R. P. Mann

Random walks with spatial and temporal resets may underlie searching movements in ants

The paper models ant foraging movements using a random walk with stochastic resetting and finds that the probability of returning to the nest decreases with more foraging trips.

A covariant model of molecular and diversification patterns through time and the history of large clades

The paper develops a covariant model that integrates diversification and molecular/morphological evolution, showing that modern diversity is dominated by a few large clades with high early radiation rates and that molecular change is independent of lineage height.

Agents seeking long-term access to the wisdom of the crowd reduce immediate decision-making accuracy

The paper shows that agents prioritizing long-term rewards follow peers more, leading to lower short-term accuracy but better long-term outcomes, challenging intuitions about collective wisdom.

Smart self-propelled particles: a framework to investigate the cognitive bases of movement

The paper presents a framework using artificial neural networks and genetic algorithms to study spatial decision-making in agents learning to explore an environment without leaving its boundaries.

Evolutionary stability of social interaction rules in collective decision-making

The paper evaluates a decision-making rule's evolutionary stability in collective decision-making by analyzing parameter relationships and testing its adaptability across different group identities.

Two notorious nodes: a critical examination of MCMCTree relaxed molecular clock estimates of the bilaterian animals and placental mammals

This paper examines MCMCTree relaxed molecular clock estimates for bilaterian animals and placental mammals, finding that the results are not supported by the fossil record and often overestimate clade origins.

Fossil data do not support a long Pre-Cretaceous history of flowering plants

The paper challenges the conclusion of Silvestro et al. that angiosperms originated in the Cretaceous, arguing their methodology is flawed and their results conflict with fossil evidence.

Optimal use of simplified social information in sequential decision-making

The paper derives optimal policies for agents using simplified social information in decision-making and shows hybrid strategies are effective under low cognitive costs.

Collective decision making by rational agents with differing preferences

This study models how rational agents with differing preferences use social information to make collective decisions, showing that group structure and environmental information quality strongly influence outcomes.

The dynamics of stem and crown groups

The paper models stem and crown group diversity using a birth-death model to explain patterns in the fossil record and their implications for evolutionary dynamics.

Collective decision making by rational individuals

This paper develops a model of rational decision making in collective settings, showing how apparent stochasticity in social behavior arises from information asymmetries.

Modelling predation and mortality rates from the fossil record of gastropods

The paper models predation and mortality rates in fossil gastropods, showing that scar counts can estimate attack and success rates under certain assumptions but are limited by taphonomic biases.

History is written by the victors: the effect of the push of the past on the fossil record

The paper examines how survivorship biases, specifically the 'push of the past', affect diversification patterns and fossil records by creating apparent rate heterogeneities through time.