is very much in line with a game theoretic understanding of social interactions.

It is hard to overstate the importance of his work. Einstein famously published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, a year often referred to as his “Annus mirabilis”, during which he revolutionised physics. Trivers might be said to have had a “Quinquennium Mirabile” for the five years between 1971 and 1976, during which he produced a series of ideas that revolutionised evolutionary biology…

[Page unpacks four of those contributions: Reciprocal Alturism, Parental Investment, Parental Offspring Conflict, and Self-Deception, each fascinating…]

… Trivers has been one of the most influential evolutionary biologists, and his papers are still worth reading today. His insights, published more than 50 years ago, are fascinating. They often align very well with economic theories of behaviour, and it is therefore regrettable that his ideas are not more well-known in economics, and in particular in behavioural economics.

A key feature of Trivers’ take across these contributions was to see that beneath the world of social interactions we observe, there are deep structures in terms of incentives that shape the game we play. Understanding these games and their structures helps us make sense of the seemingly endless complexity of human psychology and social dynamics. In several key contributions, Trivers helped lift the veil on the underlying logic of human behaviour…

From cooperation to conflict: the evolutionary grammar of social interactions: “The fascinating insights of Robert Trivers” from @lionelpage.bsky.social.

For more on Trivers and the controversies in his life (Epstein, but also the Black Panthers and a Rutgers set-to), all of which followed the burst of productivity described above, see here.

And for some thoughts on how one might reconcile appreciation for a scientist’s work with abhorence of his later sins, see “Ghosts of Science Past Still Haunt Us. We Can Put Them to Rest.“

* Bertolt Brecht (through the mouth of Galileo, in The Life of Galileo)

###

As we linger over legacies, we might send material birthday greetings to a man who helped lay the groundwork for the field to which Trivers contributed, Ludwig Büchner; he was born on this date in 1824. A philosopher, physiologist, and physician, he became one of the leading exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Büchner was an early champion of Darwin’s theory of evolution, endorsing it within a decade of its first issuance, then did much to spread it by citing and building on it in his own books.

As far as we know, Büchner’s life was free of the scandal and conflict that plagued Trivers. He taught at the University of Tübingen and published dozens of books and papers. Later in his life he founded he “German Freethinkers League” (“Deutsche Freidenkerbund”) and served as a member of the second chamber of the Landstände of the Grand Duchy of Hesse as a representative of the German Free-minded Party from 1884 to 1890. He was the younger brother of Georg Büchner, a famous revolutionary playwright, and Luise Büchner, a women’s rights advocate; and he was the uncle of Ernst Büchner, inventor of the Büchner flask.

source

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero”*…

To the extent that evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert Trivers has been in the news over the last decade, it has been for his entanglement with and highly-questionable defense of Jeffrey Epstein. But as Lionel Page reminds us, two decades before that– well before he could have known the execrable “financier”– Trivers made hugely important contributions to his field…

Steve Stewart-Williams announced… that Robert Trivers passed away.

Trivers was one of the most—perhaps the most—influential evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. His work should be much more widely known in social and behavioural sciences, in particular in economics, as Trivers’ intellectual approach is very much in line with a game theoretic understanding of social interactions.

It is hard to overstate the importance of his work. Einstein famously published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, a year often referred to as his “Annus mirabilis”, during which he revolutionised physics. Trivers might be said to have had a “Quinquennium Mirabile” for the five years between 1971 and 1976, during which he produced a series of ideas that revolutionised evolutionary biology…

[Page unpacks four of those contributions: Reciprocal Alturism, Parental Investment, Parental Offspring Conflict, and Self-Deception, each fascinating…]

… Trivers has been one of the most influential evolutionary biologists, and his papers are still worth reading today. His insights, published more than 50 years ago, are fascinating. They often align very well with economic theories of behaviour, and it is therefore regrettable that his ideas are not more well-known in economics, and in particular in behavioural economics.

A key feature of Trivers’ take across these contributions was to see that beneath the world of social interactions we observe, there are deep structures in terms of incentives that shape the game we play. Understanding these games and their structures helps us make sense of the seemingly endless complexity of human psychology and social dynamics. In several key contributions, Trivers helped lift the veil on the underlying logic of human behaviour…

From cooperation to conflict: the evolutionary grammar of social interactions: “The fascinating insights of Robert Trivers” from @lionelpage.bsky.social.

For more on Trivers and the controversies in his life (Epstein, but also the Black Panthers and a Rutgers set-to), all of which followed the burst of productivity described above, see here.

And for some thoughts on how one might reconcile appreciation for a scientist’s work with abhorence of his later sins, see “Ghosts of Science Past Still Haunt Us. We Can Put Them to Rest.“

* Bertolt Brecht (through the mouth of Galileo, in The Life of Galileo)

###

As we linger over legacies, we might send material birthday greetings to a man who helped lay the groundwork for the field to which Trivers contributed, Ludwig Büchner; he was born on this date in 1824. A philosopher, physiologist, and physician, he became one of the leading exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Büchner was an early champion of Darwin’s theory of evolution, endorsing it within a decade of its first issuance, then did much to spread it by citing and building on it in his own books.

As far as we know, Büchner’s life was free of the scandal and conflict that plagued Trivers. He taught at the University of Tübingen and published dozens of books and papers. Later in his life he founded he “German Freethinkers League” (“Deutsche Freidenkerbund”) and served as a member of the second chamber of the Landstände of the Grand Duchy of Hesse as a representative of the German Free-minded Party from 1884 to 1890. He was the younger brother of Georg Büchner, a famous revolutionary playwright, and Luise Büchner, a women’s rights advocate; and he was the uncle of Ernst Büchner, inventor of the Büchner flask.

source

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero”*…

To the extent that evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert Trivers has been in the news over the last decade, it has been for his entanglement with and highly-questionable defense of Jeffrey Epstein. But as Lionel Page reminds us, two decades before that– well before he could have known the execrable “financier”– Trivers made hugely important contributions to his field…

Steve Stewart-Williams announced… that Robert Trivers passed away.

Trivers was one of the most—perhaps the most—influential evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. His work should be much more widely known in social and behavioural sciences, in particular in economics, as Trivers’ intellectual approach is very much in line with a game theoretic understanding of social interactions.

It is hard to overstate the importance of his work. Einstein famously published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, a year often referred to as his “Annus mirabilis”, during which he revolutionised physics. Trivers might be said to have had a “Quinquennium Mirabile” for the five years between 1971 and 1976, during which he produced a series of ideas that revolutionised evolutionary biology…

[Page unpacks four of those contributions: Reciprocal Alturism, Parental Investment, Parental Offspring Conflict, and Self-Deception, each fascinating…]

… Trivers has been one of the most influential evolutionary biologists, and his papers are still worth reading today. His insights, published more than 50 years ago, are fascinating. They often align very well with economic theories of behaviour, and it is therefore regrettable that his ideas are not more well-known in economics, and in particular in behavioural economics.

A key feature of Trivers’ take across these contributions was to see that beneath the world of social interactions we observe, there are deep structures in terms of incentives that shape the game we play. Understanding these games and their structures helps us make sense of the seemingly endless complexity of human psychology and social dynamics. In several key contributions, Trivers helped lift the veil on the underlying logic of human behaviour…

From cooperation to conflict: the evolutionary grammar of social interactions: “The fascinating insights of Robert Trivers” from @lionelpage.bsky.social.

For more on Trivers and the controversies in his life (Epstein, but also the Black Panthers and a Rutgers set-to), all of which followed the burst of productivity described above, see here.

And for some thoughts on how one might reconcile appreciation for a scientist’s work with abhorence of his later sins, see “Ghosts of Science Past Still Haunt Us. We Can Put Them to Rest.“

* Bertolt Brecht (through the mouth of Galileo, in The Life of Galileo)

###

As we linger over legacies, we might send material birthday greetings to a man who helped lay the groundwork for the field to which Trivers contributed, Ludwig Büchner; he was born on this date in 1824. A philosopher, physiologist, and physician, he became one of the leading exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Büchner was an early champion of Darwin’s theory of evolution, endorsing it within a decade of its first issuance, then did much to spread it by citing and building on it in his own books.

As far as we know, Büchner’s life was free of the scandal and conflict that plagued Trivers. He taught at the University of Tübingen and published dozens of books and papers. Later in his life he founded he “German Freethinkers League” (“Deutsche Freidenkerbund”) and served as a member of the second chamber of the Landstände of the Grand Duchy of Hesse as a representative of the German Free-minded Party from 1884 to 1890. He was the younger brother of Georg Büchner, a famous revolutionary playwright, and Luise Büchner, a women’s rights advocate; and he was the uncle of Ernst Büchner, inventor of the Büchner flask.

source

“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero”*…

To the extent that evolutionary biologist and sociobiologist Robert Trivers has been in the news over the last decade, it has been for his entanglement with and highly-questionable defense of Jeffrey Epstein. But as Lionel Page reminds us, two decades before that– well before he could have known the execrable “financier”– Trivers made hugely important contributions to his field…

Steve Stewart-Williams announced… that Robert Trivers passed away.

Trivers was one of the most—perhaps the most—influential evolutionary biologists of the 20th century. His work should be much more widely known in social and behavioural sciences, in particular in economics, as Trivers’ intellectual approach is very much in line with a game theoretic understanding of social interactions.

It is hard to overstate the importance of his work. Einstein famously published four groundbreaking papers in 1905, a year often referred to as his “Annus mirabilis”, during which he revolutionised physics. Trivers might be said to have had a “Quinquennium Mirabile” for the five years between 1971 and 1976, during which he produced a series of ideas that revolutionised evolutionary biology…

[Page unpacks four of those contributions: Reciprocal Alturism, Parental Investment, Parental Offspring Conflict, and Self-Deception, each fascinating…]

… Trivers has been one of the most influential evolutionary biologists, and his papers are still worth reading today. His insights, published more than 50 years ago, are fascinating. They often align very well with economic theories of behaviour, and it is therefore regrettable that his ideas are not more well-known in economics, and in particular in behavioural economics.

A key feature of Trivers’ take across these contributions was to see that beneath the world of social interactions we observe, there are deep structures in terms of incentives that shape the game we play. Understanding these games and their structures helps us make sense of the seemingly endless complexity of human psychology and social dynamics. In several key contributions, Trivers helped lift the veil on the underlying logic of human behaviour…

From cooperation to conflict: the evolutionary grammar of social interactions: “The fascinating insights of Robert Trivers” from @lionelpage.bsky.social.

For more on Trivers and the controversies in his life (Epstein, but also the Black Panthers and a Rutgers set-to), all of which followed the burst of productivity described above, see here.

And for some thoughts on how one might reconcile appreciation for a scientist’s work with abhorence of his later sins, see “Ghosts of Science Past Still Haunt Us. We Can Put Them to Rest.“

* Bertolt Brecht (through the mouth of Galileo, in The Life of Galileo)

###

As we linger over legacies, we might send material birthday greetings to a man who helped lay the groundwork for the field to which Trivers contributed, Ludwig Büchner; he was born on this date in 1824. A philosopher, physiologist, and physician, he became one of the leading exponents of 19th-century scientific materialism. Büchner was an early champion of Darwin’s theory of evolution, endorsing it within a decade of its first issuance, then did much to spread it by citing and building on it in his own books.

As far as we know, Büchner’s life was free of the scandal and conflict that plagued Trivers. He taught at the University of Tübingen and published dozens of books and papers. Later in his life he founded he “German Freethinkers League” (“Deutsche Freidenkerbund”) and served as a member of the second chamber of the Landstände of the Grand Duchy of Hesse as a representative of the German Free-minded Party from 1884 to 1890. He was the younger brother of Georg Büchner, a famous revolutionary playwright, and Luise Büchner, a women’s rights advocate; and he was the uncle of Ernst Büchner, inventor of the Büchner flask.

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After completing this research, a definitive solution still remains unclear to me. We face a difficult paradox: combating extremism with equal measures risks becoming a form of radicalism itself, only perpetuating the cycle. The true challenge moving forward is finding ways to dismantle these rigid systems of thought without abandoning our own objectivity in the process.
#Psychology #EvolutionaryBiology #SocialPsychology #Politics #Religion #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/wi03282601.html

The observation and analytical study of a captive chimpanzee spontaneously utilizing environmental tools to produce structured, rhythmic instrumental sounds in conjunction with vocal expressions.
#Primatology #EvolutionaryBiology #Ethology #Bioacoustics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/ebio03272601.html

Recent ancient DNA analysis has identified domestic dogs at archaeological sites dating to the Late Upper Paleolithic, roughly 16,000 to 14,000 years ago. This discovery pushes back the earliest confirmed genetic record of dog domestication by approximately 5,000 years, firmly placing their emergence prior to the advent of agriculture.
#Archaeogenetics #EvolutionaryBiology #Paleontology #Archaeology #Genomics #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/arch03252601.html

Female mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) adapted to specific environmental pressures exhibit severe aggression toward males from different habitats, creating a behavioral reproductive barrier that can drive the evolution of entirely new species.
#EvolutionaryBiology #Ecology #Ichthyology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/ebio03242601.html

Evolutionary biology colleagues: please consider to submit a title and Abstract suggestion to our forthcoming theme issue in "Methods in Ecology & Evolution" on time-dependency in micro- and macroevolutionary rates:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2041210x/call-for-papers/micro-macroevolutionary-Rates-time-dependency

Deadline for Abstract submission: May 1 2026. Deadline for full article submission: October 31 2026.

#EvolutionaryBiology #MacroEvolution #microevolution

Evolutionary biology colleagues: please consider to submit a title and Abstract suggestion to our forthcoming theme issue in "Methods in Ecology & Evolution" on time-dependency in micro- and macroevolutionary rates:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2041210x/call-for-papers/micro-macroevolutionary-Rates-time-dependency

Deadline for Abstract submission: May 1 2026. Deadline for full article submission: October 31 2026.

#EvolutionaryBiology #MacroEvolution #microevolution

Evolutionary biology colleagues: please consider to submit a title and Abstract suggestion to our forthcoming theme issue in "Methods in Ecology & Evolution" on time-dependency in micro- and macroevolutionary rates:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2041210x/call-for-papers/micro-macroevolutionary-Rates-time-dependency

Deadline for Abstract submission: May 1 2026. Deadline for full article submission: October 31 2026.

#EvolutionaryBiology #MacroEvolution #microevolution

Evolutionary biology colleagues: please consider to submit a title and Abstract suggestion to our forthcoming theme issue in "Methods in Ecology & Evolution" on time-dependency in micro- and macroevolutionary rates:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2041210x/call-for-papers/micro-macroevolutionary-Rates-time-dependency

Deadline for Abstract submission: May 1 2026. Deadline for full article submission: October 31 2026.

#EvolutionaryBiology #MacroEvolution #microevolution

Evolutionary biology colleagues: please consider to submit a title and Abstract suggestion to our forthcoming theme issue in "Methods in Ecology & Evolution" on time-dependency in micro- and macroevolutionary rates:

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/journal/2041210x/call-for-papers/micro-macroevolutionary-Rates-time-dependency

Deadline for Abstract submission: May 1 2026. Deadline for full article submission: October 31 2026.

#EvolutionaryBiology #MacroEvolution #microevolution

Collective delusion occurs when a cohesive group of individuals simultaneously adopts irrational beliefs, behaviors, or acute physiological symptoms that are entirely decoupled from verifiable reality, environmental toxins, or biological pathogens. Far from a simple cognitive failure, it is a complex phenomenon driven by the brain's evolutionary imperative to prioritize social cohesion
#Epidemiology #EvolutionaryBiology #Neuroscience #Psychology #SocialPsychology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/wi03222601.html

A pioneering cellular-level analysis of the brown #trout immune system demonstrates that artificial hatchery rearing conditions induce significant, measurable changes in the gene activity of #fish immune cells.
#Ichthyology #Immunology #MolecularBiology #EvolutionaryBiology #VeterinaryMedicine #Ecology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/ich03192601.html

Female #Galápagos yellow #warblers engage in frequent vocal singing, but unlike their male counterparts, their songs do not function as signals for territorial defense or same-sex competition. Instead, their vocalizations appear to facilitate communication within a mated pair.
#BehavioralScience #EvolutionaryBiology #Ornithology #Zoology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/03/bs03182601.html