Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 2h

Should AI developers use copyrighted works to train models without permission or compensation?

“current debates privilege the interests of Big Tech exploiting online data for profit, neglecting policies that could ensure technology innovation & creative labour both contribute to the public good”

A capitalist contest: the AI industry v. the creative industries

This paper examines whether artificial intelligence industry developers of large language models should be permitted to use copyrighted works to train their models without permission and compensation ...

journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 15h

Discussion about free speech in universities with the UK “free speech tsar” which, concerningly, doesn’t once mention academic freedom (except to conflate it with free speech).

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson - Free Speech Tsar: Arif Ahmed on how to avoid the 'abyss' of political violence - BBC Sounds

How do you protect and police freedom of speech on campus and in society?

www.bbc.co.uk

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Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 19h

We're pleased to announce and congratulate the winners of the Advancing Cultural Evolution Course Design Awards! This competition recognises leading educators in the field of cultural evolution and their existing efforts to advance its teaching.

We have 7 winners and 2 runners up (listed below):

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

The EHBEA2026 conference website is now live 👇 Deadline for abstract submission: 15 December

EHBEA 2026 @ehbea2026.bsky.social · 1d

🚨𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀!
www.ehbea2026.com is now live for our 2026 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference in Leiden (NL🇳🇱) Check for 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, first 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & the [𝗔𝗜]𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸!
🗓️ 14–17 Apr 2026 | CBEN pre-conf 14 Apr
📍Pesthuis
#EHBEA2026

Overview | EHBEA2026

www.ehbea2026.com

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EHBEA 2026 @ehbea2026.bsky.social · 1d

🚨𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀!
www.ehbea2026.com is now live for our 2026 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association (EHBEA) conference in Leiden (NL🇳🇱) Check for 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, first 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 & the [𝗔𝗜]𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸!
🗓️ 14–17 Apr 2026 | CBEN pre-conf 14 Apr
📍Pesthuis
#EHBEA2026

Overview | EHBEA2026

www.ehbea2026.com

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Will Gervais @willgervais.com · 1d

Teaching a fun science & critical thinking course this semester.

Trying out THAMES as a handy mnemonic for what to look for in evaluating science papers & such (obvs not all are as relevant for every paper)...

THAMES mnemonic for reading science:

T
Theory
•What BIG IDEA is the focus?

H
Hypothesis
•What SMALLER IDEA is actually getting tested?

A
Assumptions &
Alternatives
•What needs to be true to connect T:H?
•What else could explain results/predictions?

M
Methods:
Measures & Manipulations
•Were methodological tools validated?
•Evidence that we’re measuring/manip what’s claimed?

E
Evidence &
Ethics
•Are claims calibrated to EVIDENCE? Is EVIDENCE appropriate?
•ETHICALLY sound in practice/intent/implication/application?

S
Sampling
Statistical Model
•Who was studied? Who are claims about?
•Do stat results match verbal ideas?

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

Clear statement of the hereditarian "merchants of doubt/tobacco strategy" here:

"the race-hereditarians make the claim that the IQ gap is “>0% genetically caused.” This move is an attempt to put their opponents in the impossible position of defending the null hypothesis"

Eric Turkheimer @ent3c.bsky.social · 1d

Blog post: Ancestry and Education
Indirect, direct, confounded and quasi-causal.

I write about a preprint by Wang et al, in which they look for associations with genetic ancestry in an admixed Mexican population. They found genetic effects for height and Type-II diabetes, but not for education.

Ancestry and Education

Indirect, direct, confounded and quasi-causal

ericturkheimer.substack.com

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

“Women-led papers were more likely to be featured in local outlets than in national, international, or science-specialty media. They appeared more often in liberal-leaning outlets than conservative ones. And coverage of their work carried a more negative tone”

www.science.org/content/arti...

When women researchers publish, media attention doesn’t always follow

Men-led papers receive more media coverage than women’s, new study finds

www.science.org

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Ruth Mace @ruthmace.bsky.social · 1d

Costly rituals endure because committed members see greater benefits – especially supernatural – despite high estimated cost. New paper by Klocova et al| Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core - www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core

Estimated costs and benefits of participation in an extreme ritual in Mauritius - Volume 7

www.cambridge.org

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

“When disaggregated into growth, reproduction & lifespan, human life history is appropriately characterized not as slow or fast, but as hybrid…describing human life history as slow inevitably leads to the assumption that energy constraints are the norm in non-industrialized societies & for the past”

Twenty Years Later: Growth Rates and Life Histories in Twenty‐Two Small‐Scale Societies

This commentary on Growth Rates and Life Histories in Twenty-Two Small-Scale Societies overviews the original publication and its contributions, and reviews advances in the field of human growth and ...

doi.org

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Eric Turkheimer @ent3c.bsky.social · 1d

Blog post: Ancestry and Education
Indirect, direct, confounded and quasi-causal.

I write about a preprint by Wang et al, in which they look for associations with genetic ancestry in an admixed Mexican population. They found genetic effects for height and Type-II diabetes, but not for education.

Ancestry and Education

Indirect, direct, confounded and quasi-causal

ericturkheimer.substack.com

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Siobhán Cully 🇺🇸 🐱🥼🤓🩼 @siobhancully.bsky.social · 1d

At my institution, a professor is being blocked from leaving the US after death threats for teaching on anti-fascism.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US anti-fascism expert blocked from flying to Spain at airport

Rutgers University professor who published book on antifa was informed at boarding gate that his trip was cancelled

www.theguardian.com

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 1d

This really is interesting. We talk a bit about the close relationship between Men's Liberation and feminism in 1980s Britain - and how that progressive impulse dissipated - in Men and Masculinities in Modern Britain.

See (open access) www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

This is interesting: “I analyze the puzzling trajectory of Men’s Liberation, which went from an ally to liberal feminism in the 1970s to the crucible of the antifeminist Men’s Rights’ movement in the 1980s”

US Men’s Liberation in the 1970s: Autopsy of a Movement

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

journals.sagepub.com

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

“We used the empirical results of our study to recommend several improvements to the new publishing model introduced by eLife as for example, increasing transparency, masking author identity or increasing the number of expert reviewers”

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Scientific publishing without gatekeeping: an empirical investigation of eLife’s new peer review process - Scientometrics

At the end of January 2023, eLife introduced a new publishing model (alongside the old-traditional-publishing model): all manuscripts submitted as preprints are peer-reviewed and published if they are deemed worthy of review by the editorial team (“editorial triage”). The model abandons the gatekeeping function and retains the previous “consultative approach to peer review”. Even under the changed conditions, the question of the quality of judgements in the peer review process remains. In this study, the reviewers’ ratings of manuscripts submitted to eLife were examined in terms of both descriptive comparisons of peer review models, and the following selected quality criteria of peer review: interrater agreement and interrater reliability. eLife provided us with the data on all manuscripts submitted in 2023 according to the new publishing model (group 3, N = 3,846), as well as manuscripts submitted according to the old publishing model (group 1: N = 6,592 submissions from 2019; group 2: N = 364 submissions from 2023). The interrater agreement and interrater reliability for the criteria “significance of findings” and “strength of support” were similarly low, as previous empirical studies for gatekeeping journals have shown. The fairness of peer review is not or only slightly compromised. We used the empirical results of our study to recommend several improvements to the new publishing model introduced by eLife as for example, increasing transparency, masking author identity or increasing the number of expert reviewers.

link.springer.com

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 1d

“we synthesize the literature into five core themes—definitions of sexism and misogyny, disciplinary divergences, automated detection methods, associated challenges, and design-based interventions”

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Divided by discipline? A systematic literature review on the quantification of online sexism and misogyny using a semi-automated approach - Scientometrics

Several computational tools have been developed to detect and identify sexism, misogyny, and gender-based hate speech, particularly on online platforms. These tools draw on insights from both social science and computer science. Given the increasing concern over gender-based discrimination in digital spaces, the contested definitions and measurements of sexism, and the rise of interdisciplinary efforts to understand its online manifestations, a systematic literature review is essential for capturing the current state and trajectory of this evolving field. In this review, we make four key contributions: (1) we synthesize the literature into five core themes—definitions of sexism and misogyny, disciplinary divergences, automated detection methods, associated challenges, and design-based interventions; (2) we adopt an interdisciplinary lens, bridging theoretical and methodological divides across social psychology, computer science, and gender studies; (3) we highlight critical gaps, including the need for intersectional approaches, the under-representation of non-Western languages and perspectives, and the limited focus on proactive design strategies beyond text classification; and (4) we offer a methodological contribution by applying a rigorous semi-automated systematic review process guided by PRISMA, establishing a replicable standard for future work in this domain. Our findings reveal a clear disciplinary divide in how sexism and misogyny are conceptualized and measured. Through an evidence-based synthesis, we examine how existing studies have attempted to bridge this gap through interdisciplinary collaboration. Drawing on both social science theories and computational modeling practices, we assess the strengths and limitations of current methodologies. Finally, we outline key challenges and future directions for advancing research on the detection and mitigation of online sexism and misogyny.

link.springer.com

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EHBEA @ehbea.bsky.social · 2d

🚨AWARD ANNOUNCEMENT🚨

EHBEA is calling for SELF-nominations for their New Investigator Award.

If you are doing, or know someone, some really cool research as an early-career researcher please don’t hesitate to apply!

DEADLINE: December 19th, 2025

Here is the form👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1...

EHBEA-2026-New-Investigator-Award-nomination-form.docx

2026 NEW INVESTIGATOR AWARD Self-nomination Form Please submit this application form by e-mail to the EHBEA Secretary [email protected]. Next Deadline: 5pm (GMT), 19th DECEMBER 2026 ...

docs.google.com

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 2d

"Harmonised data on the fertility histories of four British cohorts are now available for the scientific community to download from the UK Data Service"
cls.ucl.ac.uk/research-on-...

Research on fertility and families enhanced with new harmonised cohort data | CLS

Harmonised data on the fertility histories of four British cohorts are now available for the scientific community to download from the UK Data Service.

cls.ucl.ac.uk

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 2d

If you're expecting the call, just stay awake all night. That'll show 'em

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Confront-Eugenics @confronteugenics.bsky.social · 2d

Upcoming talk by the historian of eugenics Marius Turda!
👉 wienerholocaustlibrary.org/event/findin...
🗓 Tuesday 4th November, 6.30pm, London

Finding Ivy exhibition talk: Disability, Dehumanisation and Extermination, with Prof Marius Turda - The Wiener Holocaust Library

Held as part of the Finding Ivy: a life worthy of life exhibition events series. In this talk Marius Turda will discuss the eugenically-driven and state-sponsored determination to eugenically ‘purify’...

wienerholocaustlibrary.org

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 3d

Why does every story about Nobel prize winners receiving the call involve them being woken in the middle of the night? Do the Nobel people not understand how time zones work or is it a deliberate strategy to generate fun stories about confused winners...?

Kate Holterhoff, PhD @kateholterhoff.com · 3d

We are all Dr. Brunkow 😴
“Dr. Brunkow said she did not expect to win a Nobel Prize. ‘My phone rang, and I saw a number from Sweden and thought, well that’s just spam of some sort, so I disabled the phone and went back to sleep,’“ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/h...

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Is Awarded for Work on Immune Systems

www.nytimes.com

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🌈 Dr Ross Brooks @rossb-brighton.bsky.social · 3d

Insightful new article by Stefan Bernhardt-Radu in the Journal of the History of Biology about Julian Huxley's biological views. 🧬🗃️ #openaccess

link.springer.com/article/10.1... #histbio #hpbio #philbio #histsci #hps @hpsleeds.bsky.social

“Helping to Bridge the Gap Between Genetics and Development:ˮ Julian Huxley, Early 20th Century Oxford Biology, and the Epigenetic Origins of Animal Characters - Journal of the History of Biology

Julian Huxley is remembered as the author of his landmark 1942 Evolution: The Modern Synthesis. Nowadays, however, he is criticized for having reduced biology to the selection of genes. Some have nevertheless suggested that Huxley’s biological views were more expansive—including rather than excluding issues regarding development or environment. In this paper, using hitherto unexamined sources, I show that Huxley’s developmental understanding of animal characters was rooted in his education at Oxford in the early 20th century. From embryologically and physiologically trained Oxford teachers, he learned to see characters as things that could not be predicted from the cell’s physico-chemical properties. Characters arose anew through dynamic interactions between parts. Huxley and his teachers labeled these as “epigenetic” processes that integrated multiple cross-pollinating causes such as heredity and development. After briefly exploring Huxley’s understanding of character development, I show how we can get to grips with Huxley’s biological views by exploring the context of his education at Oxford from 1906 to 1909. I then show how Huxley received and used these ideas, before I illustrate how they played an important role in his academic and socio-political work.

link.springer.com

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 3d

In work on relationships between evolutionary psychology & the manosphere, it's been suggested the relationship may be two-way. Ideas from ev psych inform the manosphere but also the manosphere may influence ev psych. Wonder if the idea that "women are the protected sex" is an example of the latter

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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 3d

“The idea that humans evolved to be protective & sensitive to harm directed towards women appears increasingly popular in evolutionary psych [but] ethnographic evidence conflict with this perspective, [which seems] rooted in contemporary WEIRD values rather than an evolved psychological mechanism”

Did humans evolve to 'protect' women?

Ethnography complicates a convenient narrative

open.substack.com

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Ruth Mace @ruthmace.bsky.social · 3d

African harps as units of cultural evolution: a cladistic analysis on their morphology. New paper by Salome Strauch et al| Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core - www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

African harps as units of cultural evolution: a cladistic analysis on their morphology | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core

African harps as units of cultural evolution: a cladistic analysis on their morphology - Volume 7

www.cambridge.org

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EHBEA @ehbea.bsky.social · 3d

EHBEA is looking for new PRESIDENT and SECRETARY for 2026-2029! 👀

If you know of anybody who could represent EHBEA, nominate them as president!

If you know with good organisational skills, nominate them as secretary!

DEADLINE: 16/12/2026

HERE IS THE FORM 👇

docs.google.com/document/d/1...

EHBEACommitteeNominationForm_Pres_Sec.doc

EHBEA Committee 2026-2029: Nomination Form The EHBEA Steering Committee is calling for nominations for the following open committee positions for 2026-2029. You are invited to nominate one or more c...

docs.google.com

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Antonino Polizzi @polizzan.bsky.social · 3d

✍️ Just out: Annette Baudisch & I delve into the formal demography of fertility, birth, & reproduction timing. 👶 We use methods from mortality research to summarize when in the parental life course children are born. 📆 1/n
doi.org/10.1080/0032...
@sdu.dk @oxforddemsci.bsky.social @mpidr.bsky.social

Fertility, birth, reproduction: Connecting formal demographic frameworks

The conventional framework of fertility research conceptualizes childbirth from the mother’s perspective. From her perspective, birth is an uncertain and potentially recurring event. In contrast, t...

doi.org

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Kate Holterhoff, PhD @kateholterhoff.com · 3d

We are all Dr. Brunkow 😴
“Dr. Brunkow said she did not expect to win a Nobel Prize. ‘My phone rang, and I saw a number from Sweden and thought, well that’s just spam of some sort, so I disabled the phone and went back to sleep,’“ www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/h...

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Is Awarded for Work on Immune Systems

www.nytimes.com

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Annals of Human Biology @annalshumanbio.bsky.social · 4d

🗣️COMMENTARY

A timely piece for AHB addresses the current public health divide in the U.S., highlighting the need to ‘create space for dialogue rather than continued confrontation’, and how academics can better reach communities their research impacts

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Whose health? Whose truth? Navigating the “Make America Healthy Again” – public health divide

Published in Annals of Human Biology (Vol. 52, No. 1, 2025)

www.tandfonline.com

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Teresa Völker @tevoelker.bsky.social · 4d

New paper out with @dasalgon.bsky.social: “Far-Right Agenda Setting: How the Far Right influences the Political Mainstream” doi.org/10.1017/S1475676525100066 #openaccess in @ejprjournal.bsky.social🧵

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