iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 3h

Some good news, we can have a bit of those, right? The Aldabra giant tortoise seems to be doing well, with a stable population of about 180,000 individuals thanks to intensive conservation efforts. 🧪 Link: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002…

An Aldabra giant tortoise stands tall.

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thousands-of-giant-tortoises-anchor-a-thriving-ecosystem-on-aldabra-a-remote-atoll-in-the-indian-ocean-180986362/

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 4h

#StoryIdea: Actors get chips in their heads, making them oblivious to being filmed and thinking they are the characters they're playing. Then one day, a chip malfunctions. #Writing

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Reposted by Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️

Tamir Buchshtav @tamir-buchshtav.bsky.social · 14h

Reading 100 year old scientific articles, and now I'm wondering if I need to hang from a tree with a spear piercing me before I can understand them.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 14h

That's a completely different rent. Even before getting to the other "fun" bit of fashion, like women's XL being the same size as men's S, the gendering of the presence of color, etc...

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 14h

There are studies where you go "You needed a study to show that?", case in point. If kids don't come home midday to get lunch in a rather gendered society, women will have greater access to a larger part of the job market. 🧪 Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s…

Rates of female employment by comarca in 2016 and 2023. Numbers indicate comarca identifiers following the shift to a continuous school day.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 15h

It's been an ongoing issue for a while, but it feels like it has accelerated in recent years.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

The post starts with "it's dumb", because it is. This is one of those things that is absolutely not practical but would make for interesting aesthetics.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

People kept telling me I'm exaggerating, but this is a real thing.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

This has been bothering me for a while now, and now the data is there to support it. Young girls’ clothing is being modeled more on adults, with sexualization involved in that... and platform algorithms have a hand in that. 🧪 Link: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s…

Conceptual Model of Quiet Sexualization as a Platform-Mediated Social Psychological Process, which produced a reinforcing loop enhancing the process.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

How long have you been waiting to have an opportunity to use that gif?

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

For clarification, this is not a serious idea for #geoengineering, but for some #worldbuilding for a sci-fi setting. IRL, this would be ridiculously energy-intensive and would do a major number on regional climate.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Dumb idea, but a fun sci-fi concept. You know how wind turbines sap kinetic energy from the wind? How about we make giant fans and put them in a position to add kinetic energy and pull cooler air to warm countries? (also rain redistribution, but that might be pushing it)

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Being with an SFF background (as a reader and writer) is actually remarkably helpful in these. Being able to envision and articulate the possible paths makes a difference.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

It is still utterly baffling to me that I'm writing #policy documents. I have been involved in doing that for a few years now, and for some reason, people listen when I talk about certain things. Now it would be nice to see any of those actually properly materialize...

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Noise pollution isn't great on marine life, but just like us, they can do with a nice soundscape. Putting "healthy reef sound" on the speakers seems to do help with establishing new reefs. 🧪🌊 Link: www.nature.com/articles/s42003-026-…

Damselfish swim near a separately located artificial reef “Stack” structure which were also used in the acoustic enrichment studies.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

איש: היי, סיס-אדמין, המציאות הזאת הולכת פייפן. אתה יכול להעביר אותי למציאות האלטרנטיבית ע"ש שמעון פרס? ס"א: אתה לא תשרוד שם. איש: למה? ס"א: עושים בך לינץ' שם אם אתה לא עומד ברמה אתית מינימלית. איש: כן, ו...? ס"א: אתה חולק מימים של הארי פוטר שנעשו ב-AI בטוויטר.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

לא הלכתי, אז אני לא יודע מה היו שאר הנושאים. אבל ממה שדיברו בפאנלים השונים ובמסדרונות, נשמע שזה היה הנושא החם לישיבה.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

It is really depressing when you consider that (probably) more people were killed with an Excel spreadsheet than with nuclear weapons.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

נראה לי פלטפורמה יותר טובה ועצם העובדה שרואים את הפנים של מישהו כשהוא מדבר משפיע על אופי השיח.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

It was probably that or putting giant Xs on their eyes, and I can see some over-serious reviewers having issues with that. (Some people think that reaserch isn't allowed to be fun)

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Also, I remembered that @bjwmills.bsky.social is on the platform, so I should tag him; the other co-authors I didn't locate here.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Too much of a good thing is usually bad. Put too much phosphorus in the water, you'd get eutrophication, and anoxia, and if you push that to the extremes, it might be part of a mass extinction event. 🧪⚒️ Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-…

a Before LOME, weathering drew down atmospheric CO2 levels and cooled the climate prior to the Hirnantian. b A change in ocean anoxia and/or cooling triggered the initial extinction pulse LOME 1. c An increase in continental P delivery to the oceans increased primary productivity, increasing dissolved oxygen demand and drawing down atmospheric CO2 levels. Cooling and ocean anoxia resulted in widespread extinction. d Declining marine P levels reduced dissolved oxygen water column demand from decomposing primary productivity, and post-glacial warming allowed ecosystem recovery. e Before the LDME, the water column was mostly oxygenated under a greenhouse climate. f An increase in continental P delivery to the oceans increased primary productivity, increasing dissolved oxygen demand and drawing down atmospheric CO2 levels. Cooling and ocean anoxia resulted in widespread extinction. g A reduction in marine P supply decreased P-driven productivity and reduced the extent of marine anoxia. h A second surge of P to marine environments increases the extent of marine anoxia and draws down atmospheric CO2, culminating in global cooling, which together delayed ecosystem recovery.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Congratulations, you have been properly assimilated into Academia.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

I was planning to work on one of my fiction pieces... then I remembered there's a policy document I'm supposed to be writing, and my Friday night might be the only window I'll have to work on it for it to get to the right people on time.

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Reposted by Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️

Robert Mahon @bedform.org · 08/10/2026

I am once again *begging* university HR goons to STOP making their system require letters of reference up front for faculty candidates.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

היו לי שלוש טיוטות של תשובה לזה. כולן הלכו לכיוונים שלא רציתי לפתח לדיון. בגדול, כן, ביזור של ערוצי המידע וריכוז של השליטה בערוצים האלו, יחד עם התעדוף שאלו מקדמים הם מקור הרבה מהחולי של הפליטיקה של העשורים הנוכחים, אנחנו מסכימים.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

And just one more indignity for being bisexual: disordered eating (which may be related to ongoing body image concerns plus the regular stress that goes with being bi). 🧪 Link: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.108…

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

מה ששרד את הנפילה של ה-Fairness doctrine לא יכל כנגד הפרגמנטציה של אקולוגית המידע. מצד אחד, אני כן שמח על הדמקרטיזציה של ערוצי מידע, אבל אין ספק שזה שזה בא במחיר את מציאות משותפת, וכאמור, השבט הוא נזק אגבי.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The rest of the issue is similarly depressing, but very interesting.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

The academic journal Development had an editorial this week titled The Age of War, arguing that we are going into a time when not only does war proliferate, but political conditions shift based on the assumption of persistent conflict. Now that's a depressing thought to carry into the weekend.

link.springer.com

Editorial: The Age of War - Development

Development -

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

לחשוב שפעם זה היה משהו שאנשים חיכו לו לצפיה משפחתית עם או חברים, בעיקר לפרסומות של המפלגות הקיקיוניות שתמיד היו חומר קומי ממדרגה ראשונה.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

פעם (לפני הרבה שנים) חיבבתי את החודש לפני הבחירות, היה אפשר לצחוק על תעמולת הבחירות ואנשים נזכרו להתעניין בפוליטיקה. עכשיו אנשים בחרדה ותעמולת הבחירות נעה בין מדכאת, למחרידה, לגורמת לאובדן אמון באנושות.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

A depressing number of older (1940s to 1970s) papers seem to not only be poorly cataloged in search engines, but are seemingly available online only via Sci-Hub. (Side note: our institute doesn't have a library or librarian anymore, so online is our only mode of access)

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

A remarkable part of policy is writing documents, getting comments on documents, discussing documents, reading documents from other people, and writing more documents.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Disclosure: Orit was one of my professors at the alma mater, and Gilad is a good friend. But it's a very interesting paper, and this group knows their stuff.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

#WeekendReading: Sivan et al. on cryptic biogeochemical cycles in marine sediment, specifically those related to methane. 🧪🌊⚒️ Link: www.annualreviews.org/content/journ…

Conceptual framework for cryptic biogeochemical cycling in methanic marine sediments. (a) Sulfate–methane structure in marine sediments with the addition of relevant porewater profiles in the methanic zone. (b) Cryptic processes at the bottom of the SMTZ, where methane and sulfate are consumed mainly by S-AOM, while coupled sulfur and iron transformations recycle intermediates and sustain reactions with little expression in concentration profiles. (c) Cryptic cycling in the main methanic zone, far below the SMTZ,
where methane production and consumption, iron and manganese reduction, nitrogen transformations, and other reactions occur simultaneously, with rapid recycling of intermediates maintaining low concentrations despite active metabolism. Abbreviations: S-AOM, sulfate-coupled anaerobic oxidation of methane; SMTZ, sulfate–methane transition zone

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

There's this one cloud on Mars that keeps showing up (it even has its own special name and initials), and the models couldn't reproduce it, because the way if forms (homogeneous nucleation) is just so different from most clouds we know. 🧪 Link: www.nature.com/articles/s41561-026-…

Image of the Arsia Mons Elongated Cloud from the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft, taken on 24 June 2024.

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Reposted by Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️

Andrej Spiridonov @andrejpaleo.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A new study by Andrii Rozhok, Niles Eldredge, and James DeGregori which presents a novel population genetic mechanism of evolution—the directional selection (of deviating forms) also selects, as a dynamic spandrel, higher mutation rate forms! 🧪 #Paleobio #EvoBio doi.org/10.1093/jeb/...

A hypothetical model for how selection regime should impact the evolution of mutation rates

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

This is based on only one country, but these are interesting results. Parents are strong predictors of performance in standardized international tests; their education, but also their occupation. 🧪 Link: backend.shoresh.institute/downloads…

Analysis of variance explained by the multivariate model in PISA exams, 2012-2022

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

It is a hodgepodge. But this bit of it offers an excuse to play around with Relativistic Mass math.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

A weird bit of Flat Earth lore I recently found out about is that their solution to gravity is to have the entire system accelerate. Infinite energy requirement to the side; even on a biblical timescale, it's just going to have so much mass it'd probably initiate a Big Bang.

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I'm just going to say this (again) for everyone in reaserch so everyone who's quietly ashamed about this would know: It's fine if you don't program. #AcademicSky

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Dr. Or M. Bialik |📚|🔬|🌊|⚒️ @obialik.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

כמו כל אחד שמביט מבפנים החוצה - לא מרגיש ככה. תכלס, בעיקר מתישה וקצת מתסכלת בחודשים האחרונים.

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