Nicholas A. Christakis
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nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis
@nachristakis.bsky.social
23K followers 600 following 1.1K posts

Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. Sociologist. Network Scientist. Physician. Author of Apollo's Arrow; Blueprint; Connected; and Death Foretold. Director of the Human Nature Lab: https://humannaturelab.net .. more

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Nicholas A. Christakis is a Greek American sociologist and physician known for his research on social networks and on the social, economic, biological, and evolutionary determinants of human welfare. He is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University, where he directs the Human Nature Lab. He is also the co-director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. .. more

Public Health 23%
Physics 18%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

anthropology.net
Anthropology.net @anthropology.net · 8h
Tent rings on remote Greenland islands reveal Early Paleo-Inuit made 50km ocean crossings 4,500 years ago—the longest journey from this period in the Arctic. #Archaeology #Arctic #PaleoInuit @antiquity.ac.uk www.anthropology.net/p/the-crossing
The Crossing
How 4,500-year-old tent rings in Greenland's High Arctic reveal the sophistication of Early Paleo-Inuit seafaring and their role in shaping Arctic ecosystems
www.anthropology.net

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 1d
This is a good metaphor for science.

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 2d
Guilt by association is popular as ever. As is lazy thinking. Alas.

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

ebharrington.bsky.social
Brooke Harrington @ebharrington.bsky.social · 2d
Listen up: I have been busted. Geniuses of the Left post this exact statement as a gotcha every month, so I must confess: I wrote for @theatlantic.com, making me responsible for every word the magazine ever published. I'm also a mammal & thus responsible for the Late Pleistocene Extinctions. Sorry.

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Nicholas A. Christakis, Linda J. Skitka , and 8 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 2d
You should read this. It is the type of detail that experts in authoritarian regimes see as telling.
In this case, state agents are offered impunity from higher ups, and the legal system is rendered inoperative as a mode of accountability.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...
Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop.
www.nytimes.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 2d
The trip to Kyiv takes 12 hour overland from Warsaw, and it is everywhere marked by evidence of a country at war -- young people at arms, graveyards, bombed buildings. But it is worth it to see resilient Ukrainian students engaged in learning in a time of war. www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqF...
Learning in a Time of War
YouTube video by For the Love of Science
www.youtube.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 2d
AI and the abuse of the accommodation system also pose serious problems. The response to both is challenging.

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 3d
Harvard committee recommends capping A grades at 20 percent for every class, with flexibility for up to four additional As per class. Great. Solving the collective action problem by central action.

www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Faculty Committee Proposes Cap on A Grades, New Internal Ranking System | News | The Harvard Crimson
A faculty committee proposed a sweeping overhaul of Harvard College grading that would sharply limit A grades and introduce a new internal ranking system — changes that could nearly halve the percenta...
www.thecrimson.com

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

nature.com
Nature @nature.com · 3d
Measles is spreading rapidly in pockets of the United States and other countries. Nature looks at the risk to vaccinated people as caseloads surge.

go.nature.com/4kpkqjZ
Measles is raging worldwide: are you at risk?
Cases in fully vaccinated people are rare and usually mild, but are likely to become more common as exposure to the virus rises.
go.nature.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 3d
Advancing teaching and learning in a time of war.

New For the Love of Science vlog about how students at The Kyiv School of Economics are learning while their city is under attack.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbqF...
Learning in a Time of War
YouTube video by For the Love of Science
www.youtube.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 3d
If you don't have goosebumps watching this, I don't know what is wrong with your physiology.

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 3d
People often ask, is Shakespeare still relevant? Why study the humanities? Well, here is an example from the Colbert show, in which Ian McKellen spontaneously delivers an extraordinary speech -- relevant as ever. Shakespeare’s words are timeless, urgent and important. www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQiw...
Ian McKellen using Shakespeare to tear off the false moral mask that xenophobes wear across the west
YouTube video by Tkio
www.youtube.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 4d
I’m not a politician, but I don’t understand how this isn’t a good thing for the Democrats politically. And also morally and constitutionally.

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Elena Litchman

colincarlson.bsky.social
Colin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 4d
Holy shit: it's an RFP for the NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology (PRFB). Hello old friend www.nsf.gov/funding/oppo...
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
www.nsf.gov

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 4d
My last lecture at @harvard.edu, as a professor there, 13 years ago today. Incredible students.

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

briandavidearp.bsky.social
Brian D. Earp, PhD @briandavidearp.bsky.social · 4d
From pigs to people: what is it like to perform a pig-to-human kidney xenotransplant? jmepb.bmj.com/content/2/1/...
jmepb.bmj.com

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

owasow.bsky.social
Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 5d
“All over my neighborhood we keep finding empty cars, the glass shattered into diamonds on the snow, the people missing. Tiny private automotive kristallnachts, everywhere and ongoing.” — @deardara.bsky.social deardara.com/so/adPmSCLoz...
Dara's Guide to Handling Reality
Minneapolis, inside the economic blockade zone where we are pioneering nonviolence, whistle edition
deardara.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 6d
Wow. What a remarkable step. Godspeed.

Reposted by Lisa W. Fazio, Nicholas A. Christakis, Joshua S. Weitz , and 1 more

samwang.bsky.social
Sam Wang @samwang.bsky.social · 6d
News from central Jersey: I'm running to represent New Jersey's 12th Congressional District.

By entering the fray, I hope to bring ideas of repairing our frayed republic. Not only to defend it in 2026, but to build something stronger, for generations to come!

samwang.substack.com/p/entering-t...

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

washingtonpost.com
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 6d
An Australian boy swam about 2½ miles in rough waters then ran about a mile to rescue his family who had been swept out to sea.

“I just said ‘all right, not today, not today, not today.’ I have to keep on going,” the 13-year-old said.
When his family was swept out to sea, boy swam and ran miles to save them
Austin Appelbee is being hailed as a hero after he rescued his family. “I couldn’t feel how tired I was,” the 13-year-old said of his hours-long feat.
www.washingtonpost.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 6d
Same thing happened to me. I also posted about it I think. Very funny.

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, John R. Hutchinson, John Horgan , and 2 more

drewharwell.com
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 6d
A retiree wrote this email to a DHS attorney. Within five hours, DHS demanded Google turn over records for his account.

A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech.

New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
“Unconscionable,” Jon thought as he found an email address online for the lead prosecutor, Joseph Dernbach, who was named in the story. Peering through metal-rimmed glasses, Jon opened Gmail on his computer monitor. “Mr. Dernbach, don’t play Russian roulette with H’s life,” he wrote. “Err on the side of caution. There’s a reason the US government along with many other governments don’t recognise the Taliban. Apply principles of common sense and decency.” That was it. In five minutes, Jon said, he finished the note, signed his first and last name, pressed send and hoped his plea would make a difference. Five hours and one minute later, Jon was watching TV with his wife when an email popped up in his inbox. He noticed it on his phone. “Google,” the message read, “has received legal process from a Law Enforcement authority compelling the release of information related to your Google Account.”

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham

jugander.bsky.social
Johan Ugander @jugander.bsky.social · 6d
Most unusual SI/methods write-up I've seen in a while: Digging in Utah scrapbooks for hair samples to document historic lead levels. Remarkable findings, note the log-scaled y-axis.

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Steve Peers, Caroline Krafft , and 7 more

mprnews.org
MPR News @mprnews.org · 6d
A manager for the Immigrant Defense Network told MPR News that back in November, 2,500 people were trained as constitutional observers. Now, the total is nearly 30,000 trained observers in 77 of Minnesota's 87 counties.
Nearly 30,000 Minnesotans trained as constitutional observers
The Immigrant Defense Network works with more than 100 organizations to help train constitutional observers. At the end of November, there were 2,500 trained observers. That number has soared as more ...
www.mprnews.org

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis

nber.org
NBER @nber.org · 6d
Online dating reshaped US relationships: desktop sites raised divorces, mobile apps reduced marriages and divorces, with little evidence of higher STD rates overall, from Daniel Ershov, Jessica Fong, and @profyildirim.bsky.social www.nber.org/papers/w34757

Reposted by Nicholas A. Christakis, Will Jennings, Brendan Nyhan , and 9 more

donmoyn.bsky.social
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 6d
This is absolutely insane: DHS claims the right to subpoena your emails and to send investigators to your house. In this case, because a retiree sent the mildest possible criticism to a prosecutor. No judges involved.
www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon
Under Trump, the Department of Homeland Security has weaponized administrative subpoenas to attack free speech, according to privacy and civil rights groups.
www.washingtonpost.com

nachristakis.bsky.social
Nicholas A. Christakis @nachristakis.bsky.social · 7d
Extraordinary program at Yale Law School to foster re-integration of felons into society "Michael Braham’s journey from prison to law school
Through Yale’s Access to Law School Program, Braham — who was incarcerated for 25 years — is set to attend law school in the fall."
yaledailynews.com