A5065277725- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Leech Biology and Applications
- Topic Modeling
- Natural Language Processing Techniques
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Bryophyte Studies and Records
- Identification and Quantification in Food
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Lichen and fungal ecology
- Language and cultural evolution
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Child and Animal Learning Development
- Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
- Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies
- Botany and Plant Ecology Studies
- Gene expression and cancer classification
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- bioluminescence and chemiluminescence research
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
American Museum of Natural History
2016-2025
Medgar Evers College
2023-2025
City University of New York
2023-2024
New York Botanical Garden
2024
St. Francis College
2020-2023
Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences
2020-2023
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2021-2023
DeepMind (United Kingdom)
2023
Stanford University
2015-2022
New York University
2022
Access to data is a critical feature of an efficient, progressive and ultimately self-correcting scientific ecosystem. But the extent which in-principle benefits sharing are realized in practice unclear. Crucially, it largely unknown whether published findings can be reproduced by repeating reported analyses upon shared ('analytic reproducibility'). To investigate this, we conducted observational evaluation mandatory open policy introduced at journal Cognition. Interrupted time-series...
Abstract Modern metagenomic environmental DNA studies are almost completely reliant on next-generation sequencing, making evaluations of these methods critical. We compare two sequencing techniques – amplicon and shotgun water samples across four Brazil’s major river floodplain systems (Amazon, Araguaia, Paraná, Pantanal). Less than 50% phyla identified via were recovered from clearly challenging the dogma that mid-depth recovers more diversity amplicon-based approaches. Amplicon also...
Recent work in large language modeling (LLMs) has used fine-tuning to align outputs with the preferences of a prototypical user. This assumes that human are static and homogeneous across individuals, so aligning single "generic" user will confer more general alignment. Here, we embrace heterogeneity consider different challenge: how might machine help people diverse views find agreement? We fine-tune 70 billion parameter LLM generate statements maximize expected approval for group...
The visual word form area (VWFA) is a region in the left occipitotemporal sulcus of literate individuals that purportedly specialized for recognition. However, there considerable controversy about its functional specificity and connectivity, with some arguing it serves as domain-general, rather than word-specific, processor. VWFA critical testing hypotheses nature cortical organization, because known to develop only through experience (i.e., reading acquisition), widespread literacy too...
Abstract The common bed bug ( Cimex lectularius ) has been a persistent pest of humans for thousands years, yet the genetic basis bug’s basic biology and adaptation to dense human environments is largely unknown. Here we report assembly, annotation phylogenetic mapping 697.9-Mb genome, with an N50 971 kb, using both long short read technologies. A RNA-seq time course across all five developmental stages male female adults generated 36,985 coding noncoding gene models. most pronounced change...
Language provides simple ways of communicating generalizable knowledge to each other (e.g., "Birds fly," "John hikes," and "Fire makes smoke"). Though found in every language emerging early development, the generalization is philosophically puzzling has resisted precise formalization. Here, we propose first formal account generalizations conveyed with that quantitative predictions about human understanding. The basic idea expresses an event or a property occurs relatively often, where what...
Abstract One of the most robust and oft‐replicated findings in cognitive neuroscience is that several spatially distinct, functionally dissociable ventral occipitotemporal cortex (VOTC) regions respond preferentially to different categories concrete entities. However, determinants this category‐related organization remain be fully determined. recent proposal privileged connectivity these VOTC with other store and/or process category‐relevant properties may a major contributing factor. To...
Language is a remarkably efficient tool for transmitting information. Yet human speakers make statements that are inefficient, imprecise, or even contrary to their own beliefs, all in the service of being polite. What rational machinery underlies polite language use? Here, we show speech emerges from competition three communicative goals: convey information, be kind, and present oneself good light. We formalize this goal tradeoff using probabilistic model utterance production, which predicts...
Southern Asia is a biodiversity hotspot both for terrestrial mammals and leeches. Many small-mammal groups are under-studied in this region, while other of known conservation concern. In addition to standard methods surveying mammals, it has recently been demonstrated that residual bloodmeals within leeches can be sequenced find given area. While these invertebrate-parasite-derived DNA (iDNA) promising, most the leech species utilized type survey remain unevaluated, notwithstanding their...
Abstract Measuring mammal biodiversity in tropical rainforests is challenging, and methods that reduce effort while maximizing success are crucial for long‐term monitoring programmes. Commonly used to assess may require substantial sampling be effective. Genetic a new important tool on the horizon, but obtaining sufficient DNA samples can challenge. We evaluated efficacy of using parasitic leeches Haemadipsa spp., as compared camera trapping, sample biodiversity. collected 200 from four...
Abstract Aim Evaluating how groups of organisms vary in dispersal capability and environmental, spatial temporal signals across multiple scales is critical to elucidating metacommunity theory. We examined whether the relative contributions hydrological factors have different effects on organismal with abilities at three scales, this knowledge contributes our understanding dynamics. Location Four major Brazilian floodplains, largest distance among them 2,300 Km. Taxon 10 aquatic groups,...
Human reasoning can often be understood as an interplay between two systems: the intuitive and associative ("System 1") deliberative logical 2"). Neural sequence models -- which have been increasingly successful at performing complex, structured tasks exhibit advantages failure modes of System 1: they are fast learn patterns from data, but inconsistent incoherent. In this work, we seek a lightweight, training-free means improving existing 1-like by adding 2-inspired reasoning. We explore...
Abstract In this paper we examine the relative contribution of information to nodes in a phylogenomic analysis combined with morphological datasets. We behaviour branch support metrics using partitioned Bremer (PBS) and its likelihood counterpart (PLS). These measure data partition node question, can be easily computed for parsimony. Specifically, assess ratios values molecular at recalcitrant node. find that there is strong linear correlation between ratio weight weaker where flip (the...
Two‐jawed (duognathous) terrestrial leeches in the Haemadipsidae are major pests across their wide geographic range, represented by numerous endemic species Australia and many islands Indian Pacific Oceans. However, haemadipsid taxonomy, based largely on externally visible characters, remains conflict with phylogenetic relationships. We capitalize power of microcomputed tomography ( μ CT ), allowing for first description an extant soft‐bodied – Chtonobdella tanae sp. n. using this...
Recent advances in computational cognitive science (i.e., simulation-based probabilistic programs) have paved the way for significant progress formal, implementable models of pragmatics. Rather than describing a pragmatic reasoning process prose, these formalize and implement one, deriving both qualitative quantitative predictions human behavior -- that consistently prove correct, demonstrating viability value framework. The current paper provides practical introduction to critical...
Language is learned in complex social settings where listeners must reconstruct speakers' intended meanings from context. To navigate this challenge, children can use pragmatic reasoning to learn the meaning of unfamiliar words. A critical challenge for that it requires integrating multiple information sources, which have typically been studied separately. Here we study integration process. First, experimentally isolate two sources information: expectations about informative communication...
Placozoa is an ancient phylum of extraordinarily unusual animals: miniscule, ameboid creatures that lack most fundamental animal features. Despite high genetic diversity, only recently have the second and third species been named. While prior genomic studies suffer from incomplete placozoan taxon sampling, we more than double count with protein sequences seven key genomes produce first nuclear phylogenomic reconstruction all major lineages. This leads us to complete Linnaean taxonomic...
Pragmatic abilities are fundamental to successful language use and learning. Individual differences studies contribute understanding the psychological processes involved in pragmatic reasoning. Small sample sizes, insufficient measurement tools, a lack of theoretical precision have hindered progress, however. Three addressed these challenges three- 5-year-old German-speaking children (N = 228, 121 female). Studies 1 2 assessed psychometric properties six pragmatics tasks. Study 3...
There are considerable phylogenetic incongruencies between morphological and phylogenomic data for the deep evolution of animals. This has contributed to a heated debate over earliest-branching lineage animal kingdom: sister all other Metazoa (SOM). Here, we use published sets ($\sim $45,000-400,000 characters in size with $\sim $15-100 taxa) that focus on early metazoan phylogeny evaluate impact incorporating $15-275 characters). We additionally small exemplar quantify how increased taxon...
The genus Crocodylus comprises 12 currently recognized species, many of which can be difficult to differentiate phenotypically. Interspecific hybridization among crocodiles is known occur in captivity and has been documented between some species the wild. identification hybrid individuals importance for management monitoring crocodilians, are Convention on International Trade Endangered Species (CITES) listed. In this study, both mitochondrial nuclear DNA markers were evaluated their use...