Arvid Ågren
@arvidagren.bsky.social
Evolutionary biologist. Assistant Professor CCLCM/CWRU. Author of The Gene's-Eye View of Evolution (OUP 2021). The Paradox of the Organism (HUP) coming in December 2025.
www.arvidagren.com
www.arvidagren.com
Pinned
Great days in Kansas for the internal conflicts in biology and economics workshop.
Thanks to all the speakers!
collectiveagents.weebly.com
Thanks to all the speakers!
collectiveagents.weebly.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Great days in Kansas for the internal conflicts in biology and economics workshop.
Thanks to all the speakers!
collectiveagents.weebly.com
Thanks to all the speakers!
collectiveagents.weebly.com
First copy of The Paradox of the Organism in the wild!
November 6, 2025 at 7:45 PM
First copy of The Paradox of the Organism in the wild!
November 4, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Very excited for the arrival of Oren Harman’s latest book.
Few combine deep knowledge of the history of biology with such compelling writing.
Few combine deep knowledge of the history of biology with such compelling writing.
November 3, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Very excited for the arrival of Oren Harman’s latest book.
Few combine deep knowledge of the history of biology with such compelling writing.
Few combine deep knowledge of the history of biology with such compelling writing.
Reposted by Arvid Ågren
New paper out with Manus Patten and @arvidagren.bsky.social in Biology & Philosophy! We propose a framework to capture the severity of different types of internal conflict and how this allows for a quantitative approach to evolutionary individuality across different biological collectives.
*NEW PAPER*
How much of a threat are within-organism conflicts, really?
In Biology & Philosophy, @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, Manus Patten, and I present a mathematical framework to measure evolutionary individuality in the face of internal conflicts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
How much of a threat are within-organism conflicts, really?
In Biology & Philosophy, @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, Manus Patten, and I present a mathematical framework to measure evolutionary individuality in the face of internal conflicts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
October 31, 2025 at 1:41 PM
New paper out with Manus Patten and @arvidagren.bsky.social in Biology & Philosophy! We propose a framework to capture the severity of different types of internal conflict and how this allows for a quantitative approach to evolutionary individuality across different biological collectives.
*NEW PAPER*
How much of a threat are within-organism conflicts, really?
In Biology & Philosophy, @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, Manus Patten, and I present a mathematical framework to measure evolutionary individuality in the face of internal conflicts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
How much of a threat are within-organism conflicts, really?
In Biology & Philosophy, @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, Manus Patten, and I present a mathematical framework to measure evolutionary individuality in the face of internal conflicts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
October 31, 2025 at 1:24 PM
*NEW PAPER*
How much of a threat are within-organism conflicts, really?
In Biology & Philosophy, @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, Manus Patten, and I present a mathematical framework to measure evolutionary individuality in the face of internal conflicts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
How much of a threat are within-organism conflicts, really?
In Biology & Philosophy, @martijnschenkel.bsky.social, Manus Patten, and I present a mathematical framework to measure evolutionary individuality in the face of internal conflicts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
John Maynard Smith and Richard Lewontin at the University of Sussex, 9 March 1972.
October 30, 2025 at 3:56 PM
John Maynard Smith and Richard Lewontin at the University of Sussex, 9 March 1972.
The legend of this 1905 Vanity Fair caricature of Ray Lankester reads:
“His religion is the worship of all sorts of winged and finny freaks.”
The @evornithology.bsky.social of his time.
“His religion is the worship of all sorts of winged and finny freaks.”
The @evornithology.bsky.social of his time.
October 29, 2025 at 3:08 PM
The legend of this 1905 Vanity Fair caricature of Ray Lankester reads:
“His religion is the worship of all sorts of winged and finny freaks.”
The @evornithology.bsky.social of his time.
“His religion is the worship of all sorts of winged and finny freaks.”
The @evornithology.bsky.social of his time.
Desmond Morris came late to football, but his interest seems to to be genuine.
The current edition of his The Soccer Tribe comes with a (rather bland) foreword by none other than The Special One, José Mourinho.
The current edition of his The Soccer Tribe comes with a (rather bland) foreword by none other than The Special One, José Mourinho.
October 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Desmond Morris came late to football, but his interest seems to to be genuine.
The current edition of his The Soccer Tribe comes with a (rather bland) foreword by none other than The Special One, José Mourinho.
The current edition of his The Soccer Tribe comes with a (rather bland) foreword by none other than The Special One, José Mourinho.
Here is the message from JEB managing editor Nicki Cook.
October 27, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Here is the message from JEB managing editor Nicki Cook.
Working any sort of within-organism conflict?
Submit a paper to our special issue in @jevbio.bsky.social!
Submit a paper to our special issue in @jevbio.bsky.social!
Call for Papers for a special issue on "Foundations of Internal Conflicts" in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology. Submit by Feb 28, 2026. Contact Martijn Schenkel for details: martijn.schenkel@wur.nl
[jeb.office@eseb.org](mailto:jeb.office@eseb.org)
[jeb.office@eseb.org](mailto:jeb.office@eseb.org)
October 27, 2025 at 2:21 AM
Working any sort of within-organism conflict?
Submit a paper to our special issue in @jevbio.bsky.social!
Submit a paper to our special issue in @jevbio.bsky.social!
David Lack gets a job in radar research during World War II.
October 22, 2025 at 7:49 AM
David Lack gets a job in radar research during World War II.
The answer is John Krebs, then newly minted Baron Krebs of Wytham and crossbench member of the House of Lords.
Friday trivia:
On the eve of Tony Blair’s resignation in 2007, which evolutionary biologist did incoming prime minister Gordon Brown phone to offer the job of Science Minister in the new government?
The person turned it down, which they now regret.
On the eve of Tony Blair’s resignation in 2007, which evolutionary biologist did incoming prime minister Gordon Brown phone to offer the job of Science Minister in the new government?
The person turned it down, which they now regret.
October 17, 2025 at 5:01 PM
The answer is John Krebs, then newly minted Baron Krebs of Wytham and crossbench member of the House of Lords.
Friday trivia:
On the eve of Tony Blair’s resignation in 2007, which evolutionary biologist did incoming prime minister Gordon Brown phone to offer the job of Science Minister in the new government?
The person turned it down, which they now regret.
On the eve of Tony Blair’s resignation in 2007, which evolutionary biologist did incoming prime minister Gordon Brown phone to offer the job of Science Minister in the new government?
The person turned it down, which they now regret.
October 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Friday trivia:
On the eve of Tony Blair’s resignation in 2007, which evolutionary biologist did incoming prime minister Gordon Brown phone to offer the job of Science Minister in the new government?
The person turned it down, which they now regret.
On the eve of Tony Blair’s resignation in 2007, which evolutionary biologist did incoming prime minister Gordon Brown phone to offer the job of Science Minister in the new government?
The person turned it down, which they now regret.
Correction: seminar is today at 9am Eastern.
The second seminar of the year is on Thursday, October 16 at 10am Eastern.
@salazarafra.bsky.social + @ellenclarke.bsky.social
Join us!
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/seminars/
@salazarafra.bsky.social + @ellenclarke.bsky.social
Join us!
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/seminars/
October 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Correction: seminar is today at 9am Eastern.
Only tangentially related, but a certain Russian-American geneticist once received a passport randomly assigning him the middle initial J (he had no middle name). On a trip to Brazil, an official wouldn't let him in with just J on the paperwork, so he became Theodosius Juan Dobzhansky
October 15, 2025 at 7:38 AM
The second seminar of the year is on Thursday, October 16 at 10am Eastern.
@salazarafra.bsky.social + @ellenclarke.bsky.social
Join us!
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/seminars/
@salazarafra.bsky.social + @ellenclarke.bsky.social
Join us!
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/seminars/
October 13, 2025 at 1:35 PM
The second seminar of the year is on Thursday, October 16 at 10am Eastern.
@salazarafra.bsky.social + @ellenclarke.bsky.social
Join us!
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/seminars/
@salazarafra.bsky.social + @ellenclarke.bsky.social
Join us!
internalconflictsstn.wordpress.com/seminars/
Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo.
October 11, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Meguro Parasitological Museum, Tokyo.
The kind of folder that gets you excited.
From the John Bowlby file at the Wellcome Collection.
From the John Bowlby file at the Wellcome Collection.
October 2, 2025 at 6:51 PM
The kind of folder that gets you excited.
From the John Bowlby file at the Wellcome Collection.
From the John Bowlby file at the Wellcome Collection.
Ernst Mayr’s assesment of his fellow Crafoord Prize winners John Maynard Smith and George Williams.
Told by David Haig, who had been summoned to Mayr’s office.
Told by David Haig, who had been summoned to Mayr’s office.
October 1, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Ernst Mayr’s assesment of his fellow Crafoord Prize winners John Maynard Smith and George Williams.
Told by David Haig, who had been summoned to Mayr’s office.
Told by David Haig, who had been summoned to Mayr’s office.
Ernst Mayr and David Lack in Oxford 1966.
September 30, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Ernst Mayr and David Lack in Oxford 1966.
An early review of The Paradox of the Organism by @publisherswkly.bsky.social.
www.publishersweekly.com/9780674296381
www.publishersweekly.com/9780674296381
September 29, 2025 at 7:40 PM
An early review of The Paradox of the Organism by @publisherswkly.bsky.social.
www.publishersweekly.com/9780674296381
www.publishersweekly.com/9780674296381
David Lack (and V.C. Wynne-Edwards) on not letting students adress them by their first name.
September 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM
David Lack (and V.C. Wynne-Edwards) on not letting students adress them by their first name.
Three covers for the Swedish translation of The Selfish Gene: from 1983, 1992, and 2019.
Note how the 1992 edition has an added subtitle: “A study in sociobiology”, which was never used in English.
I’m not aware of any other instance where a subtitle was added. Has anyone seen another example?
Note how the 1992 edition has an added subtitle: “A study in sociobiology”, which was never used in English.
I’m not aware of any other instance where a subtitle was added. Has anyone seen another example?
September 26, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Three covers for the Swedish translation of The Selfish Gene: from 1983, 1992, and 2019.
Note how the 1992 edition has an added subtitle: “A study in sociobiology”, which was never used in English.
I’m not aware of any other instance where a subtitle was added. Has anyone seen another example?
Note how the 1992 edition has an added subtitle: “A study in sociobiology”, which was never used in English.
I’m not aware of any other instance where a subtitle was added. Has anyone seen another example?
“He is nearly always right, and always sensible.”
Alan Grafen on John Maynard Smith as the clearing-house for applications of game theory to biology.
From Grafen’s review of Evolution and the Theory of Games (Times Higher Education Supplement, 18 February 1983).
Alan Grafen on John Maynard Smith as the clearing-house for applications of game theory to biology.
From Grafen’s review of Evolution and the Theory of Games (Times Higher Education Supplement, 18 February 1983).
September 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM
“He is nearly always right, and always sensible.”
Alan Grafen on John Maynard Smith as the clearing-house for applications of game theory to biology.
From Grafen’s review of Evolution and the Theory of Games (Times Higher Education Supplement, 18 February 1983).
Alan Grafen on John Maynard Smith as the clearing-house for applications of game theory to biology.
From Grafen’s review of Evolution and the Theory of Games (Times Higher Education Supplement, 18 February 1983).