Kevin Lala
@kevinlala.bsky.social
Evolution; animal behaviour; animal culture; human cognitive evolution; niche construction; anti-racism
#evolution #evodevo #philbio #philsci #animalculture #animalbehavior
#evolution #evodevo #philbio #philsci #animalculture #animalbehavior
Pinned
Kevin Lala
@kevinlala.bsky.social
· Jan 31
I love this new promo video about my new 'Evolution Evolving' book, produced by Magdalena Fischer. She did a fantastic job.
You can order 'Evolution Evolving' at shorturl.at/YZac0
@princetonupress.bsky.social
@drlynnchiu.bsky.social
#evolution #evodevo #behavior
You can order 'Evolution Evolving' at shorturl.at/YZac0
@princetonupress.bsky.social
@drlynnchiu.bsky.social
#evolution #evodevo #behavior
Reposted by Kevin Lala
📢 Here is my commentary about the pitfalls of taking an impoverished evolutionary approach to culture, which include 'the limitations of a unidirectional model of evolution' and 'the neglect of niche construction theory'. #ehbea #evolution #psychscisky 🧪
🧵 1/2
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🧵 1/2
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The pitfalls of an impoverished approach to culture: Commentary on Baumard and André
www.sciencedirect.com
November 5, 2025 at 1:00 PM
📢 Here is my commentary about the pitfalls of taking an impoverished evolutionary approach to culture, which include 'the limitations of a unidirectional model of evolution' and 'the neglect of niche construction theory'. #ehbea #evolution #psychscisky 🧪
🧵 1/2
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🧵 1/2
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Really interesting paper in PNAS showing that a mutation that protects against African sleeping sickness originates de novo significantly more frequently in Africans than in Europeans, replicating similar findings for sickle-cell. I interpret as developmental bias.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
De novo rates of a Trypanosoma-resistant mutation in two human populations | PNAS
Mutation rates have long been measured as averages across many genomic positions.
Recently, a method to measure the rates of individual mutations w...
www.pnas.org
November 10, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Really interesting paper in PNAS showing that a mutation that protects against African sleeping sickness originates de novo significantly more frequently in Africans than in Europeans, replicating similar findings for sickle-cell. I interpret as developmental bias.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A great review of my book "Evolution Evolving" by Simon Okholm in Metascience
"Evolving Evolution is no ordinary textbook, and that is part of its appeal, giving the reader a sense of cutting-edge discovery and intellectual adventure"
"Does development matter in evolution?" see shorturl.at/DxuK
"Evolving Evolution is no ordinary textbook, and that is part of its appeal, giving the reader a sense of cutting-edge discovery and intellectual adventure"
"Does development matter in evolution?" see shorturl.at/DxuK
November 5, 2025 at 1:38 PM
A great review of my book "Evolution Evolving" by Simon Okholm in Metascience
"Evolving Evolution is no ordinary textbook, and that is part of its appeal, giving the reader a sense of cutting-edge discovery and intellectual adventure"
"Does development matter in evolution?" see shorturl.at/DxuK
"Evolving Evolution is no ordinary textbook, and that is part of its appeal, giving the reader a sense of cutting-edge discovery and intellectual adventure"
"Does development matter in evolution?" see shorturl.at/DxuK
Reposted by Kevin Lala
📢 Our new article on relationship between height preferences and endorsement of gender norms.📢
We investigated whether adherence to the 'male taller norm' varied according to gender norm attitudes (heterosexual UK-based participants).
🧵1/5
🧪 #ehbea #psychscisky
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We investigated whether adherence to the 'male taller norm' varied according to gender norm attitudes (heterosexual UK-based participants).
🧵1/5
🧪 #ehbea #psychscisky
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Relationship between Height Preferences and Endorsement of Gender Norms - Human Nature
Height preferences when choosing a partner might reflect adaptive mating strategies, whereby tall men are deemed attractive to potential partners due to links with health and resource acquisition. How...
link.springer.com
October 15, 2025 at 2:23 PM
📢 Our new article on relationship between height preferences and endorsement of gender norms.📢
We investigated whether adherence to the 'male taller norm' varied according to gender norm attitudes (heterosexual UK-based participants).
🧵1/5
🧪 #ehbea #psychscisky
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
We investigated whether adherence to the 'male taller norm' varied according to gender norm attitudes (heterosexual UK-based participants).
🧵1/5
🧪 #ehbea #psychscisky
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Kevin Lala
EHBEA is looking for new PRESIDENT and SECRETARY for 2026-2029! 👀
If you know of anybody who could represent EHBEA, nominate them as president!
If you know with good organisational skills, nominate them as secretary!
DEADLINE: 16/12/2026
HERE IS THE FORM 👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
If you know of anybody who could represent EHBEA, nominate them as president!
If you know with good organisational skills, nominate them as secretary!
DEADLINE: 16/12/2026
HERE IS THE FORM 👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
EHBEACommitteeNominationForm_Pres_Sec.doc
EHBEA Committee 2026-2029: Nomination Form The EHBEA Steering Committee is calling for nominations for the following open committee positions for 2026-2029. You are invited to nominate one or more c...
docs.google.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:22 PM
EHBEA is looking for new PRESIDENT and SECRETARY for 2026-2029! 👀
If you know of anybody who could represent EHBEA, nominate them as president!
If you know with good organisational skills, nominate them as secretary!
DEADLINE: 16/12/2026
HERE IS THE FORM 👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
If you know of anybody who could represent EHBEA, nominate them as president!
If you know with good organisational skills, nominate them as secretary!
DEADLINE: 16/12/2026
HERE IS THE FORM 👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Upcoming talk by the historian of eugenics Marius Turda!
👉 wienerholocaustlibrary.org/event/findin...
🗓 Tuesday 4th November, 6.30pm, London
👉 wienerholocaustlibrary.org/event/findin...
🗓 Tuesday 4th November, 6.30pm, London
Finding Ivy exhibition talk: Disability, Dehumanisation and Extermination, with Prof Marius Turda - The Wiener Holocaust Library
Held as part of the Finding Ivy: a life worthy of life exhibition events series. In this talk Marius Turda will discuss the eugenically-driven and state-sponsored determination to eugenically ‘purify’...
wienerholocaustlibrary.org
October 8, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Upcoming talk by the historian of eugenics Marius Turda!
👉 wienerholocaustlibrary.org/event/findin...
🗓 Tuesday 4th November, 6.30pm, London
👉 wienerholocaustlibrary.org/event/findin...
🗓 Tuesday 4th November, 6.30pm, London
Loved this video by @shaunvids.bsky.social about The War on Science book. Its full of fascinating, yet disturbing, snippets about some of the world's most famous scientists. Gold.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyU5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyU5...
October 2, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Loved this video by @shaunvids.bsky.social about The War on Science book. Its full of fascinating, yet disturbing, snippets about some of the world's most famous scientists. Gold.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyU5...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyU5...
I was pleased and proud yesterday that the University of St Andrews invited esteemed journalist Gary Younge to give its 2025 Race Equality Lecture. Gary gave a fantastic talk, entitled "Equal Opportunities and Photo Opportunities", which was much appreciated by the large audience.
#race, #racism
#race, #racism
October 1, 2025 at 10:31 AM
"A network of privately funded political think tanks has popularized the falsehood that lawful desegregation and diversity measures are politically radical and socially destructive...In doing so, those think tanks represent the hyper-partisan political aims of wealthy donors, not the public".
Let’s all read @bradvivian.bsky.social instead:
Policies which promote equality, diversity & inclusion are GOOD for science; a few well-funded political thinktanks have flipped perceptions of this reality (ably helped by the “War on Science” crowd); facilitating actual state censorship of science
Policies which promote equality, diversity & inclusion are GOOD for science; a few well-funded political thinktanks have flipped perceptions of this reality (ably helped by the “War on Science” crowd); facilitating actual state censorship of science
An Open Letter to the George Mason University Board of Visitors
My Request to the Board: Defend Free Speech and Academic Freedom by Rejecting State Censorship and Political Interference
bradfordvivian.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
"A network of privately funded political think tanks has popularized the falsehood that lawful desegregation and diversity measures are politically radical and socially destructive...In doing so, those think tanks represent the hyper-partisan political aims of wealthy donors, not the public".
Reposted by Kevin Lala
We’re excited to launch the official BlueSky profile of ISHPSSB! Founded in 1998, we connect researchers in philosophy, history, and social studies of biology and medicine worldwide. Follow us for updates and events! #PhilosophyOfBiology, #HistoryOfScience, #STS, #Biology, #Medicine
September 7, 2025 at 2:21 PM
We’re excited to launch the official BlueSky profile of ISHPSSB! Founded in 1998, we connect researchers in philosophy, history, and social studies of biology and medicine worldwide. Follow us for updates and events! #PhilosophyOfBiology, #HistoryOfScience, #STS, #Biology, #Medicine
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Balanced and considered account of scientific racism in the evolutionary sciences and what academics can do to counter it:
Our article "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience" (with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social, @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marc Feldman) is now published online.
We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them.
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them.
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
September 12, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Balanced and considered account of scientific racism in the evolutionary sciences and what academics can do to counter it:
Reposted by Kevin Lala
The count down starts for #CESRabat! Follow @ces2026.bsky.social and join us May 11-13 next year for an exciting meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
Massive thanks to the #CESRabat organising committee:
Sarah Alami (co-chair)
Mathieu Charbonneau (co-chair)
Zachary Garfield
Edmond Seabright
Massive thanks to the #CESRabat organising committee:
Sarah Alami (co-chair)
Mathieu Charbonneau (co-chair)
Zachary Garfield
Edmond Seabright
September 13, 2025 at 3:14 AM
The count down starts for #CESRabat! Follow @ces2026.bsky.social and join us May 11-13 next year for an exciting meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
Massive thanks to the #CESRabat organising committee:
Sarah Alami (co-chair)
Mathieu Charbonneau (co-chair)
Zachary Garfield
Edmond Seabright
Massive thanks to the #CESRabat organising committee:
Sarah Alami (co-chair)
Mathieu Charbonneau (co-chair)
Zachary Garfield
Edmond Seabright
Reposted by Kevin Lala
📃 Check out the paper in BioScience:
"Cultural inheritance is driving a transition in human evolution" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
But, wait, is this bullshit?
"Cultural inheritance is driving a transition in human evolution" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
But, wait, is this bullshit?
Cultural inheritance is driving a transition in human evolution
Abstract. Previous research on a transition in human evolution has been befuddled by the complexity of adaptive culture and made little effort toward empir
academic.oup.com
September 15, 2025 at 4:16 PM
📃 Check out the paper in BioScience:
"Cultural inheritance is driving a transition in human evolution" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
But, wait, is this bullshit?
"Cultural inheritance is driving a transition in human evolution" academic.oup.com/bioscience/a...
But, wait, is this bullshit?
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Animals don’t just live in their environments—they transform them. And in doing so, they may also shape their own evolutionary trajectories. Our new paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution introduces a framework for zoogeochemical niche construction. A thread 👇
August 21, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Animals don’t just live in their environments—they transform them. And in doing so, they may also shape their own evolutionary trajectories. Our new paper in Trends in Ecology & Evolution introduces a framework for zoogeochemical niche construction. A thread 👇
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Lectured about the immigration restriction and Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s today, so I'm going to repost this piece on the Great Replacement Theory that drove white supremacists back then and that still drives them today.
The Not-So-Great Replacement Theory
Over the past few months, I’ve noticed a new round of references to the white supremacist “great replacement theory,” so I thought I’d offer a post to explain the dark corners from which this came and...
campaign-trails.ghost.io
September 10, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Lectured about the immigration restriction and Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s today, so I'm going to repost this piece on the Great Replacement Theory that drove white supremacists back then and that still drives them today.
Here is the link to a short blog that @kztwyman.bsky.social and I wrote about our article (with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Marc Feldman) entitled "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience":
www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...
www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...
Race Isn’t Biological — So Why Do So Many Still Think It Is? « Life Sciences# « Cambridge Core Blog
Even though findings from genetics and other sciences unequivocally refute biological conceptions of race, this erroneous viewpoint remains widespread among the general public. Why can’t scientists co...
www.cambridge.org
September 2, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Here is the link to a short blog that @kztwyman.bsky.social and I wrote about our article (with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Marc Feldman) entitled "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience":
www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...
www.cambridge.org/core/blog/20...
Our article "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience" (with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social, @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marc Feldman) is now published online.
We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them.
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them.
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
August 27, 2025 at 9:18 AM
Our article "Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience" (with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social, @kztwyman.bsky.social & Marc Feldman) is now published online.
We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them.
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
We describe five factors that contribute to the spread of racism and suggest strategies for countering them.
doi.org/10.1017/ehs....
Reposted by Kevin Lala
For those interested in my latest book, Trusting Science, here is a 30% discount code:
August 13, 2025 at 10:43 AM
For those interested in my latest book, Trusting Science, here is a 30% discount code:
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Balanced piece, including the opinion that EO Wilson made significant contributions to biological research and the acknowledgement that "Sociobiology lent evolutionary storytelling about human behavior and cognition an air of scientific legitimacy. That legacy is manifest today"
🚨 New, short article by myself, Clark Barrett and @kevinlala.bsky.social on the legacy of Wilson's 'Sociobiology: The New Synthesis', which was published 50 years ago.
@science.org #ehbea #histbiol #evobio #psyscisky
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate |Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@science.org #ehbea #histbiol #evobio #psyscisky
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate |Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate
What have we learned 50 years on?
www.science.org
August 11, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Balanced piece, including the opinion that EO Wilson made significant contributions to biological research and the acknowledgement that "Sociobiology lent evolutionary storytelling about human behavior and cognition an air of scientific legitimacy. That legacy is manifest today"
I'm pleased to share this new article by @svenkasser.bsky.social, Laura Fortunato @anthrolog.bsky.social, Marc Feldman and myself.
The article extends gene-culture coevolution to recognize evolutionary effects of culture arising through drift and migration.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The article extends gene-culture coevolution to recognize evolutionary effects of culture arising through drift and migration.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
August 13, 2025 at 1:54 PM
I'm pleased to share this new article by @svenkasser.bsky.social, Laura Fortunato @anthrolog.bsky.social, Marc Feldman and myself.
The article extends gene-culture coevolution to recognize evolutionary effects of culture arising through drift and migration.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
The article extends gene-culture coevolution to recognize evolutionary effects of culture arising through drift and migration.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Kevin Lala
New commentary in Science, with Gillian Brown and Kevin Lala, on the human sociobiology debate 50 years on: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate
What have we learned 50 years on?
www.science.org
August 8, 2025 at 3:11 PM
New commentary in Science, with Gillian Brown and Kevin Lala, on the human sociobiology debate 50 years on: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Very happy to share this article, coauthored with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Clark Barrett, on the contemporary relevance of the human sociobiology debate, 50 years after publication of Wilson's landmark book.
🚨 New, short article by myself, Clark Barrett and @kevinlala.bsky.social on the legacy of Wilson's 'Sociobiology: The New Synthesis', which was published 50 years ago.
@science.org #ehbea #histbiol #evobio #psyscisky
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate |Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
@science.org #ehbea #histbiol #evobio #psyscisky
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate |Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Revisiting the human sociobiology debate
What have we learned 50 years on?
www.science.org
August 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Very happy to share this article, coauthored with @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Clark Barrett, on the contemporary relevance of the human sociobiology debate, 50 years after publication of Wilson's landmark book.
Thanks to Tim Lewens for a wonderful review of our 'Evolution Evolving' book.
"In this exceptionally ambitious and impressive book, Lala and collaborators... show how an understanding of development is essential to an understanding of evolution"
Read it here: shorturl.at/mgGEm
#evolution #evodevo
"In this exceptionally ambitious and impressive book, Lala and collaborators... show how an understanding of development is essential to an understanding of evolution"
Read it here: shorturl.at/mgGEm
#evolution #evodevo
Development developing - Biology & Philosophy
Lala et al.’s (2024) Evolution Evolving is an excellent book. It offers a compelling case for the relevance of development to the study of evolution. It takes a pluralistic stance on the forms of unde...
shorturl.at
July 30, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Thanks to Tim Lewens for a wonderful review of our 'Evolution Evolving' book.
"In this exceptionally ambitious and impressive book, Lala and collaborators... show how an understanding of development is essential to an understanding of evolution"
Read it here: shorturl.at/mgGEm
#evolution #evodevo
"In this exceptionally ambitious and impressive book, Lala and collaborators... show how an understanding of development is essential to an understanding of evolution"
Read it here: shorturl.at/mgGEm
#evolution #evodevo
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Really happy to share this article I'm grateful to have been a part of: 'Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience' coauthored with @kevinlala.bsky.social, @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Marcus Feldman. Check out a preprint here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
July 28, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Really happy to share this article I'm grateful to have been a part of: 'Impediments to countering racist pseudoscience' coauthored with @kevinlala.bsky.social, @gillianrbrown1.bsky.social and Marcus Feldman. Check out a preprint here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
#ScientificRacism #Antiracism
Reposted by Kevin Lala
Excellent talk by @rebeccasear.bsky.social at @ishpssb2025.bsky.social on maintenance of scientific racism in contemporary academic literature.
Academic journals play a role in platforming scientific racism (eg failure to retract articles using fradulent 'national IQ dataset').
#ishpssb2025 #ehbea
Academic journals play a role in platforming scientific racism (eg failure to retract articles using fradulent 'national IQ dataset').
#ishpssb2025 #ehbea
July 25, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Excellent talk by @rebeccasear.bsky.social at @ishpssb2025.bsky.social on maintenance of scientific racism in contemporary academic literature.
Academic journals play a role in platforming scientific racism (eg failure to retract articles using fradulent 'national IQ dataset').
#ishpssb2025 #ehbea
Academic journals play a role in platforming scientific racism (eg failure to retract articles using fradulent 'national IQ dataset').
#ishpssb2025 #ehbea