It's hard to explain how much this film was a defining cultural point for Gen X kids like myself. Sure, there are some problematic and dated elements, but so many moments are fixed in our collective memory.
Bob Ricklefs RIP. One of the giants of ecology. His textbooks were the gateway to the field for many students. His papers were invariably thoughtful, well-argued and provocative, even those I disagreed with. 🌏🧪🌐
dynamicecology.wordpress.com
Markus Eichhorn
A sad task, well done—Brian McGill pens a tribute to Bob Ricklefs.
One measure of Ricklefs’ influence: Ecology students from the 70s on were trained on “Ricklefs”: an imposing tome weaving graphs and equations together with fine, dense prose. Thanks Bob.
dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2026/06/11/r...
'Average person eats six times more chicken than in 1961, UN report finds' 🤯 🐔
A trend that's fuelling ecological destruction from the Amazon (rainforests cut down to grow soy feed for chickens) to the River Wye (full of chicken shit):
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Coming up with some memes for a talk on interdisciplinary collaboration and I'm having way too much fun.
Today marks 40 years since Ferris Bueller's Day Off went on general release. Where did the years go?
Today marks 40 years since Ferris Bueller's Day Off went on general release. Where did the years go?
So yeah, I might look more like his economics teacher these days, but there's still a teenager inside who thinks that "What would Ferris do" is a reasonable guiding principle.
For example, Ricklefs' 2008 paper 'Disintegration of the ecological community' is one I still recommend to my students, even while I don't agree with some of the conclusions. It's a brilliant essay and a great starting point for debate.
OK, now leave me alone, I need to sit in a darkened room and watch it again for what might be the fiftieth time. At least. Happy 40th Ferris. Hope life turned out ok for you too.
UN report says global meat supply has risen fourfold in last 60 years and is expected to keep rising
Abstract: In this essay, I argue that the seemingly indestructible concept of the community
as a local, interacting assemblage of species has hindered progress toward understanding
species richness a...
