mc_maurer

8 ms·

1.
by mc_maurer 3mo ago
There's also typically a ton of standing genetic variation that is relatively fitness-neutral, but can then lead to more rapid or directional evolution if conditions change. For example, standing variation in silk elasticity may have b
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by mc_maurer 3mo ago
You should read up on manipulative parasites too! Things like wasp larvae developing inside an insect and changing its behavior through chemical manipulation of neural pathways. Some really remarkable specialization!
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by mc_maurer 3mo ago
Ultimately, it's probably due to the rate of encounter with this species and the evolution of the pheromone towards the most consistent and intense response from that particular species. It's likely that a more general pheromone w
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by mc_maurer 3mo ago
Couple things here: First, ecosystems don't work on this concept of "balance" or "problems to fix". There are ecological niches that are exploited by a species or not. We have both generalists and specialists, preda
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by mc_maurer 4mo ago
You ever heard of Every Noise at Once? You can search for an artist, see the genres they belong to, and then look for artists nearby in 2D musical space (oversimplified a bit to be fair) within that genre. I've found it's generall
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by mc_maurer 7mo ago
Yeah the story linked there is absolutely nuts.
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by mc_maurer 7mo ago
https://www.kinco.com/5210-l I wear these walking the dog down to -20F or so. They're warm enough with the tops flipped up, and you can quickly flip them down for a little dexterity to tie a poop bag. Not gonna say you
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by mc_maurer 7mo ago
A big thing I would add is to strongly consider how much you'll be moving, especially when it comes to footwear. Boots that are rated to -40 during light activity can leave you with cold toes if you're standing still in -10 for
9.
by mc_maurer 8mo ago
I'd also add that the best scientists I know have, for the duration of their careers, put the question first and pursued methods to fit. I know folks who have the wildest set of skills, from next-gen sequencing to fish tattooing and al
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by mc_maurer 8mo ago
Ecology PhD turned data scientist, I was looking to respond and you summed up my thoughts really well! I will add that funding can complicate things a bit, funding sources often get wowed by more "advanced" methods, while the unde
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by mc_maurer 10mo ago
Sneaking some very devious stuff into a friend's .Rprofile when they're not looking
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
I'd even argue that the declining rate of scientific advancement is due to the academic track moving towards the same short-term thinking that plagues parts of the private sector. When the incentive structure is towards pumping out pub
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
If only it worked on Databricks serverless SQL warehouses...
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
The term for parasitoids that attack other parasitoids is a "hyperparasitoid". I did my PhD on parasitoids that attack aphids, but I've never heard of a hyper-hyperparasitoid, do you have any reference to that example?
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
I think some of it is self-selection, but I also think some of it is a filtering effect based on the much more competitive and stressful atmosphere. Getting funding and permits and equipment to study sharks is a way more stressful process t
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
It comes down to a lot of factors, but a big one is the diversity of funding sources. If you study a species that doesn't have broad appeal, you're probably looking at NSF funding, maybe USDA. If you study a game animal you can ta
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
That's an interesting question- I think it would be challenging in some respects, which would likely differ during and after school. During a PhD program, you're not gonna make much money, but you will probably enjoy the classes a
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
There's an inherent cost to foraging, so a high-quality food item that requires little effort is a much greater net energy benefit. When we're talking about an endangered species whose margins are quite slim to begin with, this ca
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
Ok one more, I can't help myself. This one isn't really a manipulative parasite, but there is an isopod that will eat a fish's tongue: https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2022/04/28/tongue-ea
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
Plenty of variability within that subset though! Lots of stereotypes based on your study system lol
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
Another one of my favorite papers of all time: https://www.jstor.org/stable/29779588 There's a nematomorph parasite that infects crickets, and part of its life cycle is aquatic. It will induce crickets to jump int
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
It's a pretty widely known thing that studying charismatic megafauna gets you lots of money. However, they're also generally WAY more of a pain to study. Fewer individuals, larger home ranges, expensive permits, etc. A good friend
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
I did my PhD studying manipulative parasites and in general, impacts of parasites/parasitoids on host behavior. This is my absolute favorite example: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journa
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
I think "for businesses" is probably the caveat here. It feels like a trope to mention it at this point, but I think the world would suffer greater consequences if, say, the Linux kernel broke. I'd also argue that Excel isn&#
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
"the world’s most important piece of software" "there’s simply no more powerful piece of software on the planet for turning a mess of numbers into answers and sense" I never want to be one to downplay Excel's ubiqui
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
Thank you!
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
This reminds me of another thing I use when teaching: a perfect model of the entire world would be just as inscrutable of the world itself. I think having multiple layers of abstraction can be really useful and have done it myself for some
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
I've used this example when teaching students about models used for predictive power vs. models used to better understand mechanisms: You have a model that predicts with great accuracy that rowdy teens will TP your house this Friday ni
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
"Tuition reimbursement" is definitely an accounting gimmick, at least once you're done taking classes. After qualifying exams, the idea that a PhD candidate is receiving anything that you would pay tuition for is laughable. Y
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by mc_maurer 2y ago
Pretty skeptical of a floating "3.5%" figure without any additional context. NYT estimates that 15-26 million people participated in the protests following George Floyd's murder. That breaks the 3.5% threshold, and I don&#x27

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