Athena Aktipis

Abstract submission for ZAMM2025 closes next week (July 15)! Abstract submission is open for all topics related to zombies, the apocalypse, and anything related to our theme for this year. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

What if tumors evolve like ecosystems? We applied life history theory to cancer to explain why tumor cells show such diverse behaviors—from rapid growth to quiet dormancy. #CancerEvolution #LifeHistoryTheory nature.com/articles/nrc36…

How do people know whom, and how much, to help? we (@JessicaDAyers @lee_cronk Daniel Balliet Jeremy Koster & @AthenaAktipis) tackle this question among the Mayangna of northern Nicaragua, who rely primarily on horticulture for subsistence 🧵(1/10).

Can you hear a fake laugh? Turns out: yes, you can. Our research shows that people can reliably distinguish spontaneous laughter from volitional (fake) laughter, and that each type has unique acoustic signatures. #Laughter #SocialSignals #CognitiveScience sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

Flagstaff, AZ! We’ve got a fun show coming up at a cool coffee shop in Flag. Stop on in to see the Apocalypse Roadshow Jam Band and some incredible musicians on July 20th from 3-5pm!

NEW: Adapted for the Apocalypse - profectusmag.com/adapted-for-th… @clayroutledge interviews @AthenaAktipis about her book—A Field Guide to the Apocalypse—and what it reveals about human cooperation, curiosity, and progress. @AktipisLab @CooperationSci

In the age of doomscrolling and doomerism, @AthenaAktipis brings a message of hope: that humans are adapted for wild, even apocalyptic, times.

"Given all the uncertainty and instability we’re facing now, I wanted to share the hopeful message that we’re wired for resilience, and that we can get through hard times by leaning into cooperation," shares @AthenaAktipis. profectusmag.com/adapted-for-th…

"Rather than doomscrolling in isolation, we can learn new skills, strengthen our relationships, and build resilience." - @AthenaAktipis profectusmag.com/adapted-for-th…

In this week's Flourishing Friday, I discuss how apocalyptic thinking can be constructive when we approach it with the right mindset about our remarkable capacity for agency, resilience, collaboration, and innovation. Big thanks to @AthenaAktipis for sharing her insights.

What if there’s no such thing as a unified “self”? According to a modular view of the mind, what we call the “self” is really a collection of specialized systems, each shaped by evolution to navigate a messy social world. journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.117… #CognitiveScience #ModularMind

Great conversation with @clayroutledge about my book A Field Guide to the Apocalypse. Humans evolved to be resilient through cooperation, creativity & curiosity. We can thrive, even in turbulent times. profectusmag.com/adapted-for-th… #ApocalypsePreparedness #HumanFlourishing #Cooperation

Cooperation doesn't always need complex cognition. Just leaving bad partners behind can be enough to make cooperation evolve. Sometimes, walking away is an evolutionary superpower. sciencedirect.com/science/articl… #Evolution #Cooperation #BehavioralEcology