Laura C. Dees
@lauradees.bsky.social
Doing a PhD (or trying to) in the realm of evolutionary language science @Uni Zurich, generally interested in linguistic and cultural diversity.
Background pic: one of Matthew Wongs masterpieces
Background pic: one of Matthew Wongs masterpieces
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
#WestBank: new @hrw.org report finds #Israel 's mass displacement of Palestinians amounts to ethnic cleansing: hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Countless EU statements on "two state solution" have done nothing to stop this. Sanctions, settlement trade ban urgently needed: hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Countless EU statements on "two state solution" have done nothing to stop this. Sanctions, settlement trade ban urgently needed: hrw.org/news/2025/10...
November 21, 2025 at 2:23 PM
#WestBank: new @hrw.org report finds #Israel 's mass displacement of Palestinians amounts to ethnic cleansing: hrw.org/news/2025/11...
Countless EU statements on "two state solution" have done nothing to stop this. Sanctions, settlement trade ban urgently needed: hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Countless EU statements on "two state solution" have done nothing to stop this. Sanctions, settlement trade ban urgently needed: hrw.org/news/2025/10...
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
I am by no means a prominent public intellectual, but my inbox is increasingly filled with messages from people who have been convinced by sycophantic chatbots that they have discovered revolutionary theories that entirely upend our scientific understanding of the universe.
November 21, 2025 at 2:49 AM
I am by no means a prominent public intellectual, but my inbox is increasingly filled with messages from people who have been convinced by sycophantic chatbots that they have discovered revolutionary theories that entirely upend our scientific understanding of the universe.
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Being available; sharing network and resources; giving timely feedback; offering opportunities and learning moments (e.g. co-reviewing a paper, organising a conference, co-presenting - these are things you have to learn somehow). Oh and be kind - there is enough harshness in academia.
November 19, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Being available; sharing network and resources; giving timely feedback; offering opportunities and learning moments (e.g. co-reviewing a paper, organising a conference, co-presenting - these are things you have to learn somehow). Oh and be kind - there is enough harshness in academia.
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
being available when needed, offering constructive criticism as well as motivation and recognition, being humane (do not request unreasonable achievements, or expect huge personal sacrifices, respect holidays, time to rest etc.), there's probably more but this are top three to me
November 12, 2025 at 2:58 PM
being available when needed, offering constructive criticism as well as motivation and recognition, being humane (do not request unreasonable achievements, or expect huge personal sacrifices, respect holidays, time to rest etc.), there's probably more but this are top three to me
things look so bleak.. and Europe seems to have stopped caring since the start of the ceasefire which is not a ceasefire
November 20, 2025 at 1:55 PM
things look so bleak.. and Europe seems to have stopped caring since the start of the ceasefire which is not a ceasefire
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
genuinely curious: what, according to my academic followers, are characteristics of good doctoral supervision?
November 10, 2025 at 9:15 PM
genuinely curious: what, according to my academic followers, are characteristics of good doctoral supervision?
genuinely curious: what, according to my academic followers, are characteristics of good doctoral supervision?
November 10, 2025 at 9:15 PM
genuinely curious: what, according to my academic followers, are characteristics of good doctoral supervision?
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
#Vacancies: we are looking for not just one but three #postdoctoral researchers interested in bridging #genetics, #archaeology and #linguistics in exploring the #humanpast. shorturl.at/B3Qdd @haam-community.bsky.social @cschlebu.bsky.social
Postdoctoral position in Palaeo-population genomics at the Center for the Human Past - Uppsala University
Postdoctoral position in Palaeo-population genomics at the Center for the Human Past, Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University
shorturl.at
November 10, 2025 at 7:49 AM
#Vacancies: we are looking for not just one but three #postdoctoral researchers interested in bridging #genetics, #archaeology and #linguistics in exploring the #humanpast. shorturl.at/B3Qdd @haam-community.bsky.social @cschlebu.bsky.social
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Today, 250.000 people took to the streets of Amsterdam to protest Israel's genocidal violence in Gaza and the cowardly response by the Dutch government. It followed on two earlier protests, one with 150.000 protesters, and the first one with about 100.000. By Dutch standards, these are huge numbers.
October 5, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Today, 250.000 people took to the streets of Amsterdam to protest Israel's genocidal violence in Gaza and the cowardly response by the Dutch government. It followed on two earlier protests, one with 150.000 protesters, and the first one with about 100.000. By Dutch standards, these are huge numbers.
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
RIP Jane Goodall, who has died at 91.
She was a gentle disrupter who reshaped how we understand our place in nature. Her research with chimpanzees revolutionized science, and her boundless optimism touched the world.
buff.ly/5Hwx3Z7 🌎🩺
She was a gentle disrupter who reshaped how we understand our place in nature. Her research with chimpanzees revolutionized science, and her boundless optimism touched the world.
buff.ly/5Hwx3Z7 🌎🩺
October 1, 2025 at 7:37 PM
RIP Jane Goodall, who has died at 91.
She was a gentle disrupter who reshaped how we understand our place in nature. Her research with chimpanzees revolutionized science, and her boundless optimism touched the world.
buff.ly/5Hwx3Z7 🌎🩺
She was a gentle disrupter who reshaped how we understand our place in nature. Her research with chimpanzees revolutionized science, and her boundless optimism touched the world.
buff.ly/5Hwx3Z7 🌎🩺
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Together with 1000 Madleens to #Gaza @1kmadleenfr.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy we are sending a boat with international journalists & health workers in solidarity with Palestinian journalists & medics who continue to report & provide care through #genocide #BreakTheSiege #FreePalestine #AllEyesOnGaza
September 28, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Together with 1000 Madleens to #Gaza @1kmadleenfr.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy we are sending a boat with international journalists & health workers in solidarity with Palestinian journalists & medics who continue to report & provide care through #genocide #BreakTheSiege #FreePalestine #AllEyesOnGaza
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
When you consider the *ecocide* alongside the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza, you begin to grasp the totality of the Israeli state’s attempt to eliminate both the Palestinians and their homeland.
My column today.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My column today.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Israel’s ecocide in Gaza sends this message: even if we stopped dropping bombs, you couldn’t live here | George Monbiot
Consider the annihilation of agricultural land alongside the genocide – and grasp the chilling totality of this attempt to eliminate all life, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
September 27, 2025 at 6:59 AM
When you consider the *ecocide* alongside the genocide being perpetrated in Gaza, you begin to grasp the totality of the Israeli state’s attempt to eliminate both the Palestinians and their homeland.
My column today.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
My column today.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"The big perspective change from ancient DNA study is that people living today are almost never the descendants of the people in the same place thousands of years before." "People’s stories about their history are almost always wrong."
Nice story on Reich's research on ancient DNA "Claims of pure bloodlines? Ancestral homelands? DNA science says no." 🏺🧪 news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor...
Pure bloodlines? Ancestral homelands? DNA science says no. — Harvard Gazette
Geneticist explains recent analyses made possible by tech advances show human history to be one of mixing, movement, displacement.
news.harvard.edu
September 23, 2025 at 12:24 PM
"The big perspective change from ancient DNA study is that people living today are almost never the descendants of the people in the same place thousands of years before." "People’s stories about their history are almost always wrong."
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
From burying beetles to shamans, follow Manvir Singh @manvir.bsky.social in his sweeping Q&A from our latest issue.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Manvir Singh
Interview with Manvir Singh, who studies the evolutionary and cognitive origins of
human cultural behaviors at the University of California, Davis.
www.cell.com
September 22, 2025 at 8:32 PM
From burying beetles to shamans, follow Manvir Singh @manvir.bsky.social in his sweeping Q&A from our latest issue.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
in the context of sharing something uplifting every once in a while: this documentary about two brothers dipping their toes in the world of "extreme birdwatching" is so joyful, genuine and funny, and it has stunning bird footage! youtu.be/zl-wAqplQAo?...
LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching
YouTube video by owen reiser
youtu.be
September 8, 2025 at 11:11 AM
in the context of sharing something uplifting every once in a while: this documentary about two brothers dipping their toes in the world of "extreme birdwatching" is so joyful, genuine and funny, and it has stunning bird footage! youtu.be/zl-wAqplQAo?...
“Wie om veiligheid vraagt zonder macht, vraagt om bescherming in plaats van zeggenschap.”
Opinie: Wij vrouwen moeten niet de nacht, maar de macht opeisen
Opinie: Wij vrouwen moeten niet de nacht, maar de macht opeisen
www.volkskrant.nl
September 6, 2025 at 5:43 AM
“Wie om veiligheid vraagt zonder macht, vraagt om bescherming in plaats van zeggenschap.”
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Today, Global Voices joins with @rsf.org Avaaz and other media outlets to condemn the killing of journalists in #Gaza. Together, we call on the Israeli authorities to allow independent access for international press into Gaza immediately. #ProtectJournalistsInGaza #LetReportersIntoGaza
September 1, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Today, Global Voices joins with @rsf.org Avaaz and other media outlets to condemn the killing of journalists in #Gaza. Together, we call on the Israeli authorities to allow independent access for international press into Gaza immediately. #ProtectJournalistsInGaza #LetReportersIntoGaza
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Our paper is out! We linked genetic and linguistic data to study how contact changes language and found consistent patterns of borrowing across contact situations
@balthasarbickel.bsky.social @chiarabarbieri.bsky.social @nccrlanguage.bsky.social @isle-uzh.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv7521
@balthasarbickel.bsky.social @chiarabarbieri.bsky.social @nccrlanguage.bsky.social @isle-uzh.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv7521
Patterns of genetic admixture reveal similar rates of borrowing across diverse scenarios of language contact
Human population contact leads to consistently similar rates of linguistic borrowing, but effects vary across linguistic features.
www.science.org
August 30, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Our paper is out! We linked genetic and linguistic data to study how contact changes language and found consistent patterns of borrowing across contact situations
@balthasarbickel.bsky.social @chiarabarbieri.bsky.social @nccrlanguage.bsky.social @isle-uzh.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv7521
@balthasarbickel.bsky.social @chiarabarbieri.bsky.social @nccrlanguage.bsky.social @isle-uzh.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv7521
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Crucial research by courageous Israeli journalists
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
'Starvation is everywhere': Virtual tours of Gaza clinics expose the scale of the horror
***
www.haaretz.com
August 22, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Crucial research by courageous Israeli journalists
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.
Read more:
Read more:
Israel/OPT: New testimonies provide compelling evidence that Israel’s starvation of Palestinians in Gaza is a deliberate policy
Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life, Amnesty International said today.
amn.st
August 18, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.
Read more:
Read more:
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
A new study finds that chimpanzee babies learn vocal and visual communication patterns from their mothers. The findings may shed light on the way human babies learn from those close to them.
Chimpanzees pick up communication styles from their moms, not their dads
A new study finds that chimpanzee babies learn vocal and visual communication patterns from their mothers. The findings may shed light on the way human babies learn from those close to them.
n.pr
August 17, 2025 at 10:27 PM
A new study finds that chimpanzee babies learn vocal and visual communication patterns from their mothers. The findings may shed light on the way human babies learn from those close to them.
Reposted by Laura C. Dees
“The law means nothing if the world looks away.”
August 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
“The law means nothing if the world looks away.”
It comes with a nicely condensed press release: www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
August 6, 2025 at 8:35 AM
It comes with a nicely condensed press release: www.eurekalert.org/news-release...
So happy that this paper lead by Joseph Mine is finally out! Was cool to be part of this project on the social learning of multi-modal communication in chimpanzees, which is slightly outside of my usual scope (and it’s my first co-authored paper too, yay!) :) journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Chimpanzee mothers, but not fathers, influence offspring vocal–visual communicative behavior
The influence of social versus genetic factors on communication in non-human hominids is not well understood. This study shows that, in line with their central caretaking role, chimpanzees exhibit pre...
journals.plos.org
August 5, 2025 at 6:55 PM
So happy that this paper lead by Joseph Mine is finally out! Was cool to be part of this project on the social learning of multi-modal communication in chimpanzees, which is slightly outside of my usual scope (and it’s my first co-authored paper too, yay!) :) journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...