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Nicolas Skatchkovsky

@nskat.bsky.social
388 followers 513 following 99 posts

Computational Neuroscience & AI @ The Francis Crick Institute Trade unionist Posts in franglish on neuroAI & politics

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Reposted by Nicolas Skatchkovsky
Romain Brette @romainbrette.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Letting kids play with the red button is dangerous. But it's not because kids are so much smarter than adults. The point is not to prevent AI to get "too smart", but to have strict barriers in place. An LLM did not figure out how to send requests over internet: an engineer implemented the feature.
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Richard D. Morey @richarddmorey.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
at least when the universities fold and I'm unemployed, the government will have made sure there's a pub open near me
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 17/08/2026
Live tomorrow: ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot's first spacewalk to replace a crucial piece of equipment on the ISS. Watch from 12:00 BST / 13:00 CEST on ESA WebTV and YouTube. 🔗 esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Watch_Sophie_Adenot_s_spacewalk_live @exploration.esa.int 🧪🔭
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Matthias Eberl @eberlmat.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I mean, what exactly did they expect after making universities financially depend on international students, and at the same time making international students feel increasingly unwelcome in the country?
theguardian.com
UK universities face ‘financial crisis’ amid collapse in international students
Higher education figures call on Labour to reverse tax on fees and warn institutions at risk of ‘going under’
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European Space Agency @esa.int · 12/08/2026
🤔What is a total solar eclipse? 🔜A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes directly between the Sun and Earth. The Moon blocks light from the Sun and casts a shadow on Earth. Find out more www.esa.int/Science_Expl... #EuropeanSolarEclipse
Diagram showing how a total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting its shadow onto Earth.
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Naomi Saphra @nsaphra.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
I've been unsettled lately when reading messages and papers. It feels like I'm dissociating. Everything seems a bit alien, even if it's completely human. I've had a realization: When our simulations finally exited the Uncanny Valley, they brought the Uncanny with them.
nsaphra.net
Life on the Uncanny Precipice | Naomi Saphra
We were wrong about the Uncanny Valley.
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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 29/07/2026
do not anthropomorphize software, episode 7,000
karlbode.com
AI Doomsday Bullshit Is Getting Tired
The "rogue AI" narrative continues to help obscure very ugly and avoidable human failures.
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Harmonious Bosch @ljon.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Dystopian Future Enjoyers' Association Warns Against Any Future Dystopia Not Controlled By Them.
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Katja Reinhard @katjareinhard.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
We still have 1 PhD position in Neurobiology at SISSA! deadline is August 18th. www.sissa.it/bandi/ammiss... please read the quoted post for further info. #neurojobs
sissa.it
Ammissione ai corsi di PhD della SISSA per l'Anno Accademico 2026/27 - Admission to SISSA PhD courses for the Academic Year 2026/27
Extra EU candidates are welcome to applyCheck the Information Sheets below for additional information on the examsCLICK HERE FOR ONLINE APPLICATIONSMATHEMATICS AREAGeometry and Mathematical PhysicsInf...
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Shahab Bakhtiari @shahabbakht.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
🚀 PhD position in #NeuroAI & neurodevelopment 🚀 Co-supervised by Sarah Lippé and myself, to investigate visual processing & cognition abnormalities in children with neurodevelopmental disorders in a neuroAI framework. Full project details and how to apply here: tinyurl.com/kbuyntpn 🧠🤖 📈
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Dan Goodman @neural-reckoning.org · 22/04/2026
We're hiring for a project on #SpikingNeuralNetworks and #neuromorphic computing, to start in October this year, for 36 months. Can hire at pre- or post-PhD level. Email me informally, or apply at the link below. Share with your networks / anyone who would be interested. 🤖🧠🧪
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Iris Meredith @iris-meredith.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
They will be *scandalised* to find that the frequentist foundation of statistics is openly debated and that Objective Bayesianism as a statistical epistemology is actually quite popular
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Sepiedeh Keshavarzi @sepikeshavarzi.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
When universities and research institutions become military targets, academics cannot remain silent. I co-initiated an open letter calling for global academic solidarity and support for affected students and scholars. Please share. to read and sign: sites.google.com/view/protect...
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Jascha Achterberg @achterbrain.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Going to Cosyne? There will be a "Biologically-inspired Artificial Intelligence: Challenges and Opportunities" workshop on Monday 16th! 🧠 Exciting lineup of speakers alongside the opportunity to present your #NeuroAI poster, more info on program & poster signup below! #compneuro #neuroscience
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Nicolas Skatchkovsky @nskat.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
We're organising a #Cosyne workshop on biologically-inspired AI on Monday 16th with @achterbrain.bsky.social! 🧠 We've got an incredibly exciting array of speakers, and you have the possibility to sign up to present your poster on #NeuroAI! More info below ⬇️ #compneuro #neuroscience #neuroskyence
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Clueless Toshika @cluelesstoshika.bsky.social · 05/03/2026
The "This is fine" meme juxtaposted with some news site headlines which indiate the contrary.
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Seán Froudist-Walsh @seanfw.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
If you want to tackle the "biggest problem holding neuroscience back right now" - comparing mechanisms of cognition across species - join us in @ox.ac.uk and @tcddublin.bsky.social . Please share! 3x Job Details below: (fantastic article @suthanalab.bsky.social ) #neuroskyence #neurojobs
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Kevin Mitchell @wiringthebrain.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Saving a lot of time these days using AI to do the crossword for me - it's brilliant! 😀
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The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · 18/02/2026
Motivated graduates with backgrounds in biological or biomedical sciences, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and/or computer science are invited to apply to our 4-year fully funded PhD programme. Apply by 17 March 2026. www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...
crick.ac.uk
PhD student recruitment
PhD recruitment information.
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NPA L'Anticapitaliste @npa-antica.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Une minute de silence pour un militant fasciste, mais des années de silence pour les victimes de crimes racistes…
Visuel du média France Info
Il est écrit « Mort de Quentin Deranque : l’assemblée nationale va observer une minute de silence en hommage au militant identitaire »
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Andrew Saxe @saxelab.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Excited to launch Principia, a nonprofit research organisation at the intersection of deep learning theory and AI safety. Our goal is to develop theory for modern machine learning systems that can help us understand complex network behaviors, including those critical for AI safety and alignment. 1
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Gabriel Zucman @gabrielzucman.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
The pace at which US wealth concentration is rising is simply staggering The concentration of AI wealth into the hands of a few tech barons + plutocratic capture ==> unchartered territory
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Denis Colombi @uneheuredepeine.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Déroulez : Macron tolère parfaitement l’antisemitisme quand il est de droite.
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Dan Goodman @neural-reckoning.org · 11/02/2026
PhD opportunity in "The role of neural development in multimodal intelligence" with me, @marcusghosh.bsky.social and @flor-iacaruso.bsky.social. Read details below 👇. Note there's a very short window for applying (deadline Feb 27). 🤖🧠🧪 www.imperial.ac.uk/school-of-co...
imperial.ac.uk
PhD opportunities
The School of Convergence Science at Imperial College London is inviting applications for fully funded PhD studentships on research projects that sup...
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Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 09/02/2026
In an alarming development, it appears the UK Government covered up a massive spike in trans youth suicides after restrictions. Then covered it up again when caught. Now, after fighting for years, the data is public: trans suicide increased 5x in the country. Subscribe to support our journalism.
erininthemorning.com
Trans Youth Suicides Skyrocketed In UK After Care Drawdown; Government Covers It Up
A Freedom of Information request to the National Child Mortality Database reveals that 22 trans children under 18 died by suicide in England in 2021-22 alone.
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Marine Tondelier @marinetondelier.fr · 10/02/2026
Quand Anne Le Strat a été recrutée par l’OFB à l’issue d’un processus rigoureux et normal, Sébastien Lecornu a demandé une enquête pour complaire à la droite et à l’extrême droite. (1/5)
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Current Biology @currentbiology.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
This is who runs this account
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Joao Barbosa @jbarbosa.org · 27/01/2026
Postdoc position in Paris: come help develop new generation human brain computer interfaces ⚡🧠💻 Interested? Contact me if you have experience with machine learning (e.g. simulation-based inference, RL, generative/diffusion models) or dynamical systems. See below for + details and retweet 🙏
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M.J. Crockett @mjcrockett.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Great piece on prioritizing quality over quantity in scientific publication. For those of us with labs, this necessarily involves shrinking our group size. After I got tenure I started to downsize my lab and have not regretted it one iota. More time for each student & more time to think & write.
nature.com
I’m going to halve my publication output. You should consider slow science, too
If we don’t slow down, the research enterprise is going to crash, argues Adrian Barnett.
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Paul Fairie @paulisci.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
We used to do real science
SCIENTISTS QUARREL OVER MARTIAN WOMEN

One Says Ladies Have Two Thumbs and X-Ray Eyes

ANOTHER SAYS BIG EARS

--The Commercial Appeal, 22 Oct 1928
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Miami DSA @miamidsa.org · 24/09/2025
RIP Claudia Cardinale. Much like Robert Redford, she was a rare case of a beautiful performer with a filmography full of bangers who did NOT become right-wing later in life. Here she is punching fascist Brigitte Bardot in the face in Les Pétroleuses (1971).
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Amid the rise of billion-parameter models, I argue that toy models, with just a few neurons, remain essential—and may be all neuroscience needs, writes @marcusghosh.bsky.social. #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/theoretical-...
thetransmitter.org
Not playing around: Why neuroscience needs toy models
Amid the rise of billion-parameter models, I argue that toy models, with just a few neurons, remain essential—and may be all neuroscience needs.
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Grace Lindsay @neurograce.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
Spread the word: I'm looking to hire a postdoc to explore the concept of attention (as studied in psych/neuro, not the transformer mechanism) in large Vision-Language Models. More details here: lindsay-lab.github.io/2025/12/08/p... #MLSky #neurojobs #compneuro
lindsay-lab.github.io
Lindsay Lab - Postdoc Position
Artificial neural networks applied to psychology, neuroscience, and climate change
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Carl T. Bergstrom @carlbergstrom.com · 16/12/2025
I've spent all day struggling to write a single page of a popular science article. I bang away at a word processor; give up; start diagramming on paper. Take some notes; draft a few sentences in pen; return to the computer...and very slowly I figure out what I was trying to say in the first place.
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
This is obscene. Why can't other politicians say that? The 25 richest families are collectively $358.7 billion richer than a year ago, with a combined fortune totaling $2.9 trillion.
Worlds richest families have never been richer - Walton's lead with net worth of $513bn
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cornish person girl @gemma.transwrites.world · 16/12/2025
can you imagine having even a fraction of the money pumped into ai bullshit but instead you get to R&D something actually fucking useful and which doesn't exist exclusively to extract wealth from creatives and those who enjoy creative works.
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Johannes Herrmann (Phylloscopus) @taigasangare.eurosky.social · 13/12/2025
Je reprends, et ensuite n'y reviendrai pas. Une pub mignonne où un loup devient végétarien se met à tourner, et ça y est, "les écolos devraient s'en inspirer au lieu du punitivisme, car ça marche". Xième épisode "le problème c'est que vous êtes des casse couille peine à jouir contre productifs". 1/
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The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · 10/12/2025
@petrznam.bsky.social is working to understand how the three-dimensional world is encoded in the brain, in a new project supported by a Consolidator Grant from the @erc.europa.eu www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-12...
crick.ac.uk
Exploring how the 3D world is encoded in the brain
In a new five-year project supported by the European Research Council, researchers are working to understand the brain’s built-in capacity to perceive the world in 3D.
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Johannes Herrmann (Phylloscopus) @taigasangare.eurosky.social · 01/12/2025
Que j'aime (non) ces braves gens se déclarant de gauche de vraie qui ce matin ont tous sorti le canot et les rames pour venir faire la morale sur l'air "désolé l'oeuf de Bardella c'est une violence in-to-lé-rable vous ne pouvez pas cautionner débat d'idées." Déjà, les mecs, un oeuf. Ensuite 1/
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HOPE not hate @hopenothate.org.uk · 18/11/2025
By mimicking Reform to win back support, the Labour government is making a serious mistake. This race to the bottom emboldens Farage, punishes vulnerable people, amplifies racism, and undermines those working to hold communities together.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
So if AI succeeds loads of people lose their jobs as they're replaced by AI, and if AI fails, loads of people lose their jobs as the economy crashes?
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Andreas Schaefer @andreas-t-schaefer.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Join us at Crick - amazing team and great colleagues to collaborate on exciting design and development projects
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Martin Hebart @martinhebart.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Please repost! I am looking for a PhD candidate in the area of Computational Cognitive Neuroscience to start in early 2026. The position is funded as part of the Excellence Cluster "The Adaptive Mind" at @jlugiessen.bsky.social. Please apply here until Nov 25: www.uni-giessen.de/de/ueber-uns...
View from your office onto Giessen and surrounding villages.
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Phineas @phineas.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
New awareness campaign
A digital poster in the style of a World War II propaganda piece. Isolaed on a yellow background, a normal, squarish, 20-something guy with glasses is sitting working on a laptop. A ghostly figure of Hitler has his arm around the guy and is grinning and shaking a fist triumphantly looking at the laptop screen. On the lid of the laptop where an apple might otherwise be is an openAI logo, bright green, and dripping green ooze down the lid. Text on the poster, in combinations of sans-serif type and brush script reads: 
Using Generative AI?
You’re prompting with Hitler!
GenAI is a Fascist Project!
Try using your brain instead
Don’t surrender your creativity to the tech billionaire’s control
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Marcus Ghosh @marcusghosh.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Interested in #neuroscience + #AI and looking for a PhD position? I can support your application @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social ✅ Check your eligibility (below) ✅ Contact me (DM or email) UK nationals: www.imperial.ac.uk/life-science... Otherwise: www.imperial.ac.uk/study/fees-a...
A figure showing a range of neural network architectures. 

From Ghosh & Goodman, 2025, bioRxiv.
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Alessandro Galloni @argalloni.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Really enjoyed reading this short opinion piece by Tim O'Leary. I think it echoes the classic Feynman quote "what I cannot create I do not understand". I think engineering approaches such as neuromorphic computing will prove fundamental to scientific understanding of how biological brains work
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Marcelo Moglie @mjmoglie.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Proud to have contributed to @gaiabianchini.bsky.social and @flor-iacaruso.bsky.social new paper on how the superior colliculus temporally integrates multisensory information
nature.com
Functional specialisation of multisensory temporal integration in the mouse superior colliculus - Nature Communications
Whether and how anatomically distinct regions of the superior colliculus (SC) exhibit specialisation in multisensory temporal integration to facilitate different behavioural responses are not fully un...
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Olivia Guest · Ολίβια Γκεστ @olivia.science · 23/10/2025
> Computing has always been a seesawing discipline. We had the AI winters of the 1970s and the 1990s, and we had the dot. com crash and the ensuing “Image Crisis.” It seems another crisis is upon us. Will we ever learn? It is time for some serious thinking! cacm.acm.org/opinion/comp...
Computing Is Indeed a Discipline in Crisis
While Silicon Valley is investing tens of billions of dollars chasing the AGI dream, academic computing research in the U.S. is facing a severe drought.

By Moshe Y. Vardi
Posted Oct 14 2025
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The Francis Crick Institute @crick.ac.uk · 22/10/2025
Researchers at the Crick found that virgin female mice can become aggressive towards pups when hungry, but only in certain hormonal states. It highlights the importance of understanding hormones when observing how different physical states interact in the brain. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
crick.ac.uk
Hunger influences the behaviour of female mice towards pups
Researchers find that virgin female mice can become aggressive towards pups when hungry, but only in certain hormonal states.
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