Thomas Gerdes
LightNews LightNews
banner
thomasgerdes.de
Thomas Gerdes
@thomasgerdes.de
720 followers 510 following 340 posts
Head of Library at Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen. Passionate about open science and supporting research. | #photography | thomasgerdes.de
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
maxplanck.de
On this day in 1859 English naturalist Charles #Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species," radically changing the view of #evolution and laying the foundation for evolutionary biology. #otd
In the summer of 1837, Charles Darwin (picture 1)opened a page of his brown leather-bound notebook with the sentence: I think. The page (picture 2) was in the first of four notebooks he had created in London on the question of species change. However, he did not explain what he was thinking in words, but in a fist-sized diagram: a line shoots out from an origin marked with the number ‘1’ and then forks several times. Some branches end in nothingness, while others fan out further and further. In the summer of 1837, Charles Darwin opened a page of his brown leather-bound notebook with the sentence: I think. The page was in the first of four notebooks he had created in London on the question of species change. However, he did not explain what he was thinking in words, but in a fist-sized diagram: a line shoots out from an origin marked with the number ‘1’ and then forks several times. Some branches end in nothingness, while others fan out further and further.
November 24, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
maxplanck.de
Where does #Theia come from? In the early #SolarSystem, 4.5 billion years ago, a small planet known as Theia collided with proto-Earth. The debris of this giant impact formed the #Moon🌙. New Max Planck research @science.org suggests that Theia and #Earth 🌎 were neighbors. www.mpg.de/25743917/the...
Theia and Earth were neighbors
In the current issue of the journal Science, researchers determine the possible composition of Theia. The impactor’s composition allows conclusions about its place of origin. It is located in the inne...
www.mpg.de
November 21, 2025 at 8:09 AM
thomasgerdes.de
A shared Atlantic? Reimagining the historical ties between Europe and Latin America

#LatinAmerica

blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...
A shared Atlantic? Reimagining the historical ties between Europe and Latin America -
While Latin American international relations are often seen through the lens of US hegemony Europe has played a neglected role in modern Latin American history.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Introducing the j-metric: a true measure of what matters in academia

#ResearchAssessment

doi.org/10.1038/d415...
Introducing the j-metric: a true measure of what matters in academia
Science has become obsessed with publishing numbers. With this new satirical proposal, have we reached peak metric?
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:49 PM
thomasgerdes.de
If the AI bubble bursts, what will it mean for research?

#AI

doi.org/10.1038/d415...
If the AI bubble bursts, what will it mean for research?
The rise in artificial-intelligence technologies is unprecedented, but some predict a stock-market crash that could have knock-on effects for funding and jobs.
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 2:43 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Abhängigkeitsstrukturen: Die Macht der großen KI-Konzerne – Gespräch mit Helen Toner

#AI #Podcast

www.deutschlandfunk.de/macht-grosse...
Abhängigkeitsstrukturen - Die Macht der großen KI-Konzerne – Gespräch mit Helen Toner
Haben einzelne Unternehmen und Menschen in der KI-Welt zu viel Einfluss? Sicherheitsexpertin und ehemaliges OpenAI-Board-Mitglied Helen Toner im Interview.
www.deutschlandfunk.de
November 21, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
paintingsoflondon.bsky.social
Tube Rain 1', Mornington Crescent Station (2015) by John Duffin
johnduffin.co.uk
------
🎵 'Mornington Crescent' by Belle and Sebastian
youtu.be/1dVoliKbeng?...
November 20, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
lseblogs.bsky.social
#LatinAmerica’s international relations are often viewed through the lens of US hegemony.

Yet as @charlotteeaton.bsky.social explains on @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social, this risks obscuring the important historical connections between Latin America and #Europe.
A shared Atlantic? Reimagining the historical ties between Europe and Latin America -
While Latin American international relations are often seen through the lens of US hegemony Europe has played a neglected role in modern Latin American history.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 19, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
maxplanck.de
#Tiefseebergbau: Wie schützen wir den Meeresboden? Bislang gibt es keinen internationalen Konsens, ob und wie die #Manganknollen der #Tiefsee abgebaut werden sollen. Fest steht jedoch: Die ökologischen Folgen sind gravierend, die Kosten hoch. www.mpg.de/25745503/tie...
Tiefseebergbau: Wie schützen wir den Meeresboden?
Der Meeresboden birgt enorme Reserven an Mangan, Kobalt, Nickel und anderen Mineralien. Bislang gibt es keinen internationalen Konsens, ob und wie deren Abbau erfolgen soll. Fest steht jedoch: Die ökologischen Folgen des Tiefseebergbaus sind gravierend, die Kosten hoch. Wie kann der Meeresboden als „Erbe der Menschheit“ geschützt und das internationale Seerecht überarbeitet werden?
www.mpg.de
November 19, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
steffenmau.bsky.social
Am 11.11 findet im Deutschen Theater in Berlin unsere Buchpremiere statt. Tickets hier 👉 www.deutschestheater.de/programm/pro...
@ricardalang.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
verfassungsblog.de
Wie darf generative KI urheberrechtlich geschütztes Material nutzen?

Eine Antwort gab es nun vom LG München, das in einer Klage der GEMA gegen OpenAI entschied.

LINDA KUSCHEL und DARIUS ROSTAM über eine weltweit diskutierte Frage und die Folgen der Entscheidung.

verfassungsblog.de/lg-munchen-g...
Zitat: „Das Urteil fügt sich in das derzeit beliebte Narrativ ein, wonach die EU als streng regulierende, die Rechtsinhaber schützende Ordnungsmacht auftritt, während die USA auf Marktlösung setzen und KI-Anbietern entgegenkommen.“
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
annettedittert.bsky.social
The most differentiated and thoughtful write up of Labours new immigration policy by @stephenkb.bsky.social this morning.

#giftlink
Labour needs a way out of the infernal circle of immigration policy
Politics today is about ‘open vs closed’, but the UK government’s approach risks appeasing no one
on.ft.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:58 AM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
newyorker.com
Will A.I. culture submerge human originality in a sea of unmotivated, formulaic art, or allow for the expression of new visions? https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/FhwTpP
A.I. Is Coming for Culture
We’re used to algorithms guiding our choices. When machines can effortlessly generate the content we consume, though, what’s left for the human imagination?
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
paolocrosetto.bsky.social
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.

It's *scientific publishing*.

We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.

Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...

Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
November 12, 2025 at 10:31 AM
thomasgerdes.de
#BookLog: Cassandra by Christa Wolf

#AmReading #booksky

www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...
Cassandra
In this volume, the distinguished East German writer Ch…
www.goodreads.com
November 16, 2025 at 3:29 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Eine Gruppe internationaler Forscher warnt in der "Stockholm Declaration" vor dem Zusammenbruch des Wissenfundaments moderner Gesellschaften – und fordert eine weltweite Reform des wissenschaftlichen Publizierens.

#ScholarlyPublishing

www.jmwiarda.de/blog/2025/11...
"Die größte wissenschaftliche Krise aller Zeiten"
www.jmwiarda.de
November 15, 2025 at 4:13 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Patti Smith on Her Memoir “Bread of Angels,” Fifty Years After Her Début Album

#music #PattiSmith

www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-...
Patti Smith on Her Memoir “Bread of Angels,” Fifty Years After Her Début Album
In the musician’s most revealing account, she discusses her retreat from public life, the early loss of her husband, and the challenge of learning and writing about her biological father.
www.newyorker.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:40 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
maxplanck.de
Gema gewinnt gegen #OpenAI: Die Entscheidung des Landgerichts #München könnte Auswirkungen weit über #Liedtexte hinaus haben, sagt Silke von Lewinski vom Max-Planck-Institut für Innovation und Wettbewerb.
sueddeutsche.de/wirtschaft/m... @mpi-inno-comp.bsky.social
Gema gegen OpenAI: Niederlage für Chat-GPT vor Münchner Gericht
In der Klage der Musikrechtegesellschaft Gema gegen OpenAI geht es um neun Lieder und sehr Grundsätzliches im Umgang von KI mit Urheberrechten.
sueddeutsche.de
November 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM
thomasgerdes.de
After Coalition S disrupted scientific publishing, new plan retreats from strict requirements

#ScholarlyPublishing #OpenAccess

science.org/content/article/after-coalition-s-disrupted-scientific-publishing-new-plan-retreats-strict-requirements
After Coalition S disrupted scientific publishing, new plan retreats from strict requirements
The group’s latest strategy emphasizes consultation, lacks spending pledges
science.org
November 15, 2025 at 12:05 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Neon sign reading ‘Freedom is Thinkable’ in the library of the German Parliament. — Berlin, 12 November 2025.

#photography #Library #Bundestag #Berlin
Modern library interior with bright blue neon text reading "FREIHEIT IST DENKBAR" (Freedom is Thinkable) above floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Through the windows, multiple levels of illuminated bookshelves are visible. A wooden desk sits in the foreground beneath concrete ceiling beams.
November 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Cinema marquee displaying ‘Thanks for nothing’. — Berlin, 12 November 2025.

#photography #StreetPhotography #monochrome #blackandwhite #Berlin
Black and white photograph of the Babylon cinema marquee displaying "BABYLON" and "D NKE FÜR NICHTS" (Thanks for Nothing - with 'A' missing), the current film title partially obscured by bare tree branches. The weathered building facade above shows rows of windows, and a leafless tree dominates the right side of the frame.
November 14, 2025 at 12:57 PM
thomasgerdes.de
#FilmLog: Bugonia

#filmtip #film #filmsky

letterboxd.com/film/bugonia/
Bugonia (2025)
Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.
letterboxd.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM
thomasgerdes.de
Which way to Londinium?: ‘Google Maps’ for Roman roads reveals vast extent of ancient network

#history

doi.org/10.1038/d415...
‘Google Maps’ for Roman roads reveals vast extent of ancient network
A high-resolution digital map nearly doubles the known length of the ancient road network.
doi.org
November 8, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Thomas Gerdes
maxplanck.de
Today we celebrate the birthday of not one, but two amazing women in science! 🤗🎉Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867), who discovered #radium & #polonium & pioneered #radioactivity, & Lise Meitner (1878), whose brilliance uncovered the physics behind #nuclearfission. Happy birthday, trailblazers! ✨
Black-and-white portrait of Maria Skłodowska-Curie, 1903. She is seated in a chair, wearing a dark dress with a light, patterned collar, resting her head on one hand and looking directly at the camera. public domain Lise Meitner around 1906 in Vienna. She is wearing a long dress and a hat, standing among large plants and looking to the side. public domain
November 7, 2025 at 1:10 PM