Ben Allen
@evodynamics.bsky.social
Mathematical biologist studying evolution. Professor of Mathematics at Emmanuel College, MA. Queer, nonbinary (they/them). For social and ecological justice. Jewish as in Free Palestine. https://www.emmanuel.edu/emmanuel-mathematical-biology-research-embr
Pinned
Validate User
academic.oup.com
Before 2025 closes out, I wanted to make a thread on my proudest recent paper! (Ok, it's from 2024, but I haven't done a bluesky thread on it before).
Allen et al. (2024) "Nonlinear social evolution and the emergence of collective action", PNAS Nexus
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Allen et al. (2024) "Nonlinear social evolution and the emergence of collective action", PNAS Nexus
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Really confused as to which side of the War on Christmas these people are on
Indiana State Senator wishes you a Merry Christmas by… posting images of himself assaulting Santa Claus.
Are the fascists okay?
Are the fascists okay?
December 26, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Really confused as to which side of the War on Christmas these people are on
Reposted by Ben Allen
DOGE was A LOT less likely to cancel contracts from companies that donated money to Republicans than companies that donated to Democrats.
December 25, 2025 at 10:47 PM
DOGE was A LOT less likely to cancel contracts from companies that donated money to Republicans than companies that donated to Democrats.
Reposted by Ben Allen
/ EYE ALMOST DIDNT MAKE THIS MAP
/ EYE MEAN Y EVEN BOTHER
/ JUST SUM MOAR FOOLISH FLAKES 4 UR TUESDAY
/ THESE FOOLISH FLAKES WILL PROBS START AROUND 11 AM & LAST AS LIGHT INEFFECTUAL SNOWBLOBS ALL DAY LONG
/ FLOATING OFF AWAY FROM BOSTON SUMTIME AFTER 2 AM
/ EYE MEAN Y EVEN BOTHER
/ JUST SUM MOAR FOOLISH FLAKES 4 UR TUESDAY
/ THESE FOOLISH FLAKES WILL PROBS START AROUND 11 AM & LAST AS LIGHT INEFFECTUAL SNOWBLOBS ALL DAY LONG
/ FLOATING OFF AWAY FROM BOSTON SUMTIME AFTER 2 AM
December 23, 2025 at 1:04 AM
/ EYE ALMOST DIDNT MAKE THIS MAP
/ EYE MEAN Y EVEN BOTHER
/ JUST SUM MOAR FOOLISH FLAKES 4 UR TUESDAY
/ THESE FOOLISH FLAKES WILL PROBS START AROUND 11 AM & LAST AS LIGHT INEFFECTUAL SNOWBLOBS ALL DAY LONG
/ FLOATING OFF AWAY FROM BOSTON SUMTIME AFTER 2 AM
/ EYE MEAN Y EVEN BOTHER
/ JUST SUM MOAR FOOLISH FLAKES 4 UR TUESDAY
/ THESE FOOLISH FLAKES WILL PROBS START AROUND 11 AM & LAST AS LIGHT INEFFECTUAL SNOWBLOBS ALL DAY LONG
/ FLOATING OFF AWAY FROM BOSTON SUMTIME AFTER 2 AM
Reposted by Ben Allen
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
WATCH: The 60 Minutes CECOT Segment
I was sent the CECOT segment anonymously in a group chat.
www.muellershewrote.com
December 22, 2025 at 10:46 PM
BREAKING: WATCH the full 60 Minutes CECOT segment here. This was sent to me anonymously. It appears to be the segment CBS' Bari Weiss killed. www.muellershewrote.com/p/watch-the-...
Reposted by Ben Allen
ICE is obstructing criminal prosecution of sex crimes against children
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare says "that ICE raids have affected nearly a dozen criminal cases his office was pursuing, including sexual assaults of children, because victims and witnesses were either deported or refused to participate in trials because they were undocumented."
As ICE ramps up deportations, Texas prosecutors say they’re losing key witnesses in criminal cases | Houston Public Media
District attorneys in Harris, El Paso and other counties say some cases, including murders, have been hobbled or lost because witnesses were detained, deported or too scared to come to court.
www.houstonpublicmedia.org
December 22, 2025 at 7:54 PM
ICE is obstructing criminal prosecution of sex crimes against children
I only know the mathematical modeling subfield of evolutionary biology, but my experience is that those in the field are open to diversity in sex & gender expression, because it actually is pervasive in nature!
And that’s a follow.
Actually I do have a question if you have a sec.
Without exception the most transphobic group of scientists I’ve run into online are evolutionary biologists. Every single one of them has expressed the same opinion: transness cannot be anything other than social contagion. Why?
Actually I do have a question if you have a sec.
Without exception the most transphobic group of scientists I’ve run into online are evolutionary biologists. Every single one of them has expressed the same opinion: transness cannot be anything other than social contagion. Why?
December 22, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I only know the mathematical modeling subfield of evolutionary biology, but my experience is that those in the field are open to diversity in sex & gender expression, because it actually is pervasive in nature!
Reposted by Ben Allen
Weird how The Free Press was able to publish all of these without comment from the Washigton University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
December 22, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Weird how The Free Press was able to publish all of these without comment from the Washigton University Transgender Center at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Reposted by Ben Allen
Since we’re on the topic of asking people for comment …
In 2021, Bari Weiss famously published a resignation letter by former Smith College librarian Jodi Shaw.
Shortly after, I asked Smith if Weiss had reached out for comment first.
“She did not,” spokesperson Stacey Schmeidel said via email.
Weiss’ agents declined my requests for comment.
Shortly after, I asked Smith if Weiss had reached out for comment first.
“She did not,” spokesperson Stacey Schmeidel said via email.
Weiss’ agents declined my requests for comment.
December 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Since we’re on the topic of asking people for comment …
Reposted by Ben Allen
Now accepted in Genetics!
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
Effects of rescaling forward-in-time population genetic simulations
Abstract. Forward-in-time population genetic simulations enable modelling of a wide array of complex evolutionary scenarios. Simulating small genomic regio
academic.oup.com
December 22, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Now accepted in Genetics!
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
academic.oup.com/genetics/adv...
We ask why and when rescaling of forward simulations in population genetics is not accurate. There are some interesting results for people performing simulations with selection.
Reposted by Ben Allen
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
December 22, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Per NY Times’s Michael Grynbaum on X, this is Sharyn Alfonsi’s email to her “60 Minutes” colleagues in full:
Reposted by Ben Allen
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Reposted by Ben Allen
December 20, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Reposted by Ben Allen
Late job posting: My department is hiring a tenure-track faculty member in microbiology! Please share with anyone interested in working at a PUI. We have a preference for someone who can teach Medical Microbiology, but other than that the focus is open-ended. Happy to answer qs.
Microbiologist (AA27034)
All Job Postings will close at 12:01 a.m. CT on the specified Closing Date (if designated). Working Title: Microbiologist (AA27034) Institution: Minnesota State University, Mankato Classification Titl...
minnstate.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
December 19, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Late job posting: My department is hiring a tenure-track faculty member in microbiology! Please share with anyone interested in working at a PUI. We have a preference for someone who can teach Medical Microbiology, but other than that the focus is open-ended. Happy to answer qs.
Reposted by Ben Allen
Stunning new revelation: Epstein hung out almost exclusively with guys who had black boxes where their heads should be.
December 19, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Stunning new revelation: Epstein hung out almost exclusively with guys who had black boxes where their heads should be.
Reposted by Ben Allen
We should note that yesterday Senators Durbin and Duckworth issued formal criminal referrals for actions by members of the Trump regime. I think this needs to become far more common as we must attach criminality to their outrageous actions, and not let it get normalized as just boys being boys.
December 19, 2025 at 5:38 PM
We should note that yesterday Senators Durbin and Duckworth issued formal criminal referrals for actions by members of the Trump regime. I think this needs to become far more common as we must attach criminality to their outrageous actions, and not let it get normalized as just boys being boys.
Reposted by Ben Allen
Published today 18Dec2025: *The Mathematics of Origami.*
Cambridge link: view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=99a0b7610...
#MathSky #MathArt #Mathematics #Geometry #Science #Origami
Cambridge link: view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=99a0b7610...
#MathSky #MathArt #Mathematics #Geometry #Science #Origami
December 18, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Published today 18Dec2025: *The Mathematics of Origami.*
Cambridge link: view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=99a0b7610...
#MathSky #MathArt #Mathematics #Geometry #Science #Origami
Cambridge link: view.updates.cambridge.org?qs=99a0b7610...
#MathSky #MathArt #Mathematics #Geometry #Science #Origami
Lots to dig into here for evolution of social behavior—what drives transitions to and from worker sterility?
🐜 We estimate that ant worker sterility has evolved ~17 times independently, and been lost ~20 times, while worker sexual capacity has evolved ~5 times and been lost ~16 times.
December 18, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Lots to dig into here for evolution of social behavior—what drives transitions to and from worker sterility?
Reposted by Ben Allen
Very happy to share that I just published a new paper from my thesis! 🎉
We analysed 546 species of ant to understand how extreme specialisation into reproductive and non-reproductive roles evolved.
Key discoveries in thread🧵 👇
Full paper here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
We analysed 546 species of ant to understand how extreme specialisation into reproductive and non-reproductive roles evolved.
Key discoveries in thread🧵 👇
Full paper here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
December 18, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Very happy to share that I just published a new paper from my thesis! 🎉
We analysed 546 species of ant to understand how extreme specialisation into reproductive and non-reproductive roles evolved.
Key discoveries in thread🧵 👇
Full paper here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
We analysed 546 species of ant to understand how extreme specialisation into reproductive and non-reproductive roles evolved.
Key discoveries in thread🧵 👇
Full paper here: academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
Reposted by Ben Allen
Hey @wutrain.bsky.social, @ruthzee.bsky.social—a 32-year-old held on $2500 bail was beaten to death by COs in your city's jail last Sunday.
Thank you to @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social for this statement (bsky.app/profile/clrh...).
Where are yours? Where is your outrage?
#bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay
Thank you to @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social for this statement (bsky.app/profile/clrh...).
Where are yours? Where is your outrage?
#bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay
Shut it down. #bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay
December 17, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Hey @wutrain.bsky.social, @ruthzee.bsky.social—a 32-year-old held on $2500 bail was beaten to death by COs in your city's jail last Sunday.
Thank you to @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social for this statement (bsky.app/profile/clrh...).
Where are yours? Where is your outrage?
#bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay
Thank you to @clrhenrysantana.bsky.social for this statement (bsky.app/profile/clrh...).
Where are yours? Where is your outrage?
#bospoli #ShutDownSouthBay
Researchers are perfectly capable of summarizing our own work for non-experts. Many journals (e.g. PNAS) already require this, and peer-review the summaries to make sure they are accurate. No AI can summarize my own work better than I can.
The rationale I was given for AI Summaries *alongside* ordinary abstracts:
* The AI-generated summaries are intended to be more accessible to non-experts.
(1/3)
* The AI-generated summaries are intended to be more accessible to non-experts.
(1/3)
December 18, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Researchers are perfectly capable of summarizing our own work for non-experts. Many journals (e.g. PNAS) already require this, and peer-review the summaries to make sure they are accurate. No AI can summarize my own work better than I can.
Reposted by Ben Allen
There’s a direct line from ‘just asking questions about women’s sports’ to criminalizing our health care, we warned you it was coming, you said it would be fine and you just had a few more questions.
December 18, 2025 at 4:25 AM
There’s a direct line from ‘just asking questions about women’s sports’ to criminalizing our health care, we warned you it was coming, you said it would be fine and you just had a few more questions.
Reposted by Ben Allen
Our co-founder @margaretlitvin.bsky.social on how to combat antisemitism by bringing students together rather than turning them on each other.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
A Better Way to Approach Antisemitism on Campus (opinion)
Policing speech about Israel is counterproductive.
www.insidehighered.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Our co-founder @margaretlitvin.bsky.social on how to combat antisemitism by bringing students together rather than turning them on each other.
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
TIL that 3-6% of birds across five species have morphological sex characteristics that differ from their chromosomes.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article...
Prevalence and implications of sex reversal in free-living birds
Abstract. The ability to unequivocally identify the sex and reproductive status of individuals is crucial across many fields of study. Recent evidence indi
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 18, 2025 at 3:21 AM
TIL that 3-6% of birds across five species have morphological sex characteristics that differ from their chromosomes.
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article...
royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article...
Here's a suggestion for generating new good ideas: What if we took all the money invested in AI right now, and instead invested that in transforming our system of *human* education?
America, you have spoken loud and clear: You do not like AI. But what if AI is the way to restart the world’s idea machine?
We’re running out of good ideas. AI might be how we find new ones.
What if the best use of AI is restarting the world’s idea machine?
www.vox.com
December 16, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Here's a suggestion for generating new good ideas: What if we took all the money invested in AI right now, and instead invested that in transforming our system of *human* education?