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Alex Mesoudi

Alex Mesoudi

@alexmesoudi.com

2K followers 390 following 160 posts

Cultural evolution researcher at the University of Exeter (Penryn campus), UK.
Past President of the Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social
Website: alexmesoudi.com

Sociology 29%

Psychology 21%

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Posts Replies Media Videos

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 4d

I have been sceptical of using genAI in my work so far, and still am with respect to writing and literature reviews, but my god it's useful when trying to write and debug Stan models

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

He got so close...

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
and
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
check them out

Simulation-based inference with deep learning suggests speed climbers combine innovation and copying to improve performance

Abstract. In the Olympic sport of speed climbing, athletes compete to reach the top of a 15 m wall as quickly as possible. Since the standardization of the

royalsocietypublishing.org

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

These test key theoretical questions (how much should people copy vs innovate, to optimise CCE) with messy real world data. Other studies might be more exploratory, but they are useful too in other ways

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

I liked @masonyoungblood.bsky.social & @sampassmore.bsky.social's recent analysis of speed climbing, testing theories about the balance between social learning and innovation needed for cumulative cultural evolution. Also @elenamiu.bsky.social's similar analysis of programming contests.

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

I don't know, people like @sobchuk.bsky.social , @babeheim.bsky.social , @masonyoungblood.bsky.social and @acerbialberto.com himself are having a good go at applying cultural evolution to big messy real world data

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

Yeah that sounds right. At least some scientists. Some politicians, too

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

I do wonder if he learned from Ghislaine's dad's profit-driven hijacking of the scientific publishing system, partly by again ingratiating himself into scientific social networks

www.theguardian.com/science/2017...

Is the staggeringly profitable business of scientific publishing bad for science?

The long read: It is an industry like no other, with profit margins to rival Google – and it was created by one of Britain’s most notorious tycoons: Robert Maxwell

www.theguardian.com

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 6d

Cultural evolution in the Epstein files! Quite aside from the petty rudeness of Trivers towards Pete Richerson (one of the nicest and most respectful people I've ever met), how on earth did this two-bit pedophile financier scumbag inveigle himself into so many networks of scientists?

Jorge Peña @jorgeapenas.bsky.social · 7d

Robert Trivers (?) ranting about Peter Richerson's ideas of cultural evolution, courtesy of the DOJ of the US; also some comments about DJT as an organism.

www.justice.gov/epstein/file...

www.justice.gov

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Alex Mesoudi

Jorge Peña @jorgeapenas.bsky.social · 7d

Robert Trivers (?) ranting about Peter Richerson's ideas of cultural evolution, courtesy of the DOJ of the US; also some comments about DJT as an organism.

www.justice.gov/epstein/file...

www.justice.gov

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi, Stefan M. Herzog

Alexander Schakowski @alexschakowski.bsky.social · 10d

Very happy to see our ice-fishing paper on the cover of @science.org this week! 🎣🎉

We tracked large groups of Finnish competitive ice-fishers to study how social foragers use social information when searching for resources. 🐟

Link: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... (contact me for open access)

www.science.org

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi

Ruud Koopmans @ruudkoopmans.bsky.social · 11d

Call for papers for an exciting interdisciplinary conference on „The Cultural Evolution of Migration and Diversity“ 25-26 Sept. 2026 at WZB Berlin. Confirmed speakers include @michael.muthukrishna, Peter Richerson and @alexmesoudi.com.
www.wzb.eu/de/veranstal...

The Cultural Evolution of Migration and Diversity

12th Annual WZB Conference on Migration and Diversity

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi, Patrick S. Forscher , and 1 more Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi, Patrick S. Forscher, Graeme Warren

Sheina Lew-Levy @sheinalew.bsky.social · 11d

🚨 New Paper Alert!

We investigated the developmental trajectories of intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic social norm acquisition among BaYaka and Bandongo in northern Rep. Congo, a community where inter-ethnic cooperation is common. We found that...

journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

The social learning and development of intra- and inter-ethnic sharing norms in the Congo Basin

Compared to other species, the extent of human cooperation is unparalleled. Such cooperation is coordinated between community members via social norms. Developmental research has demonstrated that ver...

journals.plos.org

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · 15d

How about @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social (we have many anthropologist members)

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi

ces2026 @ces2026.bsky.social · 17d

Post 1/13 📢🧵

Call for activities proposals !

You are invited to submit proposals for three activities to be held during the upcoming CES2026 conference:

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi

Elena Miu @elenamiu.bsky.social · 18d

"The relationship between childhood exploration and population-level innovation in cultural evolution" with @ndersen.bsky.social @sheinalew.bsky.social @felixthehauskat.bsky.social out in Proc B

royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

The relationship between childhood exploration and population-level innovation in cultural evolution

Abstract. The societal effects of children’s learning in cultural evolution have been underexplored. Here, we investigate using agent-based models how a pr

royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi

Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 25d

Due to the the high volume of submissions received, abstract decision notifications for the upcoming Cultural Evolution Society 2026 Conference in Rabat are slightly delayed.

Expect to see it in your inbox in ~ 1 week, and fingers crossed you got your presentation of choice!

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi, Andreas De Block

Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 25d

Call for papers for conference on "The Cultural Evolution of Migration and Diversity”.

This is the 12th Annual WZB Conference on Migration and Diversity, to be held at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center, from September 25-26, 2026.

The Cultural Evolution of Migration and Diversity

12th Annual WZB Conference on Migration and Diversity

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi, David W. Lawson

Tim Waring @twaring.bsky.social · 27d

Excited for the new Transmissions episode on ASU's Sarah Mathew on how human warfare evolved, and her fieldwork in Kenya.

Watch here:
youtu.be/eUqEcxf5uBQ?...

New Episodes monthly! Created by @ferylbadiani.bsky.social and @ahnisnaahsi.bsky.social

CC: @arizonastateuni.bsky.social

Transmissions Episode 2 with Dr Sarah Matthew

YouTube video by Cultural Evolution Society

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi

James Holland Jones @juemos.bsky.social · 28d

Very cool paper here. I'm particularly intrigued by the finding that population size negatively predicts innovation since that has a nice resonance with some of our recent work (doi.org/10.1098/rstb...).

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi, Gilles Louppe

Mason Youngblood @masonyoungblood.bsky.social · Jan 8

Proc B with @sampassmore.bsky.social! We used simulations to explore the innovation strategies of speed climbers 🧗‍♀️ Innovation is higher among slower athletes and lower when the population size is larger, and the overall balance of innovation and copying appears to be suboptimal 🔗 bit.ly/499QjZM

Simulation-based inference with deep learning suggests speed climbers combine innovation and copying to improve performance

Abstract. In the Olympic sport of speed climbing, athletes compete to reach the top of a 15 m wall as quickly as possible. Since the standardization of the

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi

Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · Jan 8

After a short hiatus, we are delighted that our student outreach initiative is back with a new episode from their interview series! Featuring former president Dr. Sarah Mathew, in it we explore how human warfare evolved, alongside her fascinating fieldwork in Kenya.

youtu.be/eUqEcxf5uBQ?...

Transmissions Episode 2 with Dr Sarah Matthew

YouTube video by Cultural Evolution Society

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi, Pol Capdevila

michael chimento @mchimento.bsky.social · Dec 20

🎉🍾 very excited to see this out before 2025 ends doi.org/10.1111/2041... with Will Hoppitt in @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social. This paper is an overview of our new R package STbayes, a user-friendly toolkit for performing Bayesian NBDA analyses. @cbehav.bsky.social @mpi-animalbehav.bsky.social

STbayes: An R package for creating, fitting and understanding Bayesian models of social transmission

A critical consequence of joining social groups is the possibility of social transmission of information related to novel behaviours or resources. Network-based diffusion analysis (NBDA) has emerg...

Reposted by Simon J. Greenhill, Alex Mesoudi, Olivier Morin

Oleg Sobchuk 🇺🇦 @sobchuk.bsky.social · Dec 18

I got wonderful news: I was granted a position of Max Planck independent group leader at the MPI for Empirical Aesthetics ⬇️ (@ae.mpg.de) in Frankfurt, which I'll join in early 2026. It's a huge honor: being trusted with academic freedom offered by MPG. My group will study the evolution of arts. 1/3

The building of the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, Paul E. Smaldino, Alex Mesoudi

David W Lawson @davidwlawson.bsky.social · Dec 4

Excited to get this paper published! 🌟

We argue that men exaggerate patriarchal beliefs in an effort to signal conformity to others, which in turn fuels misperceptions about peers - making patriarchal norms resistant to change.

royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

Reposted by Simon J. Greenhill, Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi , and 2 more Simon J. Greenhill, Rebecca Sear, Alex Mesoudi, Luke Rendell, David W. Lawson

Rachel Kendal @rachkendal.bsky.social · Dec 4

Today sees the publication of the Theme Issue featuring the CES Transformation Fund grant scheme. Enjoy! royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...
@durhamdcerc.bsky.social @durhamanthropology.bsky.social @cultevolfunding.bsky.social @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social

Picture of front cover of Theme Issue entitled "Transforming cultural evolution research and its application to global futures." The image on the front cover is of a Yao honey hunter in Mozambique holding retrieved honeycomb.

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · Dec 4

Part of a special issue:

Transforming cultural evolution research and its application to global futures

royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...

Volume 380 Issue 1940 | Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B | The Royal Society

Influential themed journal issues across the life sciences.

royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Rebecca Sear

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · Dec 4

New paper out in Phil Trans with Angel Jimenez, Keith Jensen and Lei Chang

From information free-riding to information sharing: how have humans solved the cooperative dilemma at the heart of cumulative cultural evolution?

royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/article...

From information free-riding to information sharing: how have humans solved the cooperative dilemma at the heart of cumulative cultural evolution?

Abstract. Cumulative cultural evolution, where populations accumulate ever-improving knowledge, technologies and social customs, is arguably a unique featu

royalsocietypublishing.org

Reposted by Alex Mesoudi

Simon Columbus @simoncolumbus.bsky.social · Dec 1

This week's Cooperation Colloquium:

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com

Experimental evidence that reputation-based partner choice facilitates information sharing in humans

Date: December 5
Time: 15:00 UTC+1 (Vienna) / 9 am ET (NYC)

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...

Abstract: A necessary prerequisite for the accumulation of beneficial knowledge, or ‘cumulative cultural evolution’, is the sharing of information via social learning. Yet little work in the field of cultural evolution has examined the mechanisms that support information sharing in the face of exploitative information free-riding and information hoarding. We ran a series of online interactive experiments (N = 716) combined with computational reinforcement and social learning models to test whether the mechanism of reputation-based partner choice can effectively support information sharing. Participants in groups chose whether to (i) engage in costly innovation and (ii) whether to share the resultant knowledge. Sharers received increased reputations for sharing and participants could use reputations to select recipients of knowledge. Study 1 found, in participants from the UK and China, high levels of information sharing but only weak partner choice. Study 2 replicated this finding with various methodological improvements. Study 3 showed that participants used partner choice to exclude non-sharing artificial bots from receiving information. Study 4 found that when partner choice was impossible, preferences for information sharing declined to levels comparable to non-sharing. Overall, our findings provide tentative positive experimental evidence that partner choice can facilitate information sharing and enable cumulative cultural evolution.

Reposted by Rebecca Sear, David W. Lawson

Alex Mesoudi @alexmesoudi.com · Nov 29

Working my way slowly through the @manymindspod.bsky.social back catalogue. This one with @iyadrahwan.bsky.social is really good on a cultural evolution analysis of machine / digital culture

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

The rise of machine culture

Podcast Episode · Many Minds · 31/10/2024 · 1h 20m

podcasts.apple.com