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Anne Urai

@anne-urai.bsky.social
3.8K followers 698 following 236 posts

Academic nomad | Doubtful decision-maker | Climate worrier | Assistant Professor @ Leiden University, views very obviously mine | anneurai.net

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Reposted by Anne Urai
Ben Fulcher @bendfulcher.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today I'm releasing the "1000×1000 collection": a unified place to learn about dynamical structure. 1000 simulated time series (1000 samples each) spanning 133 dynamical processes. Have a play? 🐛 #timeseries #dynamicalsystems #complexity #opendata dynamicsandneuralsystems.github.io/1000x1000/
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RLDM @rldmparis2027.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
📣 Save the date! RLDM 2027, the Multi-disciplinary Conference on Reinforcement Learning and Decision Making, is coming to Paris, July 6-9, 2027 🎉 Stay tuned for submission deadlines and more updates on our website rldm.org 👀
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Kobe Desender @kobedesender.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Trial-by-trial fluctuations in decision criterion shape confidence"! Now out in @nathumbehav.nature.com led by Robin Vloeberghs, Lara Navarette, @anne-urai.bsky.social and me. PDF: desenderlab.com/wp-content/u... Fluctuating Thread ↓↓↓
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Oliver Morton, Eater of Sun @eaterofsun.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
File under: "Ignoring it for three weeks doesn't make it go away" climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_dai... Note that, as well as setting daily records for more than three months now, there is an all time record of 21.18ºC on August 24th
Chart of daily sea-surface temperature anomalies 60N-60S since 1981. 2026 is leading the pack quite handsomely
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 09/09/2026
Every single techbro that was sniggering behind their hands at Extinction Rebellion in 2019 is now sitting the corner rocking back and forth and chattering madly about how the large language model is going to wipe out humanity

UA.NEWS
Anthropic estimates risk of humanity’s extinction from AI at over 10% — The Verge
Anthropic safety team head Evan Hubinger said he estimates the risk of AI causing humanity's extinction within the next decade at more than...
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2 hours ago


www.israelhayom.com
Anthropic researcher pegs AI extinction risk above 10%
An Anthropic safety researcher says artificial intelligence carries a greater-than-10% chance of killing all humans within the next decade.
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5 hours ago


The Cryptonomist
Anthropic’s Lead Researcher Puts AI Extinction Risk Above 10% This Decade
AI extinction risk raises serious concerns as Anthropic's lead researcher predicts over 10% chance of human extinction in next decade.
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4 hours ago


Open Magazine
‘AI could kill us all’: Why this Anthropic researcher walked away
Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon has quit, warning that frontier AI labs like Anthropic and OpenAI are racing toward self-improving...
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2 hours ago
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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's always easier not to think for oneself. Find a nice safe hierarchy and settle in. Don't make changes, don't risk disapproval, don't upset your syndics. It's always easiest to let yourself be governed.
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Solid Sustainability Research @solid-research.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
On 16 Oct 15:00-16:15, we will give a talk about our publication in @plosclimate.org: 'What can universities learn from their ties with the tobacco industry' (publication with @anne-urai.bsky.social, @altibel.bsky.social, Andrew Littlejohn, Lynn Vanheule) You can join at @cwts.nl & online.
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M.J. Crockett @mjcrockett.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
This summer I led a series of conversations in my lab about "AI" and our research. Some colleagues have shared "AI policies" for their labs and we discussed whether this would make sense for us. We decided it did not, and came up with a different approach. Please feel free to share & adapt!
zenodo.org
Crockett Lab Statement on AI and Scientific Research
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Come work in my institute! 👇https://www.academictransfer.com/en/jobs/363675/professor-of-social-decision-making/
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Sam Gershman @gershbrain.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
If this makes you mad, submit your cognitive science research to @openmindjournal.bsky.social No APCs, no subscription fees. It's funded by university libraries, at low cost.
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The Royal Society @royalsociety.org · 29/08/2026
The Ferrier Medal and Lecture 2027 is awarded to Professor Kenneth Daniel Harris for his contributions to neuroscience by unifying experimental neurophysiology with advanced analytical methods and for pioneering methods that allow recording from thousands of neurons. #RSMedals bit.ly/4qCJZRo
A man in a black shirt smiles at the camera in front of a whiteboard covered in scientific notation.
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Grace Lindsay @neurograce.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
MIT has put out an "AI and Education" report summarizing what they've found at their own institution. Seems thoughtful. aiandeducation.mit.edu/report/
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Julia M. Rohrer @dingdingpeng.the100.ci · 27/08/2026
Psychological Science special issue call 📣 Ever had your research denigrated bc it's "only descriptive", "what's the mechanism though?" and "but what are the theoretical implications?" Now has come your time to shine. Send your best descriptive work! www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...
Psychological Science invites submissions that advance psychological science through careful description of psychological phenomena. Psychological research often focuses on explaining and predicting phenomena before we have a sufficiently detailed understanding of them. It can be difficult to build strong theories on incomplete empirical foundations of the phenomena themselves. Careful descriptive research helps establish shared empirical reference points developed around well-characterized phenomena. As such, descriptive research contributes to psychological science both by improving our understanding of the phenomena themselves and by providing a stronger foundation for future theory-building, explanation, and prediction.

We are interested in manuscripts that:

Deepen our understanding of psychological phenomena, including what they look like, how they vary, and how they unfold;
Draw on a variety of sources of evidence and methods, including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches; research conducted in naturalistic settings; intensive, longitudinal, or small-sample designs; and open or large-scale datasets; 
Provide necessary context for interpreting what is being described, including who is represented in the data, the settings and circumstances in which phenomena occur, and the broader social contexts in which they are situated; and/or
Make a substantive contribution to psychological science through the quality, depth, or significance of the description provided.
The deadline for submitting regular manuscripts is April 15, 2027. Registered Reports will also be considered. The deadline for submitting Stage 1 Registered Reports is November 15, 2026. Authors should indicate in the “Comments to Editor” box during submission that the manuscript is intended for the “Descriptive Research in Psychological Science” special issue.
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Nick Young @nickofnz.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Adapting to climate change without ending the fossil fuel industry.
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is looking to hire a junior faculty member in BioAI! www.cshl.edu/about-us/car...
cshl.edu
Faculty Positions | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Faculty Position in Multi-system Biology at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) seeks to hire a junior faculty member who will pursue a bold, innovative research program...
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christine liu / two photon art @christineliu.art · 26/08/2026
Question for all the PIs out there… How much did you end up following the research plan / statement that you wrote about in your applications? Just curious for funsies
static.klipy.com
Huh Dog with Question Mark
Alt: Huh Dog with Question Mark
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Fenying Zang @fenying-zang.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Very excited to share that the first paper from my PhD has now been published in Nature Communications!    Does the ageing brain become noisier? We analysed >18,000 neurons across 16 brain regions to find out.   www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/5
nature.com
Age-related changes in behavioural and neural variability in a decision-making task - Nature Communications
How the reduction of variability in response to sensory stimuli changes with ageing is not fully understood. Using large-scale neural recordings in mice, this study shows that ageing is linked to more...
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Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
6/ While "spiralling out of control" sounds hyperbolic, it's close to what some world-leading climate scientists are warning. This year's One Earth paper on the risk of a hothouse Earth trajectory finds Earth system components closer to destabilisation than previously thought.
cell.com
The risk of a hothouse Earth trajectory
Earth’s climate is now departing from the stable conditions that supported human civilization for millennia. Crossing critical temperature thresholds may trigger self-reinforcing feedbacks and tipping...
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Dana R. Fisher (aka the Apocalyptic Optimist) @fisherdanar.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Some hopeful words by @georgemonbiot.bsky.social I agree but everyone should be ANGRY at how fossil fuel interests have profited while doing so much damage. Numerous studies (including mine) document how effective anger can be as a mobilizer. www.theguardian.com/membership/2...
theguardian.com
Don’t despair about what’s happening to our planet. That’s what they want you to feel
There are social tipping points when the seemingly impossible suddenly becomes inevitable. Good journalism plays an essential role in helping drive these shifts and shows us how real change can happen
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Dr Abi Perrin @abiperrin.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Combining science and activism.... does it damage public trust? Or could it be the only thing powerful enough to combat the disinformation and passivity that is holding back urgent action on existential threats such the Climate Emergency? More from us in @nature.com today: rdcu.be/fzcmS
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James Dyke @jamesgdyke.info · 10/08/2026
If you haven't read this yet, then please do. It's been making the rounds for good reasons (& not just because who wrote it). It's refreshing to hear 'the lie' so clearly articulated. This lie pervades society. It's certainly well established in much of academia. Speak its name.
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Ik leg uit wat er in je hersenen gebeurt bij het maken van beslissingen, met Universiteit van Nederland youtu.be/PfX0LEEn3wA
youtu.be
Je brein maakt keuzes op een andere manier dan je denkt
YouTube video by Universiteit van Nederland
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 14/07/2026
For example, in the US about 2/3 of people are worried about climate change. But do you know how many are activated? 8%. That’s a gap of nearly 60% who are worried but don’t know what to do. Science causes this “lack of efficacy”. And efficacy is *directly correlated* with willingness to act.
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Daniel Burke - 🍺Innkeep @innkeep.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Le Guin on the idea that there is a secret to getting good at writing.
I will dispose of the first myth as quickly as possible. The “secret” is skill. If you haven’t learned how to do something, the people who have may seem to be magicians, possessors of mysterious secrets. In a fairly simple art, such as making pie crust, there are certain teachable “secrets” of method that lead almost infallibly to good results; but in any complex art, such as housekeeping, piano-playing, clothes-making, or story-writing, there are so many techniques, skills, choices of method, so many variables, so many “secrets,” some teachable and some not, that you can learn them only by methodical, repeated, long-continued practice — in other words, by work.
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Started reading and was then happily surprised to see @neurograce.bsky.social's name in this piece! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Kids are participants in the work of justice’: how US children are being folded into activism
Children-centered organizing is on the rise in New York as families navigate ICE in neighborhoods, the Iran war and climate crisis
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Eiko Fried @eikofried.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Come work with me, Janna, Jonas, and Bart at Leiden University :). #MentalHealth #Psychology #PsychSciSky #academicsky
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Jeff Spencer @revjss.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Graphic offering advice on “How to survive the global heatwave.” It says:
Stay hydrated.
Treat yourself to an ice cream.
Dismantle the fossil fuel industry which is literally burning the planet for the short term profit of a vanishingly small capitalist class.
Loose fitting clothing.
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
#3 of #booksIveRead: Walden Two by BF Skinner. Thanks @stepalminteri.bsky.social for the tip!
The prologue, written in the late 40s, spells out all of the world's problems that have worsened and changed shape, but that have not fundamentally changed: namely those of human behavior, greed, power misuse and our collective inability to create a world for people to thrive.

The novel is fun and easy to read, and promotes a certain type of utopia based on collective living and an education aimed to eliminate feelings of jealousy, property and competition. This would make an interesting read paired with insights from real-world eco-villages, residential meditation halls, and experiments in cooperative living. Certainly worth the read and food for thought.
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Naomi Klein @naomiaklein.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Everybody in the "climate space" (which means everyone on earth...) needs to understand these mind-blowing figures. Google's "total electricity consumption jumped from 31 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2024 to 43 TWh in 2025." In ONE year. The AI corporate arms race is eating the world.
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Simons Foundation @simonsfoundation.org · 29/06/2026
What does it take to do science at scale? The International Brain Laboratory shows how large-scale scientific collaborations can be supported and how the model itself can be improved: bit.ly/44f83zq #science #neuroscience
“I think the InternationalBrain Laboratory showedthat you can do large-scale, reproducible and effective neuroscience across institutions allaround the world.”
Dan BirmanAllen Institute
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Dr. Genevieve Guenther (she/they) @doctorvive.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
#EndClimateSilence
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de Gee lab @degeelab.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Come be my colleague! 🚀 We’re hiring an Assistant Professor in Perceptual and Cognitive Neuroscience: werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies... The UvA is a wonderfully collaborative, inspiring place to do science—if you love brains and perception, and working with great colleagues, please do apply!
werkenbij.uva.nl
Vacancy — Assistant Professor in Perceptual and Cognitive Neuroscience
<p><span>Are you passionate about neuroscience and eager to contribute to groundbreaking research on neuronal mechanisms of perception and cognition? The Faculty of Science at the University of Amster...
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
knock knock, it's the 90s. What software should I use for a simple listserv, ideally avoiding Big Tech?
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Matt Wall @mattwall.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Funny, but... also not.
static.klipy.com
Veep: Nervous Laughter Reaction
ALT: Veep: Nervous Laughter Reaction
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Rowan Hooper @rowhoop.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
It's not "the new normal": this heatwave shows that we're never going to have "normal" again - by @mjflepage.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2531...
newscientist.com
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
The extreme heat currently being felt in Europe isn’t the new normal – much worse is to come, and we are doing far too little to adapt, says Michael Le Page
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Meanwhile, at @unileiden.bsky.social
Btw, ironic that Anne has her exam on the climate crisis during a record breaking day
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
For my neuroscience friends struggling with this heat: www.planetcritical.com/how-the-eco-... www.nature.com/articles/s41...
planetcritical.com
How the Eco-Crisis is Changing Our Brains | Clayton Aldern
Listen now | The health crisis nobody wants to confront
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Nadia Bouras @nadiabouras.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Voor het eerst code rood vanwege extreme hitte in Nederland. Scholen dicht. Kans op uitdroging en hitteberoertes. Let op kwetsbare ouderen, jonge kinderen en huisdieren. De klimaatcrisis is geen grap.
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Abbey @abbeyarletto.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
When reality surpasses fiction! Top: fictional forecast for August 2050, broadcast by French TV in 2014 to warn about the consequences of global warming. Bottom: Real French forecast for yesterday, June 22, 2026.
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Dr Charlie Gardner @charliejgardner.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
1/ Over 1000 schools are closed due to dangerous heat, and millions of parents are now sat at home, feeling worried and powerless about their children’s future Yet there’s lots parents can do and this is an important moment, so please share this thread with your friends and loved ones 🧵
bbc.co.uk
More than 1,000 schools shut or closing early as extreme heat warning extended - live updates
The red alert, in place for parts of England and Wales until 23:59 on Thursday, means the weather carries a risk to life.
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Dr Samuel Finnerty @samuelfinnerty.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
🔥 Last week I shared my new paper in PLOS Climate on climate advocacy and activism by scientists 🥼 This research is close to my heart. I first undertook my PhD at 29, moving from Ireland, to understand how to motivate action on climate change. 1/4
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Universiteit Leiden @unileiden.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Wie het meest consumeert, richt ook de meeste schade aan. De tien procent van de wereldbevolking die het meeste consumeert, veroorzaakt jaarlijks tot 5.700 miljard dollar aan milieuschade, blijkt uit nieuw Leids onderzoek.
universiteitleiden.nl
Top 10 procent consumenten veroorzaakt miljarden aan milieuschade
Wie het meest consumeert, richt ook de meeste schade aan. De tien procent van de wereldbevolking die het meeste consumeert, veroorzaakt jaarlijks tot 5.700 miljard dollar aan milieuschade, blijkt uit ...
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Drew Schreiner @schreinerdrew.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
1/ We work hard to factor "noise" out of behavior. But the brain doesn't. Strip away noise and you may miss what the brain evolved to do I wanted to share this pre-Bluesky paper where we found premotor (M2) corticostriatal circuits encode a broad history of behavior, beyond just action + reward 👇
nature.com
Information normally considered task-irrelevant drives decision-making and affects premotor circuit recruitment - Nature Communications
Prior experience is used by the brain to guide adaptive behaviour during decision making. Here, the authors show that mice also selectively use information learned through recent and longer-term exper...
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Alex Tomlinson @alextomlinson.com · 11/06/2026
Illustration titled "Backyard Sounds" featuring a Cardinal, Goldfinch, Blue Jay, Mourning Dove, and Red-bellied woodpecker. Various, very subjective interpretations of bird calls form an abstract timeline composed of simple color shapes and loops.
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Happy to share my @heinekenprizes.bsky.social Young Scientist Award in the Social Sciences! Thanks to @unileiden.bsky.social @leidenpsychology.bsky.social for the nomination. More on my research and dreams for the future of academia 👇 www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026...
universiteitleiden.nl
Anne Urai receives 2026 Heineken Young Scientists Award for Social Sciences
How do people make choices, and what happens in our brains when we do? Anne Urai investigates how our brains process information and use it to make decisions. In applying the resulting insights to cur...
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Mark D Humphries @markdhumphries.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
The Group for Neural Theory is celebrating its 20th birthday this week with a party in Paris! gnt20.github.io One thing we’re celebrating is its remarkable training record A thread…
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Hivemind, help! We are starting a new study on group behavior with oTree/Heroku and need to switch to a different server (since Heroku is US-based). Who use oTree for online studies & knows alternatives (e.g. Scalingo/Digital Ocean/Cloud provider) for online studies at NL universities (esp. Leiden)?
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
day 2 of #booksIveRead: The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger www.goodreads.com/book/show/19... Not only shows a beautiful tour of work at the intersection of botany and cognitive science, but also an exciting portrait of science changing its mind and implications for big questions about the mind 🌿
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I'm starting a new series: #booksIveRead The Invention of Nature, by Andrea Wulf en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inv... Life and work of Alexander von Humboldt, who shaped the way we think of complex systems in ecology + human's place in nature - reverberating through science and environmentalism today
en.wikipedia.org
The Invention of Nature - Wikipedia
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Anne Urai @anne-urai.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
What can universities learn about ties with tobacco industries, especially in the context of current debates re: fossil fuel dissociation? Now out in @plosclimate.org: www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2026...
universiteitleiden.nl
What can universities learn from their ties with the tobacco industry?
Researchers from Leiden University and Solid Sustainability Research have published a new study in PLOS Climate on the links between Dutch universities and the tobacco industry. Through this work, the...
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