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gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Gilbert Roberts
@gilbertroberts.bsky.social
480 followers 210 following 150 posts
Free-range academic studying the evolution of behaviour in animals including humans. Cooperation, reputation, interdependence.
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gilbertroberts.bsky.social
I used to enjoy impressing people by identifying birds from a faint call in a wood. Now, thanks to the phenomenal success of the Merlin app, many people are telling me about the birds they have heard. Interesting to read the story of the Merlin app here - www.birds.cornell.edu/home/the-mag...
The Magic of Merlin
Imagine the world as you know it. Now, add 10 million people who care about birds. Did your world just get a little brighter? Ten million. It’s an astronomical number. And yet that is exactly wha...
www.birds.cornell.edu
November 24, 2025 at 8:31 AM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Hands up those using ChatGPT to write lecture slides www.theguardian.com/education/20...
‘We could have asked ChatGPT’: students fight back over course taught by AI
Staffordshire students say signs material was AI-generated included suspicious file names and rogue voiceover accent
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
markrubin.bsky.social
"Multiple men have remained in senior roles at Oxford for months or years after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged against them, Bloomberg found in a nine-month investigation based on interviews with almost 50 people as well as documents and other records."
Oxford University Has Failed Women Over Harassment Concerns, Staff Say
The university has repeatedly been slow to act against male academics accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior, a Bloomberg investigation found.
www.bloomberg.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
ljnbrent.bsky.social
Apply now for a NERC-funded PhD position with @andyradford.bsky.social & Patrick Kennedy at @bristolbiosci.bsky.social (with me as friendly 2nd supervisor down the road in @crab-exeter.bsky.social). Network cognition, cooperation, competition...what's not to like?
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Funded PhD NERC GW4+ DLTP - Social monitoring and manipulation of cooperative exchanges at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Funded PhD NERC GW4+ DLTP - Social monitoring and manipulation of cooperative exchanges at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
First exercise since being beaten up in Sept. Hoping to manage my first hour of research later...
Bike signpost and distant hills
November 16, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
elizabethhobson.bsky.social
In an increasingly divided world, how do strangers become friends? Parakeets might have something to teach us! New paper on formation of affiliative relationships, led by Dr. Claire O’Connell doi.org/10.1098/rsbl...
Graphic showing the paper title “Monk parakeets ‘test the waters’ when forming new relationships” in the journal Biology Letters. Also features photos of the co-authors (Claire, Annemarie, Gerry, and Liz) as well as the issue cover photo of two marked monk parakeets from Claire’s work grooming each other. Also shown are some of the main plots of the paper showing how the parakeets escalate their behaviors from low risk/low investment (like proximity) to higher risk/higher investment interactions (like preening/grooming)
November 12, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
russincheshire.bsky.social
Good morning to all those people who wasted the last decade saying, "there's no point tackling climate change in the UK, because China."

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
China’s CO2 emissions have been flat or falling for past 18 months, analysis finds
World’s biggest polluter on track to hit peak emissions target early but miss goal for cutting carbon intensity
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 7:08 AM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Just been watching the latest David Attenborough. Worth more than any number of Trumps.
November 10, 2025 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
markrubin.bsky.social
"Regrettably, and despite the null hypothesis being simple, elegant and often underpinned by evidenced or reasoned convictions, conventional p-value analysis can only argue against the null hypothesis, never in favour of it."
Saying ‘no’ with confidence: statistical approaches to test for the absence of an effect | Biology Letters
Publishing non-significant findings is essential for the progress of science. However, many of us forget that ‘absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’ and believe that a statistically non-sign...
doi.org
November 2, 2025 at 7:55 AM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Sir David Attenborough champions landmark Rothbury Appeal to raise £30m for nature and the nation (spot my beloved home, Simonside Cottage, in the background)
Sir David Attenborough champions landmark Rothbury Appeal to raise £30m for nature and the nation | The Wildlife Trusts
Ambitious UK wildlife project will pioneer nature recovery alongside farming, recreation, education, tourism
www.wildlifetrusts.org
November 1, 2025 at 5:18 PM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
How long does a 'black eye' take to develop? (1) It's visible immediately (2) it may take a few days
November 1, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
andyradford.bsky.social
Looking for a #PhD?
Interested in #SocialBehaviour #BiologicalMarkets #Fieldwork?
Want to be based in #Bristol?
Check out this project with me, @ljnbrent.bsky.social & #PatrickKennedy:

tinyurl.com/aja54nr6

For UK-domiciled Black-heritage applicants
Get in touch for more information
Please #share
Funded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - Biological market monitoring and manipulation in social animals at Unive...
PhD Project - Funded PhD open to UK-domiciled, home fee applicants of Black African, Black Caribbean or other Black or mixed Black heritage - Biological market monitoring and manipulation in social an...
www.findaphd.com
October 24, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
pili-scotland.bsky.social
Thank you Guardian for reporting on this magic www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Bird migration is changing. What does this reveal about our planet? – visualised
Bird migrations rank as one of nature’s greatest spectacles. Thanks to GPS tracking, scientists are uncovering extraordinary insights into ancient and mysterious journeys – and new threats that are re...
www.theguardian.com
October 16, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
jessicadayers.bsky.social
Do we really keep score in our friendship? See what @athenaaktipis.bsky.social and I have to say about why this isn’t always the case theconversation.com/friendships-...
Friendships aren’t just about keeping score – new psychology research looks at why we help our friends when they need it
Friendship isn’t a tit-for-tat balance sheet, but that’s how researchers have traditionally defined it. New studies are refining the model to be less about transactions and truer to real life.
theconversation.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:55 PM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
I was woken by a notification from the "Calm" app about hacks for better sleep. Couldn't get back to sleep after that. Really annoying 😜
October 10, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
danielbolnick.bsky.social
The American Society of Naturalists is looking for a new Editor-In-Chief to begin Jan 2027. Info here:
www.amnat.org/announcement...
Call for new Editor-in-Chief (2027–2030)
<p>The ASN is seeking applicants for Editor-in-Chief, to begin in January 2027</p><br/>
www.amnat.org
September 30, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
markrubin.bsky.social
Report on Australian Higher Education finds:

🔹️ Council members have no lived experience of universities

🔹️ Council members have COIs with consultancy firms

🔹️ Council meetings are closed affairs that lack transparency

🔹️ Leaders' exorbitant salaries could not be justified
One submission said leaders’ salaries could not be “justified by the quality of executive decision-making, nor by the scope of executive duties. The core business of a university – teaching and research – is co-ordinated virtually entirely by ordinary non-executive staff”.
September 27, 2025 at 9:28 PM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Got my nose broken by a punch that came out of nowhere in the dark as I walked down the garden path then my face kicked in while I was lying on the ground. In shock so don't think I'll be going to bed tonight, especially as the psycho lives next door.
September 28, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
simoncolumbus.bsky.social
Cooperation Colloquium this week:

Talbot M. Andrews @talbotmandrews.bsky.social (Cornell):

Overcoming the social dilemma of climate change

Friday, Sep 26, 15:00 UTC+2 Vienna / 9 am NYC

Sign up: list.ku.dk/postorius/li...
Abstract: Mitigating the increasing threat of climate change poses a uniquely challenging cooperative problem. Multiple strategic features of climate change impede coordinating around successful action. For example, there is uncertainty about the timing and dynamics of climate change impacts. Different actors vary in their historic contribution to the problem and vulnerability now. There are many solutions available to mitigate climate change, but they differ in their effectiveness and probability of success. And, compounding all of this, there are asymmetries in information between elite decision-makers and the publics that they govern. In this talk, I argue economic games are well-suited to understand both how these strategic features delay successful climate action and provide insights into how to overcome these problems through public policy. Focusing on the case of governing emerging mitigation technologies, I will present the empirical evidence that people are willing to pay costs to avert climate disaster. While mistrust between the public and policymakers erodes cooperation, I will also present solutions that emerge from these experiments. I conclude by discussing how insights from the lab can inform real-world messaging and policymaking to encourage successful climate change mitigation.
September 22, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
zhgarfield.com
What Makes a Good Reputation? | Psychology Today www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ecol...

#BehSci @psychologytoday.com
What Makes a Good Reputation?
Reputations matter everywhere—but not always for the same reasons.
www.psychologytoday.com
September 18, 2025 at 8:31 AM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
peterstefanovic.bsky.social
UK officially recognises Palestine as a state

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK - alongside Australia and Canada - was taking the step "in the face of growing horror" in the Middle East

news.sky.com/story/uk-off...
UK officially recognises Palestine as a state
Sir Keir Starmer said the UK - alongside Australia and Canada - was taking the step "in the face of growing horror" in the Middle East.
news.sky.com
September 21, 2025 at 3:12 PM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Pink footed geese over the house this morning - it must be autumn
September 21, 2025 at 7:57 AM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
A wader-fest at E. Chevington, Northumberland for world shorebirds day. White-rumped and pectoral sandpipers, black tailed godwits, ruff, greenshank among the highlights. (Bit distant for my camera though!)
September 6, 2025 at 4:40 PM
gilbertroberts.bsky.social
Wondrous
September 5, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Reposted by Gilbert Roberts
jeremykendal.bsky.social
Physical copies of this 71-chapter tome now exist. Do encourage your library to buy a copy…also doubles as excellent door stop! Co-edited with Jamie Tehrani and @rachkendal.bsky.social. @oxunipress.bsky.social @durhamanthropology.bsky.social
The Oxford Handbook of Cultural Evolution hard copy
August 27, 2025 at 2:30 PM