Andy Dobson
@andy2dobson.bsky.social
Wildlife Disease Ecology and Conservation, Author, Dad, Princeton Professor, External Faculty Santa Fe Institute and STRI. Photographer, cook, & nerd who works in Serengeti, Yellowstone, California, NJ, and collects guitars and books. Rewilding his yard!
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Reposted by Andy Dobson
The stock market's gains are being overwhelmingly driven by seven Big Tech companies who have invested heavily in AI, which has made tech oligarchs even wealthier.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
November 25, 2025 at 11:01 PM
The stock market's gains are being overwhelmingly driven by seven Big Tech companies who have invested heavily in AI, which has made tech oligarchs even wealthier.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
But when that AI bubble bursts, the rest of us will be stuck holding the bag.
Be warned.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
This week I have written about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem.
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Chatbots behaving badly
The world needs better insight on how LLMs are handling mental health crises
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 11:25 AM
This week I have written about what goes wrong when chatbots engage with people with poor mental health and how we should think about the problem.
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Chatbots behaving badly, by @natashaloder open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Really fantastic paper on spread of H5N1 influenza in North American birds.
Our lab's paper describing the North American H5N1 epizootic is out now in Nature! So thrilled to have this out, and congratulations to @lambod50.bsky.social for all the fantastic work on this: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Ecology and spread of the North American H5N1 epizootic - Nature
The panzootic of highly pathogenic H5N1 since 2021 was driven by around nine introductions into the Atlantic and Pacific flyways, followed by rapid dissemination through wild migratory birds, primaril...
www.nature.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Really fantastic paper on spread of H5N1 influenza in North American birds.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
The east wing of science is being demolished by the new administration.
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Science under siege
A new audio documentary from The Economist
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The east wing of science is being demolished by the new administration.
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Read my Substack about a new documentary I’ve made with Sandra Kanthal about the impact on biomedical scientists at Harvard.
open.substack.com/pub/overmatt...
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Ah! Good morning, reality. And welcome. We’ve been expecting you…
October 20, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Ah! Good morning, reality. And welcome. We’ve been expecting you…
Reposted by Andy Dobson
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to analysis:
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Mysterious 'warm blob' breaks records in the North Pacific Ocean
Temperatures have surged across a large area of the north Pacific - and scientists don't know exactly why.
www.bbc.com
October 18, 2025 at 7:11 AM
The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to analysis:
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Andy Dobson
New work from @devisatarkar.bsky.social et al on how effects of climate variability- particularly more unusual events - depend on developmental stage & prevailing conditions in Wytham Woods great tits.
New preprint! 🪶
We analysed 60 years of data on 83,000+ great tits to show how extreme climate impacts on nestling growth and survival are stage-specific and context-dependent 🐣 🌍🔥❄️
With @davididiaquez.bsky.social @iremsepil.bsky.social @sheldonbirds.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We analysed 60 years of data on 83,000+ great tits to show how extreme climate impacts on nestling growth and survival are stage-specific and context-dependent 🐣 🌍🔥❄️
With @davididiaquez.bsky.social @iremsepil.bsky.social @sheldonbirds.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 14, 2025 at 3:37 PM
New work from @devisatarkar.bsky.social et al on how effects of climate variability- particularly more unusual events - depend on developmental stage & prevailing conditions in Wytham Woods great tits.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Paper for next weeks Biodiversity COP in AbuDhabi. Special issue of IUCN Parks. We need a UN Global Convention on Freshwater for humanity and biodiversity.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
Parksjournal.com
October 10, 2025 at 6:36 PM
Paper for next weeks Biodiversity COP in AbuDhabi. Special issue of IUCN Parks. We need a UN Global Convention on Freshwater for humanity and biodiversity.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.PDF
New article in special issue of IUCN Parks journal for COP Meeting in Abu Dhabi next week. We need a UN driven Global Convention on Freshwater for Humans and Biodiversity. An ecosystems service with tangible value.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
October 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
New article in special issue of IUCN Parks journal for COP Meeting in Abu Dhabi next week. We need a UN driven Global Convention on Freshwater for Humans and Biodiversity. An ecosystems service with tangible value.
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
Parksjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/5.-DOBSON.pdf
I suspect the spirits of a John and Danny Thompson are slumped there some nights, sleeping off another night of celestial improvisation...and quite a few beers.
Currently reading the fantastic John Martyn biog by @graemethomson.bsky.social and walked across Hampstead Heath this morning with this track blasting in my ears. Probably passed the very spot where that cover photo taken. open.spotify.com/track/1ea5h9...
Stormbringer
open.spotify.com
October 9, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I suspect the spirits of a John and Danny Thompson are slumped there some nights, sleeping off another night of celestial improvisation...and quite a few beers.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
What a terrifying war zone!!!!??!!
October 8, 2025 at 11:59 AM
What a terrifying war zone!!!!??!!
Reposted by Andy Dobson
October 6, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Reposted by Andy Dobson
I’m pretty sure I found the exit once, but I may still be lost somewhere in there.
National Guard Already Lost at Powell’s Books: tinyurl.com/4mw4n9h2
September 30, 2025 at 4:42 AM
I’m pretty sure I found the exit once, but I may still be lost somewhere in there.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
everybody gets to choose one climate solution they're allowed to hate as long as they 100% support policy and infrastructure to implement it. I loathe biking (because I take it personally when people try to kill me) but bring on the protected lanes and secure bike parking
My takeaways are:
1. More people should be looking at this from @projectdrawdown.bsky.social: drawdown.org/explorer
2. More people should be getting around by bike
3. NYC is the greatest city in the world
1. More people should be looking at this from @projectdrawdown.bsky.social: drawdown.org/explorer
2. More people should be getting around by bike
3. NYC is the greatest city in the world
Drawdown® Explorer
We know what we need to do: stop climate change as quickly as possible. Now, with the Drawdown Explorer, we know how to do it.
drawdown.org
September 28, 2025 at 9:24 PM
everybody gets to choose one climate solution they're allowed to hate as long as they 100% support policy and infrastructure to implement it. I loathe biking (because I take it personally when people try to kill me) but bring on the protected lanes and secure bike parking
Reposted by Andy Dobson
We need more provocative papers like this …
Shannon's H, Simpson's D, and Pielou's J are useless in ecology. Fitting data with a compound abundance distribution based on the geometric series is a better way to quantify variation – and to estimate species richness. New paper in Ecology Letters.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 10, 2025 at 5:05 AM
We need more provocative papers like this …
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Watched it yesterday. Hilarious, the Beavis and Butthead of Birding...😆
August 29, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Watched it yesterday. Hilarious, the Beavis and Butthead of Birding...😆
New paper on rodent borne spoilers with a great group of colleagues
New review out in @thelancetplanet.bsky.social from our rodent-borne zoonoses workshop @ciddpsu.bsky.social 🐭🌍
Humans & rodents share a long history and many pathogens -from plague to mpox. Outbreak prevention needs socially + ecologically grounded solutions
🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Humans & rodents share a long history and many pathogens -from plague to mpox. Outbreak prevention needs socially + ecologically grounded solutions
🔗 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reducing the threats of rodent-borne zoonoses requires an understanding and leveraging of three key pillars: disease ecology, synanthropy, and rodentation
Rodents have co-existed with humans for centuries, and frequently exchange pathogens. Historically, rodent-driven plague outbreaks scoured the Old Wor…
www.sciencedirect.com
August 30, 2025 at 3:03 AM
New paper on rodent borne spoilers with a great group of colleagues
Excellent choice! Amazing work!
Fabulous news! Congratulations to our Centre Director, @ymalhi.bsky.social who has been recognised for his outstanding contribution to the field of Ecology. 🎉
@ecioxford.bsky.social @oxfordgeography.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @orieloxford.bsky.social @britishecologicalsociety.org
@ecioxford.bsky.social @oxfordgeography.bsky.social @ox.ac.uk @socsci.ox.ac.uk @orieloxford.bsky.social @britishecologicalsociety.org
Yadvinder Malhi awarded prestigious Ramon Margalef Prize in Ecology
Yadvinder Malhi recognised for outstanding contribution to the field of ecology
naturerecovery.ox.ac.uk
August 28, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Excellent choice! Amazing work!
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Our political cartoonists know the score.
(Clay Bennett for the Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Clay Bennett for the Chattanooga Times Free Press)
August 11, 2025 at 10:45 PM
Our political cartoonists know the score.
(Clay Bennett for the Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Clay Bennett for the Chattanooga Times Free Press)
Really excellent review
So excited that my Tansley Insight "On the role of mutualisms in plant biogeography: consequences for ecology, evolution, and invasion" is out today!! @newphyt.bsky.social
On the role of mutualisms in plant biogeography: consequences for ecology, evolution, and invasion
Most plant species world-wide depend on one or more mutualisms – beneficial associations with other species. Evidence is emerging that these biotic mutualisms shape plant biogeography (i.e. distribut....
doi.org
August 9, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Really excellent review
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Well said, Mo Salah.
Suleiman al-Obeid was shot dead by IDF forces whilst waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.
Suleiman al-Obeid was shot dead by IDF forces whilst waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.
August 9, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Well said, Mo Salah.
Suleiman al-Obeid was shot dead by IDF forces whilst waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.
Suleiman al-Obeid was shot dead by IDF forces whilst waiting for food aid in southern Gaza.
Reposted by Andy Dobson
Good news for Ireland and Austria....
August 8, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Good news for Ireland and Austria....