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Adam Rutherford

@adamrutherford.bsky.social

28K followers 150 following 530 posts

I had a marvellous time ruining everything. Scientist. President of @Humanists_UK Lecturer in Genetics @UCL Genetics, race, eugenics, books, cricket, +–=÷× @kbjmanagement adamrutherford.com

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · Mar 20

Remixing in human evolution. loops and rivers in the flow of our ancestors - a million year clusterfuck.
arutherford.substack.com/p/human-evol...

Human evolution: a one-million-year clusterf**k

A new incredibly subtle and elegant analysis of our living genomes reveals yet another major piece in the jigsaw of human evolution, completely hidden until now.

arutherford.substack.com

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 16h

As every year, I'm sure the work of these people is very good, and well done for that. Hate the game not the players.

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 1d

Apropos of nothing much @ppfideas.bsky.social

www.ppfideas.com/episodes/the...

The History of Bad Ideas: Nobel Prizes

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www.ppfideas.com

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 1d

Apropos of nothing much @ppfideas.bsky.social

www.ppfideas.com/episodes/the...

The History of Bad Ideas: Nobel Prizes

133

www.ppfideas.com

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Reposted by Adam Rutherford

Sathnam Sanghera @sathnam.bsky.social · 2d

Another great series. You get the feeling with so many podcasts that the presenters have not really done the reading, with Origin Story it feels like they've done too much reading, if anything. Always wonderfully digested.

Origin Story @originstorypodcast.bsky.social · 7d

“Nobody explains capitalism better than Marx.”

@iandunt.bsky.social and @dorianlynskey.bsky.social discuss how Karl Marx's ideas stayed relevant even after the fall of the Soviet Union.

#originstory #politics #podcast #marx

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 2d

That was one of the greatest, not just cos of Chappers sprint from the dugout. Wes Burns trivela tho.

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 2d

O actual M G. This is incredible. The combination of two of my passions.

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

Left foot too, absolutely twatted it.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

So emo. Dorothy Parker, just top level content.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

Is there a difference?

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

I think a whole podcast on what historical figures would've been like online. Marx, persistent pile on trollmonger. Darwin, coy and self deprecating. Kurt Cobain, full on conspiracy maniac.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

Well, that was a long time coming. COYB!

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

I think if Newton were around today, we'd classify him as an irritable crank.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

Dawkins calls this 'the tyranny of the discontinuous mind'.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

...but more impactfully in scientific racism. We should not be in terested in what a thing IS, but what it DOES. In the case of Neanderthals, they were our ancestors from a time where science has decided they were a different species. So the question is wrong.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

TLDR: the invention of species classification was essentially an essentialist and creationist scala natura idea from a pre-Darwinian era. It has some utility. But often does not, and when wedded to it we reinforce pre-evolutionary ideology. This includes in basic biology...

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 3d

I can’t work out how serious an answer you want. I have DETAILED notes (and wrote about 3 books on this matter). But here’s a jolly podcast on it

share.google/XINafjGQtqA1...

BTW, the amount of earnest wrongness in your replies is wow.

share.google

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Reposted by Adam Rutherford

Aleks Krotoski @alekskrotoski.bsky.social · 9d

Thank you to @adamrutherford.bsky.social and the team at Start The Week for a great start to my week! Listen again to me, Steven Pinker and David Edmonds philosophising about common knowledge, immortality, and the effectiveness of our altruism on @bbcsounds.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

BBC Radio 4 - Start the Week, Steven Pinker on common knowledge

Steven Pinker, Aleks Krotoski and David Edmonds, with Adam Rutherford.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 10d

Absurd.

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 11d

So you saw this in the US? Did it have an impact there?

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 11d

That scene, so
Iconic, still gives me chills.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 11d

La Haine at the Prince Charles. Mon dieu what a film.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 12d

I am skeptical. The genetic evidence says otherwise and that trumps anything else for now.

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 14d

Phenomenal. In my 10 year update of A Brief History, I make the point that in the first edition, not one disease had been successfully treated using gene therapy. Today that number is at least 7.

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Reposted by Adam Rutherford

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 15d

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again.

Ignore the haters, London is the 🐐

Graphic with the headline “London is the greatest city in the world” set against a bright view of the River Thames with the Shard, Tower Bridge and the city skyline.

The text celebrates what makes London special: regularly voted the number one city in the world, incredible diversity with over 300 languages spoken, world-class transport, world leader in finance tech and life sciences, best museums and galleries many free to visit, world-leading nightlife, food sport and music for every taste, host to the world’s best sporting events, home to seven Premier League clubs, globally-ranked universities, a city where you can be yourself and love who you love, and a place for everyone.

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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 16d

If only there was some sort of device or mechanism to satisfy the voluntary admission of ignorance, and thus would remove the need for the second and totally incorrect part of the sentence.

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Reposted by Adam Rutherford

Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 21d

The absolute garbage from Colossal continues, this time it's Dodos. I won't link to the article, because Ben Lamm their CEO is quite open about their intentions.

Instead read my sweary takedown of the dire Wolf claims from earlier in the year.
arutherford.substack.com/p/dire-wolve...

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