Andy Dobson
@andy2dobson.bsky.social
Wildlife Disease Ecology and Conservation, Author, Dad, Princeton Professor, External Faculty Santa Fe Institute and STRI. Photographer, cook, & nerd who works in Serengeti, Yellowstone, California, NJ, and collects guitars and books. Rewilding his yard!
Reposted by Andy Dobson
On this day, a child was born who left an indelible mark on human history, transforming our understanding of the world. Famous for his long hair, he unraveled the mysteries of the heavens and brought light to the world.
Happy Birthday, Sir Isaac Newton.
(Born Dec 25, 1642, Julian Calendar)
Happy Birthday, Sir Isaac Newton.
(Born Dec 25, 1642, Julian Calendar)
December 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM
On this day, a child was born who left an indelible mark on human history, transforming our understanding of the world. Famous for his long hair, he unraveled the mysteries of the heavens and brought light to the world.
Happy Birthday, Sir Isaac Newton.
(Born Dec 25, 1642, Julian Calendar)
Happy Birthday, Sir Isaac Newton.
(Born Dec 25, 1642, Julian Calendar)
Reposted by Andy Dobson
December 24, 2025 at 4:30 AM
Reposted by Andy Dobson
We are thrilled to announce the #launch of the Tom Lovejoy Conservation Fellowship #postdoctoral #research program!
Learn more here: lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell...
Learn more here: lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell...
December 18, 2025 at 6:40 PM
We are thrilled to announce the #launch of the Tom Lovejoy Conservation Fellowship #postdoctoral #research program!
Learn more here: lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell...
Learn more here: lovejoycenter.arizona.edu/lovejoy-fell...
Intriguing! I wonder what same figure looks like for plants and fungi?
In fact, they appear to be eerily similar. The per generation mutation rate seems to lay between 10-9 and 10-8 per bp in all animal taxa surveyed to date–despite vast differences in environments, life histories, and three orders of magnitude variation in the generation time: 4/n
December 22, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Intriguing! I wonder what same figure looks like for plants and fungi?
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Thoughtful end of year piece by @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social about how we frame #conservation: “Less crisis, more agency.”
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
Rethinking how we talk about conservation—and why it matters
Founder’s Briefs: An occasional series where Mongabay founder Rhett Ayers Butler shares analysis, perspectives and story summaries. For a movement so often framed by loss—and confronting a particularl...
news.mongabay.com
December 22, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Thoughtful end of year piece by @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social about how we frame #conservation: “Less crisis, more agency.”
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/reth...
Reposted by Andy Dobson
✍️ Slow journalism requires public support. Out of Eden Walk is a nonprofit org, & we're raising funds for the journey ahead. Our Board is matching all donations at a 1:1 ratio up to $45k. As we walk into the Americas, pls consider a donation to keep us moving: www.outofedenwalknonprofit.org/campaign
December 20, 2025 at 5:57 PM
✍️ Slow journalism requires public support. Out of Eden Walk is a nonprofit org, & we're raising funds for the journey ahead. Our Board is matching all donations at a 1:1 ratio up to $45k. As we walk into the Americas, pls consider a donation to keep us moving: www.outofedenwalknonprofit.org/campaign
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Reposted by Andy Dobson
So reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) can't fly, but they are VERY MAGICAL.
For example, their EYES CHANGE COLOR during the year & they're one of the few large mammals that can see UV. Golden brown in summer, deep blue in winter.
Let's talk about the unique visual adaptations of Rudolph and company.
For example, their EYES CHANGE COLOR during the year & they're one of the few large mammals that can see UV. Golden brown in summer, deep blue in winter.
Let's talk about the unique visual adaptations of Rudolph and company.
December 20, 2025 at 11:36 PM
So reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) can't fly, but they are VERY MAGICAL.
For example, their EYES CHANGE COLOR during the year & they're one of the few large mammals that can see UV. Golden brown in summer, deep blue in winter.
Let's talk about the unique visual adaptations of Rudolph and company.
For example, their EYES CHANGE COLOR during the year & they're one of the few large mammals that can see UV. Golden brown in summer, deep blue in winter.
Let's talk about the unique visual adaptations of Rudolph and company.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
To remember William Bond, you could listen to his powerful talk on behalf of grasses! It is a seminal lesson in savanna ecology. Personally, I also find it nice to hear his voice.
jgpausas.blogs.uv.es/2021/02/21/a...
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience #savanna
jgpausas.blogs.uv.es/2021/02/21/a...
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience #savanna
I'm very sad to say William Bond, of the University of Cape Town & Fellow of the Royal Society (@royalsociety.org ), has passed away. It is a great loss. He was an enthusiastic ecologist and a critical thinker. I learned a lot, and I still had a lot to learn from him. RIP. 😢
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience
December 6, 2025 at 4:55 PM
To remember William Bond, you could listen to his powerful talk on behalf of grasses! It is a seminal lesson in savanna ecology. Personally, I also find it nice to hear his voice.
jgpausas.blogs.uv.es/2021/02/21/a...
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience #savanna
jgpausas.blogs.uv.es/2021/02/21/a...
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience #savanna
A great loss. A formidable and eloquent mind.
I'm very sad to say William Bond, of the University of Cape Town & Fellow of the Royal Society (@royalsociety.org ), has passed away. It is a great loss. He was an enthusiastic ecologist and a critical thinker. I learned a lot, and I still had a lot to learn from him. RIP. 😢
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience
🧪🌎🔥🌿🌳🪴🌐 #PlantScience
December 7, 2025 at 3:06 AM
A great loss. A formidable and eloquent mind.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
In the year of our Lord two-thousand-twenty-five, there are still shockingly diagnosable, legit never-before-seen-by-scientists new bird species out there to be discovered
New species of tinamou, the slaty-masked tinamou (Tinamus resonans): mapress.com/zt/article/v... 🪶🧪 (📷Luis A. Morais)
December 2, 2025 at 10:03 PM
In the year of our Lord two-thousand-twenty-five, there are still shockingly diagnosable, legit never-before-seen-by-scientists new bird species out there to be discovered
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Reposted by Andy Dobson
The stock market's gains are being overwhelmingly driven by seven Big Tech companies who have invested heavily in AI, which has made tech oligarchs even wealthier.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
November 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM
The stock market's gains are being overwhelmingly driven by seven Big Tech companies who have invested heavily in AI, which has made tech oligarchs even wealthier.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
This week I have written about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem.
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Chatbots behaving badly
The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:25 AM
This week I have written about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem.
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Really fantastic paper on spread of H5N1 influenza in North American birds.
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic - Nature
The panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 since 2021 was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild migratory birds, primaril...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Really fantastic paper on spread of H5N1 influenza in North American birds.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
The east wing of science is being demolished by the new administration.
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Science under siege
A new audio documentary from The Economist
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The east wing of science is being demolished by the new administration.
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Ah! Good morning, reality. And welcome. We’ve been expecting you…
October 20, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Ah! Good morning, reality. And welcome. We’ve been expecting you…
Reposted by Andy Dobson
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to analysis:
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mysterious 'warm blob' breaks records in the North Pacific Ocean
Temperatures have surged across a large area of the north Pacific - and scientists don't know exactly why.
www.bbc.com
October 18, 2025 at 7:11 AM
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to analysis:
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Andy Dobson
New work from @devisatarkar.bsky.social et al on how effects of climate variability- particularly more unusual events - depend on developmental stage & prevailing conditions in Wytham Woods great tits.
New preprint! 🪶
We analysed 60 years of data on 83,000+ great tits to show how extreme climate impacts on nestling growth and survival are stage-specific and context-dependent 🐣 🌍🔥❄️
With @davididiaquez.bsky.social @iremsepil.bsky.social @sheldonbirds.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We analysed 60 years of data on 83,000+ great tits to show how extreme climate impacts on nestling growth and survival are stage-specific and context-dependent 🐣 🌍🔥❄️
With @davididiaquez.bsky.social @iremsepil.bsky.social @sheldonbirds.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
New work from @devisatarkar.bsky.social et al on how effects of climate variability- particularly more unusual events - depend on developmental stage & prevailing conditions in Wytham Woods great tits.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Paper for next weeks Biodiversity COP in AbuDhabi. Special issue of IUCN Parks. We need a UN Global Convention on Freshwater for humanity and biodiversity.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
Parksjournal.com
October 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Paper for next weeks Biodiversity COP in AbuDhabi. Special issue of IUCN Parks. We need a UN Global Convention on Freshwater for humanity and biodiversity.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
New article in special issue of IUCN Parks journal for COP Meeting in Abu Dhabi next week. We need a UN driven Global Convention on Freshwater for Humans and Biodiversity. An ecosystems service with tangible value.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
October 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
New article in special issue of IUCN Parks journal for COP Meeting in Abu Dhabi next week. We need a UN driven Global Convention on Freshwater for Humans and Biodiversity. An ecosystems service with tangible value.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
I suspect the spirits of a John and Danny Thompson are slumped there some nights, sleeping off another night of celestial improvisation...and quite a few beers.
Currently reading the fantastic John Martyn biog by @graemethomson.bsky.social and walked across Hampstead Heath this morning with this track blasting in my ears. Probably passed the very spot where that cover photo taken. open.spotify.com/track/1ea5h9...
Stormbringer
open.spotify.com
October 9, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I suspect the spirits of a John and Danny Thompson are slumped there some nights, sleeping off another night of celestial improvisation...and quite a few beers.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
What a terrifying war zone!!!!??!!
October 8, 2025 at 11:59 AM
What a terrifying war zone!!!!??!!