Christopher X J. Jensen
Associate Professor, Pratt Institute

Bruce B. Henderson on the unappreciated importance of “consumatory scholarship”

Posted 11 Jun 2012 / 0

The Chronicle of Higher Education “Just Because We’re Not Publishing Doesn’t Mean We’re Not Working” All I can say about this article is “word”.

A Minor Post, Higher Education, Teaching

On the Media takes on the problem of scientific integrity in scientific journals and the popular media

Posted 09 Jun 2012 / 0

On the Media “How British science journalists are secretly undermining the American media” On the Media “Scientific retractions on the rise” On the Media “Retraction watch“

A Minor Post, Publication, Radio & Podcasts, Scientific Fraud

Don’t mistake having a better map for knowing where you are: new technology for sequencing fetal DNA will not lead to serious trait selection

Posted 07 Jun 2012 / 0

The Takeaway “New Developments in DNA Sequencing” The problem with this kind of story is that it confuses listeners. While it may be a technological advance to be able to perform complete genetic sequencing of a fetus without risky invasive procedures, this new ability does not necessarily lead to the kind of “baby selection” that Read More

A Minor Post, Genetic Engineering, Genetics, Radio & Podcasts

Joseph E. Stiglitz discusses the economically destabilizing impact of rent-seeking

Posted 06 Jun 2012 / 0

WNYC The Leonard Lopate Show “Joseph Stiglitz Explains the Price of Inequality” As I have suggested before [1, 2], in order to stabilize our economy, we have to incentivize the generation of income from actual labor — not simply owning resources.

A Minor Post, Economic sustainability, Economics, Ethics, Public Policy, Radio & Podcasts

Understanding the effects of asymmetry and relatedness on social volunteerism

Posted 06 Jun 2012 / 0

I am proud to announce the recent publication of a new paper in the Chinese Science Bulletin with collaborators from Yunnan University and the Kunming Institute of Zoology in Kunming, China. Our paper, entitled “Cooperation in an asymmetric volunteer’s dilemma game with relatedness“, uses a game-theoretic analysis of a new variant to the volunteer’s dilemma to Read More

Evolutionary Modeling, Game Theory, Kin Selection, Modeling (General), Mutualism, My publications

Evolutionary Games Infographic Project launches with its first release of graphic packages

Posted 04 Jun 2012 / 0

In the Fall of 2011 I began a new project with Greg Riestenberg, a graduate student in Pratt’s Communications Design program. Given the ubiquity — especially in recent times — of evolutionary game theory, you would think that someone would have produced a set of clear conceptual images depicting how the most important of these games work; Read More

Department of Mathematics & Science, Evolutionary Games Infographics, Game Theory, Information Design, Pratt Institute, Teaching, Teaching Tools

There are plenty of organs out there: more altruism would end the social dilemma of who gets available organs

Posted 29 May 2012 / 0

NPR Planet Money “Who Decides Whether This 26-Year-Old Woman Gets A Lung Transplant?” Although this feature does make some interesting observations about the economic dilemmas associated with donated organ assignment, it misses the bigger picture: if everyone elected to donate their organs upon death, increased supply would diminish a lot of the dilemma.

A Minor Post, Altruism, Radio & Podcasts, Social Norms

Economic Whales and their Parasites

Posted 27 May 2012 / 0

Today’s New York Times Business section features an interesting article on the recent JPMorgan multi-billion loss. Entitled “The Hunch, the Pounce and the Kill: How Boaz Weinstein and Hedge Funds Outsmarted JPMorgan“, the article explains how a risk-prone hedge fund manager named Boaz Weinstein was able to exploit errors by JPMorgan and end up on Read More

Articles, Economic sustainability, Economics, Ethics, Parasitism, Public Policy, Social Capital, System Stability

More flatfish transitional fossils found

Posted 27 May 2012 / 0

LiveScience “Missing Link For Wonky-Eyed Fish Discovered“

A Minor Post, Fossil Data

Human limits extended one step further as wingsuit diver lands without a parachute

Posted 23 May 2012 / 0

The New York Times “Wing-Suited Stuntman Takes a Super-Hero Plunge” Sky News “Skydiver Becomes First To Land Without Chute“

A Minor Post, Cultural Evolution, Human limits, Play