Angelos Amyntas
@amyntas.bsky.social
amynang.github.io/
ecologist, postdocing in Anne McLeod's Computational Ecology group @leibnizigb.bsky.social Stechlin
#FoodWebs, #CommunityEcology
keeping an ear on the ground for anything #Bayes, #OpenScience, #MetaScience
Neustrelitz, Germany
ecologist, postdocing in Anne McLeod's Computational Ecology group @leibnizigb.bsky.social Stechlin
#FoodWebs, #CommunityEcology
keeping an ear on the ground for anything #Bayes, #OpenScience, #MetaScience
Neustrelitz, Germany
I'm an LLM-luddite. But anything James Somers writes is worth reading.
(I remain a luddite.)
(I remain a luddite.)
Could A.I. surpass us not only in knowledge but also in judgment, ingenuity, cunning—and, as a result, power? James Somers reports. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/11/10/the-case-that-ai-is-thinking
The Case That A.I. Is Thinking
ChatGPT does not have an inner life. Yet it seems to know what it’s talking about.
www.newyorker.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I'm an LLM-luddite. But anything James Somers writes is worth reading.
(I remain a luddite.)
(I remain a luddite.)
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Look man, someone’s gonna build a torment nexus, we can’t just not build the torment nexus.
November 1, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Look man, someone’s gonna build a torment nexus, we can’t just not build the torment nexus.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
It's terrifying and exciting. Anyone written a guide to the challenges of taking up a legacy package? Others have been through this (@bbolker.bsky.social comes to mind, and surely there are others)
November 1, 2025 at 6:52 PM
It's terrifying and exciting. Anyone written a guide to the challenges of taking up a legacy package? Others have been through this (@bbolker.bsky.social comes to mind, and surely there are others)
I wonder to what extent good writing principles transcend languages. And conversely, to what extent any differences in such principles and conventions feed back into how non-native English users (like myself) write in English.
October 30, 2025 at 12:19 PM
I wonder to what extent good writing principles transcend languages. And conversely, to what extent any differences in such principles and conventions feed back into how non-native English users (like myself) write in English.
So, very charismatic? @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social
The Witcher season four review – Liam Hemsworth is as charismatic as a bollard in a wig
The Witcher season four review – Liam Hemsworth is as charismatic as a bollard in a wig
The replacement that Netflix has chosen for lead actor Henry Cavill is utterly lacking in his predecessor’s likability. The ex-Neighbours actor is a scowling lunk who brings a wildly uneven vibe to this fantasy drama
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:32 AM
So, very charismatic? @worldbollardassoc.bsky.social
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
Abstract. The effects of using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional web search on depth of learning are explored. A theory is proposed that when
academic.oup.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:14 PM
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
POSTDOC JOB AD: I'm hiring a Bayesian ecologist to build a (IMO, extremely fun) model of humpback whale spatiotemporal dynamics in California
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
Fredston Lab: Postdoctoral Scholar
University of California, Santa Cruz is hiring. Apply now!
recruit.ucsc.edu
October 22, 2025 at 5:14 PM
POSTDOC JOB AD: I'm hiring a Bayesian ecologist to build a (IMO, extremely fun) model of humpback whale spatiotemporal dynamics in California
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
2-year position starting fall 2026. in-person in Santa Cruz; collab w with Mevin Hooten's lab at UT Austin.
ask me Qs or apply: recruit.ucsc.edu/JPF02003
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
This video does a good job at summing up my worries about genAI. Yes, good stuff can come from it too, but it largely produces useless slop that is quickly filling the internet, and steals our attention from important things. (And I like kurzgesagt, who usually present problems in a balanced way)
October 11, 2025 at 7:51 AM
This video does a good job at summing up my worries about genAI. Yes, good stuff can come from it too, but it largely produces useless slop that is quickly filling the internet, and steals our attention from important things. (And I like kurzgesagt, who usually present problems in a balanced way)
Does this mean I can let my co-authors know that starting a sentence and forgetting to finish it is about to become cool?
László Krasznahorkai wins the Nobel prize in literature 2025
László Krasznahorkai wins the Nobel prize in literature 2025
The author was announced as winner at a ceremony in Stockholm
• Nobel prize in literature 2025 live: László Krasznahorkai wins ‘for his compelling and visionary oeuvre’
The Nobel prize in literature for 2025 has been awarded to Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, the Swedish Academy has announced.
The Academy cited the 71-year-old’s “compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 9, 2025 at 12:06 PM
Does this mean I can let my co-authors know that starting a sentence and forgetting to finish it is about to become cool?
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Does body size predict abundance the same way in all environments, as predicted by the Metabolic theory of Ecology? Our new study challenges this assumption. Read it here: 📄 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Biodiversity modulates the cross‐community scaling relationship in changing environments
Organismal abundance typically declines with increasing body size, with metabolic theory predicting a universal size–abundance slope of –0.75. Using protist microcosms across gradients of species ric...
doi.org
October 6, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Does body size predict abundance the same way in all environments, as predicted by the Metabolic theory of Ecology? Our new study challenges this assumption. Read it here: 📄 doi.org/10.1111/ele....
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.
October 6, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The new Wiley journal review system is an absolute nightmare. Editorial assistants have been replaced by a clunky, AI-enabled website that makes it harder to find and invite reviewers. Associate editor workloads have increased. I'm not convinced the invitations to reviewers are even going through.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
I sat down with Prof. Cordelia Fine for an in-depth discussion about her wonderful new book “Patriarchy, Inc.”
She critiques two dominant stories of inequality — the “different but equal” view and the “business case for diversity” — and sets out a richer vision of what equality should mean today.
She critiques two dominant stories of inequality — the “different but equal” view and the “business case for diversity” — and sets out a richer vision of what equality should mean today.
S5 E10 - Cordelia Fine on
Podcast Episode · The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science · 03/10/2025 · 53m
podcasts.apple.com
October 3, 2025 at 7:50 AM
I sat down with Prof. Cordelia Fine for an in-depth discussion about her wonderful new book “Patriarchy, Inc.”
She critiques two dominant stories of inequality — the “different but equal” view and the “business case for diversity” — and sets out a richer vision of what equality should mean today.
She critiques two dominant stories of inequality — the “different but equal” view and the “business case for diversity” — and sets out a richer vision of what equality should mean today.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
BTW this "Frequency Reduces Difficulty" post from @martinfowler.com is the origin of the mantra "if it hurts, do it more often" (at least, it's where I learned it). It's amazing how broadly this applies.
martinfowler.com/bliki/Freque...
martinfowler.com/bliki/Freque...
bliki: Frequency Reduces Difficulty
"If it hurts - do it more often". Good advice if the amount of pain raises exponentially with the time between actions, such as for integrating software.
martinfowler.com
October 3, 2025 at 4:28 PM
BTW this "Frequency Reduces Difficulty" post from @martinfowler.com is the origin of the mantra "if it hurts, do it more often" (at least, it's where I learned it). It's amazing how broadly this applies.
martinfowler.com/bliki/Freque...
martinfowler.com/bliki/Freque...
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
New paper out in Ecology Letters!
“The Imbalance of Nature: The Role of Species Environmental Responses for Community Stability”
📖 Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We tried to answer the question: What drives community stability in fluctuating environments?
“The Imbalance of Nature: The Role of Species Environmental Responses for Community Stability”
📖 Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We tried to answer the question: What drives community stability in fluctuating environments?
The Imbalance of Nature: The Role of Species Environmental Responses for Community Stability
This study shows that the distribution of species' fundamental responses to environmental change, quantified by a new metric, imbalance, is a key driver of ecological stability. In a large microcosm ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:30 PM
New paper out in Ecology Letters!
“The Imbalance of Nature: The Role of Species Environmental Responses for Community Stability”
📖 Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We tried to answer the question: What drives community stability in fluctuating environments?
“The Imbalance of Nature: The Role of Species Environmental Responses for Community Stability”
📖 Read it here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
We tried to answer the question: What drives community stability in fluctuating environments?
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Help! 🚨 Looking for resources on structural equation models—favorite methods papers, example studies, or guides for building an SEM pipeline. Thinking of using one for a dissertation chapter & not sure where to start. Suggestions? Please share!
September 30, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Help! 🚨 Looking for resources on structural equation models—favorite methods papers, example studies, or guides for building an SEM pipeline. Thinking of using one for a dissertation chapter & not sure where to start. Suggestions? Please share!
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Now this is Content
September 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Now this is Content
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Looking for openly available:
- before-after data in space
- with a restoration measure inbetween (e.g. dam/invasive spec. removal, urban green space creation...)
- min. 10 sites (quadrats / random places along a stream / ponds...)
- species data, env. data of some sort, GPS coordinates
- before-after data in space
- with a restoration measure inbetween (e.g. dam/invasive spec. removal, urban green space creation...)
- min. 10 sites (quadrats / random places along a stream / ponds...)
- species data, env. data of some sort, GPS coordinates
September 21, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Looking for openly available:
- before-after data in space
- with a restoration measure inbetween (e.g. dam/invasive spec. removal, urban green space creation...)
- min. 10 sites (quadrats / random places along a stream / ponds...)
- species data, env. data of some sort, GPS coordinates
- before-after data in space
- with a restoration measure inbetween (e.g. dam/invasive spec. removal, urban green space creation...)
- min. 10 sites (quadrats / random places along a stream / ponds...)
- species data, env. data of some sort, GPS coordinates
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
They've lost the 9yos
September 24, 2025 at 4:03 PM
They've lost the 9yos
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions
September 22, 2025 at 9:25 PM
When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
MC Stan is here! Follow for the latest Stan news, and tag if you want us to repost your posts about new papers, packages, courses, etc. about Stan
September 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
MC Stan is here! Follow for the latest Stan news, and tag if you want us to repost your posts about new papers, packages, courses, etc. about Stan
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Is this platform useful for asking biology questions? 🌾🧪
Question for my plant-peeps:
Is there something newer and better than microsatellites for assessing paternity? (where newer and better means cheaper and easier?) Have field arrays, known parents, need to genotype offspring seed for paternity.
Question for my plant-peeps:
Is there something newer and better than microsatellites for assessing paternity? (where newer and better means cheaper and easier?) Have field arrays, known parents, need to genotype offspring seed for paternity.
September 16, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Is this platform useful for asking biology questions? 🌾🧪
Question for my plant-peeps:
Is there something newer and better than microsatellites for assessing paternity? (where newer and better means cheaper and easier?) Have field arrays, known parents, need to genotype offspring seed for paternity.
Question for my plant-peeps:
Is there something newer and better than microsatellites for assessing paternity? (where newer and better means cheaper and easier?) Have field arrays, known parents, need to genotype offspring seed for paternity.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
The Desperation of Causal Inference in Ecology
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/09/15/t...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/09/15/t...
The Desperation of Causal Inference in Ecology | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
September 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
The Desperation of Causal Inference in Ecology
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/09/15/t...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/09/15/t...
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
@raviranjan.bsky.social & I are teaching a free online workshop with on experimental design for environmental scientists on the 23rd.
We'll focus on using simulations to evaluate how well different experimental designs help achieve your goals.
Please sign up & share! forms.gle/MZTxeQs4UpMr...
We'll focus on using simulations to evaluate how well different experimental designs help achieve your goals.
Please sign up & share! forms.gle/MZTxeQs4UpMr...
September 15, 2025 at 11:20 AM
@raviranjan.bsky.social & I are teaching a free online workshop with on experimental design for environmental scientists on the 23rd.
We'll focus on using simulations to evaluate how well different experimental designs help achieve your goals.
Please sign up & share! forms.gle/MZTxeQs4UpMr...
We'll focus on using simulations to evaluate how well different experimental designs help achieve your goals.
Please sign up & share! forms.gle/MZTxeQs4UpMr...
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
‘Like walking through time’: as glaciers retreat, new worlds are being created in their wake
‘Like walking through time’: as glaciers retreat, new worlds are being created in their wake
As Swiss glaciers melt at an ever-faster rate, new species move in and flourish, but entire ecosystems and an alpine culture can be lost
www.theguardian.com
September 13, 2025 at 11:14 AM
‘Like walking through time’: as glaciers retreat, new worlds are being created in their wake