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
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Initial conditions:
m1=97.8 m2=130.8 m3=89.0 (solar masses)
v1x=-6.806 v1y=-1.184 v2x=3.172 v2y=1.147 v3x=4.488 v3y=-4.358 (km/s)
x1=33.0 y1=32.0 x2=28.0 y2=1.0 x3=-3.0 y3=24.0 (AU from center)
Music: Dune (2021) Medley – Zimmer
m1=97.8 m2=130.8 m3=89.0 (solar masses)
v1x=-6.806 v1y=-1.184 v2x=3.172 v2y=1.147 v3x=4.488 v3y=-4.358 (km/s)
x1=33.0 y1=32.0 x2=28.0 y2=1.0 x3=-3.0 y3=24.0 (AU from center)
Music: Dune (2021) Medley – Zimmer
January 5, 2026 at 7:07 AM
Initial conditions:
m1=97.8 m2=130.8 m3=89.0 (solar masses)
v1x=-6.806 v1y=-1.184 v2x=3.172 v2y=1.147 v3x=4.488 v3y=-4.358 (km/s)
x1=33.0 y1=32.0 x2=28.0 y2=1.0 x3=-3.0 y3=24.0 (AU from center)
Music: Dune (2021) Medley – Zimmer
m1=97.8 m2=130.8 m3=89.0 (solar masses)
v1x=-6.806 v1y=-1.184 v2x=3.172 v2y=1.147 v3x=4.488 v3y=-4.358 (km/s)
x1=33.0 y1=32.0 x2=28.0 y2=1.0 x3=-3.0 y3=24.0 (AU from center)
Music: Dune (2021) Medley – Zimmer
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@ckunze.bsky.social tested whether the concept of response diversity holds for pulse disturbances & realized response diversity. Turns out interaction strength is key. Great collaboration w @owpet.bsky.social & Shyamolina Gosh @icbm-uol.bsky.social @hifmb.de
@ckunze.bsky.social tested whether the concept of response diversity holds for pulse disturbances & realized response diversity. Turns out interaction strength is key. Great collaboration w @owpet.bsky.social & Shyamolina Gosh @icbm-uol.bsky.social @hifmb.de
Species Interactions Determine the Importance of Response Diversity for Community Stability to Pulse Disturbances
Caculations of response diversity can be based on species fundamental responses in isolation or their realised responses in the community using metrics of response dissimilarity and response divergen...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:37 PM
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
@ckunze.bsky.social tested whether the concept of response diversity holds for pulse disturbances & realized response diversity. Turns out interaction strength is key. Great collaboration w @owpet.bsky.social & Shyamolina Gosh @icbm-uol.bsky.social @hifmb.de
@ckunze.bsky.social tested whether the concept of response diversity holds for pulse disturbances & realized response diversity. Turns out interaction strength is key. Great collaboration w @owpet.bsky.social & Shyamolina Gosh @icbm-uol.bsky.social @hifmb.de
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
It's only unimaginable to US self-image.
The US under Trump maintains its traditional foreign policy in Latin America, but does it in the open, with no pretense or subterfuge.
Dropping the mask annoys the propagandists, denialists, and wishful ignorant, as it disturbs their necessary illusion.
The US under Trump maintains its traditional foreign policy in Latin America, but does it in the open, with no pretense or subterfuge.
Dropping the mask annoys the propagandists, denialists, and wishful ignorant, as it disturbs their necessary illusion.
To sum up, a US president is going to war without congressional authorization against a sovereign nation that has not attacked or threatened it, and is doing so like a thief in the night, with no explanation for the American people or the world. It is all so unimaginable that it strains credulity.
January 3, 2026 at 1:31 PM
It's only unimaginable to US self-image.
The US under Trump maintains its traditional foreign policy in Latin America, but does it in the open, with no pretense or subterfuge.
Dropping the mask annoys the propagandists, denialists, and wishful ignorant, as it disturbs their necessary illusion.
The US under Trump maintains its traditional foreign policy in Latin America, but does it in the open, with no pretense or subterfuge.
Dropping the mask annoys the propagandists, denialists, and wishful ignorant, as it disturbs their necessary illusion.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
It’s a dark night when you look at the news and are forced to admit that you no longer believe in the power of the FIFA peace prize
January 3, 2026 at 7:06 AM
It’s a dark night when you look at the news and are forced to admit that you no longer believe in the power of the FIFA peace prize
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Did you know there are freshwater sponges in Germany?
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
December 26, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Did you know there are freshwater sponges in Germany?
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
Spongilla lancustris is a demosponge growing in shallow, clear and clean ponds, lakes etc. it becomes dormant in winter and can survive dry periods!
seen today in a dry pond in northern bavaria :)
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
A visual metaphor of AI’s role in Society
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls
December 28, 2025 at 1:39 AM
A visual metaphor of AI’s role in Society
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Seems like the lesson from these bribes companies and billionaires donated to the president is they can afford to pay more taxes.
December 20, 2025 at 3:19 PM
Seems like the lesson from these bribes companies and billionaires donated to the president is they can afford to pay more taxes.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Contrary to what is often assumed, most (but not all) technological improvements have been bringing *diminishing* returns since the industrial revolution. E.g. the internet and mobile phones brought important changes, but not as much as the printed press, hand washing, and vaccination.
I feel like people aren't taking about this enough. Yes, we've massively invested in other infrastructure before, but the potential value in those investments was much clearer (e.g. moving energy, good, and information around more easily).
fortune.com/2025/08/06/d...
fortune.com/2025/08/06/d...
December 17, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Contrary to what is often assumed, most (but not all) technological improvements have been bringing *diminishing* returns since the industrial revolution. E.g. the internet and mobile phones brought important changes, but not as much as the printed press, hand washing, and vaccination.
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
Excited to launch the new improved Reproducible Code guide from @britishecologicalsociety.org @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social FREE online here! www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/... Amazing work by some very talented ECRs. We hope it’s useful!
December 16, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Excited to launch the new improved Reproducible Code guide from @britishecologicalsociety.org @methodsinecoevol.bsky.social FREE online here! www.britishecologicalsociety.org//wp-content/... Amazing work by some very talented ECRs. We hope it’s useful!
Reposted by Angelos Amyntas
It’s weird how there’s always moves to make fiction more “interactive” with different endings etc. It’s like these people have never seen the same film twice a few years apart and had a completely different reaction. All fiction is interactive. That there’s an audience is the interactive part.
December 13, 2025 at 9:14 AM
It’s weird how there’s always moves to make fiction more “interactive” with different endings etc. It’s like these people have never seen the same film twice a few years apart and had a completely different reaction. All fiction is interactive. That there’s an audience is the interactive part.
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?