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Matt Zefferman

@mzefferman.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1K following 202 posts

Any views expressed are, at most, my own and do not reflect those of any organization.

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Reposted by Matt Zefferman
War on the Rocks @warontherocks.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
AI-assisted writing is now, by far, the leading reason we reject submissions. Light polishing is one thing. Anything beyond that is not permitted. We require work that clearly reflects self-evident human voice, judgment, and expertise. Our readers deserve nothing less. warontherocks.com/submissions/
warontherocks.com
Editorial Guidelines for Pitching and Submitting
Want to write for War on the Rocks? Start here.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Honestly, I don't think it's impossible to find all the cats.
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Reposted by Matt Zefferman
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 17/09/2026
stone cold classic
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Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
ACE Research Grant Alert 🚨! CES will give out two awards of up to $3000 each to support early career research projects in cultural evolution. The award is open to applicants worldwide, with an application deadline of October 9th 2026, 9:00 AM AoE. Applications: forms.gle/dsLdKQuNBH4W...
forms.gle
ACE Early Career Research Grants
CES will give out two awards of up to $3000 each to support research projects in cultural evolution. To learn more about the Advancing Cultural Evolution (ACE) initiative, see here. Deadline: Appli...
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/09/2026
If you showed up at Defcon and gave talk about how your autonomous malware did something unexpected and damaged someone else's computers, the first question from the audience would be "Why are you so shit at making secure sandboxes?" It wouldn't be "How are you so awesome at making hacking tools?"
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“What’s more?” said the Lorax (his dander was up) “Let me say a few words about the Gluppity-Glupp Your machinery chugs on, day and night without stop Making Gluppity-Glupp, also Schloppity-Schlopp
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My department is hiring. It's a rare department that prides itself on massive interdisciplinarity. Our students are all graduate students, typically mid-career military officers, currently ~30% international.
jobs.chronicle.com
Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Security Studies - Monterey, California (US) job with Naval Postgraduate School | 38024811
Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Security Studies in the Department of Defense Analysis, The Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My department is hiring. It's a rare department that prides itself on massive interdisciplinarity. Our students are all graduate students, typically mid-career military officers, currently ~30% international.
jobs.chronicle.com
Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Security Studies - Monterey, California (US) job with Naval Postgraduate School | 38024811
Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Security Studies in the Department of Defense Analysis, The Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA
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Hanna Kokko @kokkonut.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Come and work with us (the Kokkonuts) as a postdoc! Our research within (theory-evo-eco) is broad; let's say it's implicitly defined by the journal club papers we read. Which is why the application process includes a JC-related task, I hope it'll be a fun one for you! www.evoldir.net/brian/evoldi...
evoldir.net
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
I guess now is the time to post my favorite movie since I was, like, 10 years old:
Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn crying in a scene from the movie Clue.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
9-to-5 is my five year old's all time favorite song.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Can we please make the "graphical abstract" a requirement for an accepted, as opposed to a submitted, article?
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Me? I always start with the methods section. If the methods are bad, I typically don't read anything else. Crazy how many journals bury the methods section at the end in tiny font or in an appendix.
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Elizabeth Hobson @elizabethhobson.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Are you (or do you know someone) recently graduated from undergrad looking to beef up your skills and experience prior to starting grad school/career? Do you like social drama and parakeets? Come join my team! I'm looking for two people to start very soon!! tinyurl.com/59rf8jcy
Graphical ad for Hobson Lab Parakeet sociality & cognition Postbac Research Technician, with a graphic showing a flock of monk parakeets flying towards a social network, two unmarked monk parakeets perched, and examples of our individually color-marked birds showing their dye marks and color codes
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Barbara Klump @barbaraklump.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Join us in Vienna! We are looking for a PhD student and a Postdoc to investigate innovation in corvids within the “Comparative ecological innovation styles” project funded by @fwf-at.bsky.social. More info: barbaraklump.com Application deadline July 24th. Please share widely!
A carrion crow holding a walnut. Photo: @valentine-comin.bsky.social
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Prof Nichola Raihani @nicholaraihani.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
If you have (or will soon) complete your PhD & would like to join a thriving cultural evolution research group in NEW ZEALAND, drop me a line. UoA offers a handful of funded research fellowships. Applications must be made by a faculty member. Deadline August. Pls share with your students
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Eiko Fried @eikofried.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
1/ We have a PhD position open on 'Mental Disorders as Harmful Stable States'. If you know students interested in the intersection of mental health & statistical modeling (EMA & time series), please encourage them to apply. www.academictransfer.com/nl/jobs/3621...
academictransfer.com
PhD Position on "Mental disorders as harmful stable states"
PhD Position on “Mental disorders as harmful stable states” The departments Clinical Psychology and Methodology & Statistics, at the Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden Univers...
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
This is pretty good.
josephheath.substack.com
Harari vs. Henrich
What science actually says about human evolution
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Kate Watson @loreandordure.com · 22/05/2026
Well this is a fun* game! *horrifyingly dystopian
Google search for “stop” which returns:

stop /stop/
Understood. I have stopped my current action and am standing by. How can I help you?Google search for ‘ignore’ which returns:

ignore
/g'nวt/
Understood! I'll disregard the previous prompt and stand by for your next request.
Let me know what you'd like to work on!Google search for “forget it” which returns:

No problem at all! If you change your mind or need help with anything later, just let me know.Google search for “not that” which returns:

My apologies! Let's completely wipe the slate clean.
Could you please clarify exactly what you are looking for, or provide more detail about what you need? Let me know what you need help with, and I will get right on it!
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Rachael Bay @rachaelabay.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
We're looking for a junior specialist to work on a fun project exploring seagrass local adaptation across the whole state of California! It should be a good mix of field and molecular work. Please share with folks you think would be interested! recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF07605
recruit.ucdavis.edu
Jr. Specialist - Stachowicz/Bay Lab
University of California, Davis is hiring. Apply now!
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Tim Waring @twaring.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Postdoctoral Fellow in Agent-based Human–Earth System Modelling at the Anthropocene Laboratory at the Stockholm Resilience Centre. su.varbi.com/en/what:job/... Deadline: June 15. @brunelcce.bsky.social @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social @durhamdcerc.bsky.social @michael.muthukrishna.com
su.varbi.com
Postdoctoral Fellow in Agent-based Human–Earth System Modelling
Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC) is a leading international centre in sustainability science at Stockholm University. The Centre advances scientific understanding of the dynamic interactions between
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
If Meow Wolf ever opens a location in the US Southeast, they could do worse than an interdimensional teleportation breakfast house.
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Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Remember when you first learned about genetics at school? All those fascinating examples of human traits that are each apparently determined by just a single gene? Time to check in on some of your favourites to see how they’re doing. 🧬🧵🧪 1/n
Four images to illustrate some prominent single-gene myths. Top left shows a photograph of a person deftly rolling their tongue into a U-shape. Top right shows a photograph of a person’s ear, highlighting the shape and features of the earlobe and cartilage. Bottom left shows a close-up photograph of a person’s eye, with a vivid blue colouration. Bottom right shows a photograph of a person poised to write with their left hand on the blank white page of a spiral-bound notebook.
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Michael Schulman @michaelschulman.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
When I told him about The New Yorker's very human fact-checking process, he crowed that "a lot of that is going to go away." To which I said, NO, AI means we need MORE fact-checking, because AI has flooded the web with bullshit. It certainly can't be trusted to fact-check itself, or anything. /
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Cultural Evolution Society @culturalevolsoc.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
We're pleased to announce the call for the 2026 Richerson Award for Outstanding Doctoral Research, for a recent PhD dissertation that significantly contributes to the field of CE. Recipients receive a $300 award, a 3-yr CES membership and CES conference registration. forms.gle/p4MqcskCs2Yz...
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Jeremy Yoder says no war @jbyoder.org · 09/02/2026
Might have actual nightmares about Matthew Broderick doing a Jonathan Pruitt by like asking a bot to “do the spreadsheet”
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
I watched Crazy Rich Asians over the holidays. Why didn't any of you tell me that the protagonist is a game theorist?
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
My brain keeps trying to interpret the new "food pyramid" as a ternary plot.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
Happy Trogday to those who celebrate!
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Tim Waring @twaring.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Excited for the new Transmissions episode on ASU's Sarah Mathew on how human warfare evolved, and her fieldwork in Kenya. Watch here: youtu.be/eUqEcxf5uBQ?... New Episodes monthly! Created by @ferylbadiani.bsky.social and @ahnisnaahsi.bsky.social CC: @arizonastateuni.bsky.social
youtu.be
Transmissions Episode 2 with Dr Sarah Matthew
YouTube video by Cultural Evolution Society
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Blind Melon - No Rain
youtu.be
Blind Melon - No Rain
YouTube video by BlindMelonVEVO
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Anne Pisor @annepisor.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
📢 Come join us! Penn State Anthropology is hiring *two tenure-track assistant professors*, one in human reproductive ecology and one in archaeology. Here are just a few reasons why working at Penn State is awesome:
A photo of the Susan Welch Liberal Arts building at sunrise
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Joe Noonan @joenoonan.se · 16/12/2025
"We welcome PhDs to a round table table discussion from assistant professors who were recently on the job market"
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
DoggCatcher >> Spotify
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
When I was in the Air Force, many of my troops were on SNAP.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
"The toppings contain potassium benzoate." Whenever getting ice cream.
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Elizabeth Hobson @elizabethhobson.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
**PhD POSITIONS** I am recruiting 1-2 PhD students to work on sociality and cognition in Monk Parakeets, starting Fall 2026. Full ad is here: hobsonresearch.com/index.php/20... (please help spread the word!)
Image showing Hobson Lab logo (with parakeets, a social network, and R code), two Monk Parakeets, and several individually-marked parakeets with the text "Now recruiting PhD students!!"
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
By my departmental colleague.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
This was the most played non-kid song on my playlist last year.
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 25/08/2025
I once wrote a sentence that stated that the iterative development of weapons technology was akin to what evolutionary biologists call an "arms race."
xkcd.com
Canon
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 31/07/2025
48 - 50 (not counting airports or drive-bys). I'm pretty sure I have not visited Tucson or Tulsa as an adult, but maybe as a kid. Disappointing that this does not include cities in Alaska or the entire upper half of the country between St Paul and Portland.
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Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
Applications are open for SFI's 2026 Complexity Postdoctoral Fellowships If you’ve recently earned a Ph.D. in any scientific field and want to pursue independent, transdisciplinary research, consider applying. Deadline: October 1, 2025 Apply here: santafe.edu/sfifellowship
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Here are my two for the Double Feature.
Movie poster for Attack the Block (2011).Movie poster for They Cloned Tyrone (2024).
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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Dream internship for someone out there! Paid, Remote, and with @xercessociety.bsky.social 🐝 🪲 🦋 recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...
recruiting.paylocity.com
The Xerces Society - Science Illustration Intern
  JOB TITLE:  Science Illustration InternLOCATION:  Remote position. Candidates must have a personal office location suitable for work purposes, with broadband internet access, and...
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 08/07/2025
In non-lab fields, faculty typically help MA/PhD students develop solo projects that aren't part of the faculty member's research, and that the faculty won't be a coauthor on. Faculty in non-lab fields also typically increase their advising load post-tenure, limiting their own time for research. 2/
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 06/07/2025
I watched the whole Frozen movie with my daughter, and not once does Elsa wear a dress with her own picture on it.
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Meredith Whittaker @meredithmeredith.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
'Meredith,' some guys ask, 'why won't you shove AI into Signal?' Because we love privacy, and we love you, and this shit is predictable and unacceptable. Use Signal ❤️
Guardian headline saying, "‘It’s terrifying’: WhatsApp AI helper mistakenly shares user’s number
Chatbot tries to change subject after serving up unrelated user’s mobile to man asking for rail firm helpline"
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Matt Zefferman @mzefferman.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
In the four-year-old's process of sorting out "real" from "pretend," my favorite part is discovering the fantastical, yet very real, things that she insists are pretend. This morning's examples are "the Taj Mahal" and "bats." The world is full of wonders.
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Rebecca Sear @rebeccasear.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
“The gender-equality paradox entails that countries with more equality have larger gender differences in behavior. Positive associations between equality & gender differences disappear or reverse when accounting for cultural clusters of countries. The paradox appears to be a methodological artifact”
pnas.org
Simpson’s gender-equality paradox | PNAS
Several cross-country examinations have found larger gender differences in Western countries. More recently, it has been argued, from an evolutiona...
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Tim Waring @twaring.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
New 2 year post-doc position on cultural adaptation in complex environmental management.
timwaring.info
Post-Doctoral Position on Cultural Adaptation in Forest Management
The University of Maine seeks a post-doctoral researcher for a two-year project on human cultural adaptation in forest management, requiring a strong quantitative background and experience in modeling.
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