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Shruti Muralidhar

@polybiotique.bsky.social
803 followers 350 following 1.6K posts

Neuroscientist turned science funder, Amateur cellist, intrepid seamstress, fearless baker, downhill cyclist, Founder+Editor @ indscicomm @biaswatchindia.bsky.social (She/Her)

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Shruti Muralidhar @polybiotique.bsky.social · 1h
Re-upping @young.me 's amazing effort as Fall and airborne infection season rolls around. wwater.ca
wwater.ca
Wastewater 🇨🇦
At-a-glance graphs of COVID-19, RSV, and flu levels across Canada.
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Sam King @samcking.bsky.social · 22h
I hope everyone has a Hussein
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Erin Kane @dianamonkey.bsky.social · 23h
Thiis is the first time I've seen the MIT Tetris building in action!
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tweed is such a beautiful fabric to wear this time of year because it produces, in Dolly Parton's phrasing, a coat of many colors. Even a solid-colored brown is not just brown, but bits of red, blue, and yellow to produce something that looks lifted off the Scottish landscape.
There are two photos taped together. The top shows a brown stone building with a brown thatched roof. It's surrounded by green grass, stone walkways, and blue-gray sea. Below is a checked brown tweed that reflects the colors in the landscape above it. There are two photos taped together. The one at te top shows a rocky hillside with green and straw-colored grass, gray rocks, and a tan sandy beach below. The blue waters are crashing at the shore. Below is a green herringbone tweed that reflects the colors in the landscape above it. There are two photos taped together. The top shows a field of green and straw colored fields with bits of purple flowers. Below is a a series of checked brown tweed that reflect the colors in the landscape above it. A swatch book of solid-colored tweeds. The green tweed has visible flecks of red, gold, and blue.
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Jamie Bradburn @jbcurio.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I usually do these sorts of things out of curiosity...but honestly, the Star's Vote Compass for the municipal election may actually help me decide where my council vote is going... votecompass.thestar.com
votecompass.thestar.com
Vote Compass — Ontario Municipal Elections 2026 — Toronto Star
Use this interactive survey designed by political scientists to calculate your alignment with the candidate platforms.
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Spacing @spacing.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the contract to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes Spacing has obtained the RFP for the Ford government's bike lane removal, and it looks even worse than thought. spacing.ca/toronto/2026... #toronto #bikes #torontobike @cycletoronto.bsky.social
spacing.ca
EXCLUSIVE: Inside the contract to rip out Toronto's bike lanes - Spacing Toronto
After the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA) shot down CycleTO’s legally innovative charter challenge that sought to stop Doug Ford’s attack on the city’s bike lanes, Queen’s Park wasted little time befor...
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Rebecca Gao @rebeccaga0.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I've been working with @thelocal.to on their city elections coverage! Live today, the first part of the candidate tracker: meticulously researched, fact-checked information on every candidate running for local office in Toronto. Get informed and then go vote in October! thelocal.to/candidate-tr...
thelocal.to
Candidate Tracker: Toronto Election 2026 | The Local
The only place to find reported, fact-checked biographies and platform summaries for every candidate running in the 2026 Toronto municipal election.
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Caroline Bartman @cbartman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Ok what is the most death metal biology term? Cytokine storm? Programmed death 1? Executioner caspase? Other?
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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Reminder that in Canada upon becoming an engineer you get an iron ring made of a collapsed bridge, purposely designed to be uncomfortable, to remind you that your ethics demand you give a fuck even about the boring grudgework of such as double-checking your math. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Ring
en.wikipedia.org
Iron Ring - Wikipedia
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Catbus @catbus.phd · 24/09/2026
Porco Rosso mural, Mexico City
Porco in the cockpit of his plane smoking a cigarette and giving a thumbs up
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Harmit Singh Malik @harmitmalik.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Some random thoughts: Good science doesn't always need disruptors. Often, it needs load-bearing walls. You can't pivot away from a failed multi-year experiment or "iterate" your way out of a mentee's PhD. Science needs stable foundations, not churn. Don't break the people building on top of it.
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Shruti Muralidhar @polybiotique.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Coming soon 🍂 open.spotify.com/track/5SvaVa...
open.spotify.com
Last Good Day Of The Year
CousteauX · Cousteau · Song · 2000
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Roel Maalderink @roelmaalderink.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Hoe vinden Meta-medewerkers hun eigen Meta-bril? (Samen met @bitsoffreedom.eurosky.social)
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Delicate crocheted/embroidered leaf sculptures by UK artist Susanna Bauer #womensart ##AutumnEquinox 🍃
Two real brown leaves joined by delicate white embroidery,  all against a white background
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Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 22/09/2026
Happy mushroom season!
A comic titled "Types of mushrooms" with 12 mushroom species. A wrinkly-looking morel is labeled "creepy but tasty". A brownish deadly galerina is labeled "boring but deadly". A witch's butter on a branch is labeled "jiggles if you poke it". A large puffball is labeled "egg". A creepy red-dripping bleeding tooth fungus is labeled "deeply disconcerting". A fly agaric with a green treefrog sitting under it is labeled "frog umbrella". A black chanterelle is labeled "chalice for forbidden elixers". Three straight-stemmed entolomas are labeled "haha, nipples". A bright purple viscid violet cort is labeled "purple is nice". A birch polypore sticking out of a birch trunk is labeled "tree nose". A complex yellow-tpped coral fungus is labeled "cursed citadel where dwells a fairy queen". A Ravenel's stinkhorn is pixellated at the top for your safety, and labeled "NSFW".
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The Walrus @thewalrus.ca · 22/09/2026
Interested in learning about editorial fact-checking? The Walrus is currently accepting applications for two Editorial Fellows. These are remote, paid 12-month positions, with a November 2026 start date. Apply today! thewalrus.ca/about/careers
thewalrus.ca
Careers & Fellowships | The Walrus
Jobs, fellowships, and internships at the Walrus Foundation
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laura @ mica art market @lauraillustrates.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
been thinking lately a lot about quilts so here's a repost of my sheep who is sewing one :)
illustration of a cute white sheep sewing a colorful, multi-patterned quilt on an old sewing machine that has yellow, green and blue folk art flower patterning
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Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 20/09/2026
You, a fall person: Ohmygosh I love fall!! Pumpkins! Cozy sweaters! Hot tea and cider! Pumpkins! Pumpkin Spice Lattes! The changing colors of leaves!!!! Me, a spring and summer person: :: pulls hoddie tight over head :: beware: the time of darkness, cold, decay, and death is nigh
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Chenxin Li, PhD @chenxinli2.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Pretty funny
A poster with organic chemistry joke. It reads “struggling in organic chemistry? Does the following meme describe you?” The meme reads “I am triene but I am diene”
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Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 17/09/2026
Summer xkcd.com/3299/
4-panel comic. (1) [Person swings from tree over water.] (2) [In the middle of the swing, the tree’s leaves have turned brown.] (3) [When the person lets go, the tree is bare of leaves and everywhere is covered in ice or snow.] (4) [The person landed on the ice looks behind at Person 2 with shoulder-length hair standing on the snow.] PERSON 2: Summer over already, huh? PERSON 1: It seemed extra quick this year.
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Shruti Muralidhar @polybiotique.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Probably one of the best Dohas of Kabir, speaking directly to humanist philosophy open.spotify.com/track/3tapGd...
Kabir Doha - Text in HindiKabir Doha, English translation 
Where do you search me? I am with you
Not in pilgrimage, nor in icons, Neither in solitudes
Not in temples, nor in mosques Neither in Kaba nor in Kailash
I am with you o man, I am with you
Not in prayers, nor in meditation, Neither in fasting
Not in yogic exercises, Neither in renunciation
Neither in the vital force nor in the body, Not even in the ethereal space
Neither in the womb of Nature, Not in the breath of the breath
Seek earnestly and discover, In but a moment of search
Says Kabir, Listen with care, Where your faith is, I am there.
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Annika Barber @annikabarber.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
More academics should take up embroidery. It can be good to have something socially acceptable to stab over and over during certain meetings. 🪡 🧵 🪲 #academicsky
Embroidery hoop with white fabric being stitched with colorful beetles. Two beetles are finished, one is in progress, and one is outlined but not yet started.
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James McLeod @jamespmcleod.ca · 14/09/2026
A nation of nerds. www.canada.ca/en/statistic...
canada.ca
Statistics Canada thanks Canadians for their exceptional participation in the 2026 Census - Canada.ca
Thanks to outstanding participation across the country, the final response rate for the Canadian census is among the highest ever recorded.
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David J Court @davidjcourt.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
This is the face of a dog who is thinking, "I'm going to find some discarded fried chicken in the park and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
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adamezracohen.bsky.social @adamezracohen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We wrote a tutorial guide on voltage imaging, now out in Neuron: authors.elsevier.com/a/1nlgh3BtfH... Indicators, microscopes, and software have all advanced to the point that it's not so hard -- you can now directly watch the electrical activity of neurons in live animals or in culture.
authors.elsevier.com
Please wait whilst we redirect you
All content on this site: Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply.
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Holly 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:
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Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
From: Zima Blue (2019), dir. Robert Valley, Passion Animation Studios
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Matt Elliott @graphicmatt.com · 08/09/2026
Check your inbox: It’s the 400th issue of City Hall Watcher! And it’s FREE! To celebrate, I brought you a fun new game: SimCouncillor. Step into the shoes of your councillor and tell us how you’d vote. Plus: LOBBYIST WATCH, CANDIDATE CHAOS, and more! toronto.cityhallwatcher.com/p/celebrate-...
toronto.cityhallwatcher.com
Celebrate 400 issues with a game of SimCouncillor
City Hall Watcher #400: To mark a milestone, I’ve got a new interactive tool to help you find out how well you line up with your councillor. Plus: LOBBYIST WATCH, CANDIDATE CHAOS, and more!
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Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Scott Wills paints a background for the first run of Samurai Jack (2001–2004), created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Cartoon Network Studios
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Just realized that boro and kantha — the Japanese and Indian techniques for repairing cloth or creating new material from scraps by connecting them through a series of running stitches — looks a bit like the peeling bark on an aging tree.
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Laughing Squid @laughingsquid.com · 06/09/2026
Blackwing showcased how its iconic pencils are made, from graphite formulation in Kofu and assembly in Tokyo to final tipping in Stockton, California. laughingsquid.com/how-blackwin...
laughingsquid.com
How Iconic Blackwing Pencils Are Made
Blackwing showcased how its iconic pencils are made, from graphite formulation in Kofu and assembly in Tokyo to final tipping in Stockton, California.
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JL Kaufmann @jlkaufmann.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
That awkward stage of being really hungry and realising you should've started cooking dinner half an hour ago but here we are and OH DAMN THE SAUCEPAN IS SOAKING IN THE SINK.
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Aaron Binder @aaronbinder.com · 30/08/2026
Did you know TTC does weddings? My friends hired a bus to get us all from their wedding to the reception in East Toronto! This city ❤️❤️
Newlyweds posing in the doorway of a Toronto TTC bus (number 8441) with "JUST MARRIED" displayed in the window. The bride wears a white lace dress with bouquet, the groom wears a light blue suit. Urban brick buildings visible in background.
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Laura Helmuth @laurahelmuth.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
This time of year, songbirds that are about to migrate experience "Zugunruhe," a German word for a migratory restlessness or longing to go, move, LEAVE. Perhaps you have experienced the same. www.allaboutbirds.org/news/birdwor...
allaboutbirds.org
Birdword: An Illustrated Guide to Some Tongue-Twisting Ornithological Terms
Birdword is a recurring feature in Living Bird magazine. Subscribe now. They're sometimes called technical terms, eight-dollar-words, jargon, or just plain gobbledygook. But hidden inside those mul...
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Andrea Zanin @andreazanin.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
TIL: Québec has a strategy called Stratégie nationale d'achat d'aliments québécois (provincial strategy for the purchase of Québec foods). Abbreviation: SNAAQ. I can't tell if this is the funniest random coincidence ever, or the work of a bilingual public servant with an excellent sense of humour.
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Shruti Muralidhar @polybiotique.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
The exact same thing I ask Freya before we step out 💕 Where else but Toronto!
A happy smiling golden dog in a yellow bandana sitting in the grass
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The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The Transmitter's summer reading list highlights upcoming neuroscience books and other notable titles from this year—with books by @romainbrette.bsky.social, @susanacarmona.bsky.social, @markdhumphries.bsky.social, David Susillo and more. #neuroskyence By @franciscorr25.bsky.social bit.ly/4qz0oXj
thetransmitter.org
The Transmitter’s reading list for 2026
Our summer reading list includes books on the Human Brain Project, the neuroscience of motherhood and the career of a Huntington’s disease researcher.
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Karen K. Ho @karenho.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
It's true, I love Asian Millennial fantasy movies: youtube.com/shorts/abXF6...
youtube.com
Why are all Asian Hollywood movies like this?! #asian #hollywoodmovies
YouTube video by James Roque
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
This isn't the first time the USA has placed 50% tariffs on Canada. In 1890, the USA's Tariff Act was touted as a way to build up American industry, but the true goal was forcing the annexation of Canada. It backfired and made Canada stronger. This is the story. 📸 LoC 🧵1/10
Political cartoon criticizing the Republican platform for favoring untaxed whiskey (jug labeled "Untaxed Whiskey 20¢ Gal.") while presenting war‑taxed common cloth with an 89% tariff, highlighting perceived hypocrisy.
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Robbie Richardson @londonmikmaq.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
A clip of the opera in Mi'kmaq, with komqwejwi'kasikl (Mi'kmaq hieroglyphics) captions- excited to see this tonight!
youtube.com
Rafael Payare and Emma Pennell performs "You can die properly now" — with the OSM
YouTube video by medici.tv
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Amrita C @amritac.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Hello #5amwritersclub. In the little paddock of desi life, aunties are inevitable. Aunties are unavoidable. A little ode to being surveilled by women unrelated to me. #amwriting #writingcommunity #writerscommunity #writesky #personalessays #writingpractice #writesky #essays #litfic
ammanc.substack.com
The Not Really Aunties
A youth of being surveilled, shamed, and kept safe by women not related to me.
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Shruti Muralidhar @polybiotique.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
It won't be weird to say that this is why I have whole heartedly jumped into backcountry camping this late in life. Everything is uncomfortable in the beginning, but by the end of the week - I don't want to come back home. With a delivery of some fresh clothes and food I could stay another week easy
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rudy.ca @rudydotca.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
in Toronto, all week until Sunday Aug 23, weather permitting, you can see a phenomenon known as TorontoHenge the rising sun will shine along every street aligned on Toronto's east-west grid, a bit lower each day, until the 23rd, when it seems to rise out of the street #TorontoHenge
looking east along the Danforth from the middle of Broadview Avenue, August 22 2025... the rising sun is directly over the Danforth, right in your eyes if you happen to be going in that direction... in the foreground, streetcar tracks embedded in concrete, and a zebra-painted predestrian crossing
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merritt @merrittk.com · 17/08/2026
more places should have artists-in-residence. like there should be a residency where you live on a particular train for a month. there should be an oil rig residency, an arctic research station residency. maybe a residency at a zoo
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Dan Seljak @anotherglassbox.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Some days having a dog is a sublime experience where hard work and diligent training is rewarded with unwavering loyalty and joyous companionship. And sometimes it’s waking up and immediately setting $500 dollars on fire.
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Robert Zaichkowski @rzaichkowski.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Hey #BikeTO! There will be a #CriticalMass ride on Friday, August 28. Details to follow, but there will be a need to ensure a huge turnout given Friday's disappointing Ontario Court of Appeal decision in favour of the Ford government regarding Bill 212. #TOpoli #ONpoli #VisionZero
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Michael Bednarski 🇨🇦 @mikebednarski.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
What will happen if Doug Ford takes away the bike lanes? We will take the whole lane. #topoli #biketo
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Canadian History Ehx @cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
On Aug. 16, 1933, an antisemitic group waved a swastika banner during a baseball game featuring a team made up of Jewish-Canadians in Toronto. The incident sparked a riot that escalated with 10,000 people in the streets. This is the story of the Christie Pits Riot. 🧵 1/12
A black-and-white historical photo depicting a large crowd of people gathered on a street at night, illuminated by streetlights. The scene includes tram tracks running through the street, and the crowd appears to be moving or in motion, with some individuals blurred. Buildings and structures are visible in the background.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
I enjoyed this. ordinaryabundance.com
ordinaryabundance.com
Ordinary Abundance
A walk through a modern apartment, through the eyes of the people for whom everything in it was new.
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Thiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
'A mathematical model identified the proposals that were too close to separate and sent them into a lottery (...) Peer review still set the bar to qualify, but among the proposals near the funding threshold, a financed project and a rejected one would now be divided by chance.'
nature.com
When the best decision is no decision: the rise of randomization in grant funding
If reviewers can’t reliably tell the difference between top grant proposals, why should they pretend they can? A new wave of funders is turning to lotteries to break the tie.
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