Rob Noble
@robjohnnoble.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer (≡ associate professor) in applied maths, investigating the evolution and ecology of cancer. Dad of two small kids. On sabbatical @isemevol.bsky.social 🇫🇷 (otherwise @citystgeorges.bsky.social 🇬🇧)
robjohnnoble.github.io
robjohnnoble.github.io
Pinned
Rob Noble
@robjohnnoble.bsky.social
· Nov 19
Save the date! On behalf of the Society, I’m delighted to announce that the next International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer conference will be taking place in Hersonissos, Crete, on May 21-24, 2026. Abstract submissions will open soon. More details: www.evocancer.com
Kinda depressing that fourteen of these twenty cinema "highlights" of 2026 are sequels, of which around half belong to franchises more than thirty years old. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I'm amazed the studios can sustain interest in Star Wars episode 37, X Men 17, Spiderman 23, etc.
Film lookahead: Twenty highlights to watch out for in 2026
We look ahead to 20 notable films to watch for in 2026, from Oscar hopefuls to potential blockbusters.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 28, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Kinda depressing that fourteen of these twenty cinema "highlights" of 2026 are sequels, of which around half belong to franchises more than thirty years old. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I'm amazed the studios can sustain interest in Star Wars episode 37, X Men 17, Spiderman 23, etc.
Got me some top quality presents by @matthewcobb.bsky.social and dodosocks.com/en
December 25, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Got me some top quality presents by @matthewcobb.bsky.social and dodosocks.com/en
Today I was pondering why US right wingers and tech bros prefer fighting to other sports. I guess it's partly the spectacle but also they can keep swaggering when they lose as the outcome is relative to only one opponent. If they tried running or weightlifting their mediorcrity would be measurable.
December 21, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Today I was pondering why US right wingers and tech bros prefer fighting to other sports. I guess it's partly the spectacle but also they can keep swaggering when they lose as the outcome is relative to only one opponent. If they tried running or weightlifting their mediorcrity would be measurable.
No contest. Just read the first two sentences of the abstract. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
All right it’s time for the annual “please tell us about one (or a few if you are ambitious) paper from 2025 that really impressed you and why we should all read it“! Go! If you tell us how it changed your view of the world and what makes it so powerful and consequential It would be excellent.
December 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
No contest. Just read the first two sentences of the abstract. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hooper's rule says the age of a hedge correlates with the number of tree and shrub species it contains. I wonder if anyone's tested whether the same applies to kitchens and types of teaspoon, toolboxes and screwdrivers, or offices and ballpoint pens.
December 20, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Hooper's rule says the age of a hedge correlates with the number of tree and shrub species it contains. I wonder if anyone's tested whether the same applies to kitchens and types of teaspoon, toolboxes and screwdrivers, or offices and ballpoint pens.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Wow this is a seriously serious supplementary figure from @cellpress.bsky.social today. Panels A through UU.
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
December 17, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Wow this is a seriously serious supplementary figure from @cellpress.bsky.social today. Panels A through UU.
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Abstract submission is now open for the 2026 ISEEC Conference (21st-24th May in Crete). The theme is human-tech cooperation for the evolutionary management of cancer but we welcome submissions on all topics related to evolution, ecology and cancer. Submit abstracts by 10th Jan via www.evocancer.com
ISEEC
The International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer
www.evocancer.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Abstract submission is now open for the 2026 ISEEC Conference (21st-24th May in Crete). The theme is human-tech cooperation for the evolutionary management of cancer but we welcome submissions on all topics related to evolution, ecology and cancer. Submit abstracts by 10th Jan via www.evocancer.com
I'll be impressed when AI can tell me which naan is which
December 12, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I'll be impressed when AI can tell me which naan is which
Greatly enjoyed @lonnibesancon.bsky.social's talk at @citystgeorges.bsky.social today on how he became a research-integrity sleuth doing difficult, massively important work with @elisabethbik.bsky.social and others to expose dodgy research. Advice for sleuths: "Be critical without being accusing."
December 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Greatly enjoyed @lonnibesancon.bsky.social's talk at @citystgeorges.bsky.social today on how he became a research-integrity sleuth doing difficult, massively important work with @elisabethbik.bsky.social and others to expose dodgy research. Advice for sleuths: "Be critical without being accusing."
I'll continue not submitting papers and turning down all offers to review for @royalsociety.org journals so long as the society fails to stand up for the scientific community and for the values it claims to believe in.
The latest from an honored member of the Royal Society. Every week he attacks the foundations of society in the UK and the EU and @royalsociety.org is apparently too worried about retribution to do anything about it.
December 7, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I'll continue not submitting papers and turning down all offers to review for @royalsociety.org journals so long as the society fails to stand up for the scientific community and for the values it claims to believe in.
This is tragic. But I'm not sure I'd bet on law, either.
My teen, who had dreamt of being an astrophysicist, just told me he wants to go to law school because, “Science isn’t going to be a priority in the US in the future…I don’t want a job where I’ll be constantly worried my funding will be taken away.”
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
December 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
This is tragic. But I'm not sure I'd bet on law, either.
East Oxford pub The Cowley Owl is being relaunched as a French winebar. C'est vachement chouette.
December 6, 2025 at 6:57 PM
East Oxford pub The Cowley Owl is being relaunched as a French winebar. C'est vachement chouette.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Temu ACIP has just voted to discontinue the recommendation for the birth dose of HBV vaccine against the advice of all scientific experts.
They have now established beyond a shadow of doubt that they are not a legitimate scientific body.
Meissner says “we are doing harm”.
They have now established beyond a shadow of doubt that they are not a legitimate scientific body.
Meissner says “we are doing harm”.
December 5, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Temu ACIP has just voted to discontinue the recommendation for the birth dose of HBV vaccine against the advice of all scientific experts.
They have now established beyond a shadow of doubt that they are not a legitimate scientific body.
Meissner says “we are doing harm”.
They have now established beyond a shadow of doubt that they are not a legitimate scientific body.
Meissner says “we are doing harm”.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Are you an evolutionary biologist? Would you like to support your society journal? We are looking for new editorial board members across the field of evolutionary biology:
🧬🌿🪰🐀🦀🔬🧫🦠🐟🐦🧑💻🪸🦎
Learn more and find out how to apply: jevbio.net/call-for-edi...
DEADLINE 19th January 2026 📣
🧬🌿🪰🐀🦀🔬🧫🦠🐟🐦🧑💻🪸🦎
Learn more and find out how to apply: jevbio.net/call-for-edi...
DEADLINE 19th January 2026 📣
December 4, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Are you an evolutionary biologist? Would you like to support your society journal? We are looking for new editorial board members across the field of evolutionary biology:
🧬🌿🪰🐀🦀🔬🧫🦠🐟🐦🧑💻🪸🦎
Learn more and find out how to apply: jevbio.net/call-for-edi...
DEADLINE 19th January 2026 📣
🧬🌿🪰🐀🦀🔬🧫🦠🐟🐦🧑💻🪸🦎
Learn more and find out how to apply: jevbio.net/call-for-edi...
DEADLINE 19th January 2026 📣
The art of running a marathon is to reach the brink of exhaustion precisely as one approaches the finish line. Sometimes it's the same writing a grant proposal.
December 1, 2025 at 6:53 PM
The art of running a marathon is to reach the brink of exhaustion precisely as one approaches the finish line. Sometimes it's the same writing a grant proposal.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Great opportunity for those interested in fundamental questions in evolutionary biology and mathematical models: postdoc opening in Laurent Lehmann’s group @unil.bsky.social. We have a lively community of theorists here in Lausanne with good interactions across groups. Join us ! Please RP
Open postdoc position in Theoretical Evolutionary Biology at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, focusing on mathematical models of social traits. Details: https://tinyurl.com/37uhtbne #postdoc
December 1, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Great opportunity for those interested in fundamental questions in evolutionary biology and mathematical models: postdoc opening in Laurent Lehmann’s group @unil.bsky.social. We have a lively community of theorists here in Lausanne with good interactions across groups. Join us ! Please RP
Back in the UK after three months in France, pretty much the first thing I did was cross the street to order a jalfrezi. Montpellier is very lovely but could use more green chillis.
November 30, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Back in the UK after three months in France, pretty much the first thing I did was cross the street to order a jalfrezi. Montpellier is very lovely but could use more green chillis.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Improving two-step cancer treatment strategies based on evolutionary models, but above all a nice evolutionary rescue model that should be of interest to everyone. #PopGen #CanEcoEvo
Now free to read in Genetics (@genetics-gsa.bsky.social): "Preventing evolutionary rescue in cancer using two-strike therapy" #mathonco study by @srishtipatil.bsky.social, @armaanahmed.bsky.social, Yannick Viossat and me, determining the optimal time to switch treatments. doi.org/10.1093/gene...
Preventing evolutionary rescue in cancer using two-strike therapy
Abstract. First-line cancer treatment frequently fails due to initially rare therapeutic resistance. An important clinical question is then how to schedule
doi.org
November 29, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Improving two-step cancer treatment strategies based on evolutionary models, but above all a nice evolutionary rescue model that should be of interest to everyone. #PopGen #CanEcoEvo
Now free to read in Genetics (@genetics-gsa.bsky.social): "Preventing evolutionary rescue in cancer using two-strike therapy" #mathonco study by @srishtipatil.bsky.social, @armaanahmed.bsky.social, Yannick Viossat and me, determining the optimal time to switch treatments. doi.org/10.1093/gene...
Preventing evolutionary rescue in cancer using two-strike therapy
Abstract. First-line cancer treatment frequently fails due to initially rare therapeutic resistance. An important clinical question is then how to schedule
doi.org
November 29, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Now free to read in Genetics (@genetics-gsa.bsky.social): "Preventing evolutionary rescue in cancer using two-strike therapy" #mathonco study by @srishtipatil.bsky.social, @armaanahmed.bsky.social, Yannick Viossat and me, determining the optimal time to switch treatments. doi.org/10.1093/gene...
Reposted by Rob Noble
"Santa at Nearly the Speed of Light" considers the physics of visiting 800 million homes in just 34 hours www.fnal.gov/pub/ferminew...
FermiNews - December 11, 1998
www.fnal.gov
November 27, 2025 at 7:58 PM
"Santa at Nearly the Speed of Light" considers the physics of visiting 800 million homes in just 34 hours www.fnal.gov/pub/ferminew...
New preprint led by PhD student Kim Verity: Evolutionary tree balance predicts disease-free survival in the TRACERx non-small cell lung cancer cohort
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
Evolutionary tree balance predicts disease-free survival in the TRACERx non-small cell lung cancer cohort
Methods for quantifying and classifying modes of tumour evolution promise to enable more personalised prognostic forecasting and treatment optimisation. We recently developed an approach to quantifyin...
www.medrxiv.org
November 25, 2025 at 7:35 PM
New preprint led by PhD student Kim Verity: Evolutionary tree balance predicts disease-free survival in the TRACERx non-small cell lung cancer cohort
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...
1/n
Reposted by Rob Noble
![R. H. Bing (October 20, 1914 – April 28, 1986)[1] was an American mathematician who worked mainly in the areas of geometric topology and continuum theory.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreid62wy3dekb2kzbisjfdlimlb35j4rlgew5iof7vi32byfszmg26a@jpeg)
![Bing's father was named Rupert Henry, but Bing's mother thought that "Rupert Henry" was too British for Texas. Thus she compromised by abbreviating it to R. H.[5] Consequently, R. H. does not stand for a first or middle name.
When Bing was applying for a visa, he was requested not to use initials. He explained that his name was really "R-only H-only Bing", and ended up receiving a visa made out to "Ronly Honly Bing".](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cyyd366g3hrxp5rynixm2mm3/bafkreigmfj53q4uy33spga2bxdkllqm3ag5sffovg5g7ddmu3vqzkb6k24@jpeg)
Reposted by Rob Noble
Image screening is going to fail. We need audit trails for data provenance.
I tried an even harder example on Gemini Pro image generation and this is quite scary/amazing. I asked for a microscopy image of around 20 HeLa cells, GFP tagged 20% nuclear, 10% membrane, +1 nuclear staining, + overlap. Image below and prompt in the following post.
November 22, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Image screening is going to fail. We need audit trails for data provenance.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Another thing that is making this an "interesting" time to be the head of Integrity in Publishing at a scientific publisher 🥲
We really need major oversight at institutions, before things are sent for publication. Data provenance is key.
We really need major oversight at institutions, before things are sent for publication. Data provenance is key.
I tried an even harder example on Gemini Pro image generation and this is quite scary/amazing. I asked for a microscopy image of around 20 HeLa cells, GFP tagged 20% nuclear, 10% membrane, +1 nuclear staining, + overlap. Image below and prompt in the following post.
November 22, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Another thing that is making this an "interesting" time to be the head of Integrity in Publishing at a scientific publisher 🥲
We really need major oversight at institutions, before things are sent for publication. Data provenance is key.
We really need major oversight at institutions, before things are sent for publication. Data provenance is key.
This is so very Brighton. "An anti-racist library exhibition featuring a reimagined union flag has been cancelled because the council fears it could inadvertently upset minority groups."
Context: Brighton's a city of sanctuary for migrants and refugees and its libraries are Libraries of Sanctuary.
Context: Brighton's a city of sanctuary for migrants and refugees and its libraries are Libraries of Sanctuary.
Anti-racist flag exhibition cancelled by council
Anti-racist flag exhibition cancelled by council
An anti-racist library exhibition featuring a reimagined union flag has been cancelled because the council fears it could inadvertently upset minority groups. The show features artist Gil Mualem-Doron’s New Union Flag, made up using textiles from the UK’s diverse communities, alongside two new flags. It has previously been displayed at the Tate Modern, Southbank Centre […]
dlvr.it
November 21, 2025 at 11:50 AM
This is so very Brighton. "An anti-racist library exhibition featuring a reimagined union flag has been cancelled because the council fears it could inadvertently upset minority groups."
Context: Brighton's a city of sanctuary for migrants and refugees and its libraries are Libraries of Sanctuary.
Context: Brighton's a city of sanctuary for migrants and refugees and its libraries are Libraries of Sanctuary.