Reposted by InthewildlightColette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 21hThis is slightly out of my normal lane, and I could charge six (hell maybe seven) figure to deliver this message as a consultant, but I’m gonna do it for free. Because I’m ✨enraged✨ People in the think tank/policy/inside the beltway DC world have ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE how mad people are abt Cornell. 🧵 101067251
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 20hWith $1 trillion in upcoming cuts from the BBB and recent DOJ rulings that erode disability rights*, we are on the precipice of large scale dismantling of critical supports for individuals and families. 010
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 01/10/2026While it’s not perfect (and Newsom sounds like he wasn’t a big fan), this is a great step toward sustaining local journalism! 000
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 29/09/2026"we wouldn’t have survived emotionally... in terms of the soul-crushing nature of being inside & the desire to let the world know what is happening to raise awareness... Because we have a community, we can each do things that fit our risk tolerance and our values. We also can challenge one another" 110
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 28/09/2026“we're sorting the weak from the strong well before kids grow into their bodies, minds, and their interests, and increasingly we're sorting kids based upon the ability of their families to pay for that activity, for the ability to stroke $2,000, $3,000, $4,000 checks a year.” 000
Reposted by InthewildlightBrooke Harrington @ebharrington.bsky.social · 27/09/2026AI is a colonialist project, which is why many of its leaders are literally trying to colonize Earth & outer space. Hallmarks of colonialism: * getting rich via expropriation (theft as below) * exploitation (cf: participation in AI bros' simulated-rape galas as a condition of career advancement) 38728
Reposted by InthewildlightMike Boylan-Kolchin @mbkplus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026As someone in a STEM discipline, I really abhor the kind of messaging that Mark describes. The messengers aren’t people who actually care about STEM. It’s really a shorthand for “do something practical, focus on your relation to the labor market”. 1241278
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Wild that we are ceding to this narrative: “In detailed public accountings of the incidents, the companies have characterized the hacks as inadvertent outgrowths of testing and evaluation, with OpenAI calling its model behavior “unexpected” and “unprecedented.””latimes.comAI agents are hacking companies. Who’s legally responsible?The Justice Department has a long history of investigating and prosecuting hackers who break into a private company’s network. 000
Reposted by InthewildlightBénédicte C @benecal.bsky.social · 26/09/2026About last week’s NIH & OMB meeting… Okkn what basis can the NYT claim that Bhattacharya has been trying to preserve work on health disparities?? I have NEVER heard him speak up in favor of studying the social and economic determinants of health at NIH. Not once. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s... 3199
Reposted by InthewildlightColin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026David Quammen's essay in The New York Times today closes with this paragraph. It's both a scientific falsehood, and an incredibly dangerous narrative. If you're willing to give me five minutes of your time, I'd like to explain why. 10528224
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I'm a @scifri.bsky.social fan but I am frustrated that the AI models were talked about as more agentive than the humans creating, training, (unwisely) implementing, & (poorly) supervising this technology. www.sciencefriday.com/segments/eve...sciencefriday.comEveryone is calling for safer AI. So what does that mean?Concerns about AI safety are growing. Two researchers explain what “alignment” means, and what questions remain. 131
Reposted by InthewildlightColin Carlson @colincarlson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026To thread the needle on the nuance here: we detect an unequivocal, but not universal, anthropogenic fingerprint. Human activities are contributing to the emergence of different diseases in different ways, and important drivers have much narrower effects than are often claimed. 18916
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 24/09/2026A good example of the huge gaps in and complexity of worker health and safety. We poorly consider/track the long term consequences of inadequate regulatory systems, especially for aging and/or highly mobile populations, in communities terrorized by ICE. 000
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 24/09/2026The #NIH is hiring for multiple scientific review officers. The opportunity is open for 5 days (closes Monday, Sept 28). No remote work allowed. Open to non-federal employees. Follow the directions in the announcement—they’ll screen out anything noncompliant. www.usajobs.gov/job/885650900usajobs.govBiologist Scientist Administrator (Scientific Review Officer)We are looking for scientists to provide technical leadership and guidance and serve as Biologist Scientist Administrator (Scientific Review Officers) (SROs). SROs work in partnership with the scienti... 010
Reposted by InthewildlightMark Histed @markhisted.org · 24/09/2026The Trump admin keeps trying ways to break and take over NIH and we keep pushing back and winning. Two takeaways: 1. Together we have power; your voice matters. 2. This isn’t over; they are going to keep trying more ways to take over NIH and science for their political ends. Be ready! 17234
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Really interesting / worrying data showing a large, quick increase in financial hardship for middle income renters in 2025. I liked the researchers emphasis on how this translates into harder daily choices for people in this group, and increased precarity due to removal of housing supports. 000
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Striking portrait of hubris and failure. There is an unwillingness to consider how government is not business, that putting hours of work into “reforming” something you fundamentally do not understand is wasteful, and that wielding power in this negligent way is cruel. 100
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 22/09/2026This is a fascinating example of the importance of expertise and why underlying goals, learning, and understanding matter. It explains why although the answer to this problem is correct, we so far haven’t learned much from it. 000
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Good show, the first segment w Joshua Rothman sets a helpful common understanding about AI and the next two illustrate how ppl may be manipulated by genAI. But I think it's hard to talk abt any of this without also contemplating learning and expertise, & multifaceted costs/benefits of this tech. 010
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Landry frequently uses NDAs in economic development concerns and he's quoted saying NDAs are needed so the state can meet company expectations. The article lists all the exemptions Landry signed into law that benefit SpaceX, the $25m SpaceX will pay the parish, & the billions SpaceX saves in taxes. 100
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 20/09/2026We live in this region, in a low-risk fire zone abutting a high-risk area. Securing home insurance was VERY stressful. We feel locked into our plan, which cost incs each year. This is a huge pressure point for new/potential home owners. I knew abt the FAIR Plan but not this 2ndary, surplus market. 100
Reposted by InthewildlightLos Angeles Times @latimes.com · 19/09/2026Person with measles rode Amtrak through six California counties, officials saylatimes.comPerson with measles rode Amtrak through six California counties, officials sayPublic health officials are sounding the alarm after an unvaccinated Amtrak passenger who traveled across the U.S., including a stop at Los Angeles Union Station, was hospitalized with measles. 33718
Reposted by InthewildlightSoren Spicknall @sorenspicknall.bsky.social · 18/09/2026This thought isn't fully formed or polished because I'm operating on two lattes and a piece of chocolate cake at the moment, but quick and dirty thread on AI doomsday narratives as partially an outgrowth of changes in tech industry labor conditions: 412025
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 19/09/2026This has a great discussion of the mundane and exhilarating aspects of fieldwork, and the importance of expertise for making sense/discovery. I loved teaching bioanthropology classes, it's amazing we know as much as we do about human evolution.sciencefriday.comTelling the tale of human origins, one fossil tooth at a timeYohannes Haile-Selassie has a talent for spotting fossils, and has discovered ancestors on several branches of the human family tree. 000
Reposted by InthewildlightKris Willis @kawillis.bsky.social · 17/09/2026As a former program official, I know it takes time for the community to become aware of a funding opportunity, no matter how hard you work to advertise it. 4 weeks between publication and application due date means only a subset of potential applicants are likely to respond. 3297
Reposted by InthewildlightMichael D. Green, PhD @michaeldgreen.phd · 17/09/2026Honestly, it was scary to think about being named. As I sat with the opportunity more, I thought that there aren’t a ton of moments to act and set up a better future for science. We’ve all been through a lot. Even though I’m at a vulnerable stage of my career, I also have relative privilege… 11476115
Reposted by InthewildlightReuters @reuters.com · 17/09/2026Scientists challenge US NIH grant screening as unconstitutional reut.rs/4rirvGfreut.rsScientists challenge US NIH grant screening as unconstitutionalA group of scientists filed a class-action lawsuit on Wednesday against the U.S. National Institutes of Health, alleging the agency is unconstitutionally screening research grants to suppress viewpoints the Trump administration disfavors on topics like diversity, gender identity and climate change. 26327
Reposted by InthewildlightYour Local Epidemiologist @ylepidemiologist.bsky.social · 15/09/20267/ Ultimately, we’re operating with an imperfect surveillance system during a large outbreak. Testing, healthcare access, willingness to report, and the ability of public health workers to reach communities all affect what ends up in the official case count. 1142
Reposted by InthewildlightCatherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Texas is delaying the release of the state’s maternal mortality statistics until after the midterms. www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/tex...houstonchronicle.comTexas' first post-Roe look at maternal deaths won't be ready by midtermsDemocrats say the timing is suspicious, given the Dec. 1 deadline is after Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans who supported the state’s abortion ban are up for reelection. 771532773
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Some notable points: OpenAI had 1,000-10,000 agents working on the problem for 50 hours, costing millions of $; the highlighted academic critic collaborates w a mathematician at Anthropic--OpenAI says they didn't directly use the pair's work in training their agents but I'm skeptical. 100
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 12/09/2026We regularly go to the bluffs beach next to this facility. Seeing the intense erosion, it's very hard to believe this is a safe even near term storage site for 3.6 million pounds of high-level waste. The Trump admin is working on the idea of "campuses" across the country that will host wastelatimes.comAs the coast begins to crumble, the clock ticks on moving San Onofre's radioactive wastetktktk 100
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 11/09/2026“‘“Everything about the way Ahmed and his fellows have been treated, … everything that has happened to them has been in violation of the rights that Ahmed and others and all of us grow up believing that we have’” 011
Reposted by InthewildlightAnnalee @flowerhorne.com · 11/09/2026So the thing about how some folks who work on AI think it's going to attain sentience and kill us all: That's not a marketing stunt. They do sincerely believe that. That doesn't make them*correct* though. They're very much not 342565
Reposted by InthewildlightAnnika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 10/09/2026If politicians really cared about safety in youth sports, they'd be focused on preventing traumatic brain injuries and eating disorders. Not keeping trans kids from playing. 1266
Reposted by InthewildlightJ. Emory Parker 🏳️🌈 @jaspar.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Here's a rough list of bad AI scenarios I'm concerned about, in order: 1) People use AI models inappropriately in ways that cause harm to specific people or groups of people in systemic ways. For example, an unethical AI that denies health insurance claims in biased ways. 2143
Reposted by InthewildlightLaura Hollister @xenolith.bsky.social · 09/09/2026 How can he even say this with a straight face?  1122
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 08/09/2026“‘we can still find some point of common reality with our patients and validating kind of their feelings and their reality, while also adding to that.’” 000
Reposted by InthewildlightCarl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 08/09/2026This "so dangerous it has to be useful" narrative is tedious, and highlights how little these companies have fear regulation in the current US environment. But it's worse. If and when the technology actually gets dangerous, the boy will have already cried wolf so many times we'll ignore him. 1031478
Reposted by InthewildlightM.J. Crockett @mjcrockett.bsky.social · 07/09/2026This summer I led a series of conversations in my lab about "AI" and our research. Some colleagues have shared "AI policies" for their labs and we discussed whether this would make sense for us. We decided it did not, and came up with a different approach. Please feel free to share & adapt!zenodo.orgCrockett Lab Statement on AI and Scientific Research 315950
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Expertise and learning are increasingly devalued in favor of products for the sake of products (e.g., papers, grades, diplomas). I agree with the commenters that companies are accountable when their tools plagiarize but that might mean first holding users accountable for research misconduct. 010
Reposted by InthewildlightKatie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/09/2026This is one of the objections I have when people talk about how useful LLMs can be for literature searches or for any kind of search, really. Even beyond the biases that inevitably (and, in some cases, intentionally) show up, part of a good literature search is seeing information *in context.* 501872337
Reposted by InthewildlightMark Histed @markhisted.org · 07/09/2026All of this. And I’d point to @sciencewhizliz.bsky.social as someone who is doing an excellent job on public outreach. Also, most of the public (not us on Bluesky) is heterogenous in their views. Coherent ideology is rare! And lots of Americans just want their health needs met. A story… 1/ 2277
Reposted by InthewildlightColette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 06/09/2026WHO AMONG US (womenfolk) HAVE NOT BEEN DISMISSED, IGNORED, SUFFERED IN PAIN, ACCUSED OF FAKING SYMPTOMS, TOLD THERE ISNT A TREATMENT, DESPERATE FOR SOMEONE TO JUST TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY AT THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE?????? I’m not saying we give an INCH to anti-science, anti-vax bullshit. 182
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Vibe check: "this stuff under the surface is really bubbling" Also, I tried to explain bonds to my husband and his eyes glazed over and I trailed off, and we agreed they must make sense to someone. (I don't think that it's very difficult to understand, it just doesn't seem tethered to my reality) 000
Reposted by InthewildlightJudy Stone @drjudystone.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Horrifying and mind-boggling...You don't have a right to safe drinking water, US court rules -- nor a “constitutional right to truthful information from officials during a public health crisis.” www.motherjones.com/politics/202...motherjones.comYou don't have a right to safe drinking water, US court rulesA Trump-appointed judge also said Americans have no “constitutional right to truthful information” during a public health crisis. 32112
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Interesting work showing how bird feeders acted as a selective pressure for beak size/shape. Though the article does a poor job explaining how selective pressures work across generations. 000
Inthewildlight @inthewildlight.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Agree. We can't take these actions in good faith. Congress shld demand info on processes for soliciting, reviewing, and overseeing projects, transparency about where exactly this funding will be held/managed, & ensure there is a mechanism for external oversight on all aspects. 000
Reposted by InthewildlightKai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 05/09/2026The overriding motivation of this administration is fear. Fear of questions, fear of transparency, fear of the American people. 591454351
