Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
@jdyeakel.bsky.social
Husband and Dad | Assoc. Prof. @ UC Merced | External Prof @ SFI | Use theory to understand food webs, species interactions over space & time, mammalian evolution | Erdős# 4 | Cosmic horror fan | Bake 20min brownies in 15mins
🤖 http://jdyeakel.github.io
🤖 http://jdyeakel.github.io
New paper where we explore how the dynamics of food webs can be explored when populations are ‘distilled’ to high and low states, or Boolean switches… Somehow this leads to a discussion involving Otodus megalodon :D
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Distilling food web dynamics: top–down and bottom–up drivers of extinction and trophic cascades
Quantifying population dynamics is a fundamental challenge in ecology and evolutionary biology, particularly for species that are cryptic, microscopic, or extinct. Traditional approaches rely on cont...
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:10 AM
New paper where we explore how the dynamics of food webs can be explored when populations are ‘distilled’ to high and low states, or Boolean switches… Somehow this leads to a discussion involving Otodus megalodon :D
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Reposted by Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
💙New paper!💙
How is knowledge transmitted across generations in a foraging society?
With @danielredhead.bsky.social
we found: In BaYaka foragers, long-term skills pass in smaller, sparser networks, while short-term food info circulates broadly & reciprocally
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
How is knowledge transmitted across generations in a foraging society?
With @danielredhead.bsky.social
we found: In BaYaka foragers, long-term skills pass in smaller, sparser networks, while short-term food info circulates broadly & reciprocally
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Transmission networks of long-term and short-term knowledge in a foraging society
Abstract. Cultural transmission across generations is key to cumulative cultural evolution. While several mechanisms—such as vertical, horizontal, and obli
academic.oup.com
September 14, 2025 at 7:52 AM
💙New paper!💙
How is knowledge transmitted across generations in a foraging society?
With @danielredhead.bsky.social
we found: In BaYaka foragers, long-term skills pass in smaller, sparser networks, while short-term food info circulates broadly & reciprocally
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
How is knowledge transmitted across generations in a foraging society?
With @danielredhead.bsky.social
we found: In BaYaka foragers, long-term skills pass in smaller, sparser networks, while short-term food info circulates broadly & reciprocally
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Mark Novak, @kecoblentz.bsky.social, John DeLong FTW - a very cool paper I need to dig carefully through!
Novak et al. derive a functional response model that unifies Holling’s classical forms. The model clarifies when linearity can be a mechanistically-reasoned description of predator feeding rates and the impact it has on predator-prey dynamics.
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Read now!
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
In Defense of Type I Functional Responses: The Frequency and Population Dynamic Effects of Feeding on Multiple Prey at a Time | The American Naturalist
Abstract Ecologists differ in the degree to which they consider the linear type I functional response to be an unrealistic versus sufficient representation of predator feeding rates. Empiricists tend ...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
September 2, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Mark Novak, @kecoblentz.bsky.social, John DeLong FTW - a very cool paper I need to dig carefully through!
Okay Open Nature… are you *trying* to make me eat cat food?
August 15, 2025 at 5:12 AM
Okay Open Nature… are you *trying* to make me eat cat food?
Reposted by Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
"Behavior drives morphological change during human evolution"
Our new article is out in @science.org today
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Our new article is out in @science.org today
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
July 31, 2025 at 10:02 PM
"Behavior drives morphological change during human evolution"
Our new article is out in @science.org today
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Our new article is out in @science.org today
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
New paper in Science!
Luke Fannin and Nate Dominy on the bridge; I'm some kind of assistant science officer or asking the chief engineer where the bathroom is, but hey I'm part of the fleet -- Also, it's just a really awesome project, so check it out...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Luke Fannin and Nate Dominy on the bridge; I'm some kind of assistant science officer or asking the chief engineer where the bathroom is, but hey I'm part of the fleet -- Also, it's just a really awesome project, so check it out...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Behavior drives morphological change during human evolution
Dietary shifts and corresponding morphological changes can sometimes evolve in succession, not concurrently—an evolutionary process called behavioral drive. Detecting behavioral drive in the fossil re...
www.science.org
July 31, 2025 at 10:54 PM
New paper in Science!
Luke Fannin and Nate Dominy on the bridge; I'm some kind of assistant science officer or asking the chief engineer where the bathroom is, but hey I'm part of the fleet -- Also, it's just a really awesome project, so check it out...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Luke Fannin and Nate Dominy on the bridge; I'm some kind of assistant science officer or asking the chief engineer where the bathroom is, but hey I'm part of the fleet -- Also, it's just a really awesome project, so check it out...
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
My book drops in 2 months!
“This is an essential, long-overdue guide, and a wonderful read.” -Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter @sgj.bsky.social
Bookshop: bookshop.org/a/7576/97988...
Barnes: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/feral-and-...
“This is an essential, long-overdue guide, and a wonderful read.” -Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter @sgj.bsky.social
Bookshop: bookshop.org/a/7576/97988...
Barnes: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/feral-and-...
June 16, 2025 at 6:01 PM
My book drops in 2 months!
“This is an essential, long-overdue guide, and a wonderful read.” -Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter @sgj.bsky.social
Bookshop: bookshop.org/a/7576/97988...
Barnes: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/feral-and-...
“This is an essential, long-overdue guide, and a wonderful read.” -Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter @sgj.bsky.social
Bookshop: bookshop.org/a/7576/97988...
Barnes: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/feral-and-...
My cousin-in-law @jasonragosta.bsky.social (is that a thing?) knocks it out of the park with this amazing The Buffalo Hunter Hunter fan poster from the legendary @sgj.bsky.social
www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1715...
www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1715...
Buffalo Hunter Hunter Poster by Jason Ragosta | Redbubble
A fan poster for Stephen Graham Jones' novel Buffalo Hunter Hunter illustrated by Jason Ragosta.
www.redbubble.com
June 18, 2025 at 12:08 AM
My cousin-in-law @jasonragosta.bsky.social (is that a thing?) knocks it out of the park with this amazing The Buffalo Hunter Hunter fan poster from the legendary @sgj.bsky.social
www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1715...
www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/1715...
Exciting opportunity for prospective grad students wanting to study the science of science w/ @culturologies.co … check it out!
career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/job...
career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/job...
Career Opportunities: PhD in Social Networks and Information (14282)
career2.successfactors.eu
June 7, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Exciting opportunity for prospective grad students wanting to study the science of science w/ @culturologies.co … check it out!
career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/job...
career2.successfactors.eu/sfcareer/job...
Looks like Elon flew too close to a bloated orange giant ☀️
June 6, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Looks like Elon flew too close to a bloated orange giant ☀️
How is your day going?
for k in 1:length(ksdvec)
ksd = ksdvec[k];
ksdname = ksdstrs[k];
ksd = 1.5;
....(long simulation)....
end
for k in 1:length(ksdvec)
ksd = ksdvec[k];
ksdname = ksdstrs[k];
ksd = 1.5;
....(long simulation)....
end
May 28, 2025 at 11:24 PM
How is your day going?
for k in 1:length(ksdvec)
ksd = ksdvec[k];
ksdname = ksdstrs[k];
ksd = 1.5;
....(long simulation)....
end
for k in 1:length(ksdvec)
ksd = ksdvec[k];
ksdname = ksdstrs[k];
ksd = 1.5;
....(long simulation)....
end
Jim Estes was one of my PhD advisors at UCSC… a generator of great ideas and discussions, always angling positive when others tried to tear down, a rockstar who didn’t act like a rockstar. This was my slide for Jim in my dissertation seminar… thanks for the good conversations and caribou sausage
May 23, 2025 at 3:57 AM
Jim Estes was one of my PhD advisors at UCSC… a generator of great ideas and discussions, always angling positive when others tried to tear down, a rockstar who didn’t act like a rockstar. This was my slide for Jim in my dissertation seminar… thanks for the good conversations and caribou sausage
New paper on food-cleaning monkeys showing some true grit.
Led by Jessica Rosien, Nate Dominy, Luke Fannin, Suchinda Malaivijitnond and Amanda Tan - this was a fun collaboration :D 🐒
elifesciences.org/articles/98520
Led by Jessica Rosien, Nate Dominy, Luke Fannin, Suchinda Malaivijitnond and Amanda Tan - this was a fun collaboration :D 🐒
elifesciences.org/articles/98520
Food-washing monkeys recognize the law of diminishing returns
Monkeys are sensitive to foods coated with tooth-damaging sand and will invest time and energy to eliminate sand, but dominance rank affects the effort allocated to cleaning behaviors.
elifesciences.org
May 22, 2025 at 11:08 PM
New paper on food-cleaning monkeys showing some true grit.
Led by Jessica Rosien, Nate Dominy, Luke Fannin, Suchinda Malaivijitnond and Amanda Tan - this was a fun collaboration :D 🐒
elifesciences.org/articles/98520
Led by Jessica Rosien, Nate Dominy, Luke Fannin, Suchinda Malaivijitnond and Amanda Tan - this was a fun collaboration :D 🐒
elifesciences.org/articles/98520
If this happened as described — and there is no reason to think it didn’t — what does this mean for academic freedom? The vise is closing.
www.chronicle.com/article/i-di...
www.chronicle.com/article/i-di...
‘I Didn’t Want to Make a Scene’: A Professor Recounts the Conversation That Got Him Ejected From Commencement
Colin Holbrook says he approached the University of California system president about pro-Palestinian protests.
www.chronicle.com
May 22, 2025 at 2:07 PM
If this happened as described — and there is no reason to think it didn’t — what does this mean for academic freedom? The vise is closing.
www.chronicle.com/article/i-di...
www.chronicle.com/article/i-di...
Reposted by Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
I resigned because of a profound breakdown in governance, transparency, and accountability at the NSF—issues I felt obligated to bring to public attention.
May 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
I resigned because of a profound breakdown in governance, transparency, and accountability at the NSF—issues I felt obligated to bring to public attention.
The dynamics of microbial cooperation... Cheap metabolites make for shaky friendships; but pricier ones can keep the peace... 🦠
Thanks @janamassing.bsky.social for leading the charge! And great working again w/ @akfbio.bsky.social & @thilogross.bsky.social
Thanks @janamassing.bsky.social for leading the charge! And great working again w/ @akfbio.bsky.social & @thilogross.bsky.social
New paper led by @janamassing.bsky.social, with @jdyeakel.bsky.social and @thilogross.bsky.social, on dynamics of cooperative bacteria: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
May 13, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The dynamics of microbial cooperation... Cheap metabolites make for shaky friendships; but pricier ones can keep the peace... 🦠
Thanks @janamassing.bsky.social for leading the charge! And great working again w/ @akfbio.bsky.social & @thilogross.bsky.social
Thanks @janamassing.bsky.social for leading the charge! And great working again w/ @akfbio.bsky.social & @thilogross.bsky.social
Reposted by Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
A new preprint from the lab. Might be of interest to people who use barcode lineage tracking to catch de novo adaptive mutations. #popgen #evolbiol
A Bayesian filtering method for estimating the fitness effects of nascent adaptive mutations https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.29.646120v1
April 5, 2025 at 4:24 AM
Excited to be included on this - a very exciting project and I learned a lot working with @mhab.bsky.social @thilogross.bsky.social and @akfbio.bsky.social (as usual) 😀
I couldn't put it better, so I share this wonderful post. New paper out on arXiv! It's a collaborative work of our group members @mhab.bsky.social, @thilogross.bsky.social as well as our great colleagues @akfbio.bsky.social and @jdyeakel.bsky.social:
New paper! (arxiv.org/abs/2503.14093) I haven’t been this excited about one in a while, and I think the theory @mhab.bsky.social develops here will be a big step forward for the field. Why? Let me explain 🧵...
March 20, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Excited to be included on this - a very exciting project and I learned a lot working with @mhab.bsky.social @thilogross.bsky.social and @akfbio.bsky.social (as usual) 😀
Real life is apparently Jurassic Park, but without [non-avian] dinosaurs…
Watching Jurassic Park, where a computer nerd with a debt problem and delusions of grandeur tears down all the safety systems, with no understanding of the consequences, so he can better facilitate his planned espionage and theft.
March 16, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Real life is apparently Jurassic Park, but without [non-avian] dinosaurs…
You don't want to mess with shrimp.
Scientists who rely on NOAA funding asked me to pretty please make stickers of the plucky shrimp wheatpasting, and I said ok ok, but it has to be a secret menu bc the Skype a scientist shop shouldn’t have “fuck” on it 😅
Choose the “secret menu” variant 🤫
squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/just...
Choose the “secret menu” variant 🤫
squidfacts.bigcartel.com/product/just...
March 6, 2025 at 4:38 PM
You don't want to mess with shrimp.
Reposted by Justin Yeakel 🦣🐆
“Although his name was unknown to the general public, Jay’s work has entranced and educated millions who grew up with this six murals of mammal evolution at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and his paintings at the American Museum of Natural History in New York”
#Paleoart
#Paleoart
See Stunning Illustrations of Prehistoric Life From One of the Most Renowned Paleoartists in the World
A new book highlights the beautiful work of Jay Matternes, an accomplished artist who drew everything from mammoths to early humans
www.smithsonianmag.com
March 4, 2025 at 3:10 PM
“Although his name was unknown to the general public, Jay’s work has entranced and educated millions who grew up with this six murals of mammal evolution at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and his paintings at the American Museum of Natural History in New York”
#Paleoart
#Paleoart