Kostas Kampourakis
Author and editor of books intended to help non-experts understand science. Interested in anything about evolution, development, heredity and nature of science.
- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisI had a great time chatting about scientific discovery and the role of individuals, focusing on Francis Crick, on Michael Shermer’s Skeptic podcast. I look rather intense in the thumbnail; I promise it’s not quite so serious (and yes, I’m talking about the discovery of the double helix, not DNA).
- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisI wrote an Opinion piece for @thelancet.com about James Watson. It's not an obituary - Georgina Ferry did that for them - but offers some thoughts on the problematic aspects of Watson's history. www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
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- When to trust scientific claims (RFKj's ones included) substack.com/@kostaskampo...
- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisIn the summer (you can tell by the shirt) I had a fabulous conversation about embryology and stem cells with @nmoris.bsky.social at the Crick Institute. Here's the first part of it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WB0...
- Is the claim “vaccines do not cause autism” an evidence-based claim? Absence of evidence vs. evidence of absence open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisPutting aside the deeper issues of why this analysis was done and how it has been promoted, the choice to broadcast a tv show before releasing a preprint should make people skeptical of the results. How can one be sure of their scientific claims?
- As I told the CNN, without details and data it is not possible to assess the claims. More importantly, the scientific value of this media campaign, balanced against the possible stigmatization of individuals with these real conditions today, is highly questionable. edition.cnn.com/2025/11/13/s...
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- Is having an Irish parent the same with having Irish DNA? open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
- A nice coincidence! The Greek and the Turkish edition of my book Ancestry Reimagined are being published a few weeks apart. I hope the message is clear: we are all family, there are no pure ethnicities! Geographic neighbors are also close relatives, in relative terms. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
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- A nice evening last Monday at the CUP.gr bookstore in Athens, about the Greek edition of my book Ancestry Reimagined
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- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisIf you believe either that Franklin discovered the double helix, and / or Watson and Crick stole her data, ask yourself how you know this. Then take a read of this article.
- If I see one more stupid Rosalind Franklin take I'm going to lose my mind. Thank god for @matthewcobb.bsky.social and @nccomfort.bsky.social. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- What is a "single-origin" individual? How can one identify "single-origin individuals" in a way that is not arbitrary, or at least operational? www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisIn 2018, Charles Murray challenged me to a bet: "We will understand IQ genetically—I think most of the picture will have been filled in by 2025—there will still be blanks—but we’ll know basically what’s going on." It's now 2025, and I claim a win. I write about it in The Atlantic.
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- All about why we get Mendel wrong and why it matters. Watch the video where I explain the issues, or read excepts from several book reviews. kampourakis.com/how-we-get-m...
- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisNew Cambridge Element in the Philosophy of Biology series—fully #openaccess! @thomasreydon.bsky.social explores how evolutionary theory crosses over from biology into other fields, showing how these crossovers embody a broader style of reasoning: 'evolutionary thinking' bit.ly/48z3h36 #HPbio #evosky
- Here is the Greek edition of my book Ancestry Reimagined. If you happen to be in Athens, Greece, on November 3, there will be a book discussion at the publisher's main bookstore. More info to come. cup.gr/book/ethniki...
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- Why studies about reconstructing the past based on contemporary DNA makes me think of the streetlight effect open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
- Interesting! (To say the least).
- Check out my latest book Trusting Science, using the attached 30% discount code, and let me know what you think!
- Excited to participate in this very interesting conference: zasb.unibas.ch/de/veranstal...
- Here is a substack post about heritability, related to my comment below: kostaskampourakis.substack.com/p/today-esti...
- "Today, estimates from twin studies attribute up to 90% of an individual’s height to their genetic makeup." This is not corrrect! What heritability studies show is that at the population level 90% of the differences in height are due to genetic differences. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- Here is a substack post about heritability, related to my comment below: kostaskampourakis.substack.com/p/today-esti...
- "Today, estimates from twin studies attribute up to 90% of an individual’s height to their genetic makeup." This is not corrrect! What heritability studies show is that at the population level 90% of the differences in height are due to genetic differences. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- "Today, estimates from twin studies attribute up to 90% of an individual’s height to their genetic makeup." This is not corrrect! What heritability studies show is that at the population level 90% of the differences in height are due to genetic differences. www.nature.com/articles/s41...
- For those interested in my latest book, Trusting Science, here is a 30% discount code:
- On Type I and II Errors, False Positives and False Negatives open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
- Gregor Mendel, geneticists' hero? Why is it so hard to understand a simple argument? open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
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- Reposted by Kostas KampourakisI wrote a little bit about a cool recent paper looking at heritability estimates from very large registry data, and how we still really don't understand why outcomes track in families. A short 🧵:
- Copies received! And it looks perfect! Always feels like the first time. Take a look when you have the chance. global.oup.com/academic/pro...
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- An interesting discussion, as ever with the Dissenter, about my latest book Trusting Science youtube.com/watch?v=z-hC...
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- When to trust scientific claims open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
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- Scientific expertise and trustworthiness open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
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- Trust, Mistrust, and Distrust open.substack.com/pub/kostaska...
- A nice review of Darwin Mythology by Douglas Allchin in The Quarterly Review of Biology (no access required to read online). www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
- Glad you liked it Kevin!
- Take a look inside my book Trusting Science! www.amazon.com/Trusting-Sci...
- Take a look inside my new book Trusting Science! A lot of material is available! www.amazon.com/Trusting-Sci...
- The key idea of my new book Trusting Science! Check out the figure!
- About Darwin and myths.
- New episode (1097), my second interview with Dr. Kostas Kampourakis (@kampourakisk.bsky.social). We talk about his book, Darwin Mythology: Debunking Myths, Correcting Falsehoods. #Biology #Science YouTube: youtu.be/LP5JxFryDKc Podcast: bit.ly/3S5zllS
