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Elissa Welle, PhD

@elissawelle.bsky.social
337 followers 158 following 35 posts
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Jess Weatherbed @zombiewretch.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
We're now seeing headlines that claim X is blocking Grok from complying with requests to undress and sexualize women. Wrong again gang — it happily stripped me, gave me bigger breasts, and put me in pornographic poses, entirely for free. All I had to do was ask. www.theverge.com/news/861894/...
theverge.com
X hasn’t really stopped Grok AI from undressing women in the UK
Meanwhile Elon Musk insists users are to blame for what they do with his bot.
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
The Verge @theverge.com · 30/12/2025
As a personal assistant, ChatGPT is remarkably, annoyingly bad at this one basic thing. Read more from @elissawelle.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/report/82913...
Verge headline: Why can’t ChatGPT tell time?

Illustration depicts a fragmented clock with an OpenAI logo
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
The Verge @theverge.com · 18/12/2025
Space-based AI data centers are Big Tech’s latest fad and Silicon Valley’s newest investable venture. Yet, scientists who study space remain skeptical of the idea. Read more from @elissawelle.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
Verge headline: Billionaires want data centers everywhere, including space

Photo illustration: the Earth in space, with a floating data center nearby
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
Another day, another data center story, this time in 🌒 space 🚀 www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Billionaires want data centers everywhere, including space
Guess what scientists think?
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Justine Calma @justcalma.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
What could go wrong www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... via @elissawelle.bsky.social
theverge.com
Billionaires want data centers everywhere, including space
Guess what scientists think?
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Why can't we just upgrade old data centers instead of building new ones? The latest AI tech is getting too damn heavy www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Racks of AI chips are too damn heavy
Too great a weight.
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Lisa Laporte @lisalaporte.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
@mikahsargent.com shares a warning about a children's AI-powered teddy bear, @dmoren.com's coverage on the latest Apple Wallet features, Sabrina Ortiz dives into Gemini 3, @elissawelle.bsky.social covers the viral TikTok AI Pen, plus much more, all on Tech News Weekly: twit.tv/tnw/414
twit.tv
Viral TikTok AI Pen Flunks The Test | TWiT.TV
Dan Moren of Six Colors joins Mikah Sargent this week! Apple Wallet's mobile driver's license feature is expanding to more users. An AI-powered teddy bear was caught giving
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
nilay patel @reckless.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
the verge's reviews program has always been the heart of the site and one reason we jealously protect it and refuse to do brand deals is so we can just say the products are bad www.theverge.com/report/82215...
This viral AI pen didn’t help me cheat

Don’t fall for the YouTube videos of ‘AI smart pens’ helping students cheat on paper tests. We tried one and it sucks.
by 
Elissa Welle


Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Cheating just got a lot easier with AI agents -- and tech companies don't seem to care, often just blaming the students they’ve empowered with a seemingly unstoppable cheating machine. Teachers and students are stuck with the repercussions: www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Tech companies don’t care that students use their AI agents to cheat
Ready, set, cheat.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Two pieces of news re: teens and AI chatbots. Character.AI is gradually limiting, and then banning, teens from its AI chatbots www.theverge.com/ai-artificia... And two senators proposed an industry-wide ban of under-18s accessing AI companions www.theverge.com/news/808589/...
theverge.com
Character.AI is banning minors from AI character chats
Teens are no longer welcome to talk to Character.AI’s chatbots.
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
TechEquity @techequity.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
3) The country’s largest group of labor unions is calling on employers and legislators to join in on a “workers first initiative on AI.” @theverge.com @elissawelle.bsky.social @aflcio.org www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Major federation of unions calls for ‘worker-centered AI’ future
Collective bargaining and state-level regulations can protect the US workers from AI, the AFL-CIO says.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Take a close look at Facebook' latest blog post and you'll notice that the company is rolling out a feature that let's Meta's AI train on your ~~unpublished photos in your camera roll~~ www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Facebook’s new button lets its AI look at photos you haven’t uploaded yet
Like we always say, read the terms and conditions, folks.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
New Yorker renters may have caught a break with this new law banning rent-fixing algos www.theverge.com/news/801205/...
theverge.com
New York bans AI-enabled rent price fixing
Renters in the Big Apple could have just caught a big break today.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
If you've been following the Clippers drama (Pablo Torre, Aspiration, Steve Ballmer, Kawhi Leonard) read Justine Calma's latest. It's the context you need on LA's climate woes interwoven with the personal anecdotes from someone who grew up near Leonard's hometown www.theverge.com/science/7860...
theverge.com
Dear LA, you deserve better than the Clippers’ carbon scandal
Climate change is choking Los Angeles. The Clippers scandal deals another blow.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
The only human-made element behind Xania Monet’s act appear to be the lyrics. So, what happens when an AI-generated artist gets a record deal? A copyright mess. My latest for @theverge.com www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
What happens when an AI-generated artist gets a record deal? A copyright mess
‘Why am I paying you for this, if you have no claim in the copyright?’
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
great story from my new colleague (i'm the new one to the @theverge.com) @haydenfield.bsky.social about columbia university's latest attempt to smooth over student tensions using AI software www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
theverge.com
Columbia tries using AI to cool off student tensions
Sources say it’s part of a concerning pattern at the university.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
I didn't appreciate the fact that polyester in clothing is the same plastic as water bottles until I started reporting on textile recycling for @businessoffashion.com.web.brid.gy. Read about the technology to make new clothes from old clothes here: www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sus...
businessoffashion.com
Fashion’s Big Bet on Textile Recycling, Explained
The nascent textile recycling industry has been positioned as a holy grail solution to fashion’s environmental challenges. The reality is more complicated.
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Jesse Hirsch @jessehirsch.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Forests are suffering in the face of rapidly climbing temperatures. Researchers are now experimenting with "assisted migrations," moving trees to climates more suitable for longevity. @elissawelle.bsky.social looks into it: ambrook.com/research/lan...
ambrook.com
What if the Forests Could Move? - Ambrook Research
As the world heats up, forests are shrinking away from hot, dry land—but can’t travel to cool, wet areas on their own. Do they need “a little push” from us?
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Jesse Hirsch @jessehirsch.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Mealworm poop has shown off-the-charts results as a natural fertilizer, far outperforming its traditional counterparts. So why aren't we using it more? @elissawelle.bsky.social looks into it: ambrook.com/research/stu...
ambrook.com
The Growing Allure of Insect Poop - Ambrook Research
Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
NYC $20 meal map you didn't know you needed 🙏@hellgatenyc.com hellgatenyc.com/20-dinner-map/
hellgatenyc.com
$20 Dinner Map
We are a subscriber-funded, worker-owned news outlet about New York City, named for the city's sturdiest (and handsomest) bridge over its most treacherous currents.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Here's the scoop on poop - that is, insect poop. Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say. ambrook.com/research/stu...
ambrook.com
The Growing Allure of Insect Poop - Ambrook Research
Bugs could connect the ends of the food system by eating waste and creating fertilizer. But the industry will take time to hatch, experts say.
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Jesse Hirsch @jessehirsch.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
We talked to the major farm trade groups (soy, dairy, fertilizer, etc) to find out what they think of Trump's tariffs. Reactions were extremely mixed! From @elissawelle.bsky.social: ambrook.com/research/leg...
ambrook.com
Trump’s Tariffs: Are the Trade Groups Happy? - Ambrook Research
Trump’s executive orders on global trade are getting very mixed reactions — depending on what’s being farmed.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
DEI cuts are not just for federal funding. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the country’s largest private funder of biomedical research, pulled the plug on a $505,000 STEM DEI grant at CUNY's Queens College www.thecity.nyc/2025/03/18/f... reported by @haidee.bsky.social for @thecity.nyc
thecity.nyc
Funder Axes Queens College Diversity Initiative Amid Trump DEI Purge
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute is terminating a $505,000 STEM grant that was supposed to support an ‘Inclusive Excellence initiative’running through 2028.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
Nassau County's police and sheriff’s departments signed agreements w/ ICE. Deputized police officers now can question residents’ citizenship status and make arrests without a judicial warrant www.cityandstateny.com/policy/2025/... by @rebeccaclewis.bsky.social for @cityandstateny.bsky.social.
cityandstateny.com
Nassau enters controversial ‘task force’ agreement with ICE
The Long Island county’s police department is working with federal immigration officials under a type of agreement that was banned during the Obama administration.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
Trump's tariffs are getting very different reactions from major agricultural trade organizations — depending on what’s being farmed. It's complicated but @jessehirsch.bsky.social and I break it down over here at Ambrook Research ambrook.com/research/leg...
ambrook.com
Trump’s Tariffs: Are the Trade Groups Happy? - Ambrook Research
Trump’s executive orders on global trade are getting very mixed reactions — depending on what’s being farmed.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
My second story for Hell Gate — ICE made an arrest in Schenectady without a warrant or order from a judge. Two state lawmakers are asking why courts are not being protected
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Hell Gate *subscribe today!* @hellgatenyc.com · 03/03/2025
A law passed in 2020 was meant to prevent ICE from detaining people in NY courthouses without a warrant. But a memo now tells court officers to "neither obstruct nor assist" if an ICE agent shows up without a warrant and insists on making an arrest: hellgatenyc.com/ny-courts-me...
hellgatenyc.com
Statewide Memo Tells Court Officers to Let ICE Make Arrests in Courthouses
If federal officers try to execute an arrest without a warrant in a courthouse, the February 6 memo states, “UCS uniformed personnel should neither obstruct nor assist in any way.”
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Nick Pinto @nickpinto.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
A NY state court memo, unreported until now, directs court officers to stand back if ICE or other federal agencies try to take someone into custody without a valid judicial warrant in a New York courthouse. hellgatenyc.com/ny-courts-me...
hellgatenyc.com
Statewide Memo Tells Court Officers to Let ICE Make Arrests in Courthouses
If federal officers try to execute an arrest without a warrant in a courthouse, the February 6 memo states, “UCS uniformed personnel should neither obstruct nor assist in any way.”
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
New for @hellgatenyc.com: A statewide memo tells court officers to step aside if ICE attempts to make illegal arrests in courthouses. Give it a read here hellgatenyc.com/ny-courts-me...
hellgatenyc.com
Statewide Memo Tells Court Officers to Let ICE Make Arrests in Courthouses
If federal officers try to execute an arrest without a warrant in a courthouse, the February 6 memo states, “UCS uniformed personnel should neither obstruct nor assist in any way.”
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
The FDA is working to make food labels healthy again. Salmon is in, white bread is out. But it’s not clear if farmers will feel the shift. My latest for Ambrook Research edited by @jessehirsch.bsky.social ambrook.com/research/leg...
ambrook.com
Making Labels Healthy Again - Ambrook Research
New FDA rules on what foods can be labeled “healthy” have included salmon and avocados, but not pork, whole milk, or white bread. It’s unclear if farmers will notice a shift.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
My latest data story looks at medical debt sent to collections, which one way to put numbers on the notoriously difficult to quantify problem.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 18/01/2025
Would you want a wind turbine planted on your farm? More than 90 percent of land-based wind turbines operate on private farmland. But when a wind company comes calling, the response an be hard to predict. My latest for Ambrook Research, edited by @jessehirsch.bsky.social ambrook.com/research/far...
ambrook.com
Would You Put a Wind Turbine on Your Farm? - Ambrook Research
More than 90 percent of land-based wind turbines operate on private farmland. But when a wind company comes calling, the response from farmers and their neighbors can be hard to predict.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 17/01/2025
My latest NYC by Number looks at the data behind ICE's attempts to get people under NYPD & DOC's custody, just as the city prepares for more deportations under Trump's presidency (gothamist.com/news/how-is-...)
gothamist.com
How is NYC prepping for stepped-up deportations under Trump?
The Adams administration is hosting know-your-rights sessions for immigrants and training staff on the city's "sanctuary" protections for the undocumented.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
I've started a data project called NYC by Number 🖌️🎨 in which I paint a picture of my dear city using publicly available data. I started with the number of rent stabilized units added and removed each year. Turns out, we're losing lots each year.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
“Science is and has always been social and political, in theory and in practice” Essay by @sabs.bsky.social worth the read defector.com/do-not-accep...
defector.com
Do Not Accept An Unscientific American | Defector
Laura Helmuth was named editor-in-chief of Scientific American in March 2020, shortly before the magazine was set to celebrate its 175th year in print. Helmuth, who had previously directed health and ...
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 02/12/2024
Can blasting carving wood with plasma create an alternative to precious darkwoods? Read my latest on a superblack wood discovery for Ambrook Research edited by @jessehirsch.bsky.social
ambrook.com
Meet Superblack Wood - Ambrook Research
A fluke lab discovery could upend our need to import endangered wood — a thriving underground market.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 29/05/2024
I've spent the last four months digging into the "inside out" hypothesis of the origin of amyloid plaques of Alzheimer’s disease🧠New research backs an old theory that plaques form within neurons, not outside them @thetransmitter.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/alzheimers-d...
thetransmitter.org
Reviving ‘inside-out’ hypothesis of amyloid beta to explain Alzheimer’s mysteries
New research is resurfacing old ideas about where the protein forms the disease’s hallmark plaques.
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 22/05/2024
A new method suggests brain clearance slows during sleep and under anesthesia--directly contradicting the glymphatic system hypothesis, whose proponents take issue with the technique. By @elissawelle.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/glymphatic-s...
thetransmitter.org
New method reignites controversy over brain clearance during sleep
Tracers injected directly into mouse brain tissue instead of the cerebrospinal fluid show that brain clearance slows during sleep and under anesthesia, according to a study published last week—but…
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 16/04/2024
Faulty connections between the subthalamic nucleus & cortex characterize disparate brain disorders --- and figure into an ongoing debate about how best to identify dysfunctional circuitry using diffusion tractography. My latest for @thetransmitter.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/connectivity...
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 26/03/2024
Similar to when I lived above a club in college (no wonder the rent was cheap), neurons in the rat olfactory bulb feel the pulse within the brain, @callimcflurry.bsky.social flurry reports for @thetransmitter.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/electrophysi...
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 15/02/2024
Life expectancy lags for autistic people in United Kingdom by 6 years -- a smaller gap than the 16 years previously reported. Still, that's a big gap! Read @ginarivers90.bsky.social 's story for @thetransmitter.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/lif...
thetransmitter.org
Life expectancy lags for autistic people in United Kingdom
The finding confirms past research that links autism to early death, but it also suggests that the life expectancy gap may be smaller than previously thought.
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 14/02/2024
New to the neuroscience toolbox: a marker of decreased neural activity, offering scientists a tool to study inhibition for the first time. Read my story for @thetransmitter.bsky.social here and tell me where you'd want to tag inhibition in the brain www.thetransmitter.org/methods/what...
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Reposted by Elissa Welle, PhD
Shaena Montanari @shaena.bsky.social · 29/11/2023
New story from me where I learn cerebral palsy can be genetic in origin (I had no idea!)
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Elissa Welle, PhD @elissawelle.bsky.social · 21/11/2023
Now THIS was a great show!
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