iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Years ago, we would always take a day trip to the local zoo for SFN. In NoLa, we went to the Zoo and they had a marmoset exhibit. The natural behavior of the marmoset that we saw was clinging to the tree and eating sap from it. Claws in the tree, face in the tree. That is what they do.

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Reposted by ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp

Michael Bazaco @mcbazacophd.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We’re in the window where it’s a great time to get your flu shot, if you haven’t yet. Vaccines are rad. 🧪

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Zack Labe @zacklabe.com · 02/10/2026

This is pretty wild... the average global sea surface temperature (outside of the polar regions) is still above 70°F (21.1°C) through the end of September. This is significantly above the prior record. We'll cover this in our October climate briefing: climatecentral-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi... 🌊

Line graph time series of daily global mean sea surface temperatures from 1982 to 2026. This year is currently at record high for this time of year. Data is from NOAA OISSTv2.1, and the graphic is created by Climate Central at https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-briefings.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In 1997 fall, the water temps in San Francisco at Ocean Beach reached 68F, which is really atypical. I figure that must have been the Kelvin wave and I am curious if it occurs again in coming weeks. 58F is typical for this time of year.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Zack, are there good sources of data on movement of the Kelvin wave associated with this El Nino?

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

I don't think heteroskedasticity alone is enough to invalidate a parametrical statistical test. The underlying data would have to fail the Central Limit Theorem i.e., neither the Lindeberg nor Lyapunov conditions would hold.

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Nima Dehghani @neurovium.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

XJ Wang left ?!? What a loss for the US (and NYU) Everyday I get some news that a prominent scientist is leaving. The chaos of the science budget and downfall of the American science are spiralling down very fast. This is disheartening. www.eurekalert.org/news-release...

eurekalert.org

World-renowned computational neuroscientist professor Xiao-Jing Wang joins HKU as Chair Professor

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) announces the appointment of Professor Xiao-Jing Wang, a pioneer in theoretical and computational neuroscience, to its faculty as a Chair Professor. Professor Wang wi...

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Making America Great (a haiku) Anti-woke crusade Science trainees are kicked out China takes science lead

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I think this latest move is sheer desperation. Existing legislation is clear that proposals MUST be recommended for funding by a study section, and MUST be selected for funding by the Institute Director. I suspect Vought wants to have the constitutionality of these laws tested.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I know folks are concerned about the new White House board to approve NIH grants. But Existing law says study sections must recommend grants for funding. Institute directors have the final decision on issuing an award. Executive orders cannot change law.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The blocking of neural activity by physical compression occurs in every radiculopathy and doesn't need me to explain it. This block is also not dependent on blood or oxygen supply. But on introducing an electrode, my opinion has been that tissue impedance near the tip is more relevant.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

The brain is remarkably adaptive for slowly developing compression, and really sensitive to rapidly increasing compression.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

It's not even Labor Day yet, Mark!

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The House passed the Senate CR, easily. The government is funded through Dec 11 (past the election). Expect another CR to span from Dec 11 to sometime in March to be proposed in mid-November after midterm results are out. thehill.com/homenews/hou...

thehill.com

Congress funds government until December, averting preelection shutdown

The House on Tuesday voted to send a short-term extension of government funding to President Trump’s desk, avoiding a politically risky shutdown before the midterm elections. The continuing resolu…

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I think you need to consider how anyone could choose among applications. There are about 50,000 applications eligible for funding now. The best scientists in the world understand the potential impact of at most a few hundred. Any choices they make will have to be political.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

I would simmer outside, not inside.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

So, in a different field, but sciencing is generally performed open book, but we still have closed book exams and oral exams. Why? We are sure students cheat, but it is too much time/effort to catch the cheaters "beyond a reasonable doubt". The closed book efforts rule out cheating. 1/

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Mark Baxter 🏳️‍🌈🧂 @markgbaxter.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

If a slop generator can produce a "graphical abstract" considered suitable for publication "in minutes", then "graphical abstracts" don't add anything of material value to the publication.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Yes, but it could be something not modifiable today, like removing lead from gasoline.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

These are different questions. 1) what activities for someone aged 60-80 can prospectively reduce likelihood of dementia? 2) are dementia rates stable from decade to decade?

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

I think it will play out similarly to the advice to prevent cardiovascular disease. Yes, it works, but the effect size is small and therapeutic drugs and devices can play a stronger role.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

I can see you have never been a preceptor for Gross Anatomy.

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Yasin Dagdas @plantophagy.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

The academic hiring system is simply not designed for candidates like me. It privileges a kind of performative intellectualism—the ability to stand at a whiteboard and extemporize about science as if you were some kind of 19th-century naturalist 😂 😂 😂 open.substack.com/pub/inprepar...

open.substack.com

Opinion: I Was Not Allowed To Type Prompts Into ChatGPT During My Chalk Talk And This Is Discrimination

By Dr. Rachel Simmons, Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University

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Reposted by ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp

Jeff Yau 姚明穎 @jeffmyau.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

🚨PREPRINT ALERT!🚨 I’m delighted to share new work from Yau Lab @bcmneurosci.bsky.social addressing thermotactile interactions. What happens when your hands get cold? A common experience is for your sense of touch to be impaired by coldness. 1/n

static.klipy.com

Frozen Hands Close-Up

ALT: Frozen Hands Close-Up

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

Spiral light of Venus rising first and shining best From the northwest corner of a brand new crescent moon

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

For most scientists, preprints are exchanged actively in small peer groups. I think the journal manuscript is already on its way out.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

For later stage AD, with MoCA scores under 20, I am hopeful that neuromodulation can succeed where pharma can no longer exert strong effects, perhaps in a similar analogy to coronary artery disease. High risk asymptomatic get statins. Later, they get pacemakers. 2/2

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

I am very positive about the earlier diagnosis of increased risk from p-tau-217 and other markers. These will enable pro-active approaches for increased risk people 10-15 years before their MoCA dips below 23. I am not positive about infusions at any stage. 1/

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

I spent 10 years at UCSF, and Howard Fields was there the entire time. He counseled me many times, and I truly appreciate that nearly every time we spoke, although he was 20+ years my senior and 20+ times my h-index, he spoke to me as a peer, and with the best of intentions. I will miss him.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Twice with signal detection theory this year!

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Michael Silver from UC Berkeley on science of psychedelics. Hopefully he makes a ton of progress. www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnq0...

youtube.com

Psychedelic Science explained by Berkeley neuroscientist | 101 in 101

YouTube video by UC Berkeley

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Jeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Update on NIH funding including multi-year funding. Here is the overall progress in terms of the number of projects (as opposed to the fraction of appropriated funds). The fiscal year 2026 curve lies below those for earlier fiscal years. 1/4

A line graph for the number of NIH projects funded for fiscal year 2026 compared with earlier fiscal years. The curve for fiscal year 2026 lies below the other curves.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

I believe Jeremy Berg's plots using public NIH Reporter data. jeremymberg.github.io/jeremyberg.g...

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Reposted by ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp

Monosov Lab @monosovlab.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

happy 2 see Dr Okihide Hikosaka elected to NAS Okihide has done an amazing amount of true discovery Think big contributions to understanding of mechanisms of saccadic control, chunking and skill formation, reinforcement learning, and more! Also a great mentor and friend.

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Reposted by ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp

SP Arun @sparuniisc.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Preprint alert! We've done the first ever wireless brain recordings from the high-level visual & motor regions (IT/PMv/PFC) in monkeys engaged in natural behaviors as well as during controlled screen-based tasks. Read below for a lay summary and the link for details! 1/8

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

I really like your model of the brain as a pitifully limited instrument for cognition surrounded by experience dependent filters and motor plants to make it seem more impressive...and it, as you well note, FITS the data well.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

For those who don't want to dig through a lot... When started EARLY in probable AD, very modest cognitive, clinical, and daily activities benefits relative to placebo are observed up to 18 months. Evidence after 24 months is not as positive. ARIA adverse effects are much stronger.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Anti-amyloid drugs, in a meta analysis, do not meet the risk:benefit tradeoffs necessary to recommend to patients, at least according to this Cochrane review. www.cochrane.org/about-us/new...

cochrane.org

Anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drugs show no clinically meaningful effect | Cochrane

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

For real, I was at a Padres game last year playing the Rockies, and the guy next to me played against Mickey in high school. Said "That dude was an absolute monster in high school." Then he became the number one pick overall by the Phils. Today he plays outfield for the worst team in MLB.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Acetylcholine does not look like this. I've been concerned about the GRAB-NE sensor so this new data is exciting, cool, and good to see.

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

If you are interested in evidence of such processes in the brain... journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10....

reporter.nih.gov

RePORT ⟩ RePORTER

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ǝʞɐlq ǝʌɐp @blakestah.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

His restructuring of the clinical enterprises about 25 years ago enabled UCSF to have a better fiscal relationship between hospital and research than any other system in the US, which continues today. It was brilliant.

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