Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 30/11/2025There was always enough virtue in this Republic to save it; sometimes none to spare, but still enough to meet the emergency. -Abraham Lincoln 000
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaJeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 28/10/2025My quote of the day Atifete Jahjaga 26117
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaJeremy Berg @jeremymberg.bsky.social · 10/10/2025A response from MIT rejecting "The Compact"... orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...orgchart.mit.eduRegarding the Compact | MIT Organization Chart 210017
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaRandall Munroe @xkcd.com · 01/10/2025100% All Achievements xkcd.com/3148/ 403830409
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 25/09/2025By higher power, Arendt isn't referring to a God but power structures that can restrain the power of an individual (IE a Congress) 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 25/09/2025It is obvious that this absolute power becomes despotic once it has lost its connection with a higher power than itself. -Hannah Arendt, On Revolution 110
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 22/09/2025Wow, what a highly innovative company! With that kind of fraud, they can minimize their overhead and maximize their throughput. 020
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 20/09/2025Ideas cannot digest reality. -Jean-Paul Sartre 010
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 16/09/2025James C Scott, Seeing like a State 1998 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 16/09/2025Officials of the modern state ar, by necessity, at least one step removed from the society they are charged with governing. They assess the life of their society by a series of typifications that are always some distance from the full reality these abstractions are meant to capture. 110
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaAlexandra Petri @petridishes.bsky.social · 04/09/2025Florida Decided There Were Too Many Childrentheatlantic.comFlorida Decided There Were Too Many ChildrenThe state’s elimination of vaccine mandates is a courageous first step toward decluttering itself of any excess kids. 40176142829
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 30/08/2025The fact that I'm not allowed to step on this painting feels antithetical to Yoko's intentions 010
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 29/08/2025This 'pursuit of happiness'... holds that men are entitled to 'the ghastly privilege of pursuing a phantom and embracing a delusion'. Hannah Arendt, On Revolution Quoting Howard Mumford Jones 000
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaNY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 09/08/2025NIH scientists say that mRNA vaccines have saved untold thousands of lives. A heroin addled nepo baby whose brain was partially eaten by a worm says mRNA vaccines are worthless and even dangerous. For busy medical patients, it can be hard to know who to trust. 141279296
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 08/08/2025I tried using ChatGPT in my research, but I dropped it when it became clear that I couldn't rely on it to give me accurate results or even to point me to useful papers. I'm not at all confident that the new version will be like having a PhD expert in my pocket, let alone an entire team 000
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaCat Hicks @grimalkina.bsky.social · 06/08/2025I think all the time that this is the "science reform" we need to be having. Discrimination in science probably costs us more in scientific insight and scientists' well-being than anything else. AND these toxic patterns are not independent of fraud because toxic cultures create fraud pressures 410640
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 27/07/2025Apparently Ulysses Grant's bullies called him "Useless Grant" boy howdy children haven't changed in their capacity for evil 000
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaRandall Munroe @xkcd.com · 22/07/2025iNaturalist Animals and Plants xkcd.com/3118/ 722146394
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaDan Jagger @auditorynerves.bsky.social · 02/07/2025'They took shrapnel from my heart' – the magnets saving lives in Ukraine. The pen-sized magnetic extractors are powerful enough to lift a sledgehammer. 🧪💣🧲🇺🇦 www.bbc.com/news/article...bbc.com"They took shrapnel out of my heart" - a life saved by Ukrainian ingenuityA magnetic extractor is changing the face of front-line medicine in Ukraine. 0113
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaAlicia Bannon @aliciabannon.bsky.social · 27/06/2025But one thing SCOTUS did make clear is that its ruling doesn’t have to be final. Congress has a say in the scope of the courts’ equitable powers - i.e., a judge’s authority to craft remedies in a case. It should step in to reestablish the constitutional balance. /fin 2284
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 28/06/2025Could it be that they were always contrarians, but that the debate changed to one where the contrarian position is much less defensible, thus highlighting their nature? 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 28/06/2025-Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America 1833 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 28/06/2025Time does not arrest its course for nations any more than for men; both move forward daily toward an unknown future. When we think things are stationary, it is because we fail to see their movements. Men who move at a walking pace appear stationary to those who are running. 100
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 28/06/2025Between the centuries of misery and disorder there are others when societies come to rest when the human race seems to draw breath. In actual fact, such times are more apparent than real... 100
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 26/06/2025The fact that different organizations will give contradictory advice will increase confusion and embolden anti science influencers to peddle their conspiracy theories. RFK Jr's actions have greatly hurt public health and public trust in medicine. 020
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaDr. Ahna Skop @ahnaskop.bsky.social · 26/06/2025AI, peer review and the human activity of sciencenature.comAI, peer review and the human activity of scienceWhen researchers cede their scientific judgement to machines, we lose something important. 011
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaEdward Nirenberg @enirenberg.bsky.social · 26/06/2025Kuldorff is now going to present on the MMRV vaccine. The slides have not been posted. CDC has a briefing doc: www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa... MMRV was shown to have a slightly increased risk of febrile seizures compared to separate MMR + varicella vaccines in a VSD rapid cycle analysis. 1124
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 15/06/2025They needed no facts, no information; they had a "theory", and all data that did not fit were denied or ignored. -Hannah Arendt, On Lying and Politics, 1971 010
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaMerriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 14/05/2025*crab-walked 405170802872
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 12/06/2025Alexis really has some banger lines in this book 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 12/06/2025Thereupon, not only does this power tame them but it also affects their habits; it isolates them and then submerges them one by one into the mass of the community. -Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America 1833 100
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 12/06/2025Governmental centralization acquires immense power when joined to administrative centralization. In this way, it accustoms men completely and continuously to disregard their own wishes and to obey, not only for once and upon one point but in every respect and at all times. 100
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaNash Turley @nashturley.bsky.social · 10/06/2025It's a raging cicada party out there. They waited 17 years for this! 317526
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 09/06/2025-Alexis De Tocqueville, Democracy in America 1833 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 09/06/2025One way of lessening the action of authority lies not in stripping society of some of its rights or in paralyzing its efforts but in distributing the exercise of power in several hands, in multiplying the number of civil servants to whom just enough power is granted to perform what is asked of them. 100
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 30/05/2025I'm personally very pro nuclear, I think it's necessary for a transition to a greener world. But I am not convinced that the evidence for hormesis is robust enough for me to be comfortable with the lowering of standards to enable the construction of nuclear power plants. 3/3 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 30/05/2025Others are wary of the proposed regulatory changes. Trump’s order to revise exposure rules “flies in the face of globally held radiation safety standards... It “clearly places health hazards as of secondary importance relative to economic and business interests.” 2/3 100
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 30/05/2025From the article: Some groups that see nuclear power as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels also offered praise. The call to reconsider the LNT model and other safety standards is a positive step toward reforming NRC’s “overly risk-averse culture, structure, and regulations” 1/3 110
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 30/05/2025I agree, I think many of these violations should have jail sentences, but with regards to the fines it seems that you mainly have an issue with enforcement and not the framework itself. If properly enforced, exorbitant fines can encourage companies to pollute less and fund environmental efforts 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 28/05/2025While it may be unsavory, assigning a price to carbon can be an important tool in policy in allocating resources to fighting climate change. If an ecosystem consumes billions of dollars of carbon, policymakers can argue that governments should spend billions of dollars to protect it. 000
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 28/05/2025What a fun topic! When you say potential life, do you mean 'life plans that are theoretically possible but not observed' or 'here is the evidence of signs of life across the universe'? 100
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaSpringer Nature @springernature.com · 28/05/2025The further a scientist moves away from the topic of their previous work, the fewer citations their new work will receive, an analysis of millions of scientific papers and patents reveals. The findings are published in @nature.com: spklr.io/63325hiCV #SocialScience 🧪 spklr.ioThe pivot penalty in research - NatureAn analysis of millions of scientific papers and patents reveals a ‘pivot penalty’ when researchers shift direction, with the impact of studies decreasing rapidly the further they move from their previous work. 0122
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 27/05/2025This is cool to see, though the irony of having an article about a nonprofit being behind a paywall is not lost on me. #openscience 010
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaBlake Richards @tyrellturing.bsky.social · 26/05/20251/7) Thoughtful article from @neuralreckoning.bsky.social here, very well worth a read! I am sympathetic to the argument, but not entirely in agreement (no surprise there, I suppose). Specifically, I take a different lesson from other large-scale science projects' successes and failures. 🧠📈 🧪 35315
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaThe Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 26/05/2025Large-scale projects run the risk of stifling scientific independence. Instead, let’s explore alternative mechanisms of collaboration, writes @neuralreckoning.bsky.social. #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/funding/neur...thetransmitter.orgNeuroscience needs to empower early-career researchers, not fund moon shotsLarge-scale projects run the risk of stifling scientific independence. Instead, let’s explore alternative mechanisms of collaboration. 313444
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 27/05/2025A paper on the effect of cell metabolism on biotechnology and medication 👀 010
Reposted by Francesco Dalla RiccaRetraction Watch @retractionwatch.com · 23/05/2025Genentech authors flip PNAS study from corrected to retracted following Retraction Watch coverageretractionwatch.comGenentech authors flip PNAS study from corrected to retracted following Retraction Watch coverageThe authors of a 2006 paper have retracted their article following an extensive correction in January – and a Retraction Watch story noting the correction missed at least one additional issue with … 073
Francesco Dalla Ricca @dallaricca.bsky.social · 23/05/2025... Where conscience casts a dim light upon human actions and where nothing any longer seems to be prohibited or permitted, honest or shameful, true or false? -Alexis De Tocqueville, Introduction to Democracy in America 010
![Comic. PERSON 1 to person with white hat: I finished all the gen-ed back in 2010, and I’m up to the 400-level courses in most departments. But now one of my advisors is saying I “can’t have more than 20 majors” and “need to graduate next year.” It’s outrageous! [caption] My university is making it really hard to finish a 100% all achievements speedrun.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreigl6eeo62a2vwfi5hsaakrhvcqhoh7zpjgqslpteem2vfdmtxh4si)
![Comic. The Most-Observed Animal and Plant in Each State on iNaturalist. (Not the most common species in the state, just the one people have reported the most times.) [labeled map of the US] WA: Mallard/Western Sword Fern. OR: Mule Deer/Western Ponderosa Pine. CA: Western Fence Lizard/California Poppy. HI: Green Sea Turtle/‘Ōhi’a Lehua. ID: Mallard/Big Sagebrush. NV: Common Side-Blotched Lizard/Creosote Bush. MT: White-Tailed Deer/Common Yarrow. WY: American Bison/Sticky Geranium. UT: Mule Deer/Utah Juniper. AZ: Ornate Tree Lizard/Saguaro. CO: Mule Deer/Great Mullein. NM: Mule Deer/Creosote Bush. AK: Moose/Fireweed. ND: American Bison/Prairie Rose. SD: American Bison/Hoary Vervain. NE: American Robin/Common Milkweed. KS: Ornate Box Turtle/Amur Honeysuckle. OK: Pond Slider/Eastern Redcedar. TX: Northern Cardinal/Pinladies. MN, WI, IL: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Common Milkweed. IA, MI: White-Tailed Deer/Common Milkweed. MO: Brown-Belted Bumble Bee/Amur Honeysuckle. AR: Three-toed Box Turtle/Chinese Privet. LA: Green Anole/Baldcypress. IN: American Robin/Amur Honeysuckle. OH: Eastern Pondhawk/Virginia Springbeauty. KY: Common Box Turtle/Amur Honeysuckle. TN: American Robin/Christmas Fern. MS: Northern Cardinal/Pale Pitcher Plant. AL: Gulf Fritillary/American Sweetgum. GA: Green Anole/American Sweetgum. FL: Brown Anole/White Beggarticks. NY: Eastern Gray Squirrel/White Snakeroot. PA: White-Tailed Deer/Garlic Mustard. WV: White-Tailed Deer/Great Rhododendron. VA: White-Tailed Deer/Eastern Poison Ivy. MD: White-Tailed Deer/Wineberry. DE: Fowler’s Toad/American Pokeweed. NC: Eastern Gray Squirrel/Christmas Fern. SC: Northern Cardinal/American Sweetgum. NJ: Spotted Lanternfly/Common Mugwort. VT: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Eastern White Pine. NH: White-Tailed Deer/Eastern White Pine. MA: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Eastern White Pine. CT: Common Eastern Bumble Bee/Striped Wintergreen. RI: American Herring Gull. ME: American Herring Gull/Canadian Bunchberry.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cz73r7iyiqn26upot4jtjdhk/bafkreic4f56ywseq7bqc7zza3y76pxyzn5c5htebrior6jdbrfszhuiquy)
