Rob Noble
@robjohnnoble.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer (≡ associate professor) in applied maths @citystgeorges.bsky.social, investigating the evolution and ecology of cancer. Dad of two small kids.
Pinned
Rob Noble
@robjohnnoble.bsky.social
· Nov 19
Save the date! On behalf of the Society, I’m delighted to announce that the next International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer conference will be taking place in Hersonissos, Crete, on May 21-24, 2026. Abstract submissions will open soon. More details: www.evocancer.com
Reposted by Rob Noble
When normalised by population size, the death toll of US troops in Afghanistan is broadly similar to that of four other countries, including the UK... and Denmark. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaliti...
January 22, 2026 at 6:37 PM
When normalised by population size, the death toll of US troops in Afghanistan is broadly similar to that of four other countries, including the UK... and Denmark. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaliti...
Reposted by Rob Noble
Expressions of interest: Director at MPI EvolBio (f/m/d) — We invite expressions of interest from distinguished scientists in evolutionary biology with a bold, long-term research vision that complements our Institute. More information: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3856225/Dire...
Directors
www.evolbio.mpg.de
January 21, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Expressions of interest: Director at MPI EvolBio (f/m/d) — We invite expressions of interest from distinguished scientists in evolutionary biology with a bold, long-term research vision that complements our Institute. More information: www.evolbio.mpg.de/3856225/Dire...
Reposted by Rob Noble
Even with everything else going on, this should still register as truly shocking, if not surprising. Bulldozing a UN building whose sole purpose is to distribute lifesaving food and medical aid.
What kind of regime does this?
(The question is rhetorical, I know the answer)
What kind of regime does this?
(The question is rhetorical, I know the answer)
TODAY: Israeli authorities demolish the UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem.
January 20, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Even with everything else going on, this should still register as truly shocking, if not surprising. Bulldozing a UN building whose sole purpose is to distribute lifesaving food and medical aid.
What kind of regime does this?
(The question is rhetorical, I know the answer)
What kind of regime does this?
(The question is rhetorical, I know the answer)
Reposted by Rob Noble
Happy to share our recent work quantifying ‘just-right’ APC inactivation in colorectal cancer initiation:
doi.org/10.1158/0008...
Excellent collaborative teamwork, led by the fantastic Meritxell Brunet Guasch.
doi.org/10.1158/0008...
Excellent collaborative teamwork, led by the fantastic Meritxell Brunet Guasch.
Mathematical Modeling Quantifies “Just-Right” APC Inactivation for Colorectal Cancer Initiation
Mathematical modeling of tumor development with different APC genotypes substantiates the “just-right” APC inactivation model and suggests alterations in secondary WNT regulators enhance WNT activity ...
doi.org
December 17, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Happy to share our recent work quantifying ‘just-right’ APC inactivation in colorectal cancer initiation:
doi.org/10.1158/0008...
Excellent collaborative teamwork, led by the fantastic Meritxell Brunet Guasch.
doi.org/10.1158/0008...
Excellent collaborative teamwork, led by the fantastic Meritxell Brunet Guasch.
Had a great time visting @edinunimaths.bsky.social in Edinburgh yesterday to give a talk and to chat science with my hosts @mdnicholson1.bsky.social, Helen Alexander, Tibor Antal, Linus Schumacher and others. Fun conversations and unseasonally nice weather.
January 20, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Had a great time visting @edinunimaths.bsky.social in Edinburgh yesterday to give a talk and to chat science with my hosts @mdnicholson1.bsky.social, Helen Alexander, Tibor Antal, Linus Schumacher and others. Fun conversations and unseasonally nice weather.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
January 17, 2026 at 2:57 PM
Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.
Reposted by Rob Noble
UK academia’s presence on X is reaching a tipping point.
@andytattersall.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social
@andytattersall.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social
UK academia’s presence on X is reaching a tipping point - Impact of Social Sciences
Data collected on UK universities’ use of social media shows academic engagement with X is at a tipping point with more institutions off the platform than on.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
January 16, 2026 at 9:26 AM
UK academia’s presence on X is reaching a tipping point.
@andytattersall.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social
@andytattersall.bsky.social for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social
Reposted by Rob Noble
Holy hell, what an obituary
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Holy hell, what an obituary
In 2017 I created the ggmuller R pacakge to draw "Muller plots" combining phylogeny and frequency dynamics. The latest version 0.7.0 fixes deprecated dependencies and includes a few other minor improvements.
CRAN: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
Vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
CRAN: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
Vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
January 15, 2026 at 1:20 PM
In 2017 I created the ggmuller R pacakge to draw "Muller plots" combining phylogeny and frequency dynamics. The latest version 0.7.0 fixes deprecated dependencies and includes a few other minor improvements.
CRAN: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
Vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
CRAN: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
Vignette: cran.r-project.org/web/packages...
Reposted by Rob Noble
The deadline to submit your abstract(s) for the International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer conference via www.evocancer.com has been extended to Monday 19th January at 09:00 GMT. The conference will take place on 21st-24th May in Hersonissos, Crete.
ISEEC
The International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer
www.evocancer.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:45 PM
The deadline to submit your abstract(s) for the International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer conference via www.evocancer.com has been extended to Monday 19th January at 09:00 GMT. The conference will take place on 21st-24th May in Hersonissos, Crete.
ISEEC
The International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer
www.evocancer.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:28 PM
The deadline to submit your abstract(s) for the International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer conference via www.evocancer.com has been extended to Monday 19th January at 09:00 GMT. The conference will take place on 21st-24th May in Hersonissos, Crete.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Just a week left to apply for a position in our Editorial Board!
Are you an evolutionary biologist? Would you like to support your society journal? We are looking for new editorial board members across the field of evolutionary biology:
🧬🌿🪰🐀🦀🔬🧫🦠🐟🐦🧑💻🪸🦎
Learn more and find out how to apply: jevbio.net/call-for-edi...
DEADLINE 19th January 2026 📣
🧬🌿🪰🐀🦀🔬🧫🦠🐟🐦🧑💻🪸🦎
Learn more and find out how to apply: jevbio.net/call-for-edi...
DEADLINE 19th January 2026 📣
January 12, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Just a week left to apply for a position in our Editorial Board!
Kinda depressing that fourteen of these twenty cinema "highlights" of 2026 are sequels, of which around half belong to franchises more than thirty years old. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I'm amazed the studios can sustain interest in Star Wars episode 37, X Men 17, Spiderman 23, etc.
Film lookahead: Twenty highlights to watch out for in 2026
We look ahead to 20 notable films to watch for in 2026, from Oscar hopefuls to potential blockbusters.
www.bbc.co.uk
December 28, 2025 at 11:31 AM
Kinda depressing that fourteen of these twenty cinema "highlights" of 2026 are sequels, of which around half belong to franchises more than thirty years old. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... I'm amazed the studios can sustain interest in Star Wars episode 37, X Men 17, Spiderman 23, etc.
Got me some top quality presents by @matthewcobb.bsky.social and dodosocks.com/en
December 25, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Got me some top quality presents by @matthewcobb.bsky.social and dodosocks.com/en
Today I was pondering why US right wingers and tech bros prefer fighting to other sports. I guess it's partly the spectacle but also they can keep swaggering when they lose as the outcome is relative to only one opponent. If they tried running or weightlifting their mediorcrity would be measurable.
December 21, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Today I was pondering why US right wingers and tech bros prefer fighting to other sports. I guess it's partly the spectacle but also they can keep swaggering when they lose as the outcome is relative to only one opponent. If they tried running or weightlifting their mediorcrity would be measurable.
No contest. Just read the first two sentences of the abstract. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
All right it’s time for the annual “please tell us about one (or a few if you are ambitious) paper from 2025 that really impressed you and why we should all read it“! Go! If you tell us how it changed your view of the world and what makes it so powerful and consequential It would be excellent.
December 21, 2025 at 8:31 PM
No contest. Just read the first two sentences of the abstract. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Hooper's rule says the age of a hedge correlates with the number of tree and shrub species it contains. I wonder if anyone's tested whether the same applies to kitchens and types of teaspoon, toolboxes and screwdrivers, or offices and ballpoint pens.
December 20, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Hooper's rule says the age of a hedge correlates with the number of tree and shrub species it contains. I wonder if anyone's tested whether the same applies to kitchens and types of teaspoon, toolboxes and screwdrivers, or offices and ballpoint pens.
Reposted by Rob Noble
Wow this is a seriously serious supplementary figure from @cellpress.bsky.social today. Panels A through UU.
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
December 17, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Wow this is a seriously serious supplementary figure from @cellpress.bsky.social today. Panels A through UU.
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
I get that Cell likes to minimize the number of supplementary figures. But is this really what is happening here?
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
Abstract submission is now open for the 2026 ISEEC Conference (21st-24th May in Crete). The theme is human-tech cooperation for the evolutionary management of cancer but we welcome submissions on all topics related to evolution, ecology and cancer. Submit abstracts by 10th Jan via www.evocancer.com
ISEEC
The International Society for Evolution, Ecology and Cancer
www.evocancer.com
December 15, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Abstract submission is now open for the 2026 ISEEC Conference (21st-24th May in Crete). The theme is human-tech cooperation for the evolutionary management of cancer but we welcome submissions on all topics related to evolution, ecology and cancer. Submit abstracts by 10th Jan via www.evocancer.com
I'll be impressed when AI can tell me which naan is which
December 12, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I'll be impressed when AI can tell me which naan is which
Greatly enjoyed @lonnibesancon.bsky.social's talk at @citystgeorges.bsky.social today on how he became a research-integrity sleuth doing difficult, massively important work with @elisabethbik.bsky.social and others to expose dodgy research. Advice for sleuths: "Be critical without being accusing."
December 10, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Greatly enjoyed @lonnibesancon.bsky.social's talk at @citystgeorges.bsky.social today on how he became a research-integrity sleuth doing difficult, massively important work with @elisabethbik.bsky.social and others to expose dodgy research. Advice for sleuths: "Be critical without being accusing."
I'll continue not submitting papers and turning down all offers to review for @royalsociety.org journals so long as the society fails to stand up for the scientific community and for the values it claims to believe in.
The latest from an honored member of the Royal Society. Every week he attacks the foundations of society in the UK and the EU and @royalsociety.org is apparently too worried about retribution to do anything about it.
December 7, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I'll continue not submitting papers and turning down all offers to review for @royalsociety.org journals so long as the society fails to stand up for the scientific community and for the values it claims to believe in.
This is tragic. But I'm not sure I'd bet on law, either.
My teen, who had dreamt of being an astrophysicist, just told me he wants to go to law school because, “Science isn’t going to be a priority in the US in the future…I don’t want a job where I’ll be constantly worried my funding will be taken away.”
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
Gutting. How many future scientists have we lost?
December 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
This is tragic. But I'm not sure I'd bet on law, either.
East Oxford pub The Cowley Owl is being relaunched as a French winebar. C'est vachement chouette.
December 6, 2025 at 6:57 PM
East Oxford pub The Cowley Owl is being relaunched as a French winebar. C'est vachement chouette.