Rebecca Sear

A problem with calls for more viewpoint diversity in academia, or journalistic “balance”, is that they effectively treat all viewpoints as equivalent. This article explains clearly why all viewpoints should not be treated equally, and why we should reject morally odious views on those grounds alone

Join us. www.tse-fr.eu/iast-researc...

"Assessing directional selection on kin effects requires explicitly modelling feedback between the kinship network & life history. We develop such a framework & apply it to examine selection pressures on cooperative behaviour of closely related kin, including mothers, grandmothers & older sisters"

"Japanese participants were more likely to frame not having children as increasingly normalized and justifiable via entrenched gender inequalities whereas American participants were more likely to emphasize the socially isolating and publicly contested nature of childlessness"

Useful read on how academic publishing can better manage conflicts of interest and improve accountability, and also why this is necessary: “Academic publishing gains authority by promising disciplined scrutiny. Its own governance must be open to that scrutiny” blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci...

Interested in applying for an an ERC grant? Here are some thoughts on mine: mercuryncp.eu/think-big-st...

semi-related: i just read this interesting piece about people who live with archaeologists and "how archaeology permeates family life, reshapes perceptions of time and history, and challenges romanticized notions of the discipline." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Here's my take on Dawkins's The Selfish Gene. Enjoy!

Here is my latest for The Chronicle inspired by the Vanderbilt Report’s sub-report on Anthropology, authored by Joseph Henrich www.chronicle.com/article/how-...

Primate Profile #113: Eastern Gorilla Gorillas spend up to half the day eating, requiring about 18kg/day of plant matter. They rest at midday and at night, each time building a new ground-nest of vegetation. They rest alone, except mothers with babies. Images: L Fehlandt and A Goldberg (iNat.org)

NEW: Trump is a Russian asset. And the UK government is finally waking from its decade-long slumber Read this. And order a wind-up radio. broligarchy.substack.com/p/the-dark-t...

This Tuesday we have an exciting session with Chris Stringer. Join us LIVE or ZOOM! 🌕 Tues Oct 27 🌖 18:30 (UTC) Chris Stringer Still 'In Search of the Neanderthals' NB Venue is G6 Institute of Archaeology, 31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY ZOOM ID 948 6108 7055 passcode Wawilak

🙂 New paper from our lab on why some men choose to counter patriarchal norms in Tanzania. We used a mixed-methods "positive deviance" approach, interviewing outliers to explore why some become exceptionally supportive of women while most don't. bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/gsc/gsc/view...

Females shape hunting of vertebrates in wild bonobos: Current Biology www.cell.com/current-biol...

“a giant interdisciplinary team analyzed 300 ancient horse genomes from 121 archaeological sites in Eurasia…they conclude that the ancestor of all modern horses made its first appearance by 4200 years ago in the western Eurasian steppe” www.science.org/content/arti...

1/9 Birds make ultrafast decisions In this study, carrion crows were able to make decisions twice as fast as primates, including humans. Let me briefly explain the findings and share my thoughts. (paper) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

this is an excellent piece and I encourage all academics to give it a read: it articulates more clearly than I've seen elsewhere the reasons underlying the anxiety many of us in science have regarding the risks that commercial AI presents to the public goods we spend our lives creating

Okay, I had not seen the impact of the “big beautiful bill” on non data centre construction before.

Anthropologists have often assumed hunting was a male activity for hominin relatives. New research adds strong statistical support to the data for female hunting dominance in bonobos. Is this a better model than the male-dominated chimpanzees for ancient hominins? www.johnhawks.net/p/woman-the-...

Wow, Palantir & Google sharing talking points this via @rebeccasear.bsky.social 1/2

We had power?! I must have missed that memo 🙁

The 'academic management roles' are chair of the Faculty of Divinity's exam board and convenor of the MPhil in philosophy of religion. He continues to lecture undergraduates in ethics. With a sharing link for 3 non-subscribers.

“Resisting the attacks on the academy, and on anthropology, is a critical aspect of the scholarly mission. Misdirected internal debates that disempower the possibilities of creative, collaborative scholarship will only harm us. We have more important shared goals and challenges to address”

That’s also a nice piece of science sleuthing

So there are limits to free speech? “Key figure in campaign group accused of saying she would ‘never hire a black person’” www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

The 2027 European Human Behaviour & Evolution Association Conference is coming to Zurich Mar 30 - Apr 2! 🇨🇭 Abstract submission opens Nov 1, registration Jan 8. Please share and follow us to stay up to date with all things #EHBEA2027 www.ehbea2027.com @ehbea.bsky.social @uzh-ch.bsky.social

"Defenders of The Journal of Controversial Ideas see it as a forum for true academic freedom. While academic freedom is important, it is not an unlimited right. Freedom without responsibility is recklessness. It is a lack of regard for the danger or consequences of one’s ideas"

Byline Times has led the charge tracing a 'Dark Enlightenment' network of Epstein elites, tech bros, and 'race realists' with dystopian ambitions. Help us launch an urgent new investigative project to follow the money. #LightUpTheDark ⬇️ subscribe.bylinetimes.com/lightuptheda...

"In Denmark, movement is often part of the day, built into commuting. In the UK, activities are often separated, with clearer boundaries between work, travel & leisure. These are not just individual choices but reflect broader systems, from infrastructure & work hours to childcare & cultural habits"

We have a new perspective out with @3xueying.bsky.social and @cauawest.bsky.social In @genomebiolevol.bsky.social academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...

I'm very honoured to be taking part in a UCL workshop celebrating the launch of Jerome Lewis and Chris Knight's new book, The Revolutionary Origins of Language. Looking forward to fascinating discussions about the social and cultural foundations of language 💙

"National Black-white racial income disparities have changed little over the past 50 years. But this national stasis masks dramatic change at the local level. In 1969, inequality was greatest in the South, and lowest (although still substantial) in the industrial Midwest. Today, the reverse is true"

Reform UK Oxford will host a talk in November criticising "DEI" by the Nathan Cofnas, who describes his belief in + commitment to biological racism as "race realism", writing "in a meritocracy, blacks would disappear from almost all high-profile positions outside of sports and entertainment”.

Excited to say we have opened a call for the @britishacademy.bsky.social / @wolfsonfdn.bsky.social Fellowships. These are amazing three year awards for early career researchers and gives you time for your research. It is open to Independent Research Orgs www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...

Officially out in Social Science & Medicine led by @mreiches.bsky.social on the false promises and faulty assumptions that underlie digital menstrual cycle tracking in sport linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0277953626008671

Offered without comment. www.eventbrite.com/e/an-evening...

Was great fun to talk about kids, peer cultures, and cultural evolution with Jay and Tanay!

An example of the planning needed as demography changes: "As births decrease, health systems may need to consolidate routine services while preserving the specialist capacity required for safe care. Demographic change can be anticipated; the charge is to plan for it before essential care is lost"

"Pimbwe women who experience more short-term and long-term wealth variability tend to have slightly earlier first births, whereas current wealth appears not to be linked to age at first birth" www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

“relying on the paradigm of ‘dependency’ denies the agency of various population groups, continues to perpetuate the ‘demographic change as problem’ narrative (especially regarding the ‘burden’ of ageing) and reinforces existing dominant social relations” www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

“The model was not wrong mathematically, but it was historically contingent. The difficulty was elevating transient demographic changes into timeless universal laws. Unlike physical laws, social patterns are generally shaped by changing circumstances” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Are you interested in yet another talk about race and racialization in contemporary science? This Tuesday (5pm BST), Jonathan Khan is giving on on-line talk on the weaponization of racialized DNA. To register, follow the link below. #philsky #STS #HPBio

“The Hungarian government has ended its partnership with Times Higher Education. Byline Times raised questions about why the publication failed to report on allegations surrounding Reform policy chief & Cambridge theologian James Orr – who also directs the Hungarian-funded Roger Scruton Foundation”

Lots of interesting chapters in this open-access volume on "Culture, Identity, and Essentialism: Anthropological and Psychological Approaches" (2026), edited by Wolfgang Wagner and Cristina Moya @hyperadapthyrax.bsky.social. #psychscisky #philbio #ehbea #hbes link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Hannah’s work is amazing👇 Please join us in Sheherd’s Bush next Tuesday evening for what will be a great conversation 😊

I’m looking for a postdoc (3y) to research kinship dynamics from a demographic, sociological, public health, or mathematical perspective. Reach out if you are interested and have any questions about the role or the MPIDR! 👇

'For social sciences, our analysis suggests that publication excellence may therefore have a commercial value to universities that conventional models do not show. Our modelling of 16 research-intensive universities illustrates the potential scale.'