iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brian Umberger @brianumberger.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

A compelling rationale for taking the road more travelled… ☕

Cartoon showing hikers discussing taking the road more traveled because they might find a place to get a coffee. By Phil Witte via the Wall Street Journal.

Reposted by Brian Umberger

Scott Delaney @scott-delaney.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Check out our new @grantwitness.org website! 18 months ago, we launched as a humble Google Sheet listing 8 terminated NIH grants. Today, we’ve launched a new site tracking tens of thousands of grants and new awards at several different agencies. THANK YOU to everyone who's made this possible! 🧵

grantwitness.org

Grant Witness

An independent, up-to-date, grant-level record of federal science funding disruptions in the United States.

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Brian Umberger @brianumberger.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Move fast and break things… including yourself 🤖

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Tarkesh Singh @tarkeshsingh.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

I am recruiting a PhD student in sensorimotor neuroscience to join my lab, with a start date of January 2027. This position is fully funded. If you are interested, please send your CV and a brief letter of interest by email. Reposts appreciated.

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Joseph M. Adelman @jmadelman.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Because the 1st is a Saturday, “How is it August already?!” will be observed today, Friday, July 31, 2026. Please panic accordingly.

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Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Most of the statistical tests you learned in stats class — t-test, ANOVA, correlation — are actually special cases of a single thing: linear regression. Ch 7 of Experimentology argues that thinking in models, not tests, is more flexible and a better foundation for theory. 🧵 experimentology.io

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Integrative Movement Science Institute @movementscience.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Inspired by Project Hail Mary, this video explores the biomechanics of living beyond Earth, from muscle and bone loss to the challenges of movement in microgravity. The science fiction is compelling. The science behind it is even more fascinating. 🚀 Watch here: youtu.be/h5ZN3B17FH4

youtu.be

Project Hail Mary: Biomechanics in Space

YouTube video by IMSI - Integrative Movement Sciences Institute

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wendy norris @wendynorris.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

Thinking about LLM use in research: Assembling text or images for models should be held to the same standards as other data collection methods. Otherwise, IRB would clobber us and rightfully so for using non-consensual data. ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Claude, etc. don't meet that ethical standard.

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American Society of Biomechanics @amsocbiomech.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Heading to Vancouver for the World Congress of Biomechanics? Don't miss out on the annual Women in Science event! This is a fantastic opportunity to network, share experiences, and connect across the biomechanics community. Register with the link in your ASB June E-blast by Sunday, June 28th.

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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Been wondering why NSF isn't spending most of its FY26 appropriation? A $1.5B tech initiative may be the reason. And big cuts to hundreds of research programs could be just the beginning of the bad news. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Exclusive: NSF slashes research programs to support new tech initiative, insiders say

Unexpected shift in funds has meant sharp drop in grants this fiscal year

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Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

“A single Tomahawk cruise missile runs about $3.6 million, roughly what it takes to fund one scientist’s multiyear grant. The entire National Science Foundation budget is less than what we spent in the first week of the war with Iran.” www.nytimes.com/2026/06/20/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | The Science That Turned Lizard Venom Into GLP-1s Is Under Attack

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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Thread about Frontiers journals worth reading... 😱

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tdcapellini.bsky.social @tdcapellini.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

1/ How did the human skeleton evolve to support bipedalism and tool use? 🦴 A new study from my lab in Genome Biology and Evolution dives into the genomic changes that separate us from chimpanzees during skeletal development. academic.oup.com/gbe/article/.... Here's a quick overview of what we found:

academic.oup.com

In Vitro Massively Parallel Screening of Human Regulatory Elements Involved in Postcranial Skeletal Development for Differential Activity Compared to Chimpanzee

Abstract. Every element of the human skeleton exhibits some differences in comparison to our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. Many of these skeletal

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

🧵 Public science in the US has taken some heavy hits over the last year, but the White House OMB is proposing a series of changes that will result in a TKO for science as we know it unless we fight back. Here's what's happening, and why it matters. 1/n

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Brian Umberger @brianumberger.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

When we lived in CT in the 80s my parents would time the departure of our drives to/from ME specifically to avoid two things: The old turnpike toll booth backups and Red's Eats traffic!

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The Journal of Physiology @jphysiol.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Cameron Hill and co-authors from @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social identified distinct distributions of #myosin motor conformations during contraction of slow and fast skeletal #muscle ⚙️ 🔬 📜 Read the study: 🔗 physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/...

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

This sounds like an important job: "STAT is seeking an ambitious and intellectually curious reporter to cover one of the defining issues in medicine, science, and public health today: declining trust in science… This is a new role at STAT.”

statnews.com

STAT, Reporter, Trust-in-Science

About STAT In November 2015, STAT was launched as a new national media brand focused on health, medicine, and life sciences. Since then, we have grown to

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Dan Garisto @dangaristo.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Scoop: NSF has been quietly blocking new funds and grants to four top universities: Duke, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Dozens of proposals from PIs at these universities—and their collaborators—have been stuck at the Office of Award Management awaiting finalization for months.

nature.com

Exclusive: NSF puts new research grants to top universities on hold

US science funder once again restricts awards to Harvard University and other research institutions.

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Noam Ross @noamross.net · 27/05/2026

The National Science Foundation is terminating and suspending grants again, and at Grant Witness we need you to help to track them! 🧪 We can only identify research being suppressed by under-the-radar suspensions directly from researchers. Please report! grant-witness.us/posts/2026-0... #NSF

grant-witness.us

New Grant Disruptions at NSF - We Need Your Help to Report! – Grant Witness

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Aaron L Wong @aaronlwong.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Come work with us!

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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 25/05/2026

Or in more detail: Robert Merton's (1942) famous norms describe the ethos of modern science. The second of these, universalism, precludes the consideration of national borders, race, or other personal characteristics in determining who may contribute to, and what constitutes, valid science.

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Melanie Mitchell @melaniemitchell.bsky.social · 21/05/2026

"Science is not simply a sequence of tasks that can be optimized....The scientific system thrives on inefficiency: redundant efforts, failed attempts, and divergent paths. These are not costs to be eliminated but sources of discovery." Excellent essay! ⬇️ www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Progression without progress

Progress in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to advance scientific discovery has made it increasingly realistic to envision automated “end-to-end science” (ETES) systems: integrated pipelines t...

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Daniel P. Ferris @dpferris.bsky.social · 23/05/2026

Interesting job - Director Of Orthotics & Prosthetics Research at UCSF aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF06089

aprecruit.ucsf.edu

Director Of Orthotics & Prosthetics Research – UCSF

University of California, San Francisco is hiring. Apply now!

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Paul Gribble 🇨🇦 @gribblelab.org · 22/05/2026

Cleve Moler has passed away #neuroskyence #academicsky #sensorimotor www.mathworks.com/company/abou...

mathworks.com

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Sandy Kawano, PhD @sandyk.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Come join us! I'm recruiting postdocs and lab techs to study the functional morphology and biomechanics of walking in fishes and salamanders at the University of Virginia, with option to work at Mountain Lake Biological Station. 2 of 4 job ads are posted on my website: sandykawano.weebly.com 🧪🐟🦎

sandykawano.weebly.com

Sandy K's

Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the comparative biomechanics of walking-like behaviors in fishes. Apply by June 1, 2026, for full consideration. Click HERE for more information. Lab...

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Ken Campbell @cardiaccampbell.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Supported by fantastic collaborators, we have developed computer simulations of cardiac growth that reproduce eccentric and concentric growth associated with sarcomeric protein variants, mitochondrial dysfunction, hypertension, and valve insufficiency. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Schematic diagram showing hearts thickening and dilating.

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Reposted by Brian Umberger

Daniel Lakens @lakens.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Updated my textbook with a cleaner lay-out, better accessibility, and eight new interactive visualizations made completely in html (such as this illustration of the positive predictive value). lakens.github.io/statistical_...

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Brian Umberger @brianumberger.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Still one of the best parts of the job. Congrats, Dr. Daphna Raz! Now a presidential postdoctoral fellow at CU Boulder.

Brian Umberger and Daphna Raz in regalia at the University of Michigan graduate commencement

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Mark Rubin @markrubin.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

"If you ask researchers, 'Why don't you do high-risk research?' they say, 'Well, the funding agencies won't fund it.' If you ask the agencies, they say, 'Well, the researchers won't propose it.'" #MetaSci

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Jacquelyn Gill @jacquelyngill.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

In 1970, Regan’s education advisor famously said “We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow [to go through higher education].” They said the quiet part out loud over fifty years ago. An educated public is a threat to fascism.

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Sara J Hussain @sarahussain.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

📣 Postdoc in Human Neurophysiology & Neurorehab 📣 The Real-Time NeuroRehabilitation Lab at the U of Iowa is hiring a Postdoctoral Research Scholar! Motor control, EEG/TMS, neurorehabilitation, and real-time multimodal methods. 📅 Summer/Fall 2026 📧 sara-hussain@uiowa.edu Please share!

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

“The State Department is negotiating new health assistance funding agreements w/countries that used to have U.S.A.I.D. support. These come w/conditions, &Zambia’s has proved particularly thorny, because the State Department has tied support for the H.I.V. program to access to the country’s minerals”

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Jeffrey Mervis @policyhound.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Trump removes a thorn in his side by firing all 24 members of the National Science Board, NSF's oversight body. www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

Trump fires NSF's oversight board

Dismissal of the National Science Board is widely seen as latest move to erase NSF’s independence

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Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

Nice coverage of what’s happening at NSF from @thehill.com! Two points from me: 1. NSF staff are hanging in like a hair in a biscuit and the admin isn’t making it easy. It’s a psyop every day. 2. Jim O’Neill is not the one to run NSF. Full stop. thehill.com/homenews/adm...

thehill.com

National Science Foundation’s future in limbo as Trump eyes cuts

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) future is in limbo as President Trump pushes for more budget cuts and his nominee to helm the research agency awaits Senate confirmation. Since Trump’s retu…

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Anna Dornhaus @dornhaus.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Preprint: What good is modeling? Introducing biology students to theory - arxiv.org/abs/2604.13344 - how to teach and think about what modeling contributes to science. How does it fit into the scientific method? This is often misunderstood.

arxiv.org

What good is modeling? Introducing biology students to theory

Theory and empirical science should be in constant dialogue, but often find it hard to understand one another. Here we describe a graduate-level university course we developed to improve matters. The ...

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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 12/04/2026

"The spread of colleges into towns and cities across the country, which put a degree within reach of a growing share of the public, is one of the triumphs of postwar America," Jeffrey Selingo writes. "We’re now at risk of the process playing out in reverse."

bit.ly

The Looming College-Enrollment Death Spiral

After many decades of democratization, higher education could once again become a luxury good.

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PHD Comics @phdcomics.com · 10/04/2026

Abstract Mad Libs

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Monica Daley @birdbiomech.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

A new paper on guinea fowl gait biomechanics for National Biomechanics Day!   How do bipedal animals adjust movement to avoid falls in slippery terrain? We found that guinea fowl slow down, take shorter steps and adjust posture to reduce fall risk in slippery terrain, just like humans.   1/3

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Brian Umberger @brianumberger.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

I was expecting more The Far Side content today 🌖

Gary Larson’s The Far Side comic showing astronauts looking back at the earth,which is actually a balloon on a string

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Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

“The real threat is a slow, comfortable drift toward not understanding what you're doing. Not a dramatic collapse. Not Skynet. Just a generation of researchers who can produce results but can't produce understanding. Who know what buttons to press but not why those buttons exist.”

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Brian Umberger @brianumberger.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I’m on team windex lozenges 😂

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

While the situation is grim at NIH, it's closer to catastrophic at NSF. They're just not able to move any money out the door. It appears OMB has them on lockdown. www.science.org/content/arti....

Figure showing NSF funding curve in 2026 compared to prior years. The line is nearly at zero as of mid February.

As Science and Nature have reported, NIH and NSF have made only a relative handful of new grants since their 2026 appropriations became law, partly because of the OMB delays. A new rumor among the U.S. academic community is that, even after OMB signs off, it will hold agencies to the levels Trump requested for them in May 2025 rather than the more generous amounts Congress approved. For NSF, which received an appropriation of $8.8 billion, a version of those rumors holds that OMB must approve any spending above the president’s request of $3.9 billion—and that any additional outlays must clearly align with the administration’s priorities.

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JJ @jjodx.eurosky.social · 23/03/2026

I am currently recruiting a PhD student to work on our "Motor complexity and aging" project funded by the @fwovlaanderen.bsky.social www.kuleuven.be/personeel/jo...

kuleuven.be

PhD researcher for the FWO research project: MoCo: Motor Complexity and Aging

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Konrad Kording @kordinglab.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

"We are watching two disciplines trade their worst habits. Neuroscience is mistaking benchmarked prediction for understanding, and machine learning is mistaking mechanistic language for mechanism. ..."

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