Adam Linson
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adamlinson.bsky.social
Adam Linson
@adamlinson.bsky.social
3.1K followers 2.5K following 1K posts
making music. research: theoretical neurobiology, psychiatry (stress/trauma) & related philosophy, CogSci • 📍Edinburgh, Scotland • Asst. Prof., Computing & Communications, Open U. • http://percent-s.com • feeds: tacos 🌮📷 (⤵️), @scotusfeed.bsky.social
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adamlinson.bsky.social
Adam Linson @adamlinson.bsky.social · 10d
scrub-jays overcome visual limitations kind of like we do:

- rotate your head to see behind you
- move your eyes for narrow focus
- change your elevation to see over obstructions

how do these relate to habitat-specific predation strategies?

royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article...
🧪🌎🪶 #corvids
Figure S2. The Scrub-Jay head is viewed from above. The triangle outside the circle shows the orientation of the beak. The light grey area near the beak is binocular overlap with a close range focus. The black area opposite the beak is a ‘blind spot’. The two white regions on either side are the lateral visual fields. Turning the head along the vertical axis (where the lines intersect at the centrepoint of the figure), i.e., axial neck rotation, will shift the area covered by the depicted ‘blind spot’ arc (outside the circle) into one of the current lateral visual fields. With a fixed rotational axis, it takes a minimum of two beak-facing directions ~45°-90° apart to observe the full circumference in the lateral visual fields. Redrawn adapted figure based on Fernández-Juricic E, O’Rourke C, Pitlik T Journal of Comparative Physiology A 196 (2010), p. 883. Figure S3. Top view of a bird head with triangle indicating beak position. Black dots (a) depict fovea with dashed lines extending to indicate current foveal range. Solid lines extending from the parabola (b) illustrate the full range of the lateral visual field (depicted on one side, as present on both sides). The numbered boxes to the side schematically show approximate differences in visual acuity inside and outside foveal range. Foveating amounts to repositioning the angle of the fovea (curved arrows) to increase visual acuity for targeted regions (c) of the lateral visual field. Redrawn adapted figure based on Fernández-Juricic E, Behavioural Processes 89 (2012), p. 144. Figure S4. The Scrub-Jay on the higher perch (top left) can maintain two varieties of hawk attack trajectory in its field of view (FOV; vertical grating): direct (upper solid red line) and swoop (dotted red line, upper arrow endpoint). The Scrub-Jay on the lower perch (bottom left) has an obstructed FOV (horizontal grating). A direct hawk approach (lower solid red line) remains visible (the overlap of both jays’ visual fields is cross-hatched), but a swoop approach (dotted red line, lower arrow endpoint) falls largely outside its FOV (note that the vertical grating in the lower region belongs to the higher perch FOV).
adamlinson.bsky.social
scrub-jays overcome visual limitations kind of like we do:

- rotate your head to see behind you
- move your eyes for narrow focus
- change your elevation to see over obstructions

how do these relate to habitat-specific predation strategies?

royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article...
🧪🌎🪶 #corvids
Figure S2. The Scrub-Jay head is viewed from above. The triangle outside the circle shows the orientation of the beak. The light grey area near the beak is binocular overlap with a close range focus. The black area opposite the beak is a ‘blind spot’. The two white regions on either side are the lateral visual fields. Turning the head along the vertical axis (where the lines intersect at the centrepoint of the figure), i.e., axial neck rotation, will shift the area covered by the depicted ‘blind spot’ arc (outside the circle) into one of the current lateral visual fields. With a fixed rotational axis, it takes a minimum of two beak-facing directions ~45°-90° apart to observe the full circumference in the lateral visual fields. Redrawn adapted figure based on Fernández-Juricic E, O’Rourke C, Pitlik T Journal of Comparative Physiology A 196 (2010), p. 883. Figure S3. Top view of a bird head with triangle indicating beak position. Black dots (a) depict fovea with dashed lines extending to indicate current foveal range. Solid lines extending from the parabola (b) illustrate the full range of the lateral visual field (depicted on one side, as present on both sides). The numbered boxes to the side schematically show approximate differences in visual acuity inside and outside foveal range. Foveating amounts to repositioning the angle of the fovea (curved arrows) to increase visual acuity for targeted regions (c) of the lateral visual field. Redrawn adapted figure based on Fernández-Juricic E, Behavioural Processes 89 (2012), p. 144. Figure S4. The Scrub-Jay on the higher perch (top left) can maintain two varieties of hawk attack trajectory in its field of view (FOV; vertical grating): direct (upper solid red line) and swoop (dotted red line, upper arrow endpoint). The Scrub-Jay on the lower perch (bottom left) has an obstructed FOV (horizontal grating). A direct hawk approach (lower solid red line) remains visible (the overlap of both jays’ visual fields is cross-hatched), but a swoop approach (dotted red line, lower arrow endpoint) falls largely outside its FOV (note that the vertical grating in the lower region belongs to the higher perch FOV).
February 2, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
kevinlala.bsky.social
I am happy to share this article, entitled "The importance of Biological Theory". It is my inaugural editorial as the new Editor-in-Chief of @biologicaltheory.bsky.social . In these complex and challenging times, theory is more important now than ever. Enjoy!

doi.org/10.1007/s137...
The Importance of Biological Theory - Biological Theory
Biological Theory -
doi.org
January 30, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Adam Linson
adamlinson.bsky.social
Paper out today on @royalsocietypublishing.org:
"Alerting and orienting attention in anti-predator vigilance: neurocognitive modelling and behavioural evidence"
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article...
🧪🌎🪶 #corvids #OpenAccess
Simulation examples. Scenarios A–D above correspond to agent behaviour sequences in rows A–D below. The sequences indicate 12 time steps, one per box, which proceed horizontally (i.e. the leftmost box is t1, the rightmost box is t12). In the lower rows, beak direction is depicted with a triangle such that head rotations are visible (e.g. in row B, there is a head rotation each time step). The circular area connected to the triangle represents a top view of the scrub-jay head (filled circle with unfilled sectors). Circles with two unfilled sectors show the default foveal position bilaterally, and circles with four unfilled sectors show further foveation during a fixed head position. Unfilled row squares indicate that the scrub-jay has high uncertainty about whether a hawk is present due to lack of sensory evidence (no hawk shape is visible and no hawk call is audible). Filled row squares that progress from dark (orange) to light (yellow) represent the strength of the belief that a hawk is present, beginning with low uncertainty during three time steps when the hawk shape is visible and an increasing belief that the hawk is no longer present once the shape is no longer visible. Upper half: the filled circle indicates the scrub-jay’s proximal surroundings. In the top left (A), a single hawk suggests low background predation risk, which elicits a head rotation every two time steps (row A). (Dotted lines indicate possible but not actual approaches.) Three hawks are shown in B, indicating high background predation risk, which elicits a head rotation every time step (row B). Rectangular cover in C presents a skewed distribution of possible hawk approaches. This leads to a head rotation pattern that proportionately increases the time monitoring exposed areas (row C). In the upper right (D), two actual hawk approaches are shown (solid lines extended by dotted lines). The dark orange solid segment corresponds to the dark orange boxes in row D, when the hawk shape is visible.
January 21, 2026 at 9:18 AM
adamlinson.bsky.social
Paper out today on @royalsocietypublishing.org:
"Alerting and orienting attention in anti-predator vigilance: neurocognitive modelling and behavioural evidence"
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsif/article...
🧪🌎🪶 #corvids #OpenAccess
Simulation examples. Scenarios A–D above correspond to agent behaviour sequences in rows A–D below. The sequences indicate 12 time steps, one per box, which proceed horizontally (i.e. the leftmost box is t1, the rightmost box is t12). In the lower rows, beak direction is depicted with a triangle such that head rotations are visible (e.g. in row B, there is a head rotation each time step). The circular area connected to the triangle represents a top view of the scrub-jay head (filled circle with unfilled sectors). Circles with two unfilled sectors show the default foveal position bilaterally, and circles with four unfilled sectors show further foveation during a fixed head position. Unfilled row squares indicate that the scrub-jay has high uncertainty about whether a hawk is present due to lack of sensory evidence (no hawk shape is visible and no hawk call is audible). Filled row squares that progress from dark (orange) to light (yellow) represent the strength of the belief that a hawk is present, beginning with low uncertainty during three time steps when the hawk shape is visible and an increasing belief that the hawk is no longer present once the shape is no longer visible. Upper half: the filled circle indicates the scrub-jay’s proximal surroundings. In the top left (A), a single hawk suggests low background predation risk, which elicits a head rotation every two time steps (row A). (Dotted lines indicate possible but not actual approaches.) Three hawks are shown in B, indicating high background predation risk, which elicits a head rotation every time step (row B). Rectangular cover in C presents a skewed distribution of possible hawk approaches. This leads to a head rotation pattern that proportionately increases the time monitoring exposed areas (row C). In the upper right (D), two actual hawk approaches are shown (solid lines extended by dotted lines). The dark orange solid segment corresponds to the dark orange boxes in row D, when the hawk shape is visible.
January 21, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
cnrs.fr
#Communiqué 🗞️ L'@academiesciences.bsky.social et le CNRS signent un accord de coédition pour développer un modèle de publication scientifique en libre accès et gratuit. ✍️

👉 www.cnrs.fr/fr/presse/la...
December 4, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Adam Linson
annaalexandrova.bsky.social
We are pouring our heart into this conference to keep it high quality, supportive, and accessible (no registration fee!). Do consider it for your #philsci content broadly conceived. I also can't wait to see Bucharest in September.
eenphilsci.bsky.social eenphilsci.bsky.social @eenphilsci.bsky.social · Dec 2
The EENPS 2026 call for papers & symposia is now open! 🔥🔥🔥

🗓 Submission deadline: 15 Feb 2026
Conference: 18–19 Sept 2026, Bucharest 😉

See the conference website for full details!
eenps2026.sciencesconf.org
The Sixth Biennial Conference of the East European Network for Philosophy of Science - Sciencesconf.org
Home
eenps2026.sciencesconf.org
December 2, 2025 at 10:09 AM
adamlinson.bsky.social
later that evening...

Santa Severa (outside Rome, west coast) #medievalsky #caturday
local cat casting a shadow on a medieval stone exterior floor. 2024.
December 6, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
tedunderwood.com
Our School of Information Sciences is running four searches, and we can hire more than four candidates. Here’s the first link, for a job that might appeal to people working in history of information, history of science, or digital humanities. +
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Information, Culture & Society - School of Information Science
Duties & Responsibilities
illinois.csod.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Reposted by Adam Linson
thetrudz.photo
“First-of-Its-Kind Exhibition Explores Photography’s Role in the ‘Black Arts Movement’” petapixel.com/2025/11/30/f...
Black and white photograph of women of Nation of Islam, dressed in all white with white head coverings. Ethel Sharrieff in Chicago in the front. Photograph by Gordon Parks; 1963. Black and white photograph of a large group of men, sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968, protesting with “I Am A Man” printed on their signs. Photograph by Ernest C. Withers. Black and white photograph. “Black-owned Grocery Store, Sunday, Mileston, Mississippi, 1968.” Photograph by Doris A. Derby.
December 1, 2025 at 6:23 PM
adamlinson.bsky.social
Panic! At the oven window! It's regarding the pumpkin pie filling height! Relative to the crust edge height! Oh wait it's levelled out now! Sorry for the false alarm it's my first go and it was convex for a minute and I'd never seen that happen before!
November 27, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Adam Linson
cmonstah.bsky.social
“Art should look like the rest of our culture,” says Frida Kahlo of the Guerilla Girls. Otherwise, “it’s not really history of art, it’s a history of power.”

I have a look at the timely Guerilla Girls show the Getty for Art Insider for @kcrw.com:

email.kcrw.com/guerrilla-gi...
An installation view of a museum gallery shows a large-scale Guerilla Girls collage that features Ingres's "Grand Odalisque" wearing a gorilla mask.
November 26, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
sabinaleonelli.bsky.social
The call for applications for 2026 European Advanced School in Philosophy of Life Sciences is now open! Deadline 15 Jan 2026, theme will be “philosophy of biology for a healthy planet”, all info here: www.kli.ac.at/en/events/ev... graduate students &early postdocs, do consider joining us! #philsci
Events | Event Calendar | Discover The KLI
The Konrad Lorenz Institute provides a stimulating and creative environment for fellows, visiting scholars, students, and external faculty.
www.kli.ac.at
November 20, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
icporchestra.bsky.social
In honor of Tomas Schmit's archives being digitalised (drawingmatter.org/tomas-schmit...) we decided to release ICP010 on Bandcamp this morning:

icporchestra.bandcamp.com/album/icp010...
Tomas Schmit: Two New Ways to Draw a Circle
In 1971, the artist Tomas Schmit was commissioned to design the cover for Instant Composers Pool 010, an experimental jazz album featuring performances by Han Bennink and Misha Mengelberg recorded liv...
drawingmatter.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
adamlinson.bsky.social
Montpellier. Louis Auzoux's 1830 medical education mannequin, 1.80m in ancient Antinous pose. Divides vertically: flayed display (r), moveable complete dissection (l), down to skeleton w 130 numbered pieces, 1700 detailed objects. more (🇫🇷): collections.umontpellier.fr/component/k2... (my 📷) #histSTM
Louis Auzoux's 1830 medical education mannequin, in ancient Antinous pose, 1.80m.
November 15, 2025 at 9:16 AM
adamlinson.bsky.social
Montpellier. Louis Auzoux's 1830 medical education mannequin, 1.80m in ancient Antinous pose. Divides vertically: flayed display (r), moveable complete dissection (l), down to skeleton w 130 numbered pieces, 1700 detailed objects. more (🇫🇷): collections.umontpellier.fr/component/k2... (my 📷) #histSTM
Louis Auzoux's 1830 medical education mannequin, in ancient Antinous pose, 1.80m.
November 15, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
rmcelreath.bsky.social
Behavioral data can be very detailed but are usually aggregated and normalized in ways that smother the dynamics. Ben wrote a continuous-time Markov model to improve on this, and also wrote simulations for exploring and validating pipelines. All the code is here: github.com/BenKawam/ASN...
benkawam.bsky.social Ben Kawam @benkawam.bsky.social · Nov 12
New paper!

We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Each dyad (a, b) moves through four discrete states over time, represented by coloured circles. The dyad remains in a given state for a certain duration, or "holding time", before transitioning to a new state according to state-specific transition probabilities, indicated by arrows showing all possible (non-zero) transitions. Paintings by Sofia M. Pereira & Judith von Nordheim.
November 12, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Reposted by Adam Linson
benkawam.bsky.social
New paper!

We propose a framework to empirically study animal social relationships by modelling social network (SN) data as time-series—that is, without the need to aggregate them over time.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Each dyad (a, b) moves through four discrete states over time, represented by coloured circles. The dyad remains in a given state for a certain duration, or "holding time", before transitioning to a new state according to state-specific transition probabilities, indicated by arrows showing all possible (non-zero) transitions. Paintings by Sofia M. Pereira & Judith von Nordheim.
November 12, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
duhe.bsky.social
Watson and Crick elucidated the structure of DNA. Stop saying that they discovered DNA! This was done by another guy you probably haven't heard of! And therein lies a story. academic.oup.com/genetics/art...
Before Watson and Crick in 1953 Came Friedrich Miescher in 1869
Abstract. The story of genetics typically omits the original discovery of the molecular nature of DNA: Friedrich Miescher's 1869 discovery of the substance
academic.oup.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
tlachtga.bsky.social
Black and white movie still from 1940: A man and a woman peer at a piece of paper. In front of her are a bank of typewriters and candlestick phones on a table. Still from HIS GIRL FRIDAY.
November 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Adam Linson
fishkin.bsky.social
The UC Regents finally released the “settlement agreement” the Trump administration proposed in August. It’s a doozy.

UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:

Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.
October 25, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Reposted by Adam Linson
wallolita.bsky.social
Look at this #knots & #bingins - lucky to be researching #pigs, #meat, #textiles and #devotionalobjects in this beautiful 14th century book for @artandinequality.bsky.social

and my #piggycities project on pigs husbandry and meat consumption in Medieval Tuscany #medievalsky
Leather-bound book with the date '1374' inscribed on the cover, secured with handmade knots
October 14, 2025 at 9:28 AM
adamlinson.bsky.social
Luthier workshop, Florence
Luthier workshop with hanging violins, tools and supplies strewn about
October 11, 2025 at 11:14 AM
adamlinson.bsky.social
I rest my case
adamlinson.bsky.social Adam Linson @adamlinson.bsky.social · Oct 3
+ 佐々木 ⚾🔥🗓️👀
adamlinson.bsky.social Adam Linson @adamlinson.bsky.social · Oct 31
ドジャース! 大谷翔平＆山本由伸!!
October 10, 2025 at 4:28 PM
adamlinson.bsky.social
closer of crucial presentation on co-production by Prof. Dame Til Wykes
#MHPSummit2025
Prof. Dame Til Wykes in Edinburgh Playfair Library w slide of lady pointing saying "It's up to you"
October 10, 2025 at 9:09 AM
adamlinson.bsky.social
anyone On Here gonna be there tomorrow?

especially looking forward to Prof. Dame Til Wykes, "From Subjects to Participants to Co-production"

www.mentalhealthplatform.ac.uk/blog/mhp-res...
MHP Research Summit 2025 Programme | Mental health platform
www.mentalhealthplatform.ac.uk
October 9, 2025 at 8:03 AM