iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

OpenAI has been tracking how often their AI models are used for research. It's a hockey stick graph. We're living through a revolution in how scientific research is done, and it's happening suddenly and quickly. (from here: youtu.be/Fls_onRviPM?...)

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

BREAKING. Senator Josh Hawley just sent a letter to Sam Altman at OpenAI opening a probe into what transpired at OpenAI in the weeks leading up to the Hugging Face hack in light of new allegations. I think the public does deserve an independent investigation of what happened at OpenAI!

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I tested the first iteration of my simple image duplication detection system on 1,000 biomedical papers. I made sure not to run on papers that are already retracted, have an image-related errata, or have image-related PubPeer comments. After review I found 5 hits total (0.5%). Will iterate now..

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I have quibbles, but agree w a lot of this. Whether the international ban is practical remains to be seen. We can do a lot w narrow systems, like an "AI Einstein" that is really good at science but has no computer hacking ability and is not v good at understanding and manipulating human behavior.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

A fast retraction!! It's a science miracle!! 😁

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

This is an actual book by Dan Ariely.. as advertised on his website back when it came out. 😅

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Part 2 just dropped. Again I note that while there were warning signs in the paper, the smoking gun was in the raw data. How much fraud are we missing because raw data has been deleted or has been kept under lock and key? Should NSF call for scientists to release old data as a prereq for future $$?

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Claude Fable 5.1 just dropped today. Big jump in the benchmark for “agentic scientific research” 👀 Not so big jumps elsewhere, but some notably big decreases in cost! www.anthropic.com/claude-fable...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Always interesting to see how Data Colada finds fraud in psychology/behavioral science papers. The general theme is you need access to the raw data files to see the smoking gun. In this case, a third party, Kyle Hyndman, found the raw data in a 17 year old email Ariely had sent to him.

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Reposted by Dan Elton

The Metascience Observatory @metascienceobs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Great news! You can now pip install our fetchPDF library! pip install fetchpdf it's the world's best command-line PDF-getter, using completely legal channels!

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Reposted by Dan Elton

The Metascience Observatory @metascienceobs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Another Dan Ariely paper contains tampered (fraudulent) data, and it looks like Ariely was responsible (the file says "last saved by Ariely" and the only other author, Wertenbroch, claims he never had access to the dataset) datacolada.org/138

datacolada.org

[138] Artificial Deadlines (Part 1): Evidence of Fraud in an Influential Study About Procrastination

A new paper in Psychological Science (.htm) reports a failure to replicate Study 2 of Ariely and Wertenbroch’s influential article entitled, “Procrastination, Deadlines, and Performance: Self-Contr…

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

New on my Substack: how sleep optimization can backfire, five types of insomnia, and why I don’t recommend the Eight Sleep mattress cover. moreisdifferent.blog/p/how-sleep-...

moreisdifferent.blog

How sleep optimization can backfire

Plus, five types of insomnia and why I don’t recommend the Eight Sleep mattress cover

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Incredible take-down. Go on Google and search “data center”. If you live near any population center you’ve probably been driving by data centers regularly without even noticing them.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

This might sound hyperbolic, but I think AI is the greatest tool for personal empowerment since the personal computer came out. Sadly, I’ve met people who refuse to try using AI because of all the fearmongering and negativity about AI that is rampant on both social media and in traditional media.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I feel bad for all the AI skeptics on this echo-chamber site who have their heads in the sand! I used to think "LLMs just interpolate except for rare cases of Grokking". I'm no longer so sure about that. And newer agentic systems are solving unsolved math problems, scoring very high on ARC-AGI, etc

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

With revenues skyrocketing there is no "AI bubble" overall at this time! Very different situation than the dot-com bubble period. There may be an over-extension of datacenter construction soon -- similar things have happened during every major infrastructure build-out previously. But not yet.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

As a physicist, I have to admit I am guilty of occasionally saying that psychology is too descriptive. 😅

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

I'm excited and honored to be speaking at and attending this conference. 33 speakers from around the world, all doing pioneering work under the umbrella of "AI for metascience"! Apply to attend this online conference here: forrt.org/ai-metascien...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

PSA for Boston-area folks: I'm greatly honored to be a co-host or this Boston Health Innovation Salon on Oct 6th at the Liberty Hotel near MGH! RSVP here : luma.com/cj9mf9o3 Learn all about Boston Longevity Week here: www.bostonlongevityweek.com

luma.com

Boston LongevityTech Night · Luma

We are honored to be part of Boston Longevity Week 2026: https://www.bostonlongevityweek.com/ Part of the Boston Health Innovation Night Series. Come talk…

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Reposted by Dan Elton

The Metascience Observatory @metascienceobs.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

The fraud problem in science, summarized. This is part of our motivation for building the Forensic Metascience Agent, a AI agent orchestration system designed to enable a thorough audit of a scientific paper, including images, tables/data, statistics, and supplementary files. (🔗 w/ more info below)

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Reposted by Dan Elton

The Metascience Observatory @metascienceobs.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The NIH recently released a RFI seeking public input on new ways to measure and reward scientific impact. The agency is evaluating whether traditional metrics such as publication counts and citation indexes adequately capture the value of biomedical research. => grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...

grants.nih.gov

NOT-OD-26-087: Request for Information on Measuring and Rewarding Scientific Impact

NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Request for Information on Measuring and Rewarding Scientific Impact NOT-OD-26-087. NIH

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Reposted by Dan Elton

The Metascience Observatory @metascienceobs.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Yesterday we published a detailed report about what we've learned so far from our replication database about reproducibility and correlates of reproducibility. => open.substack.com/pub/moreisdi...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

I've created a new @metascienceobs.bsky.social "Bird's Eye Review" dashboard for human clinical trials on antiviral nasal sprays. Check it out ➡️ metascienceobservatory.org/birds-eye-re... Let me know what you think! There's also a #LongCOVID dashboard too: metascienceobservatory.org/birds-eye-re...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

New on my Substack! I think I figured out why Xocova is very effective as a COVID-19 prophylactic while Paxlovid is not. Look at the pharmacokinetic profiles of the two regimens - levels of Paxlovid dip dangerously low every 12 hrs, which can allow the virus to get a foothold. Read more 👇

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

Interesting difference between Metaculus (a forecast aggregator) and Kalshi (a prediction market) regarding hantavirus… Prediction markets seem to struggle with getting low probabilities right probably because lure of a large return lures in gamblers. There may be other reasons as well.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Since 2022 the Japanese have had access to Xocova, a once-daily SARS-CoV-2 antiviral that is superior to Paxlovid. It is even approved for prophylactic use in Japan. A critical upcoming FDA decision will determine the fate of this drug in the US. A lot hangs in the balance! Read full🧵below ⬇️

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

WSJ and NYT are both reporting Trump will fire FDA chief Makary. Which means it is time to dig out my Substack post from 2024 where I discuss two great candidates who can reform the FDA: Joseph Gulfo, MD and Balaji Srinivasan. (The 3rd person I discuss, Jim O’Neill, is slated to be NSF Director!) 🔗⬇️

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

A few weeks ago I attended the Neuroscience of Vitality and Aging conference at Harvard. There were ~700 people in attendance, and I was the only person masking (with an N-95 rated, easy-to-breath-through @flomask.bsky.social). This is madness! Viruses cause brain aging! #CovidisAirborne #COVID19

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Quarantine, quarantine, quarantine! #hantavirus “The Ushuaia landfill is where Argentinian authorities suspect the Dutch couple inhaled particles from the feces of long-tailed pygmy rice rats, which carry the feared Andes strain of the hantavirus—the only form known to transmit from human to human”

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

The past six months I've been researching AI for antiviral drug discovery & drug repurposing at RADVAC. This work recently culminated in a 60 page paper published on arXiv: arxiv.org/abs/2605.04265 I also published a Substack on high-level antiviral strategy: moreisdifferent.blog/p/antiviral-...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Remy Yeast will soon be selling bioengineered yeast (dry & beer) that produces viral shell proteins! First up: BK polyomavirus genotype-I VP1 & BK polyomavirus genotype-IV VP1. Sign up for their email list if you're interested => remyeast.com More on my Substack: moreisdifferent.blog/p/yeast-base...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

This Sunday I'll be participating in a livestream where I'll be discussing what I've built so far at @metasciencejournal.bsky.social. I'll also be discussing my website @gene-wizard.bsky.social where you can upload your genetics data and get detailed information on your SNPs & polygenic risk scores.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

The White House is proposing massive cuts to NIH, NSF, and NASA. Meanwhile, they are wasting 2-3 billion A DAY in a misguided and completely counterproductive war in Iran, and asking to increase the already bloated DoD budget by $500 B. I've never been this mad at an administration in my life!

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

lol although it's pretty cool they're able to get internet access up there ..

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

"Grand Staircase doesn't lead to ballroom" ... lol who comes up with this stuff? Why build a staircase to nowhere?

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

I knew 2025 was a big year for AI, but I didn’t realize how big until I saw this graph. It was the year of the agentic AI revolution!

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Have you heard of NIH virologist Chris Buck's discovery that a beer-based vaccine is effective against BK polyomavirus? Either way, check out my new Substack deep dive on the yeast-based vaccine revolution! Vaccines can be produced and consumed as foods! 🤯 => moreisdifferent.blog/p/yeast-base...

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Reposted by Dan Elton

The Metascience Observatory @metascienceobs.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

Read our first newsletter on Substack: metascienceobservatory.substack.com/p/metascienc... You can subscribe on Substack or on our conventional mailing list: metascienceobservatory.eo.page/kdntv

metascienceobservatory.substack.com

Metascience Observatory Newsletter #1

Happy New Year from the Metascience Observatory! This newsletter will go out either bimonthly or quarterly.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

Moderna CEO: "we've told investors that we will no longer be running phase 3 trials (for vaccines). It's not possible to make a return on investment without access to the US Market" www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/... (quote from around 4:15 in the video)

bloomberg.com

Moderna CEO Says Vaccine Scrutiny Curbing Trials

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel says the company does not plan to invest in late-stage vaccine trials because of growing scrutiny of immunizations from US officials. He speaks with Lisa Abramowicz at the ...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Recent research adds to a growing body of work showing that #SARSCoV2 infection leads to long-term disruption of immune system function, potentially leaving people more vulnerable to future infections for years into the future. #COVID19 #LongCOVID www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I am not a fan of Peter Diamandiss and Singularity University! Their “Abundance” conferences are scamy networking events for the ultra-rich. The conference appears increasingly out-of-touch in the light of the growing Abundance movement, which is actually focused on realizing abundance for all! 1/5

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

PSA!! "In this summer program, high school students will explore careers in in medicine, biotech, health policy, and longevity." rootsofprogress.org/progress-in-...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

PSA: on Nov 26th the White House's Office of Science & Technology policy released a Notice of Request for Information (RFI), the subject of which is "Accelerating the American Scientific Enterprise". Submit your cool ideas! Deadline to respond is Dec 26th www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...

federalregister.gov

Notice of Request for Information; Accelerating the American Scientific Enterprise

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests input from all interested parties on Federal policy updates that aim to accelerate the American scientific enterprise, enable groundbreaking...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Take a moment today to send letters to your congresspeople urging them support the National Institute for Healthy Longevity & Aging Research (NIHLAR) and the Advanced Approval Pathway for Longevity Medicines. Both advocated by The Alliance for Longevity Initiatives! actionnetwork.org/letters/driv...

actionnetwork.org

Drive Aging Research Gains by Supporting the Implementation of NIHLAR & AAPLM

Writing to your elected officials is the most direct way to influence the future of aging research and health policy in America. Right now, promising therapies that could prevent age-related disease o...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

Sign this petition to @mayorwu.boston.gov - Allow @waymo.bsky.social in #Boston!! Selfish unions are supporting a ban. Waymo cars are more climate friendly and safer! They also have the potential to reduce congestion dramatically. www.change.org/p/approve-th...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

In certain fields, manuscript submissions are way up due to researchers using AI to help do data analysis and writing.

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

PSA: the next online Ekkolapto salon will feature a discussion with Jim O'Shaughnessy & Atman Pandya on new mechanisms for science funding. RSVP here to join the Zoom call: luma.com/oshaughnessy...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 04/11/2025

PSA for Boston-area folks - special event Monday Nov 10th on the future of AI and humanity. RSVP Here: www.aicamp.ai/event/eventd...

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Dan Elton @delton.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

PSA: tomorrow afternoon (Oct 30th) ekkolapto is hosting an online (Zoom) Salon w/ Niko McCarty from AsimovPress, a one-of-a-kind magazine about scientific progress in biology. Should be really interesting and a great chance to ask Q's to Niko! RSVP here luma.com/asimovpress?...

luma.com

The Future of Research–In & Out of Academia w/ Niko McCarty from Asimov Press | Computational Philosophy Online Salon · Zoom · Luma

WHAT ⭐️: • Niko McCarty (Asimov Press) (Substack) (Asimov Press on X) (LinkedIn) • Join us as we have an open salon-style discussion on the future of research…

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