Josep Gasol
@josepgasol.com
Philosopher | PhD student at University of Pardubice 🇨🇿 | #firstgen | Doing research on philosophy of animal mind and its intersection with applied ethics. 🐳🧠🐝🦑🌱
(He/him)
🌐 josepgasol.com
(He/him)
🌐 josepgasol.com
Reposted by Josep Gasol
The intelligence of slime mold is that of its materials
All of Physarum's intelligent behaviors can be explained by physics, as in non-living materials (e.g., water following the path of least resistance), and do not require a representation of the problem.
(preprint) arxiv.org/pdf/2511.08531
All of Physarum's intelligent behaviors can be explained by physics, as in non-living materials (e.g., water following the path of least resistance), and do not require a representation of the problem.
(preprint) arxiv.org/pdf/2511.08531
November 15, 2025 at 10:41 AM
The intelligence of slime mold is that of its materials
All of Physarum's intelligent behaviors can be explained by physics, as in non-living materials (e.g., water following the path of least resistance), and do not require a representation of the problem.
(preprint) arxiv.org/pdf/2511.08531
All of Physarum's intelligent behaviors can be explained by physics, as in non-living materials (e.g., water following the path of least resistance), and do not require a representation of the problem.
(preprint) arxiv.org/pdf/2511.08531
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Our special issue on Evolutionary Functions of Consciousness, coedited with Tecumseh Fitch and Adina Roskies, now online royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
Contributions by (1) Irina Mikhalevich; (2) Eva Jablonka and Simona Ginsburg; (3) Nicholas Humphrey; (cont'd)
Contributions by (1) Irina Mikhalevich; (2) Eva Jablonka and Simona Ginsburg; (3) Nicholas Humphrey; (cont'd)
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: Vol 380, No 1939
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 13, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Our special issue on Evolutionary Functions of Consciousness, coedited with Tecumseh Fitch and Adina Roskies, now online royalsocietypublishing.org/toc/rstb/202...
Contributions by (1) Irina Mikhalevich; (2) Eva Jablonka and Simona Ginsburg; (3) Nicholas Humphrey; (cont'd)
Contributions by (1) Irina Mikhalevich; (2) Eva Jablonka and Simona Ginsburg; (3) Nicholas Humphrey; (cont'd)
Reposted by Josep Gasol
I set out to write a story about the practical ills of salmon farming (and I did), but also found an even bigger story kinda hidden in plain sight: How humanity is speedrunning the domestication of hundreds of aquatic species, and what it means for them.
November 13, 2025 at 5:48 PM
I set out to write a story about the practical ills of salmon farming (and I did), but also found an even bigger story kinda hidden in plain sight: How humanity is speedrunning the domestication of hundreds of aquatic species, and what it means for them.
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son who have been left abandoned in a grimy theme park tank, have been found dead.
The two orcas were abandoned and left to suffer at the closed Marineland Antibes park in France.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...
The two orcas were abandoned and left to suffer at the closed Marineland Antibes park in France.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...
Two orcas appear dead in filthy tank - when they see drone it's even more tragic
Concerns are growing for orcas Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son duo left abandoned in a grimy them park tank, with haunting footage of their lonely fate reducing animal lovers to tears
www.mirror.co.uk
November 12, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Wikie and Keijo, a mother and son who have been left abandoned in a grimy theme park tank, have been found dead.
The two orcas were abandoned and left to suffer at the closed Marineland Antibes park in France.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...
The two orcas were abandoned and left to suffer at the closed Marineland Antibes park in France.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-n...
Reposted by Josep Gasol
No, they really haven't. Calling spectral peaks vowels is as inane as saying that because my washing up gloves are also yellow, they have the same nutritional content as a banana. Zero evidence of vowel-like function. It's pure clickbait, and a new low in irresponsible claims from this group 🙄🐳🦑🧪
CETI scientists have discovered vowel and diphthong-like patterns in sperm whale communication! Read: bit.ly/3WSn9rc
By: @begus.bsky.social, Ronald Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva & Shane Gero.
@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social, @umich.edu, @carleton.ca, @csail.mit.edu
Animation: Meghan Fenske
By: @begus.bsky.social, Ronald Sprouse, Andrej Leban, Miles Silva & Shane Gero.
@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social, @umich.edu, @carleton.ca, @csail.mit.edu
Animation: Meghan Fenske
November 12, 2025 at 4:55 PM
No, they really haven't. Calling spectral peaks vowels is as inane as saying that because my washing up gloves are also yellow, they have the same nutritional content as a banana. Zero evidence of vowel-like function. It's pure clickbait, and a new low in irresponsible claims from this group 🙄🐳🦑🧪
Today I presented my research proposal at the PhD seminar; very pleased with all the comments and questions to continue improving and trying to iterate this first draft. #philosophy #philsky
November 11, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Today I presented my research proposal at the PhD seminar; very pleased with all the comments and questions to continue improving and trying to iterate this first draft. #philosophy #philsky
Reposted by Josep Gasol
1/7 Vocal mimicry, robots, and music
The ability to mimic sounds could be extremely common among corvids. Here, it has been found in 39 species (30%), but it is predicted that it could be present in around 82% of them.
(paper) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The ability to mimic sounds could be extremely common among corvids. Here, it has been found in 39 species (30%), but it is predicted that it could be present in around 82% of them.
(paper) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
November 10, 2025 at 7:25 PM
1/7 Vocal mimicry, robots, and music
The ability to mimic sounds could be extremely common among corvids. Here, it has been found in 39 species (30%), but it is predicted that it could be present in around 82% of them.
(paper) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The ability to mimic sounds could be extremely common among corvids. Here, it has been found in 39 species (30%), but it is predicted that it could be present in around 82% of them.
(paper) link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Which animals do you co-construct behaviours with? Read our new paper and get inspired! @anthrofuentes.bsky.social Thank you to @carlsbergfondet.dk, @aiasdk.bsky.social and the John F. Templeton Foundation
Great new paper by @mfhansen.bsky.social and Agustin Fuentes on human-macaque co-existence link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Human-macaque Co-construction of Behaviours: Sharing Spaces, Sharing Food, Sharing Lives - International Journal of Primatology
Humans and other-than-human-animals (animals) share spaces, food, and lives. This gives rise to possibilities of interspecific learning, social facilitation and interspecific communication, and the po...
link.springer.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Which animals do you co-construct behaviours with? Read our new paper and get inspired! @anthrofuentes.bsky.social Thank you to @carlsbergfondet.dk, @aiasdk.bsky.social and the John F. Templeton Foundation
Reposted by Josep Gasol
1/2 Lethal violence in bonobos
On February 18, five females fatally beat a male at the LuiKotale Bonobo Project (Congo). The authors believe this may have been due to a minor attack on a baby two days earlier. The details are horrific.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
On February 18, five females fatally beat a male at the LuiKotale Bonobo Project (Congo). The authors believe this may have been due to a minor attack on a baby two days earlier. The details are horrific.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
November 8, 2025 at 7:53 PM
1/2 Lethal violence in bonobos
On February 18, five females fatally beat a male at the LuiKotale Bonobo Project (Congo). The authors believe this may have been due to a minor attack on a baby two days earlier. The details are horrific.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
On February 18, five females fatally beat a male at the LuiKotale Bonobo Project (Congo). The authors believe this may have been due to a minor attack on a baby two days earlier. The details are horrific.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Josep Gasol
This is an interesting article that categorizes 350 theories of consciousness.
(blog) www.newscientist.com/article/2498...
And it works perfectly as an introduction to exploring the Closer to Truth website, where the topics are compiled and explained one by one.
(blog) loc.closertotruth.com/map
(blog) www.newscientist.com/article/2498...
And it works perfectly as an introduction to exploring the Closer to Truth website, where the topics are compiled and explained one by one.
(blog) loc.closertotruth.com/map
November 5, 2025 at 7:31 AM
This is an interesting article that categorizes 350 theories of consciousness.
(blog) www.newscientist.com/article/2498...
And it works perfectly as an introduction to exploring the Closer to Truth website, where the topics are compiled and explained one by one.
(blog) loc.closertotruth.com/map
(blog) www.newscientist.com/article/2498...
And it works perfectly as an introduction to exploring the Closer to Truth website, where the topics are compiled and explained one by one.
(blog) loc.closertotruth.com/map
Reposted by Josep Gasol
November 3, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Reposted by Josep Gasol
You've probably heard of deathbots, but did you know about break-up bots? It's possible to create a digital duplicates of an ex and chat to them as if they never left in the 1st place. In my forthcoming paper in Phenom & the Cog Sciences, I discuss 3 factors against continuing bonds w ex-bots/1
Pilar Lopez-Cantero, The ethics of break-up chatbots - PhilPapers
This paper offers the first normative analysis of break-up chatbots, which simulate an ex-partner's conversational style. I argue that technologies that have the (potential) aim of fostering continuin...
philpapers.org
November 3, 2025 at 10:05 AM
You've probably heard of deathbots, but did you know about break-up bots? It's possible to create a digital duplicates of an ex and chat to them as if they never left in the 1st place. In my forthcoming paper in Phenom & the Cog Sciences, I discuss 3 factors against continuing bonds w ex-bots/1
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs
The selective revision of beliefs in light of new evidence has been considered one of the hallmarks of human-level rationality. However, tests of this ability in other species are lacking. We examined...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Kudos to my friend Troy Vettese for this important essay in Current Affairs--"The Left Has Failed Animals."
"Even among self-described 'ecosocialists,' the lives of animals are often treated as an afterthought."
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-lef...
@currentaffairs.bsky.social
"Even among self-described 'ecosocialists,' the lives of animals are often treated as an afterthought."
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-lef...
@currentaffairs.bsky.social
The Left Has Failed Animals
Even among self-described “ecosocialists,” the lives of animals are often treated as an afterthought. We can, and must, do better.
www.currentaffairs.org
October 30, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Kudos to my friend Troy Vettese for this important essay in Current Affairs--"The Left Has Failed Animals."
"Even among self-described 'ecosocialists,' the lives of animals are often treated as an afterthought."
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-lef...
@currentaffairs.bsky.social
"Even among self-described 'ecosocialists,' the lives of animals are often treated as an afterthought."
www.currentaffairs.org/news/the-lef...
@currentaffairs.bsky.social
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Tao on the USA destroying what made it great - it’s universities
Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending'
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Tao on the USA destroying what made it great - it’s universities
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Cool events ahead!
October 29, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Cool events ahead!
Astonishing views from our PhD office. 📍University of Pardubice, 14th floor, EA building. Česká republika.
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Astonishing views from our PhD office. 📍University of Pardubice, 14th floor, EA building. Česká republika.
Reposted by Josep Gasol
The use of tools by pandas
This is the first evidence of this behavior (n 18; captive environment). They use branches, bamboo, and other objects to scratch themselves, especially the young ones. Interestingly, they use their false thumb for this.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
This is the first evidence of this behavior (n 18; captive environment). They use branches, bamboo, and other objects to scratch themselves, especially the young ones. Interestingly, they use their false thumb for this.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
October 28, 2025 at 6:47 PM
The use of tools by pandas
This is the first evidence of this behavior (n 18; captive environment). They use branches, bamboo, and other objects to scratch themselves, especially the young ones. Interestingly, they use their false thumb for this.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
This is the first evidence of this behavior (n 18; captive environment). They use branches, bamboo, and other objects to scratch themselves, especially the young ones. Interestingly, they use their false thumb for this.
(paper) www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Bee positive! 🐝 A new study found evidence for positive affective contagion in bumblebees, this is an exciting direction for studying affect and emotion beyond vertebrates 🧪 #CompCogPapers #AffectiveScience #ComparativeCognition #BumbleBee #SocialBehavior #AnimalBehavior #Invertebrate #Insect
Exciting new work from former team members Eric Romero, Cwyn Solvi, Fei Peng and colleagues makes the cover of Science: affective contagion in bumblebees! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
October 28, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Bee positive! 🐝 A new study found evidence for positive affective contagion in bumblebees, this is an exciting direction for studying affect and emotion beyond vertebrates 🧪 #CompCogPapers #AffectiveScience #ComparativeCognition #BumbleBee #SocialBehavior #AnimalBehavior #Invertebrate #Insect
Reposted by Josep Gasol
📢 Vuelve el Seminario de Doctorandos BioKoinos-METIS!
🗓️ 29 oct. 16h (CET). Sala 0.6, Humanidades UNED & online
💠Gabriel Corda (CONICET, UBA): ¿Los animales reviven mentalmente los eventos pasados?
Comenta: Elena Ostos (UGA)
+ info: goo.su/abUfX7e
#MenteAnimal #MemoriaEpisódica
🗓️ 29 oct. 16h (CET). Sala 0.6, Humanidades UNED & online
💠Gabriel Corda (CONICET, UBA): ¿Los animales reviven mentalmente los eventos pasados?
Comenta: Elena Ostos (UGA)
+ info: goo.su/abUfX7e
#MenteAnimal #MemoriaEpisódica
October 28, 2025 at 6:42 AM
📢 Vuelve el Seminario de Doctorandos BioKoinos-METIS!
🗓️ 29 oct. 16h (CET). Sala 0.6, Humanidades UNED & online
💠Gabriel Corda (CONICET, UBA): ¿Los animales reviven mentalmente los eventos pasados?
Comenta: Elena Ostos (UGA)
+ info: goo.su/abUfX7e
#MenteAnimal #MemoriaEpisódica
🗓️ 29 oct. 16h (CET). Sala 0.6, Humanidades UNED & online
💠Gabriel Corda (CONICET, UBA): ¿Los animales reviven mentalmente los eventos pasados?
Comenta: Elena Ostos (UGA)
+ info: goo.su/abUfX7e
#MenteAnimal #MemoriaEpisódica
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Excited to share our latest paper in Behavioral Ecology! 🐟 🦐 🚤
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
Fieldwork on the Great Barrier Reef revealed species-specific responses to noise pollution from different boat engines.
@jake-m-martin.bsky.social
@bbmwong.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
Fieldwork on the Great Barrier Reef revealed species-specific responses to noise pollution from different boat engines.
@jake-m-martin.bsky.social
@bbmwong.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 11:52 PM
Excited to share our latest paper in Behavioral Ecology! 🐟 🦐 🚤
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
Fieldwork on the Great Barrier Reef revealed species-specific responses to noise pollution from different boat engines.
@jake-m-martin.bsky.social
@bbmwong.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1093/behe...
Fieldwork on the Great Barrier Reef revealed species-specific responses to noise pollution from different boat engines.
@jake-m-martin.bsky.social
@bbmwong.bsky.social
Reposted by Josep Gasol
My morning starts with watching the movements of a deep-sea octopus courtesy of @nautiluslive.org. Totally captivating: click through for video. #octopus #cephalopod #nature #deepsea #ocean 🧪
“It Seemingly Put On An Otherworldly Show”: Watch As This Beautiful Deep-Sea Octopus Glides Gracefully Through The Ocean
“It felt wild to see this cephalopod!"
www.iflscience.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:20 PM
My morning starts with watching the movements of a deep-sea octopus courtesy of @nautiluslive.org. Totally captivating: click through for video. #octopus #cephalopod #nature #deepsea #ocean 🧪
Reposted by Josep Gasol
Our Talking Animals series is back! 🎉
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Talking Animals, Law & Philosophy series presents a year-long programme of distinguished speakers.
The first talk will be presented by Marc Bekoff (colorado.edu) on 18th November, 5-6.30pm (UK time) on Zoom. (1/2)
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Talking Animals, Law & Philosophy series presents a year-long programme of distinguished speakers.
The first talk will be presented by Marc Bekoff (colorado.edu) on 18th November, 5-6.30pm (UK time) on Zoom. (1/2)
October 22, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Our Talking Animals series is back! 🎉
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Talking Animals, Law & Philosophy series presents a year-long programme of distinguished speakers.
The first talk will be presented by Marc Bekoff (colorado.edu) on 18th November, 5-6.30pm (UK time) on Zoom. (1/2)
In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Talking Animals, Law & Philosophy series presents a year-long programme of distinguished speakers.
The first talk will be presented by Marc Bekoff (colorado.edu) on 18th November, 5-6.30pm (UK time) on Zoom. (1/2)
Reposted by Josep Gasol
In a paper under review @abigaildesmond.bsky.social and I argue that self-directed tool use should be the most common form of novel (and possibly temporary) tool use, because of the immediacy of the feedback and the stability of the self as an environment. Fingers crossed it survives review!
🧪🪮🐼
🧪🪮🐼
October 21, 2025 at 10:09 AM
In a paper under review @abigaildesmond.bsky.social and I argue that self-directed tool use should be the most common form of novel (and possibly temporary) tool use, because of the immediacy of the feedback and the stability of the self as an environment. Fingers crossed it survives review!
🧪🪮🐼
🧪🪮🐼