Alex May
@alexnmay.bsky.social
Ecology and evolution and some other stuff. Founder of Evolver Dynamics.
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/evolverdynamics
https://store.steampowered.com/developer/evolverdynamics
Reposted by Alex May
I am in the market for a PhD student this year. Please don’t use LLM to write your statement of research. Yes it is obvious. I want to know who you are, not how you prompt.
I have some more bad news.
If an admissions committee even suspects you used ChatGPT for your application letter, they'll almost certainly decide not to waste a precious admissions spot on you.
Instead they'll give it to, you know, someone who actually likes to write and knows how to do it.
If an admissions committee even suspects you used ChatGPT for your application letter, they'll almost certainly decide not to waste a precious admissions spot on you.
Instead they'll give it to, you know, someone who actually likes to write and knows how to do it.
I have some bad news. One, if you need to use ChatGPT for your graduate application letter, you are not ready for graduate school.
Two, no, not "everyone is doing it" and those who don't do it aren't "losing out." ChatGPT is not an advantage.
Two, no, not "everyone is doing it" and those who don't do it aren't "losing out." ChatGPT is not an advantage.
January 17, 2026 at 11:40 PM
I am in the market for a PhD student this year. Please don’t use LLM to write your statement of research. Yes it is obvious. I want to know who you are, not how you prompt.
Reposted by Alex May
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
![You’ve got super fans pausing and zooming in on individuals frames of your documentary. One allegedly shows one of the Duffers with a ChatGPT tab open on their computer. In your presence, what did they use ChatGPT for?
I mean, are we even sure they had ChatGPT open?
I’m personally not, but the internet seems sure.
Well, there’s a lot of chatter where [social media users] are like, “We don’t really know, but we’re assuming.” But to me it’s like, doesn’t everybody have it open, to just do quick research?
I do.
How can you possibly write a storyline with 19 characters and use ChatGPT, I don’t even understand.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:7t2urmt3i33jl6tjgiolio6g/bafkreidw2tmcr2ayq74oqmjm5pn2tdox6hlxnpqevhuqqj6oa7nsslx3oi@jpeg)
January 13, 2026 at 8:45 PM
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
Reposted by Alex May
The American owned Sun media chain are doing the propaganda work of quislings.
January 14, 2026 at 2:22 PM
The American owned Sun media chain are doing the propaganda work of quislings.
Reposted by Alex May
This paper contains some good arguments about an issue that concerns me a lot when I hear my colleagues talking about LLM use in developing their research:
Whose ideas are you presenting as your own?
(Though the fatalist argument the authors make at the end of paper is disappointing/bizarre.)
Whose ideas are you presenting as your own?
(Though the fatalist argument the authors make at the end of paper is disappointing/bizarre.)
December 14, 2025 at 12:38 PM
This paper contains some good arguments about an issue that concerns me a lot when I hear my colleagues talking about LLM use in developing their research:
Whose ideas are you presenting as your own?
(Though the fatalist argument the authors make at the end of paper is disappointing/bizarre.)
Whose ideas are you presenting as your own?
(Though the fatalist argument the authors make at the end of paper is disappointing/bizarre.)
Reposted by Alex May
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
Reposted by Alex May
Call of Duty making a zillion dollars all the time -- and being supported by a literal trillion-dollar company -- and still using AI for art assets is so incredibly pathetic and infuriating.
November 17, 2025 at 8:12 PM
Call of Duty making a zillion dollars all the time -- and being supported by a literal trillion-dollar company -- and still using AI for art assets is so incredibly pathetic and infuriating.
Reposted by Alex May
Bob Gatenby finishes his phenomenal #MathOnco25 talk with this stunning figure and conclusion: "Cycles within cycles may allow metastatic prostate cancer to be converted to a chronic disease". The results are from a new paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
October 30, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Bob Gatenby finishes his phenomenal #MathOnco25 talk with this stunning figure and conclusion: "Cycles within cycles may allow metastatic prostate cancer to be converted to a chronic disease". The results are from a new paper: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Alex May
"why are games so expensive"
"why are mass layoffs happening"
"why are games getting cancelled"
"why did that popular studio close"
it's capitalism. capitalism is why all of this is happening. the rampant prioritizing of profit over the all else, from price and quality to dev health and well being.
"why are mass layoffs happening"
"why are games getting cancelled"
"why did that popular studio close"
it's capitalism. capitalism is why all of this is happening. the rampant prioritizing of profit over the all else, from price and quality to dev health and well being.
SCOOP: For the last two years, Microsoft has pushed Xbox to hit profit margins of 30%, an ambitious target that's far higher than the industry average.
This chase for profit has led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs, and rethink everything.
Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
This chase for profit has led Xbox to raise prices, cut thousands of jobs, and rethink everything.
Story: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Microsoft Pushes Xbox Division to Hit Higher Profit Margins
Management’s goal of 30% profit margins for gaming has led to job losses, canceled projects
www.bloomberg.com
October 23, 2025 at 1:21 PM
"why are games so expensive"
"why are mass layoffs happening"
"why are games getting cancelled"
"why did that popular studio close"
it's capitalism. capitalism is why all of this is happening. the rampant prioritizing of profit over the all else, from price and quality to dev health and well being.
"why are mass layoffs happening"
"why are games getting cancelled"
"why did that popular studio close"
it's capitalism. capitalism is why all of this is happening. the rampant prioritizing of profit over the all else, from price and quality to dev health and well being.
Reposted by Alex May
Always assumed Michaelis & Menten were two guys; turns out Menten was a badass woman and is my new academic crush! Wikipedia: “She played the clarinet, created paintings worthy of art exhibitions, climbed mountains, went on an Arctic expedition, enjoyed astronomy, […] had mastered several languages”
Maud Menten was born in Canada in 1879 and completed her UG and MD education at University of Toronto. As a research assistant with Leonor Michaelis in 1912, they wrote the classic paper describing the “Michaelis-Menten” model of enzyme kinetics.. #WomenInScience
October 16, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Always assumed Michaelis & Menten were two guys; turns out Menten was a badass woman and is my new academic crush! Wikipedia: “She played the clarinet, created paintings worthy of art exhibitions, climbed mountains, went on an Arctic expedition, enjoyed astronomy, […] had mastered several languages”
Reposted by Alex May
Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
October 6, 2025 at 10:03 PM
Damn. This is amazing. £325 per week, paid monthly, for 3 years - and the result was a profit for the Irish economy:
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employmen...
Reposted by Alex May
Straight out of the Cambrian explosion
Meet the “squidworm” 🦑🪱
Discovered by WHOI biologist Larry Madin and colleagues, this 4-inch-long animal was just one of roughly 6,000 new species uncovered during the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global effort involving more than 2,700 scientists to explore and document ocean life.
Discovered by WHOI biologist Larry Madin and colleagues, this 4-inch-long animal was just one of roughly 6,000 new species uncovered during the Census of Marine Life, a decade-long global effort involving more than 2,700 scientists to explore and document ocean life.
October 2, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Straight out of the Cambrian explosion
Reposted by Alex May
this exists it is called thinking
September 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
this exists it is called thinking
Reposted by Alex May
Will humans and AI coevolve in the future? As interdependencies grow, the two could come to function not merely as interacting agents, but as an integrated evolutionary individual. Check this paper in @pnas.org by @mkhochb.bsky.social & P Rainey @sfiscience.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
September 12, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Will humans and AI coevolve in the future? As interdependencies grow, the two could come to function not merely as interacting agents, but as an integrated evolutionary individual. Check this paper in @pnas.org by @mkhochb.bsky.social & P Rainey @sfiscience.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Alex May
September 2, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Reposted by Alex May
Now that the ink is dry, I'm writing a book y'all! Get ready for a global exploration of cryptids, featuring gorgeous illustrations. EEK
August 29, 2025 at 9:10 PM
Now that the ink is dry, I'm writing a book y'all! Get ready for a global exploration of cryptids, featuring gorgeous illustrations. EEK
@giamora.substack.com seems like these could be up your alley!
What makes a good "climate change" novel? One that doesn't sacrifice plot and characters for message. Here are a few of my recent favorites:
Climate Change Novels that Aren’t About Climate Change
or, what I read on vacation
open.substack.com
August 18, 2025 at 9:45 PM
@giamora.substack.com seems like these could be up your alley!
Reposted by Alex May
I am going to lodge a prediction: the AI bubble is going to start to deflate in the next 18 months.
Chatbots have edge case utility, but are not themselves transformative. Agents are as controllable as an alcoholic rabbit; not fit for serious work. Foundation models are no longer improving rapidly
Chatbots have edge case utility, but are not themselves transformative. Agents are as controllable as an alcoholic rabbit; not fit for serious work. Foundation models are no longer improving rapidly
August 18, 2025 at 8:55 PM
I am going to lodge a prediction: the AI bubble is going to start to deflate in the next 18 months.
Chatbots have edge case utility, but are not themselves transformative. Agents are as controllable as an alcoholic rabbit; not fit for serious work. Foundation models are no longer improving rapidly
Chatbots have edge case utility, but are not themselves transformative. Agents are as controllable as an alcoholic rabbit; not fit for serious work. Foundation models are no longer improving rapidly
Reposted by Alex May
TIL the original paper describing CRISPR, by Francisco Mojica, was rejected by 4 journals and took 2 years to be published
![CRISPR as a microbial immune system
In 2003, Mojica wrote the first paper suggesting that CRISPR was an innate microbial immune system. The paper was rejected by a series of high-profile journals, including Nature, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Molecular Microbiology and Nucleic Acids Research, before finally being accepted by Journal of Molecular Evolution in February, 2005.[3][4]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:73aicoale2mqwrap63rdzwep/bafkreibu3dburfn527r3sbu2ov6y7gebv6zopaznagnfytjtsn6y4k7cs4@jpeg)
August 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM
TIL the original paper describing CRISPR, by Francisco Mojica, was rejected by 4 journals and took 2 years to be published
Reposted by Alex May
Want to name a real virus? I have recently discovered 9 new phages which now need names! To enter, you simply need to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on my JustGiving page (£2 = 1 entry) and share your email with me on donation (see link info). Please share 💚 www.justgiving.com/page/meaghan-c-1
August 5, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Want to name a real virus? I have recently discovered 9 new phages which now need names! To enter, you simply need to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on my JustGiving page (£2 = 1 entry) and share your email with me on donation (see link info). Please share 💚 www.justgiving.com/page/meaghan-c-1
Reposted by Alex May
Just heard @wcratcliff.bsky.social on the origin of #multicellularity www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsvD...
Great to hear that cells harnessing physics was a significant step & to have a proper discussion of the question not led by the ‘power’ of genes. Well worth a listen.
#NotInTheGenes #CellsRus
Great to hear that cells harnessing physics was a significant step & to have a proper discussion of the question not led by the ‘power’ of genes. Well worth a listen.
#NotInTheGenes #CellsRus
How Did Multicellular Life Evolve? | Podcast: The Joy of Why
YouTube video by Quanta Magazine
www.youtube.com
August 1, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Just heard @wcratcliff.bsky.social on the origin of #multicellularity www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsvD...
Great to hear that cells harnessing physics was a significant step & to have a proper discussion of the question not led by the ‘power’ of genes. Well worth a listen.
#NotInTheGenes #CellsRus
Great to hear that cells harnessing physics was a significant step & to have a proper discussion of the question not led by the ‘power’ of genes. Well worth a listen.
#NotInTheGenes #CellsRus
Reposted by Alex May
Holy shit. This guy saved a PNG to a bird.
(he drew a bird into a spectrogram, played that sound to a starling, and the starling reproduced it back to him with enough accuracy he got his bird drawing back in their call's spectrogram) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQC...
(he drew a bird into a spectrogram, played that sound to a starling, and the starling reproduced it back to him with enough accuracy he got his bird drawing back in their call's spectrogram) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQC...
I Saved a PNG Image To A Bird
YouTube video by Benn Jordan
www.youtube.com
July 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Holy shit. This guy saved a PNG to a bird.
(he drew a bird into a spectrogram, played that sound to a starling, and the starling reproduced it back to him with enough accuracy he got his bird drawing back in their call's spectrogram) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQC...
(he drew a bird into a spectrogram, played that sound to a starling, and the starling reproduced it back to him with enough accuracy he got his bird drawing back in their call's spectrogram) www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCQC...
Reposted by Alex May
How our gut microbiome drives sugar cravings
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-our-gu...
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-our-gu...
How Our Gut Microbiome Can Drive Sugar Cravings
More Evidence for Our Gut Taking Center Stage for What We Eat
erictopol.substack.com
July 23, 2025 at 6:39 PM
How our gut microbiome drives sugar cravings
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-our-gu...
erictopol.substack.com/p/how-our-gu...
Reposted by Alex May
you've heard about the college kids who can't do anything without ChatGPT's help—but what about the students who oppose generative A.I. for myriad reasons and refuse to rely on it as a shortcut? well, I found and spoke with a few of them here: slate.com/life/2025/07...
What It’s Like to Be a Student Who Hates ChatGPT
“Everyone is using it”—almost everyone.
slate.com
July 15, 2025 at 4:06 PM
you've heard about the college kids who can't do anything without ChatGPT's help—but what about the students who oppose generative A.I. for myriad reasons and refuse to rely on it as a shortcut? well, I found and spoke with a few of them here: slate.com/life/2025/07...