Louie Rombaut, PhD
@zoological.bsky.social
Interested in evolutionary theory and phylogenetic comparative methods. Cat enthusiast!
The obsession with the relative size of gametes only makes sense in certain research contexts. It is misguided to make human policy out of that definition. A nuanced understanding of human sex and gender can coexist with curiosity about the general male-female pattern we see across species.
February 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
The obsession with the relative size of gametes only makes sense in certain research contexts. It is misguided to make human policy out of that definition. A nuanced understanding of human sex and gender can coexist with curiosity about the general male-female pattern we see across species.
I think it’s the terminology that rubs people the wrong way. There’s a whole spectrum of distributions that can be called a ‘spectrum’ from unimodal, to uniform to bimodal. Similarly, I don’t think any biologist would insist that ‘binary’ means no ambiguities ever.
February 11, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I think it’s the terminology that rubs people the wrong way. There’s a whole spectrum of distributions that can be called a ‘spectrum’ from unimodal, to uniform to bimodal. Similarly, I don’t think any biologist would insist that ‘binary’ means no ambiguities ever.
A lot of people who actually agree on the facts are talking past each other. Practicing scientists routinely use a binary model of sex while fully aware that ambiguous cases exist in every species at a low rate. In the context of this EO it is more relevant to emphasize the latter.
February 11, 2025 at 5:48 PM
A lot of people who actually agree on the facts are talking past each other. Practicing scientists routinely use a binary model of sex while fully aware that ambiguous cases exist in every species at a low rate. In the context of this EO it is more relevant to emphasize the latter.
I first encountered rigorous MLS in Sean Rice’s Evolutionary Theory, and I have to admit that it struck me as ‘heretical’ at first. If someone had come up to me with only a verbal argument for MLS I’d have thought they were a crank! I was raised on Dawkins like many in my generation.
February 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I first encountered rigorous MLS in Sean Rice’s Evolutionary Theory, and I have to admit that it struck me as ‘heretical’ at first. If someone had come up to me with only a verbal argument for MLS I’d have thought they were a crank! I was raised on Dawkins like many in my generation.
Reposted by Louie Rombaut, PhD
February 3, 2025 at 5:20 AM
I really love learning uplifting and important facts, but may I suggest also including links to primary sources? Keep up the good work!
January 26, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I really love learning uplifting and important facts, but may I suggest also including links to primary sources? Keep up the good work!
Is good old-fashioned beef not good enough for you? I guess to be ‘woke’ nowadays it’s all about horses. What next? Zebras?
January 26, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Is good old-fashioned beef not good enough for you? I guess to be ‘woke’ nowadays it’s all about horses. What next? Zebras?
Looks interesting! Will definitely read through it soon.
January 22, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Looks interesting! Will definitely read through it soon.
I think you’re exactly right. The good news is that there’s a whole field of statistics called ‘causal inference’ where you can admit you’re looking for causes at the cost of making explicit your assumptions about the network of causal effects- not always straightforward!
January 22, 2025 at 6:27 PM
I think you’re exactly right. The good news is that there’s a whole field of statistics called ‘causal inference’ where you can admit you’re looking for causes at the cost of making explicit your assumptions about the network of causal effects- not always straightforward!
Or the more subtle but more insidious ‘Our drug increases your survival chances by 1% but we’re going to emphasize just how statistically significant that is in our sample of 10,000 people’
January 16, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Or the more subtle but more insidious ‘Our drug increases your survival chances by 1% but we’re going to emphasize just how statistically significant that is in our sample of 10,000 people’
I’m hoping to start my own science YouTube channel soon. What resources would you recommend for learning science communication other than learning from creators I like and good old fashioned trial and error?
January 16, 2025 at 12:14 PM
I’m hoping to start my own science YouTube channel soon. What resources would you recommend for learning science communication other than learning from creators I like and good old fashioned trial and error?
They were very professional about it in a middle management sort of way. I didn’t end up at Cambridge but at Sheffield instead.
January 15, 2025 at 2:41 PM
They were very professional about it in a middle management sort of way. I didn’t end up at Cambridge but at Sheffield instead.
I have a Dutch accent. When I went for my interview at Cambridge I tried my best to do a BBC English accent to make the interviewer more comfortable. It didn’t go down well.
January 15, 2025 at 2:15 PM
I have a Dutch accent. When I went for my interview at Cambridge I tried my best to do a BBC English accent to make the interviewer more comfortable. It didn’t go down well.