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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm)

@gunnarblohm.bsky.social
2.8K followers 555 following 739 posts

CoSMO, Neuromatch, Neuro4Pros co-founder. Comp neuro at Queen's U 🇨🇦 studying sensorimotor control. Vice-Director (Queen's) of Connected Minds. Mentor, dad, brewing, gardener, artist, antifa. Renaissance man. Believer in humanity! compneurosci.com

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Reposted by The Viking (Gunnar Blohm)
Tim Verstynen @tdverstynen.bsky.social · 20h
But remember, this is clearly an industry that does not need to be regulated because it can police itself. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/t...
nytimes.com
OpenAI Ignored Employees’ Warnings About Safely Testing A.I. Models (Gift Article)
Employees and security researchers said that they had cautioned the company on safely testing its A.I. models and strengthening its corporate infrastructure, but that OpenAI did not listen.
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Dan Goodman @neural-reckoning.org · 26/09/2026
To be honest the distinction between a sham scientific society and a real one feels blurry to me. I was advised to join IEEE hoping that at some point they'll give me an award or title for my CV. But you pay thousands of $ over a career for this. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Exclusive: Sham scientific societies are misleading star researchers
A Nature investigation reveals a network of organizations that have been building their ranks through deceptive practices.
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
💯👇
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Nicole Rust @nicolecrust.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The superposition of these two studies — both incredible — reflect a snapshot of "one big thing" systems neuroscience has yet to resolve. In mice: 1. Task-related signals are everywhere. 2. Absent large swaths of "everywhere," suprisingly sophisticated learning & behavior remains.
Post by Enny van Beest, "Brainwide representation of navigation"Post by Jieyu Zheng, "How fast can mice learn complex mazes?"
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
My #roses like the cooler weather...
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PessoaBrain @pessoabrain.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀? We find evidence of both smooth and sharp transitions; latter sharply altered brain dynamics in as few as 1 time step. Link below -->
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
More discoveries like this every day... 😡 techcrunch.com/2026/09/17/o...
techcrunch.com
OpenAI caught its models leaving notes to successors to hide bad behavior | TechCrunch
OpenAI disclosed instances of GPT-5.6 Sol instructing future contexts to conceal mistakes and misaligned behavior, highlighting the growing challenge of detecting misalignment as increasingly capable ...
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Yoshua Bengio @yoshuabengio.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Over the past few days, I've taken the time to summarize my thoughts on the recent incidents involving agents’ misaligned behavior. We don't know with certainty what comes next, but we know where these issues originate, and this can help us plan the path forward.
yoshuabengio.org
Yoshua Bengio | Why are AI agents lying, cheating and coordinating?
A lot has been written about the incidents of the last few months in which AI agents misbehaved in serious ways. They took actions that would be considered as crimes if a human took them, escaped thei...
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
As part of the @connectedminds.bsky.social program, we have researched better ways to approach co-creation in transdisciplinary settings. See preprint here: osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
OSF
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
As part of the @connectedminds.bsky.social program, we have researched better ways to approach co-creation in transdisciplinary settings. See preprint here: osf.io/preprints/so...
osf.io
OSF
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Harrison Ritz @hritz.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Social Psychology: US: 23 CA: 2 Cognitive Psychology US: 36 CA: 1 (* no grad program) Same story for the past three years: ~1 Canadian job per year for cognitive psych/neuro. Amazing arbitrage opportunity for Canadian U15 schools to start hiring cog again!
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
This is totally in line with what I have been saying for 2 years now re how secondary education needs to change: www.forbes.com/sites/ronsch...
forbes.com
MIT Says AI Is Forcing A Rethink Of College Itself
MIT says AI is forcing higher education to rethink what students learn, how they prove it, and which human skills matter most.
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Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Former Canada Prime Minister Jean Chrétien: "I have message for American friends...never mistake our generosity for weakness. Never mistake our tolerance for lack of determination. And never, never mistake our kindness for softness...We bow to no one."
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MGower (like MacGuyver but reality)💙 @cmgower.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Such a Powerful Speech, it reflects who We Are. I remember 911 I spent 2 days not even getting dressed watching the news in horror crying at the loss to American lives. How far we have come now, "Lest We Forget" is not for a Single Event but a Shared Journey. youtu.be/a0hi7zuk3wY?...
youtu.be
🚨Canada JUST SENT A MESSAGE…
YouTube video by MeidasTouch
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Ketan Joshi @ketanjoshi.co · 10/09/2026
"SPAIN is leading calls for the EU to tax private jets and the profits of fossil fuel companies to bankroll a Europe-wide climate resilience fund, including extra money to fight wildfires" Excellent idea, and importantly, avoids the Norway problem where widespread fossil $$ makes us ❤️🛢️
theolivepress.es
Spain wants private jet and fossil fuel tax to fight wildfires
Spain has called for a permanent EU climate emergency response system after a summer marred by extreme heat and wildfires.
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
www.techradar.com/pro/rare-bac...
techradar.com
Rare bacteria, heavy metals, and toxic pollutants are leaking from data centers across the United States — breaking treatment facilities and poisoning rivers
AI data centers aren't just consuming water, they're poisoning it too
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Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 09/09/2026
You know who actually did show up at Ground Zero? Canadian emergency rescue crews.
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Matt Perich @mattperich.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
This was a fun one to write! Check it out if you want my (not-so-spicy) take on the recurring discussions about dimensionality in neural activity.
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
😡
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
How polarization might form in society: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... TL;Dr - it's about the number of social connections we have. Possible explanation for why social media rise coincides with increased polarization...
pnas.org
Why more social interactions lead to more polarization in societies | PNAS
Over the past two decades, the number of close social connections increased substantially, at least by a factor of two. At the same time, societal ...
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Author JL Meredith @jlm-writes.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I've been pondering this for some time...
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In this episode of @braininspired.bsky.social, @dlevenstein.bsky.social explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach to understanding our brains. #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/brain-inspir...
thetransmitter.org
What’s the role of spontaneous neural activity during sleep?
Daniel Levenstein explains how internally generated brain activity during sleep shapes our cognition, and why NeuroAI is such a powerful approach.
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Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Here is my letter to the MacDonald Laurier Institute on the subject of their appalling research. Use as you will. I recommend sending something of your own, though. And if you know anyone associated with MLI - and Board directors, say - send it to them, too.
docs.google.com
Alex Usher email to Brian Lee Crowley
(text of an email sent to Brian Lee Crowley of the MacDonald Laurier Institute on September 2, 2026) Dear Brian, I am writing to you and your board with respect to the publication “The equity excelle...
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I just took a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social survey: Help shape E4D’s submission on AI transparency. Take it here: actionnetwork.org/surveys/help...
actionnetwork.org
Help shape E4D’s submission on AI transparency
The Government of Canada recently launched a consultation on transparency around artificial intelligence. Evidence for Democracy is preparing a submission and wants your input to best express our comm...
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Reposted by The Viking (Gunnar Blohm)
Erin J. Wamsley 🧠📈😴 @wamsleylab.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Oh. my. god. The biggest scientific publishers are collecting nearly $4 BILLION A YEAR in author fees. This is absurd. We've got to break free of this system. If everyone would just agree to it, we could just post all our new papers on bsky and it wouldn't cost anything. Or something. But not this.
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Neuromatch @neuromatch.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
🤔 Could AI systems ever be welfare subjects? 🎥 New recording! As part of our AI Sentience Scholars program, Winnie Street and Geoff Keeling (Google Research) explore "Emerging Questions in AI Welfare" youtu.be/9PrjIULcUJs #AISentience #Neuroscience #AI #AIWelfare
youtu.be
AISS Seminar - Emerging Questions in AI Welfare
In this talk we investigate whether artificial intelligence (AI) systems could ever be welfare subjects, understood as entities for which things can go better or worse. Some people argue that AIs…
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Andrew Pruszynski @andpru.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Great now fund the scientific enterprise.
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Brad Wyble @bwyble.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
I'm serious, this needs to stop. Journal EICs, we need new policies or reviewers will choke to death on 30 page papers that should just be 10.
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This is really bad. We need mandatory retirement (maybe with some special, but rare exceptions)
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Konrad Kording @kordinglab.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Thread. I have yet to see a proper explanation of how LLMs actually work that is targeted to an informed general audience. So here is an explainer that I put together along with Tim @countzerozzz (inspired by @CIFAR_News LMB discussions).
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Before Europeans arrived, these were some of the names for The Great Lakes: Superior: gichi-gami (great sea) Erie: erielhonan (long tail) Michigan: michigami (long body of water) Ontario: Ontarí'io\kanadario (great lake\beautiful water) Huron: karegnondi (fresh water sea)
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
With agentic AI’s rapid infiltration into science, researchers need to develop AI use policies and practices, writes @nicoschuck.bsky.social. #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/artificial-i...
thetransmitter.org
How, when and why to use agentic AI in our neuroscience labs
With agentic AI’s rapid infiltration into science, researchers need to develop AI use policies and practices.
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T. Ryan Gregory 🇨🇦 @tryangregory.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
USians making it about themselves: "Half of us didn't vote for this! Be nice to us!" The world: "Half of you did vote for it. Twice. And probably will again. And your institutions and supposed opposition party do nothing to stop it. Sorry not sorry if your feelings are hurt."
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Trapdinawrpool @trapdinawrpool.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Avi Lewis speakingvtruth www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gEJ...
youtube.com
“Most Stupid Trade Fight in History”: U.S. & Canadian Workers Lose in Trump’s New Tariff War
YouTube video by Democracy Now!
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Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 24/08/2026
I wish the free speech and academic freedom fighters from the USA who are spouting off about Belgium in confused and misinformative ways, spend their energy on this instead.
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D. Hicks @danhicks.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
This is an incomplete understanding of academic freedom, and partly confuses academic freedom with freedom of speech. (🧵 adapting some things from this paper, esp. §5: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/28499/. Highly recommend the papers by Dea and Kronfeldner that I cite there!)
philsci-archive.pitt.edu
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Daniel Ansari 🇨🇦 @numcog.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Americans obsess about White House soap operas while their country looses all its friends and allies. The only thing that slightly moves them is rising gas prices. A country in total decline without any resistance from its people
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
We cannot tolerate intolerance! Never! ✊ Tolerating intolerance means supporting (the rise of) fascism.
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Black Panther🍁💪🦫🇨🇦 @blackpanther25.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Buy Canadian🇨🇦 Boycott Everyhing.u.s.🚫🖕💪🇨🇦
Never 51
Canadian Whisky in front of a Canadian Flag

"Buy Canadian"

Boycott Everything u.s.
True North Strong & Free
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
💯👇
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Canada hits back at the US over tariffs after Prime Minister Mark Carney said "last-minute changes in the US proposed terms were unfair, uneconomic, and called into question the reliability of any deal".
bbc.co.uk
Canada says it will match US tariffs 'dollar for dollar' as trade talks break down
A new 50% levy on $20bn of Canadian imports comes into force after a last-minute breakdown in trade talks.
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Elbows up! 🇨🇦🍁🏒
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Patrick Mineault @patrickmineault.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
How has neuroscience changed in the past 10 years? I reread The Future of the Brain, a 2014 compilation of essays from neuroscientists, to see if we accomplished what we said we would. Atlases! Connectomes! Whole brain simulations! TL;DR: we did pretty well! www.neuroai.science/p/the-future...
neuroai.science
The Future of the Brain, past and present
Reflecting on a decade of neuroscience advancements
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Romy Lorenz @romy-lorenz.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Please share widely! 🚀 I am recruiting a PhD student for an exciting cross-species collaborative project using layer fMRI to investigate how interoception shapes cognitive control - Application deadline is: 1.10.2026 - Start: Jan 2027 www.mpg.de/26934670/phd...
mpg.de
PhD Position (m/f/d) | Ultra-High-Field Layer fMRI of Cognitive Control and Interoception
PhD Position in Ultra-High-Field Layer fMRI of Cognitive Control and Interoception
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Tim Kietzmann @timkietzmann.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
📢 We are hiring a full professor in "Intelligence in Biological and Artificial Systems". Come join us at Germany's first and largest cognitive science program. Please share far and wide, and get in touch with any questions. www.uni-osnabrueck.de/en/universit...
uni-osnabrueck.de
129 FB 8 W3 Professorship Intelligence in Biological and Artificial Systems, Institute of Cognitive Science: Uni Osnabrück
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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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Jonathan A. Michaels @jonathanamichaels.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Looking for a postdoc in motor control / systems neuroscience? I'm seeking candidates to develop a Connected Minds Fellowship proposal with me at York University: $70K/yr for 2 years + benefits, plus an $8.5K/yr research allowance. Deadline: Sept 27, 2026. 🧵
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Andrea Mann @andreamann.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"By writing, you are literally firing up your brain and therefore stirring up your conscious thoughts and something new emerges. You are not, or at least not always, transcribing something already present in your conscious thoughts.“ LOVE this piece. www.historians.org/perspectives...
historians.org
How Writing Leads to Thinking (and Not the Other Way Around) – AHA
Writing is stressful. Sitting in my computer chair my neck and shoulder muscles almost immediately tense up as I dig around in my brain for the best phrase or even any coherent string of words.
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CorrinaLeeB 🇨🇦 @corrina.sheshed.rocks · 16/08/2026
Canada has officially started building the wall at the U.S. border🇨🇦😂 Budget: a few trees Construction crew: 1 beaver 🦫 Payment: maple syrup 🍁 Sorry for the inconvenience, eh? 😂 #Canada #CanadianHumour #SheShed
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The Viking (Gunnar Blohm) @gunnarblohm.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
👏🤗
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