Mélissa Berthet
@berthetmelissa.bsky.social
Researcher in primatology 🐒 and animal linguistics 🎤🙊
Titi monkeys & bonobos ❤️🦍
Postdoc at the University of Rennes, France
She/Her
https://sites.google.com/view/melissa-berthet
Titi monkeys & bonobos ❤️🦍
Postdoc at the University of Rennes, France
She/Her
https://sites.google.com/view/melissa-berthet
Pinned
Extensive compositionality in the vocal system of bonobos
Compositionality, the capacity to combine meaningful elements into larger meaningful structures, is a hallmark of human language. Compositionality can be trivial (the combination’s meaning is the sum ...
www.science.org
🚨New in @science.org🚨
With Simon Townsend (@nccrlanguage.bsky.social) and Martin Surbeck, we have investigated whether wild bonobos can combine calls in complex combinations, similar to how humans combine words into sentences 🧪
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#ScienceResearch #AnimalCommunication
With Simon Townsend (@nccrlanguage.bsky.social) and Martin Surbeck, we have investigated whether wild bonobos can combine calls in complex combinations, similar to how humans combine words into sentences 🧪
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
#ScienceResearch #AnimalCommunication
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
📢 JOB ALERT!
Interested in #Bioacoustics, #Linguistics and the #Evolution of #Language? We are seeking a #ResearchAssistant to join our project 'Convergent Evolution of Vocal Communication: Exploring the Parallels between #Birdsong and Human Speech'.👇 www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
Interested in #Bioacoustics, #Linguistics and the #Evolution of #Language? We are seeking a #ResearchAssistant to join our project 'Convergent Evolution of Vocal Communication: Exploring the Parallels between #Birdsong and Human Speech'.👇 www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
The University of Salford hiring Research Assistant in Bioacoustics in Manchester, England, United Kingdom | LinkedIn
Posted 10:02:26 AM. Research Assistant in BioacousticsUniversity of Salford, School of Science, Engineering &…See this and similar jobs on LinkedIn.
www.linkedin.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:15 AM
📢 JOB ALERT!
Interested in #Bioacoustics, #Linguistics and the #Evolution of #Language? We are seeking a #ResearchAssistant to join our project 'Convergent Evolution of Vocal Communication: Exploring the Parallels between #Birdsong and Human Speech'.👇 www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
Interested in #Bioacoustics, #Linguistics and the #Evolution of #Language? We are seeking a #ResearchAssistant to join our project 'Convergent Evolution of Vocal Communication: Exploring the Parallels between #Birdsong and Human Speech'.👇 www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/43...
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
📢Two fully-funded #PhD opportunities to work with us:
Topic: Social monitoring & manipulation
UK-domiciled black-heritage scheme: tinyurl.com/aja54nr6
NERC DLTP: tinyurl.com/4jfy47pp
Cosupervisors: #PatrickKennedy @ljnbrent.bsky.social
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
#bioacoustics #mammals #fieldwork
Topic: Social monitoring & manipulation
UK-domiciled black-heritage scheme: tinyurl.com/aja54nr6
NERC DLTP: tinyurl.com/4jfy47pp
Cosupervisors: #PatrickKennedy @ljnbrent.bsky.social
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
#bioacoustics #mammals #fieldwork
November 21, 2025 at 4:48 PM
📢Two fully-funded #PhD opportunities to work with us:
Topic: Social monitoring & manipulation
UK-domiciled black-heritage scheme: tinyurl.com/aja54nr6
NERC DLTP: tinyurl.com/4jfy47pp
Cosupervisors: #PatrickKennedy @ljnbrent.bsky.social
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
#bioacoustics #mammals #fieldwork
Topic: Social monitoring & manipulation
UK-domiciled black-heritage scheme: tinyurl.com/aja54nr6
NERC DLTP: tinyurl.com/4jfy47pp
Cosupervisors: #PatrickKennedy @ljnbrent.bsky.social
@bristolbiosci.bsky.social
#bioacoustics #mammals #fieldwork
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Intrigued by animal innovation and avian cognition? My PI Dr. Megan Lambert is advertising a new shiny PhD position studying innovation in kea parrots! Info attached 🤩🦜
For inquiries: [email protected]
For inquiries: [email protected]
November 11, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Intrigued by animal innovation and avian cognition? My PI Dr. Megan Lambert is advertising a new shiny PhD position studying innovation in kea parrots! Info attached 🤩🦜
For inquiries: [email protected]
For inquiries: [email protected]
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
After the Ngogo chimpanzee group killed 21 members of neighboring groups and expanded their territory by 22%, female birth rates more than doubled and infant survival increased sharply—showing clear fitness benefits from intergroup killing. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/TKmf50XuPjY
November 22, 2025 at 12:00 AM
After the Ngogo chimpanzee group killed 21 members of neighboring groups and expanded their territory by 22%, female birth rates more than doubled and infant survival increased sharply—showing clear fitness benefits from intergroup killing. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/TKmf50XuPjY
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Women unite! We need to consciously like & engage with other women's content at a higher level than we do now. Besides the biases we already suffer just for being a woman, movements are trying to silence us more. Remember mediocre posts by men get more attention without much effort. Support women!
Earlier this year Jane Evans ran an informal LinkedIn experiment: 2 women & 2 men, posted identical content at the same time. The women had a combined 154K followers, the men had only 9,389. Guess who got the highest reach? Yep, the men.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Bro boost: women say their LinkedIn traffic increases if they pretend to be men
Collective experiment found switching profile to ‘male’ and ‘bro-coding’ text led to big increase in reach, though site denies favouring posts by men
www.theguardian.com
November 23, 2025 at 1:35 PM
Women unite! We need to consciously like & engage with other women's content at a higher level than we do now. Besides the biases we already suffer just for being a woman, movements are trying to silence us more. Remember mediocre posts by men get more attention without much effort. Support women!
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
What enables human language? A biocultural framework. New paper by Inbal Arnon & al. with @limorraviv.bsky.social , @profsimonfisher.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1126/science.adq8303
doi.org/10.1126/science.adq8303
What enables human language? A biocultural framework
Explaining the origins of language is a key challenge in understanding ourselves as a species. We present an empirical framework that draws on synergies across fields to facilitate robust studies of l...
doi.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
What enables human language? A biocultural framework. New paper by Inbal Arnon & al. with @limorraviv.bsky.social , @profsimonfisher.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1126/science.adq8303
doi.org/10.1126/science.adq8303
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Kissing evolved at least 21 million years ago. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @matildabrindle.bsky.social
November 19, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Kissing evolved at least 21 million years ago. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @matildabrindle.bsky.social
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
🚨Who wants to work with Kalahari meerkats? A MSc project with @mathildemartin.bsky.social at the University of Zurich.
#bioacoustics 🧪
#bioacoustics 🧪
November 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
🚨Who wants to work with Kalahari meerkats? A MSc project with @mathildemartin.bsky.social at the University of Zurich.
#bioacoustics 🧪
#bioacoustics 🧪
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
I am looking for an intern to support my PhD project on multimodal communication in common marmosets! 🐒🌞
Minimum commitment is 3 months full-time. Please note that this is an unpaid position and that remote options are not available. BSc and MSc students are welcome!🥰
@nccrlanguage.bsky.social
Minimum commitment is 3 months full-time. Please note that this is an unpaid position and that remote options are not available. BSc and MSc students are welcome!🥰
@nccrlanguage.bsky.social
November 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM
I am looking for an intern to support my PhD project on multimodal communication in common marmosets! 🐒🌞
Minimum commitment is 3 months full-time. Please note that this is an unpaid position and that remote options are not available. BSc and MSc students are welcome!🥰
@nccrlanguage.bsky.social
Minimum commitment is 3 months full-time. Please note that this is an unpaid position and that remote options are not available. BSc and MSc students are welcome!🥰
@nccrlanguage.bsky.social
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Are you interested in doing a PhD about what humans infer about animal minds?
Check out this opportunity @northumbriapsy.bsky.social with me, @mdconstable.bsky.social and Lee Shepherd!
Deadline 23 Jan 2026
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Check out this opportunity @northumbriapsy.bsky.social with me, @mdconstable.bsky.social and Lee Shepherd!
Deadline 23 Jan 2026
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Bridging the Species Divide: Animal minds and the human-animal relationship (Ref: RDF26/HW/PSY/RENNER) at Northumbria University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Bridging the Species Divide: Animal minds and the human-animal relationship (Ref: RDF26/HW/PSY/RENNER) at Northumbria University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Are you interested in doing a PhD about what humans infer about animal minds?
Check out this opportunity @northumbriapsy.bsky.social with me, @mdconstable.bsky.social and Lee Shepherd!
Deadline 23 Jan 2026
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Check out this opportunity @northumbriapsy.bsky.social with me, @mdconstable.bsky.social and Lee Shepherd!
Deadline 23 Jan 2026
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
We are looking for a Masters student for an exciting project!
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
November 17, 2025 at 11:45 AM
We are looking for a Masters student for an exciting project!
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
Fitness consequences of cumulative silver-spoon 🥄🥄 effects in a long-lived mammal.
Study system could be humans 👨👩👧👦 or elephants 🐘🐘 depending on your interest.
✉️ @hansraj88.bsky.social @axdela.bsky.social @nikos.ecoevo.social.ap.brid.gy
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
"The cooperative eye hypothesis proposes that human eyeballs are uniquely conspicuous and evolved under selective pressures to behave cooperatively....but lacks robust empirical support: human eye pigmentation does not uniquely stand out among primates, is not uniform at species level..."
Look past the cooperative eye hypothesis: reconsidering the evolution of human eye appearance
The external appearance of the human eye has been prominently linked to the evolution of complex sociocognitive functions in our species. The cooperative eye hypothesis (CEH) proposes that human eyeb....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:35 AM
"The cooperative eye hypothesis proposes that human eyeballs are uniquely conspicuous and evolved under selective pressures to behave cooperatively....but lacks robust empirical support: human eye pigmentation does not uniquely stand out among primates, is not uniform at species level..."
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Exciting PhD opportunity to develop tech and software to record and understand wild animal behaviour. Fully funded by EPSRC DLA. Based at @uniexecec.bsky.social; co-supervised by Alex Thornton (@cornishjackdaws.bsky.social), @kjhockings.bsky.social and collaborators. Apply: tinyurl.com/5fr73snt
November 14, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Exciting PhD opportunity to develop tech and software to record and understand wild animal behaviour. Fully funded by EPSRC DLA. Based at @uniexecec.bsky.social; co-supervised by Alex Thornton (@cornishjackdaws.bsky.social), @kjhockings.bsky.social and collaborators. Apply: tinyurl.com/5fr73snt
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
We had a very interesting seminar this week by @berthetmelissa.bsky.social about her research on bonobo communication. Thanks again, Melissa!
November 14, 2025 at 12:30 PM
We had a very interesting seminar this week by @berthetmelissa.bsky.social about her research on bonobo communication. Thanks again, Melissa!
Ce matin j'ai eu l'honneur d'être l'invitée de l'émission CQFD sur RTS la 1ère ! C'est génial d'avoir eu une longue interview où j'ai eu le temps de développer, nuancer, et raconter des anecdotes ! Merci à Cécile Guerin et l'équipe @armorique.ici.fr !
www.rts.ch/audio-podcas...
www.rts.ch/audio-podcas...
Grande invitée : Mélissa Berthet, éthologue et spécialiste du langage des primates | RTS
Originaire de Savoie, Melissa Berthet a fait de l’écoute des animaux son métier. Après un master à Rennes et une thèse à l’Université de Neuchâtel, elle suit au Brésil des singes titis qu’elle identif...
www.rts.ch
November 14, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Ce matin j'ai eu l'honneur d'être l'invitée de l'émission CQFD sur RTS la 1ère ! C'est génial d'avoir eu une longue interview où j'ai eu le temps de développer, nuancer, et raconter des anecdotes ! Merci à Cécile Guerin et l'équipe @armorique.ici.fr !
www.rts.ch/audio-podcas...
www.rts.ch/audio-podcas...
Curious to see what people answer 👀
genuinely curious: what, according to my academic followers, are characteristics of good doctoral supervision?
November 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Curious to see what people answer 👀
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
AI letters are flooding the medical literature. (gift link)
Thanks, Altman.
Thanks, Altman.
The Editor Got a Letter From ‘Dr. B.S.’ So Did a Lot of Other Editors.
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:10 PM
AI letters are flooding the medical literature. (gift link)
Thanks, Altman.
Thanks, Altman.
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
BehaveAI is live!
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
November 6, 2025 at 10:09 AM
BehaveAI is live!
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
Our biologically inspired video analysis tool sees motion as colour. Track animals or objects, classify their behaviour, and handle complex natural scenes with ease.
Semi-supervised annotation, no GPUs required, user-friendly, free & open source.
Pre-print tinyurl.com/BehaveAI
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Our #mentorshipmatching event is two days away now!! 📣
--> Sign up to be a mentor/mentee, join the @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social community!! 🐝🐝🐝
--> Share this with interested students and ECRs in your group!
--> Become a monthly donor to help us keep growing!
--> Sign up to be a mentor/mentee, join the @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social community!! 🐝🐝🐝
--> Share this with interested students and ECRs in your group!
--> Become a monthly donor to help us keep growing!
We’re thrilled to announce the ABC's fourth mentorship-matching event!! 📣📣
This is a unique opportunity for you to meet and connect with experienced mentors. The mentorship match event - more of an informal "vibe check" - will be on Nov 6 2025 at 14:00 GMT 🐝🐝
Help us spread the word!! #mentorship
This is a unique opportunity for you to meet and connect with experienced mentors. The mentorship match event - more of an informal "vibe check" - will be on Nov 6 2025 at 14:00 GMT 🐝🐝
Help us spread the word!! #mentorship
November 4, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Our #mentorshipmatching event is two days away now!! 📣
--> Sign up to be a mentor/mentee, join the @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social community!! 🐝🐝🐝
--> Share this with interested students and ECRs in your group!
--> Become a monthly donor to help us keep growing!
--> Sign up to be a mentor/mentee, join the @abcmicrogrants.bsky.social community!! 🐝🐝🐝
--> Share this with interested students and ECRs in your group!
--> Become a monthly donor to help us keep growing!
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Years ago, I attempted a self-assessment of my potential gender biases in an academic research setting:
ecoevoevoeco.blogspot.com/2016/04/subt...
Today, I happened on a very nice summary of how to avoid such biases in letters of recommendation, which provides an comprehensive outline. Check it out
ecoevoevoeco.blogspot.com/2016/04/subt...
Today, I happened on a very nice summary of how to avoid such biases in letters of recommendation, which provides an comprehensive outline. Check it out
October 31, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Years ago, I attempted a self-assessment of my potential gender biases in an academic research setting:
ecoevoevoeco.blogspot.com/2016/04/subt...
Today, I happened on a very nice summary of how to avoid such biases in letters of recommendation, which provides an comprehensive outline. Check it out
ecoevoevoeco.blogspot.com/2016/04/subt...
Today, I happened on a very nice summary of how to avoid such biases in letters of recommendation, which provides an comprehensive outline. Check it out
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs
The selective revision of beliefs in light of new evidence has been considered one of the hallmarks of human-level rationality. However, tests of this ability in other species are lacking. We examined...
www.science.org
October 30, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Are humans really the only rational animals? Our NEW PAPER 🎉 out in @science.org suggests otherwise! In a large collaboration led with my joint first author @hanna-schleihauf.bsky.social, we show that “Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs” 🧵
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Job!📣 "The Department of Anthropology...University of Miami, invites applications for a faculty position in anthropological linguistics to begin August 15, 2026. The rank of the appointment is tenure-track assistant professor to tenure-eligible associate professor, as appropriate."
CAS-Anthropology: Linguistics (Computational/Data) at the rank of Assistant Professor – Associate Professor
Current Employees: If you are a current Staff, Faculty or Temporary employee at the University of Miami, please click here to log in to Workday to use the internal application process. To learn how to...
umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:13 PM
Job!📣 "The Department of Anthropology...University of Miami, invites applications for a faculty position in anthropological linguistics to begin August 15, 2026. The rank of the appointment is tenure-track assistant professor to tenure-eligible associate professor, as appropriate."
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
12-month Psychology lectureship in a very friendly team at York St John - we're looking for qual methods, and would be especially great if you can teach health psychology from a qual perspective. Please share: tinyurl.com/ysjpsych
Lecturer in Psychology at York St John University
Searching for an academic job? Explore this Lecturer in Psychology opening on jobs.ac.uk! Click to view more details and browse other academic jobs.
tinyurl.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:51 AM
12-month Psychology lectureship in a very friendly team at York St John - we're looking for qual methods, and would be especially great if you can teach health psychology from a qual perspective. Please share: tinyurl.com/ysjpsych
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
Primate Society of Great Britain (PSGB) Meeting
National Museum Cardiff, 27-28 November
www.psgb.org/pages/14-mee...
Registration and abstract submission coming soon! Please share!
@mckinneymonkey.bsky.social @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social @willallennz.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social
National Museum Cardiff, 27-28 November
www.psgb.org/pages/14-mee...
Registration and abstract submission coming soon! Please share!
@mckinneymonkey.bsky.social @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social @willallennz.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social
September 3, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Primate Society of Great Britain (PSGB) Meeting
National Museum Cardiff, 27-28 November
www.psgb.org/pages/14-mee...
Registration and abstract submission coming soon! Please share!
@mckinneymonkey.bsky.social @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social @willallennz.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social
National Museum Cardiff, 27-28 November
www.psgb.org/pages/14-mee...
Registration and abstract submission coming soon! Please share!
@mckinneymonkey.bsky.social @inesfuertbauer.bsky.social @willallennz.bsky.social @primatesocietygb.bsky.social
Reposted by Mélissa Berthet
🚨Social scientists! @psuanthro.bsky.social & @ssripennstate.bsky.social are hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor exploring how social & ecological environments shape reproduction, growth, &/or development. Review starts soon! Please share widely! psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...
Assistant Professor of Anthropology in Human Reproductive Ecology
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS: CURRENT PENN STATE EMPLOYEE (faculty, staff, technical service, or student), please login to Workday to complete the internal application process. Please do not apply here, a...
psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
October 28, 2025 at 1:41 PM
🚨Social scientists! @psuanthro.bsky.social & @ssripennstate.bsky.social are hiring a tenure-track Assistant Professor exploring how social & ecological environments shape reproduction, growth, &/or development. Review starts soon! Please share widely! psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/PSU_Academic...