Sign in

Nancy Kanwisher

@nancykanwisher.bsky.social
3.5K followers 477 following 637 posts

Scientist, mentor, activist, explorer.

PostsRepliesMedia
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 12h
Actually the link for writing comments is here: rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3... Really it takes just 2 mimnutes. FWIW here is what I wrote: Applicants must be able to see the reviews of their proposals; without this ability corruption of the review process (e.g. by political appointees) ...
rfi.grants.nih.gov
Request For Information
141
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 13h
Can we override our programming? www.wiringthebrain.com/2026/10/can-... New blogpost (after a long hiatus!) - inspired by #Lanterns and #EastofEden
3142
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Coalition for Life Sciences @c4lifesciences.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
The deadline is approaching! NIH is proposing changes to how peer review is used in funding decisions and how outcomes are reported and they want to hear from you. Comments are due by October 13! Comment here: grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
03851
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 16h
Adding my birthday wishes to Bertil Hille. I am still laughing at the wonderfully apt description he sent of his experience working with my dad in the 60s. The Scientist suggested I remove his quote from Dad's obit, worrying it was not flattering. I said nope it's spot on, it stays:
180
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
50501: The People’s Movement ❌👑 @50501movement.bsky.social · 18h
04614
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
50501: The People’s Movement ❌👑 @50501movement.bsky.social · 18h
Did you see something suspicious at your polling place? If you see something, say something. Contact @866ourvote.bsky.social and report any problems you encounter while casting your ballot. #HandsOffOurVote #VoteEarly
311775
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
The Onion @theonion.com · 10/10/2026
“No one should be surprised that all the scrutiny from the mainstream press is focused squarely on the spotted hyena with its jaws dug into the right buttock of the president and not on our historically prosperous economy.” — Beni Rae Harmony, assistant press secretary
theonion.com
White House Downplays Hyena Biting Down On Trump’s Ass
WASHINGTON—Calling the attention the incident was receiving yet another example of liberal media bias, the White House downplayed on Friday the fact that a hyena was currently biting down on the ass o...
291215146
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Phillip Isola @phillipisola.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
This is a result I’ve dreamt about for many years: *unpaired translation between images and text* I thought it might be only slightly possible, the kind of thing you have to really squint at. But Dominik proved this wrong. You don’t have to squint. Worth looking for yourself:
1297
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Phillip Isola @phillipisola.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
In PRH, we argued that rep geometry is converging, but it's still an open question exactly in what sense. I want to share some new evidence that might clarify the picture. The evidence comes from our work here, led by @schnaus.bsky.social: dominik-schnaus.github.io/unpaired-ros... 1/n
13912
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Elizabeth Kolbert @elizkolbert.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
A simple idea for regulating data center mania: "No large data center...should receive the permits or grid connection it needs unless its developer brings enough new carbon-free generation, energy storage and transmission online to meet its additional electricity demand—and pays the full cost."
wsj.com
Opinion | Let Physics Regulate the AI Industry
No new data centers without enough clean power to run them.
34366106
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Josh McDermott @joshhmcdermott.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
New work by @msaddler.bsky.social with a striking finding: a wide range of human perceptual thresholds are replicated in a neural network optimized for real-world auditory tasks. Suggests that thresholds are determined by linear separability in task-optimized representations.
0289
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Maria Antoniak @mariaa.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
It's infuriating how the U.S. is treating our international researchers. We are so incredibly lucky that talented people want to come to our country to study, research, work, and build. Trump, Musk, and their cronies are destroying the best parts of science in the U.S.
413022
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Vote early in person if possible. Ask everyone you know to do the same. Let's do this!
031
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Good for Michael Lewis! I also recommend his beautiful anthology: Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service (2025)
072
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
And here is the link to Bacon's article: newrepublic.com/article/2160...
newrepublic.com
Liberals Must Fight The New York Times’ Monopoly Too
The paper’s editorial vision is out of step with the robust liberalism needed today.
011
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Important observation about the NYT from Perry Bacon in the New Republic: “The Times implicitly and at times explicitly advances a centrist, status quo politics, and that’s exactly what liberals must abandon to save the country..... margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/a-biting-c...
margaretsullivan.substack.com
A biting critique of the New York Times that may change what you read
Plus: Something for which I’ll forever be grateful to Joe Biden
1133
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Why optogenetics deserves the hype www.wiringthebrain.com/2013/09/why-... (a piece I wrote in 2013 explaining how it works and why modulating specific cell types is so key to understanding how neural circuits and systems work)
wiringthebrain.com
Why optogenetics deserves the hype
Optogenetics has come in for some stick lately, with a number of people criticising the hype that this technique generates in some quar...
413845
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
“Polarization is less the disease than democracy’s immune response to an unpopular, antidemocratic movement. Suppressing that response in the name of civility would only strengthen the movement and imperil pluralistic self-government”
030
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
If you can, vote EARLY and in person, or (second choice) mail in your ballot EARLY.
000
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Manlio De Domenico @manlius.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Picture reaching for something on a high shelf and coming up short. You don’t give up; instead, you find a stool, carry it over, and climb up. Something remarkable: You held the goal in your mind, identified what you needed, and executed a plan. No training required. www.science.org/content/arti...
33314
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.net · 03/10/2026
Trump corrupted America's most innovative institution, the National Science Foundation, by stealing $1.4B mandated by Congress for research. 🧪 🧵
A photo of Trump in front of the U.S. National Science Foundation entrance, overlaid headline that reads "Trump admin stole $1.4B for world changing science against the will of congress", with a Stand Up for Science logo beneath it.
28574294
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I don’t think everyone realizes how bad things are for US science: For the fiscal year that just ended, the Trump regime withheld $1.4 billion from the National Science Foundation’s research budget, which is about 1/5 of its primary research budget.
nytimes.com
National Science Foundation Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress (Gift Article)
The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation’s primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants.
201845915
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Jody Culham's Lab @culhamari-lab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Our Annual Review of Vision Science paper on "Bringing Vision Science Closer to the Real World" with @evadeligiannis.bsky.social is officially out and available through open access. www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...
annualreviews.org
Bringing Vision Science Closer to the Real World
Vision science has demonstrated considerable success in characterizing early- and mid-level visual processes through reductionism and tightly controlled experiments. However, an understanding of high-...
02213
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Apurva Ratan Murty @apurvaratan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Excited to first share @alishdipani.bsky.social 's study. Alish asked a (deceptively) simple Q: Are category-selective units in ANNs actually like category-selective regions in the brain? (why is this imp? read until the end). #neuroskyence #neuroscience #brain #neuroai
1257
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Mia Farrow @miafarrow.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
23774259
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Ben Eidelson @beidelson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
1/ The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights just released its report on campus antisemitism and Title VI. I testified at the hearing. The report is unanimous, bipartisan, & debunks the main legal theories behind recent attacks on universities for allegedly tolerating antisemitism. 🧵
27958
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Alt National Park Service @altnps.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
185129414187
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Vivian Paulun @vivianpaulun.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🚨 Preprint alert! 👶🧠🌊 "The Emergence of a Distinction between Things and Stuff" osf.io/preprints/ps... So excited to share my first infant study, with the wonderful Sanghee Song and Liz Spelke.🎉 Do babies expect sand to behave differently from solid objects? 🧵1/5
412033
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Congrats to Patagonia (the company not the country) for encouraging voting. More companies need to step up! www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/b...
nytimes.com
Patagonia Offers $100 to Customers Who Help Others Plan to Vote
The outdoor apparel brand, which sued the Trump administration this month, is ramping up its environmental activism before the midterm elections.
161
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NYT has now independently corroborated all the major allegations against Susan Collins in the ProPublica report, including that investigators were prepared to move against her and then Trump intervened to shut it down. This put Trump in a position of exceptional and extortionate leverage over her.
nytimes.com
F.B.I. Shut Down Inquiry Into Top Ally of Senator Susan Collins
The inquiry was closed last year because senior bureau officials questioned the veracity of a campaign donor’s account, according to current and former officials.
24982253350
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Badr AlKhamissi @bkhmsi.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Egyptians in CS Research now features 300+ researchers. Hoping it inspires students from underrepresented backgrounds by showing them what a path into research can look like. If you know someone missing from the list, nominate them. egyptians-in-cs.github.io
051
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
More shit coming down:: "The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants and expand the administration’s pressure campaign against elite universities." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/s...
nytimes.com
White House Moves to Take Control of N.I.H. Grants
Federal officials are drafting an executive order that would place grants under review by an outside panel, the latest effort to redirect billions of dollars in research spending.
2139
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
A devastating condemnation of inequity of schools in the US. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...
nytimes.com
In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?
A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.
021
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Me & John & Shiloh out protesting AGAIN. Maybe it does nothing. But maybe one person thinks: If these guys can be out here every Saturday I should take action as well, by checking my voter registration, asking my friends to do same, making a plan to vote early, supporting competitive candidates.....
2448
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
So proud of my MIT colleagues (four Nobel-prize-winning economists) for supporting California's Prop 40, a 5% one-time tax on the wealth of California’s billionaires that would help cover the massive funding cuts to California’s Medicaid enacted by Congress in 2025. gabriel-zucman.eu/files/prop40...
gabriel-zucman.eu
080
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
The Contrarian @contrariannews.org · 19/09/2026
The Kennedy Center crowd is singing America The Beautiful. This is what democracy looks like.
453244636016
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Heather Cox Richardson (TDPR) @hcrichardson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'm in love.
youtube.com
2026: Time for the Midterms
YouTube video by Hamilton
15040821906
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Barack Obama @barackobama.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The right to vote is one of the most fundamental parts of our democracy. Check your voter registration at IWillVote.com and make a plan to vote early or on Election Day on November 3.
392169145980
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Oh thank god (from an atheist)! www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...
nytimes.com
Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Restrictions on Mail-In Ballots: Live Updates
The ruling blocks the Trump administration from dramatically changing how Americans vote by mail in the midterm elections.
0141
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Justice for Mahmoud and all students who have spoken up for Palestinian human rights, at Columbia and MIT and everywhere else!
061
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
@timothysnyder.bsky.social: the midterm elections are "probably the most consequential since the 18th century... a victory of the opposition is a prerequisite for the maintenance of the rule of law and anything resembling political democracy.” So VOTE Early, encourage friends to do the same, and
1112
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Ghouly Hoye 👻🇨🇦 @hollyhoye.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
If we aren’t doing this everywhere, what are we even doing? Annual Toronto dog swim before they close down the outdoor pools for the season:
511403469
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
MadGreek 🧿 @madgreek2024.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
On September 11, 2001, countless heroes answered the call to help—and among them were brave search-and-rescue dogs who worked tirelessly through unimaginable conditions. Today, we honor these remarkable four-legged heroes and the important role they played during one of America’s darkest days.
632543746
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Birdergal 💙💛🌊 @kestrel61.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
0237
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Allison Gill @muellershewrote.com · 11/09/2026
Okay everyone. Here’s the YouTube interview with @jimmykimmel.com and @jamestalarico.bsky.social You know what to do. Watch it. Share it. Donate. Bury them. youtu.be/WLDE9LrGpNk?...
youtu.be
Jimmy Kimmel’s Interview with James Talarico That the FCC Doesn’t Want You To See
YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel Live
4541895811176
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 04/09/2026
We already have special research funds for diseases that impact our military. Hegseth has requested a $1.5 TRILLION budget.   Still, the DOD is diverting funds for medical research at NIH.   Stopping lifesaving treatments & cures to help wage foreign wars. This must end.
‘Outrageous’: Pentagon Secretly Working to Divert Billions From National Institutes of Health

“These funds were provided for lifesaving medical research, not as extra money for the Department of Defense,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro.
25393197
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Colette Delawalla, PhD @cdelawalla.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
For the one millionth time: THIS IS FASCISM. IT'S MORE THAN JUST GRANT FUNDING. SCIENCE IS A CRITICAL PILLAR OF DEMOCRACY. democrats-appropriations.house.gov/news/press-r...
democrats-appropriations.house.gov
Defense Officials Attempt to Raid NIH Funds to Cover Department of Defense Activities
House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) has learned that officials at the Department of Defense (DoD) are working to divert billions of dollars from the National Institute...
5250132
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 02/09/2026
I am a scientist – and the answer is climate change. Yes, there is nuance. Yes, it could take a long time to identify the precise mechanisms. But there is no question why ice and snow-related disasters are on the rise. Our planet is warming at an unprecedented rate, and humans are responsible.
392327824
Nancy Kanwisher @nancykanwisher.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I just downloaded MapQuest and will be using it, not Google Maps.
0141
Reposted by Nancy Kanwisher
WuTangIsForTheChildren @wutangforchildren.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Just when you think you couldn’t love David Byrne more he goes to the Hollywood Bowl playing "Life During Wartime" projecting ICE raids 🔥
261177515792