iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Blandine @blandinep84.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Back to work next week after 7 months maternity leave. I'm both excited to return to a job I love and worked hard to get. But dreading it: how am I going to manage a tough academic career and two wonderful babies? How did you academic mamas do it?

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Martin Paul Eve @eve.gd · 23/02/2026

"faster, reproducible science across disciplines through UKRI‑supported national AI testbeds and shared methods" Forgive me for expressing scepticism that AI will magically fix the reproducibility crisis.

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Alejandro Montenegro @aemonten.bsky.social · 25/12/2024

"Here, we show that this Ab appears to be unreliable due to providing false-positive signals at the expected molecular weight of Bax in immunoblotting experiments and likewise provides false-positive signals in immunofluorescence-based detection of Bax expression" www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.com

Why Bax detection in >1400 publications might be flawed - Cell Death & Disease

Cell Death & Disease - Why Bax detection in >1400 publications might be flawed

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

Openness means more than access. That's why we encourage submissions of Replication Studies. Learn about publishing your replication study with us in our author guide: buff.ly/rcI0oAY

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Seanan McGuire @seananmcguire.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

Measles is one of those nightmare diseases that, if it hadn't been killing people for hundreds of years, people would ABSOLUTELY be pushing conspiracy theories about right now. It's too nasty in too many different directions to seem natural. But oh, boy, it sure is.

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

First-rate analysis. Strong agree that ‘someone needs to own disciplinary health’ . At present, a fatal flaw of the UK system, centred in England on the separation of functions between DfE (and OfS) and DSIT, is that no one does.

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Blandine @blandinep84.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

"Science — especially curiosity-driven research — is, at its heart, a creative act. It needs space to breathe and the capacity to fail. Often, government-mandated programmes lack that flexibility" .

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Peter Tennant @pwgtennant.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Also: shifting scientific funding towards "government priority areas" is a surefire way to kill creativity and innovation. Generating scientific knowledge is not like ordering a takeaway. You can't just tick the 'science' that you want and expect anything useful.

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Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 06/09/2025

Finally! 🤩 Our position piece: Against the Uncritical Adoption of 'AI' Technologies in Academia: doi.org/10.5281/zeno... We unpick the tech industry’s marketing, hype, & harm; and we argue for safeguarding higher education, critical thinking, expertise, academic freedom, & scientific integrity. 1/n

Abstract: Under the banner of progress, products have been uncritically adopted or
even imposed on users — in past centuries with tobacco and combustion engines, and in
the 21st with social media. For these collective blunders, we now regret our involvement or
apathy as scientists, and society struggles to put the genie back in the bottle. Currently, we
are similarly entangled with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. For example, software updates are rolled out seamlessly and non-consensually, Microsoft Office is bundled with chatbots, and we, our students, and our employers have had no say, as it is not
considered a valid position to reject AI technologies in our teaching and research. This
is why in June 2025, we co-authored an Open Letter calling on our employers to reverse
and rethink their stance on uncritically adopting AI technologies. In this position piece,
we expound on why universities must take their role seriously toa) counter the technology
industry’s marketing, hype, and harm; and to b) safeguard higher education, critical
thinking, expertise, academic freedom, and scientific integrity. We include pointers to
relevant work to further inform our colleagues.

Figure 1. A cartoon set theoretic view on various terms (see Table 1) used when discussing the superset AI
(black outline, hatched background): LLMs are in orange; ANNs are in magenta; generative models are
in blue; and finally, chatbots are in green. Where these intersect, the colours reflect that, e.g. generative adversarial network (GAN) and Boltzmann machine (BM) models are in the purple subset because they are
both generative and ANNs. In the case of proprietary closed source models, e.g. OpenAI’s ChatGPT and
Apple’s Siri, we cannot verify their implementation and so academics can only make educated guesses (cf.
Dingemanse 2025). Undefined terms used above: BERT (Devlin et al. 2019); AlexNet (Krizhevsky et al.
2017); A.L.I.C.E. (Wallace 2009); ELIZA (Weizenbaum 1966); Jabberwacky (Twist 2003); linear discriminant analysis (LDA); quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA).

Table 1. Below some of the typical terminological disarray is untangled. Importantly, none of these terms
are orthogonal nor do they exclusively pick out the types of products we may wish to critique or proscribe.

Protecting the Ecosystem of Human Knowledge: Five Principles

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Zebrafish Rock! 🎃 @zebrafishrock.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

As the political climate around animal research becomes less supportive in the UK, it is our interest to argue for & protect organismal biology. BBSRC opened a survey, which gives us a timely platform. Please fill & share link among colleagues. Deadline: 9/2 engagementhub.ukri.org/mrc-bbsrc/la...

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Robin Bisson @robinbisson.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Last week, RPN broke a string of stories on significant changes to funding across a number of research councils (see thread below) This morning, UKRI chief executive is appearing at the Commons science committee, where he is being asked about them by MPs Here are some key moments so far 🧵

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Jameela Wahlgren 🏳️‍🌈 🎨 @jameelawahlgren.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

One more reason my soul shrivels up every time I hear someone say "I just used chatgpt to ____"

An imagine explaining that OpenAI is Trump's largest donor

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Adrian Liston @labliston.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

That would be catastrophic

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Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Sending babies to nursery completely reshapes their microbiomes. Socializing at a young age helps to develop greater diversity in children’s microbiota, according to an analysis of baby-to-baby transmission of gut bacteria. 🧪👶🦠 #medsky @medsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Sending babies to nursery completely reshapes their microbiomes

Socializing at a young age helps to develop greater diversity in children’s microbiota, according to an analysis of baby-to-baby transmission of gut bacteria.

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WHO @who.int · 23/01/2026

Measles can be fatal. Do you know its symptoms? 🔴 Rash that starts on the face and spreads over the body 🔴 Fever 🔴 Cough 🔴 Red and watery eyes 🔴 Small white spots inside the cheeks Seek health care if you suspect you or your child has measles. 🔗bit.ly/4iq4nkD

WHO graphic titled “Measles can be fatal – Know the symptoms.” A child’s face and body are shown with red spots. Labels point to symptoms: rash starting on the face and spreading over the body, fever, red and watery eyes, runny nose, small white spots inside the cheeks, and cough.

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Blandine @blandinep84.bsky.social · 15/08/2025

I can't resist posting this picture of my beautiful 6 days-old angels 😍😍😍😍. Maternity life! Their first hug since being separated at birth for NICU treatment

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Blandine @blandinep84.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

I am very happy to announce that maternity has now officially started with the premature birth of my 2 beautiful girls. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

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Dan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullsh*t jobs in universities. "Corporate academia is subverting academic life. It’s destroying academia from within." 🧪👩🏼‍🎓 academic.oup.com/brain/articl...

academic.oup.com

On the responsibilities of intellectuals and the rise of bullshit jobs in universities

You may never have considered yourself to be one. Why would you? But if you’re reading this, there is more than a likelihood that you are one. If you’re a

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Amanda Ali @amandality.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

Excited to share our work on the small but mighty microRNA-126-3p in @naturecomms.bsky.social! We found this microRNA is elevated in four knee osteoarthritis cohorts and show in an animal model that it reduces the severity of knee osteoarthritis - at least in part via angiogenesis. rdcu.be/ebycj

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

In light of the major cutbacks at universities - especially in the arts, humanities and social sciences - we have written to the Chancellor to make the case for investing in research and higher education through the Spending Review www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/56...

• Skills and learning. Universities in the UK play a crucial role in equipping graduates with high level skills. The UK is facing a shortage of 11 million graduates by 2035, when 88% of new jobs will be at graduate level.
• Opportunity. The expansion of the higher education sector has afforded more people the opportunity to realise their ambitions, with 33% of the disadvantaged students progressing to university.
• Economic growth. Higher education makes £130 billion contribution to the UK economy, supporting over 700,000 jobs in regions across the UK. R&D is one of the long-term
Registered Charity No. 233176
sources of UK competitive advantage and growth and every £1 invested in university research and innovation returns £10 for the UK economy.
Soft power. Over 50 world leaders received higher education in the UK and by educating large numbers of international students we develop our relationships around the world.

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TanentzapfLab @tanentzapflab.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

1. A thread about the value of doing "slow science": When I was in grad school I heard this (likely apocryphal) story about one of my favourite scientists: Barbara McClintock.

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Robert "The Bobby Yaga" McNees @mcnees.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

I’ve seen some posts recently, about the value of basic research, in light of funding cuts and demands that research have immediate economic justification. Let me collect some info here, in a thread, about why it’s a bad idea to attach those sorts of demands to funding. 🧵 🧪 ⚛️

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Dan McQuillan @danmcquillan.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

We should push back at AI's resource extractivism in ways that go beyond environmentalism. My article out tomorrow on computerweekly.com ("Labour’s AI Action Plan - a gift to the far right") joins the dots between AI's environmental harms, social harms, and entanglement with far right ideologies.

computerweekly.com

Computer Weekly | Information Technology (IT) News, UK IT Jobs, Industry News

The latest information technology (IT) news and IT jobs from ComputerWeekly.com. Stay ahead with IT management and technology news, blogs, jobs, case studies, whitepapers and videos.

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Adrian Liston @labliston.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Our paper on nurturing a #PositiveResearchCulture within your #research #team published by @wellcometrust.bsky.social gives useful tips for your lab. As well as making you a good team leader, nurturing culture pays off in building your science: 1/11 wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-3...

wellcomeopenresearch.org

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Blandine @blandinep84.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

New MRC application submitted! Thank you to my wonderful co-applicants. I can't wait to work with you all! @clarkinbonebiol.bsky.social @sarahsnelling.bsky.social Katherine Staines, Ruby Chang and Alessandra Carriero.

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Itai Yanai @itaiyanai.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Expert's Dilemma: the more specialized you become, the less open you are to creative solutions from other fields. But the more you explore other fields, the more you risk losing credibility in your home field. Interdisciplinary work is still not really embraced by academia.

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Blandine @blandinep84.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

I have been preparing a grant application for the last month (yes, over xmas), submission due this week. I have now spent almost 3 days just reducing the number of words to fit the strict 2,800 word limit.. kind of feels like a massive waste of time.

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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine @nationalacademies.org · 27/12/2024

Women in the U.S. experience a higher prevalence than men of many chronic conditions, but research has yet to fully explain these differences. Our recent report examines how to advance research on chronic conditions in women: buff.ly/3VV1gaG

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Christophe 🔬 Leterrier @christlet.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

If you send me an invitation to review on Dec 24 and a "reminder" on Dec 25, there's a chance I won't even try to come up with alternative reviewers after clicking "Decline"...

media.tenor.com

kermit the frog and miss piggy are kissing each other in a muppet show .

ALT: kermit the frog and miss piggy are kissing each other in a muppet show .

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Science Magazine @science.org · 23/12/2024

Women leave academia at higher rates than men at every career stage, and attrition is especially high among three groups: tenured faculty, women in non-STEM fields, and women employed at less prestigious institutions, a #ScienceAdvances analysis finds.

scim.ag

Gender and retention patterns among U.S. faculty

Women faculty are more likely to leave their jobs than men, most often due to workplace climate, rather than work-life balance.

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Arjun Raj @arjunraj.bsky.social · 12/12/2024

My peer review of peer review: 1. "Community standards" typically devolve rapidly into stock critiques. 2. I don't think it's a "dialog" when one participant has a gun to the other's head. 3. The cost of wasted time due to silly revision experiments is very high and not a good use of research $$.

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Saskia Middeldorp @middeldorps.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

A small piece every day, keeps Type2Diabetes and weight gain away. I am so very pleased with my taste for dark chocolate after-dinner ☕! www.bmj.com/content/387/...

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STITCHES Medicine - the Best of Medical Research @medicine.stitches.today · 06/12/2024

Different menopausal hormone therapies significantly affect cardiovascular disease risk, with tibolone linked to higher heart-related complications. by Johansson T, Karlsson T (...) Johansson Å et 5 al. in BMJ #MedSky 📖 read the article: www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj-2023-07…

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Sarah Snelling @sarahsnelling.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

If you're interested in the extracellular matrix of soft tissues and the role ECM plays in osteoarthritis then this systematic review is for you! boneandjoint.org.uk/Article/10.1...

boneandjoint.org.uk

Defining the extracellular matrix in non-cartilage soft-tissues in osteoarthritis: a systematic review | Bone & Joint

Defining the extracellular matrix in non-cartilage soft-tissues in osteoarthritis: a systematic review

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TanentzapfLab @tanentzapflab.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

One of the most surprising lessons for me during my 30 years of doing science is how it's essentially impossible predict what major scientific breakthroughs will emerge or where they will emerge from. But the way we fund science is mostly based on the assumption that we can make such predictions.

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The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine @nationalacademies.org · 02/12/2024

#WomensHealth research has historically been underfunded and overlooked. Learn about our new report reviewing the state of women’s health research and assessing funding needs at @NIH on December 5: buff.ly/3ZBKluP

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William Cullerne Bown @williamcb.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Today I argue that the fusion of Big Tech and politics in the Tony Blair Institute is causing trouble for both The Royal Society and Keir Starmer.

open.substack.com

Big Tech in the UK

Dorothy Bishop’s attempt to get The Royal Society to oust Elon Musk has crystallised political dilemmas of sweeping consequence

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Lingfeng Ge @lingfengge.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Seen this many times. But many academics will never understand this or will just pretend they don't understand this. They'd rather train PhD students to be machines.

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Science News @scinews.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

"Fecal microbial load is a major confounder in microbiome studies." Fecal microbial load is a major determinant of gut microbiome variation and a confounder for disease associations. #Cell @cellpress.bsky.social Open Access www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

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Izzy Jayasinghe @ijayas.bsky.social · 01/12/2024

Reading the paper in Cell about how to close the scissor plots in gender representation at senior academic positions, I feel just a touch of pessimism. Having reached a level of seniority (middle management) I didn’t think I ever would, I read these great ideas wanting more, much more /1.

cell.com

Closing the scissor-shaped curve: Strategies to promote gender equality in academia

Gender inequality in STEM fields remains pervasive and undermines the ability for talented individuals to excel. Despite advances, women still encounter obstacles in pursuing academic careers and reac...

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Eoghan Daltun 🌍 @irishrainforest.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

"Bumblebee population increases 116 times over in 'remarkable' Scotland rewilding project." Read that again: **116** times. Why are we STILL having to argue the case for rewilding?? www.scotsman.com/hays-way/bum...

scotsman.com

Bumblebee population increases 116 times over in 'remarkable' Scotland project

‘The sound of traffic and a uniform sea of barley have been replaced by the most beautiful meadows, full of wildflowers, young saplings and the buzz of bees’

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Gal Haimovich ☣ 🧪🔬🎗 @grnfluoresceblg.bsky.social · 07/11/2024

🧪 #RNASky #RNABiology Our paper is now on bioRxiv. A short thread. This is the work of 2 former students (& me) - Sandipan dasgupta and Anand Ravi The whole project originated more than a decade ago during my postdoc days. I found that mRNAs can transfer between mammalian cells, not by exosomes>>

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