Beckett Sterner
@beckettws.bsky.social
320 followers 390 following 54 posts
Biodiversity data, models, governance, and philosophy | Associate Prof at Arizona State | all views my own
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Reposted by Beckett Sterner
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
rebeccarhelm.bsky.social
I get that the news cycle is packed right now, but I just heard from a colleague at the Smithsonian that this is fully a GIANT SQUID BEING EATEN BY A SPERM WHALE and it’s possibly the first ever confirmed video according to a friend at NOAA

10 YEAR OLD ME IS LOSING HER MIND (a thread 🧵)
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
wolvendamien.bsky.social
In addition to scraping your uploads for "generative AI" training, Academia dot edu is going to start claiming rights to your personal info— *including your signature & voice*— for anything they see fit.

So now'd be a good time to remove all of your uploaded works, & then delete your whole account.
By creating an Account with Academia.edu, you grant us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable license, permission, and consent for Academia.edu to use your Member Content and your personal information (including, but not limited to, your name, voice, signature, photograph, likeness, city, institutional affiliations, citations, mentions, publications, and areas of interest) in any manner, including for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting the use or purchase of Academia.edu's Services
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
alisabokulich.bsky.social
Call for Abstracts
#HPS of Biodiversity
April 30 — May 2, 2026
Copenhagen, Denmark
Abstracts of 200-500 words should be submitted through: tinyurl.com/hpsbio. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 7, 2025. Co-organized by @federicabocchi.bsky.social
Second HPS of Biodiversity Meeting
Use this form to submit your abstract
tinyurl.com
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
shobitap.org
I am a new Expert Voices columnist @science.org and my first article just came out! In it, I argue that scaling technology has a dark side, particularly when it comes to alleviating inequality and injustice. And I suggest what scientists, engineers, and policymakers can do about it.
Beware the drive to scale technology
When it comes to technology, scalability—its capacity to be standardized and then distributed en masse and across contexts—is the ultimate goal. Scientists and engineers view scalability as the route ...
www.science.org
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
alisabokulich.bsky.social
CFP on Recent Work in Philosophy of the Historical Sciences special issue Revue Philosophique de Louvain. Abstract 500 words to [email protected] & [email protected], by October 1, 2025.
Accepted abstracts full papers due July 1, 2026
pencelab.be/en/events/rp...
#HPS #paleosky
Call for Papers: Recent Work in the Philosophy of the Historical Sciences
pencelab.be
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
pszaboenviro.bsky.social
Are you at the beginning of your career and interested in environmental history? This is the best way to get involved 👇
eseh.bsky.social
Are you following our Early-Career-Scholar network, ESEH NextGate? They organize events and support young scholars. Follow here: @esehnextgate.bsky.social
#envhist #envhum
beckettws.bsky.social
"Strong belief that AI is a powerful force for good which will also destroy humanity" 😂
louisbarclay.bsky.social
Q. Who aligns the aligners?
A. alignmentalignment.ai

Today I’m humbled to announce an epoch-defining event: the launch of the 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.
Center for the Alignment of AI Alignment Centers
We align the aligners
alignmentalignment.ai
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
louisbarclay.bsky.social
Q. Who aligns the aligners?
A. alignmentalignment.ai

Today I’m humbled to announce an epoch-defining event: the launch of the 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.
Center for the Alignment of AI Alignment Centers
We align the aligners
alignmentalignment.ai
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
alisabokulich.bsky.social
Adrian Research Fellowship, a 3-4 year paid Postdoc in any area of philosophy at Darwin College, Cambridge U, invites applications if w/in 3 yrs PhD. Submit app.casc.cam.ac.uk/fas_live/dar...
by 3 October 2025.
www.darwin.cam.ac.uk/vacancies/

www.darwin.cam.ac.uk/wp-content/u...
#PhilSci #PhilJobs
www.darwin.cam.ac.uk
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
laenavarro.bsky.social
Fresh off the press! Our perspective in @natrevbiodiv.nature.com discusses the wealth of information on biodiversity contained in historical sources, and its integration for long-term ecological knowledge and biodiversity conservation. A thread on the paper and what led to it:
rdcu.be/eEcIt
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
aaup.org
AAUP @aaup.org · Sep 4
Here’s a 🧵 on key points in Judge Burroughs’ order in the AAUP/Harvard AAUP’s lawsuit against Trump’s DOJ for ideological funding cuts at Harvard:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
lizneeley.bsky.social
This is a wiiiiiiild system!

Iberian harvester ant queens clone ants **of a different species** to maintain a supply of their sperm. “They then mate with those ants to produce hybrid workers that take care of the colony... In effect, M. ibericus has domesticated M. structor and its genome”
joshlukedavis.com
woah this is genuinely, utterly WILD

Ant queens of one species produce males of another species, so she can then mate with them and produce hybrid workers!

This is so gloriously weird I can't quite compute it 🤯🧪🐜
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
‘Almost unimaginable’: these ants are different species but share a mother
Ant queens of one species clone ants of another to create hybrid workers that do their bidding.
www.nature.com
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
alisabokulich.bsky.social
My paper "Models and Analogies in the Reconstruction of Extinct Life" is also out now in this volume dedicated to Hesse ⬇️
#HPS #PaleoSky #Philsky ⚒️
link.springer.com/chapter/10.1...
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
eayers0.bsky.social
A couple of #histSTM #histsci #philsci positions opening up: Asst Prof in Philosophy of Science & Technology (TT) at University of Toronto, apps due Oct 15 (including letters of rec).

jobs.utoronto.ca/job/Toronto-...
Assistant Professor - Philosophy of Science and/or Technology
Assistant Professor - Philosophy of Science and/or Technology
jobs.utoronto.ca
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
Reposted by Beckett Sterner
sesmith.lol
Authors: If you think your books have been scraped to train AI models, you might want to join this class action suit! (This is just an intake, if they determine you're a member of the class you'll get more info later.)

www.lieffcabraser.com/anthropic-au...