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Sebastiaan Mathôt

@cogsci.nl
1.7K followers 2.5K following 513 posts

Cognitive neuroscientist and open-source software dev (cogsci.nl/smathot). Writer of speculative fiction (suchwasnot.com) and non-fiction (Een Wereld vol Denkers).

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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 28/09/2026
"Op een dag klaagde mijn goudvis op sociale media over haar beperkte woonruimte." ukrant.nl/een-verwarre... Nieuwe column op @ukrant.bsky.social! #wetenschap #natuurkunde #wiskunde
ukrant.nl
Een verwarrende discussie met een goudvis en een oude AI
Columnist Sebastiaan Mathôt en zijn goudvis gingen op zoek naar een grotere vissenkom. Dat bleek minder eenvoudig dan het lijkt.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 22/09/2026
Just read Daniel Kahneman's essay on the Nobel website. (He won the prize for economics in 2002.) Such a good mix of personal history and science. www.nobelprize.org/prizes/econo... #science #psychology #scicomm
nobelprize.org
Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2002
The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2002 was divided equally between Daniel Kahneman "for having integrated insights from psychological research into economic sc...
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 22/09/2026
On Oct 7, the @rug.nl organizes a mini conference on #AI and the #digitalsociety more broadly. 🤳👨‍💻🤖 I will close the day with a keynote about human intelligence in times of AI. 🧠 Join us! www.rug.nl/jantina-tamm... @rug-gmw.bsky.social
rug.nl
Tammes Talks (7 Oct)
Tammes Talks is a new initiative at the JTS. In short, they are shared Theme Coordinator events, during which we bring the JTS (sub)communities together no...
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 19/09/2026
🔦 Story Spotlight 🌼 Never of the Past or The Future 🌼 "He caught fragments of the buttercups' whispered conversations. They spoke mostly of the sun." (reading time ±15 min) www.suchwasnot.com/never-of-the... #fiction #reading #writing #booksky
A screenshot of the first page of Never of the Past or the Future
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 16/09/2026
Leuk artikeltje in de Quest over tijdsperceptie, met een korte bijdrage van mij www.quest.nl/mens/psychol... #wetenschap #tijd @mpi-nl.bsky.social
quest.nl
Hoe de klok ons ziek maakt (en wat je daaraan kunt doen)
Opzij, opzij, opzij. Maak plaats, maak plaats, maak plaats. Herman van Veen zong het al in 1979. We verliezen grip op ons schaarste bezit: tijd. En dat kan zorgen voor mentale klachten. Hoe zit dat?
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 14/09/2026
Ik kijk hier erg naar uit!
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 14/09/2026
The first of a biweekly science column that I'll be writing for @ukrant.bsky.social! 🧠🔬🌞 Lighthearted, fun science plus anecdotes and occasional surrealism. ukrant.nl/sebastiaan-b... #science #communication #column @rug.nl
ukrant.nl
Sebastiaan komt tegen wil en dank met een boodschap van hoop
Sebastiaan Mathot is als neurowetenschapper verbonden aan de Faculteit Gedrag- en Maatschappijwetenschappen. Vanaf nu schrijft hij elke twee weken een column voor UKrant.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 14/09/2026
Vanaf deze week schrijf ik elke twee weken een wetenschapscolumn voor @ukrant.bsky.social! 🧠🔬🌞 Lichte en leuke wetenschap, gemengd met anecdotes en surrealistische situaties. ukrant.nl/sebastiaan-k... #wetenschap #communicatie #column
ukrant.nl
Sebastiaan komt tegen wil en dank met een boodschap van hoop
Sebastiaan Mathot is als neurowetenschapper verbonden aan de Faculteit Gedrag- en Maatschappijwetenschappen. Vanaf nu schrijft hij elke twee weken een column voor UKrant.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 14/09/2026
Here's another figure that combines a few authoritative datasets/ meta-analyses about IQ and PISA (scholastic aptitude) scores over time (partly the same as the ones I posted a few days ago). All of these are based on very large samples, so measurement error is very low. What to make of this?
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 10/09/2026
🔦 Story spotlight 🌟 Silverback Empire 🌟 “Just look at those tiny wings covered in down. So soft and white. Who could blame parents for wanting one?” (reading time ±1h15m) suchwasnot.com/silverback-empire #sciencefiction #writing #reading #booksky
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 09/09/2026
#PISA data confirms that adolescents' cognitive abilities, as indicated by standardized test scores, continue to decline. This has been happening gradually for over a decade (i.e. not just COVID-related) and holds for most areas and most EU countries (figure show NL data). #education 1/4 🧵
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Susana Monsó @susanamonso.com · 07/09/2026
Interested in doing a PhD in philosophy of animal minds in lovely Murcia? We have just published a call for expressions of interest to do a PhD as part of our research project on ecological validity in comparative cognitive science. Please consider applying if this is up your street!
ecologicalvalidity.wordpress.com
Call for expressions of interest: PhD position
The Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation is about to publish a call for pre-doctoral scholarships (FPI) adhered to scientific projects that have been approved for funding in 2026. We invite …
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The Arthur C. Clarke Award @clarkeaward.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Some scams are easier to spot than others. That said, we get these semi-regularly and they are only getting more focused and custom-tailored, so be careful writers! And, no, we didn’t reply, but it was super-tempting.
Text from a scam email message which reads:  

Hi Arthur C. Clarke,

I recently came across 2001: A Space Odyssey, the 25th Anniversary Edition, and wanted to reach out.

I’ve been connecting with authors whose books are available to readers but may not be reaching as many new audiences as they could.

I’m curious how has your experience been with book visibility and reaching new readers? And have you considered exploring new ways to promote your book or expand its reach to additional platforms?

I’d genuinely be interested in hearing your thoughts and experience.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 03/09/2026
Very excited to visit Hangzhou, #China! This afternoon in the 14:00 session, @veerahelmisofia.bsky.social @anavili.bsky.social and I will talk about pupil size, attention, and retinal responses. 👁️ ⭐ #escopcopm2026
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Ana Vilotijević @anavili.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Arrived to Hangzhou to attend ESCoP CoPM 2026 @escop.bsky.social ! I’ll be talking tomorrow at 14.30 (Room 4) about the pupil size and attention! 👁️
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Veera Ruuskanen @veerahelmisofia.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Super excited to see our review out in TiCS! Here me & @cogsci.nl present the first comprehensive framework of the mechanisms driving relationships between spontaneous pupil-size fluctuations, neural activity, and behavior 👀🧠👩🏻‍💻 Spoiler: arousal is only one of at least four 😶‍🌫️ doi.org/10.1016/j.ti...
doi.org
Redirecting
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 21/08/2026
With @veerahelmisofia.bsky.social !
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Helen Blank @helenblank.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
👀
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 21/08/2026
Very proud of @veerahelmisofia.bsky.social ! This thorough review, in which she sheds new light on the meaning of spontaneous #pupilsize fluctuations, now out in Trends! This is also the latest publication and opening chapter of her #PhD thesis – impressive work! 🥳 #psychology #neuroscience #vision
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 14/08/2026
Griffinfly was inspired by a trip to Florida, where I stayed for a few days after a conference (VSS). Everyday I walked to the beach through a wealthy but desolate neighborhood. Empty streets without sidewalks. Scorching heat. And at dusk a fog of insects, mostly dragonflies. #writing #booksky
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 13/08/2026
📖🔦 Story spotlight: Griffinfly (±1h⌛) “This is how a man came to enter my practice without either of us knowing why.” suchwasnot.com/griffinfly #sciencefiction #fantasy #writing #reading #booksky 🧵1/2
suchwasnot.com
Such Was Not the Way Things Were
Speculative fiction by Sebastiaan Mathôt.
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Brian Nosek @briannosek.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Over the next several months, we will phase out some popular OSF features. These changes do not affect current public content, which remains safe and accessible. We have prepared support material to help users adapt. I am very sorry for the disruption to your work. Please read this post for details.
cos.io
OSF Changes | Center for Open Science
We are preparing substantial changes to OSF that will reduce its functionality, focus OSF on its unique strengths, and move toward an integrated model with complementary services. As part of that shif...
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 11/08/2026
👉 In this new #pupillometry #preprint 👈 @veerahelmisofia.bsky.social shows that correlations between visual detection performance and pupil size may often be due more to optics than (as often assumed) arousal. #psychology #perception #neuroscience
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 10/08/2026
🤫 suchwasnot.com 📚 #booksky #scifi #writing #LAconV #fiction
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Zehan Ye @zehanye.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
My first paper on episodic memory with Elkan&Mark☺️. Sometimes, think one then get all of them. I call it as one of magics in our brains🍇🍇
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ContempraInn 🌹 @contemprainn.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
The perfect moment when a hummingbird shares a water fountain with four bees on a hot California summer day. [📸 Toshiyasu Morita]
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 28/07/2026
Bird watching in the rainforest: In search of the northern cassowary 🦜🎋 youtu.be/NFVyd1Ukutc?... @cornellbirds.bsky.social #biology #ecology #birds
youtu.be
In Search of the Northern Cassowary
YouTube video by Cornell Lab of Ornithology
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 27/07/2026
Michael Levin on minimal cognition. 🧠🌿🦠🐝 youtu.be/J-HDHwEJ2z8?... From @quantamagazine.bsky.social #biology #psychology #neuroscience
youtu.be
Intelligence Without Brains: A Radical New Idea
YouTube video by Quanta Magazine
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 24/07/2026
Sigmund Analyst (connected to sigmundai.eu on Z.ai GLM 5.2) checks the integrity of its own software by first introspecting what it can do, writing detailed test scenarios, executing them, and finally checking the outcome. Completely autonomously. #AI #opensource
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 17/07/2026
Over the last few years, we've been developing #Heymans, an AI-tutor for higher education. In-house AI that reflects our own vision on education, as opposed to that of US/China tech companies. I'm especially excited about Chat Quizzes. 1/3 #education @rug.nl @rug-gmw.bsky.social @citrug.bsky.social
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 13/07/2026
Here's something odd 👇🧐 When enabling #Z.ai #GLM5.2, Sigmund became convinced it's #Anthropic #Claude (and it's honestly not). I wonder if this reflects Z training their models on Anthropic output, as some people have suggested. Can also just be a random confabulation. But it's weird.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 10/07/2026
Het fascinerende (en complexe) gedrag van hommels 🐝 speelt in een grote rol in Een Wereld Vol Denkers. Leuk om te zien dat hier nu ook aandacht voor is bij @nieuws.nos.nl. Zie het artikel voor een filmpje. nos.nl/l/2622285 #biologie #psychologie
nos.nl
Blije hommels onthullen meer over innerlijk leven insecten
De diertjes reageren instemmend, likkend op suikerwater, maar schudden hun hoofd als ze bitter of zout proeven.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 04/07/2026
When I clean, I always spare the spiders. We have a tenuous relationship, but on the whole I feel we're on the same team, keeping the house insect-free. Crossposted with @openvibe.social
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 03/07/2026
Nieuwe doos met exemplaren van Een Wereld Vol Denkers! 🐝🪴🧠 Als je direct bij de auteur (mij) bestelt, krijg je hem gesigneerd en met elegante Ex Libris stempel erin! buy.stripe.com/00w9AUdbW0gz... #boeken #booksky #psychologie #biologie #wetenschap
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 02/07/2026
After three days of (partly) grim realities, it's time to close #eadi2026 with a message of hope! Warning: there may be #bumblebees 🐝 ☘️
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 01/07/2026
Preparing for the closing plenary at #eadi2026 tomorrow! Over the past few days, I've been learning about the challenges in global-development research. And now my personal challenge is to end with a message of hope from a psychological perspective!
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 30/06/2026
This powerful documentary is being screened at #eadi2026. It's about the conditions of workers in cobalt mines in Congo. www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTkG...
youtube.com
Cobalt Rush
YouTube video by University of Bath
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EADI @eadi.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
#EADI2026 opening plenary “Security and Development” just started! Read more here www.eadi.org/eadi-events/...
Image of the Panel
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 29/06/2026
Wherever I am, I always take time to visit the botanic gardens! This time #Antwerp, in-between sessions at #eadi2026 Crossposted with @openvibe.social
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EADI @eadi.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
🌱 Transformation and grounds for hope: How can we rethink development amid climate crisis and global uncertainty? Join the #EADI2026 closing plenary at @iobua.bsky.social —new ways of living and producing, grounded in diverse knowledge systems. 👉 bit.ly/eadi-2026
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 28/06/2026
Looking forward to discussing urban biodiversity (and other things!) at the closing plenary of #EADI2026 in Antwerp. And to the conference itself—a very new experience for me as a cognitive neuroscientist! 🌎 ☘️ 🏙️ @eadi.bsky.social
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 18/06/2026
🚨 As of later this year, researchers at @rug.nl + all Dutch universities can publish free in Open Research Europe (#ORE), the publication platform from @erc.europa.eu and @cern.bsky.social. A serious move towards sane academic publishing. #openaccess #science #publishing www.rug.nl/library/news...
rug.nl
CERN lanceert dit jaar nieuw publicatieplatform Open Research Europe
CERN is onlangs geselecteerd om een nieuwe fase van Open Research Europe (ORE) te lanceren. Een speciaal financieringsconsortium, waaronder NWO, maakt dit...
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 16/06/2026
What a magnificent animal! A violet carpenter bee in the #Prague botanical gardens. A very large solitary #bee. This one was almost 3 cm long.
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 16/06/2026
Een Wereld Vol Denkers getipt door Bibliotheek Heerlen! #boeken #wetenschap #nonfictie #biologie #psychologie #AI bibliotheekheerlen.nl
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 05/06/2026
#Waarneming ontstaat wanneer de hersenen in aanraking komen met de buitenwereld. Elke denker geeft via waarneming op zijn of haar eigen manier betekenis aan de wereld. #EenWereldVolDenkers #biologie #psychologie #wetenschap
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 04/06/2026
Een Wereld Vol Denkers in de top 10 best verkochte #boeken (oké, *op* 10) van Boekhandel De Tribune in Maastricht. 😍 #wetenschap #literatuur #biologie #psychologie #AI
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 03/06/2026
A write-up in BCN magazine of a fun evening dedicated to fiction #writing and book making! Interested? 👉 suchwasnot.com #booksky #books
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 30/05/2026
🐍 www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/s... #biology #snakes
nytimes.com
A Hidden Treasure of Rare Snake Specimens - The New York Times
In the foothills of the Ecuadorean Amazon, a 101-year-old farmer and a young scientist turned an amateur collection into a scientific survey of one of the most diverse snake habitats on Earth.
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Collabra: Psychology @collabrapsychology.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Collabra: Psychology seeks new Editor-in-Chief. Applications due to @improvingpsych.org by June 30. improvingpsych.org/2026/05/18/c...
improvingpsych.org
Collabra: Psychology seeks applications for Editor-in-Chief
Collabra: Psychology, the official journal of the Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science, is a mission-driven Open Access (OA) journal from the University of California Press that sha…
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Sebastiaan Mathôt @cogsci.nl · 28/05/2026
It's not impossible to use AI in ways that enhance creativity. But in practice very few people use it that way. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/27/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Writing Is Fundamental to How We Think - The New York Times
A.I. can be a crutch that hurts our ability to think creatively.
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