Laura C. Dees

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?

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

#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

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.

A photo of Jane Goodall, in her later days with a quote from her: "The greatest danger to our future is our apathy. Each one of us must take responsibility for our own lives, and above all, show respect and love for living things around us, especially each other."

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 🌎🩺

Photo of a boat at sea with flags & banners, text "Announcing Media & Medics boat to Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition and Thousand Madleens to Gaza will launch a dedicated boat carrying international journalists and medical professionals to Gaza on October 1." + FFC and Thousand Madleens logos.

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

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

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...

"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."

Manvir Singh Interview with Manvir Singh, who studies the evolutionary and cognitive origins of human cultural behaviors at the University of California, Davis.

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...

goed gedaan @vvdonline.bsky.social! jullie waren nog sneller dan Orban, bravo!

hemeltergend

haha aahh dat is echt leuk! veel plezier :)

YouTube video by owen reiser LISTERS: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching

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.”

A dark black-and-grey city scene with the plume of a bomb rising above it and the text: "At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed. #ProtectJournalistsInGaza #LetReportersIntoGaza

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

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.

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

'Starvation is everywhere': Virtual tours of Gaza clinics expose the scale of the horror ***

Crucial research by courageous Israeli journalists
www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

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.

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:

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.

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.

“The law means nothing if the world looks away.”

Means a lot coming from a super cool researcher 🥹

Thank you, very kind!

It comes with a nicely condensed press release: www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

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...

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/...

This is amongst the most impactful two minutes of broadcasting I’ve ever seen.

By Emma Murphy, International Editor, ITV News. #Gaza

What is holding us from imposing complete sanctions on Israel immediately? Possible answers are racism, islamophobia, and giving in to illegitimate pressure from zionists. I don’t see any good reason at all.

Also, use military force to let the food in (since diplomacy failed).

Now!

Such a fascinating topic! I’d totally recommend his brilliant book “Bye Bye I Love You” as well, which features reflections on ritual last words and much more relating to the opening and closing of the “interaction window” at the beginning and end of the lifespan.

Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die July 21, 2025 AFP has been working with 1 writer, 3 photographers and 6 videographers, all freelance, in the Gaza Strip since its staff journalists left in 2024. Along with a few others, they are now the only ones left to report what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The international press has been banned from entering the territory for nearly two years. We refuse to watch them die. One of them, Bashar, has been working with AFP since 2010, first as a fixer, then freelance photographer, and since 2024, as lead photographer. On July 19th he managed to post a message on Facebook: “I no longer have the strength to work for the media. My body is thin and I can’t work anymore.” Bashar, 30, works & lives in the same conditions as all Gazans, moving from one refugee camp to another under Israeli bombings. For > a year he’s lived in utter destitution, working at extreme risk to his life. Hygiene is a major issue for him, with recurring bouts of severe intestinal illness. Since Feb, Bashar’s been living in the ruins of his home in Gaza City with his mother, 4 brothers & sisters and the family of one of his brothers. Their house is devoid of any furnishings, except a few cushions. On Sunday morning, he reported that one of his brothers had “fallen, due to hunger.” Even though these journalists receive a monthly salary from AFP, it’s no longer enough to buy food, or they have to pay completely exorbitant prices. The banking system has collapsed, and those who exchange money via online bank accounts charge a commission of up to 40%. AFP no longer has the ability to provide them with a vehicle and there is not enough fuel to allow these journalists to travel for their reporting. Driving a car means becoming a target for Israeli airstrikes. AFP reporters therefore travel on foot or by donkey cart. (alt txt continued in next post)

A horrifying statement published today by the Editorial Committee of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency.

"Without immediate intervention, the last reporters in Gaza will die"

Translation from French to English by @cnorristrent.bsky.social:

and European governments continue to stand by and watch

'Now I understand why Israel is denying journalists access to the appalling scene in Gaza' ***

Historian Jean-Pierre Filiu, following a month-long stay in Gaza, says Israel’s restrictions on journalists conceal devastation so severe it has profoundly fractured Gazan society and could impact the world

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...