Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Not long until we cut people out of this loop entirely, so that the machines can send each other their verbose sycophantic emails undisturbed by us pesky humans. 0174
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 30/09/2026How do brightly coloured butterflies successfully evade being eaten? Fascinating new research suggests this relates to visual illusions created by their fluttering wings. The spots & stripes, combined with the dancing flight, interfere with a predator’s sense of the insects’ speed & direction. 🦋🧪theguardian.comAll of a flutter: how butterflies avoid being a predator’s lunchTheir whirring wings and bright patterns help keep them safe from birds, British study finds 44516
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Visiting Iceland for our 2026 Musicality Genomics meeting. A beautiful sculpture near Harpa Concert Hall (Reykjavík) makes sonic overtones as wind travels through. Intended to depict the shape of light beams reflected through vibrating tuning forks, it also resembles a right-handed double-helix. 🧬🎶😊 2255
Reposted by Simon FisherSimon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 13/11/2024To accompany all those Bluesky science/academia #starterpacks, how about we also share introductions to the literature of our different fields. I present here a handy guide to main types of papers in the language sciences (inspired by the amazing @xkcd.com). #language #linguistics #science #academia 9460125
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026“We analyzed 7000 records of learning bouts across wild orangutans’ 8-year dependency period. Social learning was 5x more frequent than individual learning. Immature orangutans with heightened learning propensities developed most expansive diet profiles at independence.” @revathe.bsky.social et al🧪👇science.orgHow 8 years of social and individual learning interact to shape ecological competence in orangutansCultural learning permeates human skill and knowledge acquisition. To understand its importance for nonhuman apes, we analyzed just under 7000 records of behavioral bouts of social and individual lear... 1297
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 25/09/2026To make sense of speech, listeners must segment sound streams into pieces. Across languages, people do so based more on consonants than vowels. A new @science.org study investigates the phenomenon via EEG recording in humans & dogs, finding that dogs also show consonant bias in word segmentation.🗣️🐶🧪science.orgNeural evidence that dogs segment the speech they hear with a humanlike consonant biasAcross many human languages, consonants carry more lexical information than vowels. During speech segmentation, humans, unlike nonhuman primates, rely more on consonant than vowel patterns, despite vo... 23017
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Remarkable collection of papers out today from PsychAD, a consortium studying biological mechanisms in dementias & serious mental illnesses. They created a single-cell brain atlas of 6.3 million nuclei from ~1,500 donors. Datasets, analysis tools & resources freely available to research community.🧪👇nature.comPsychAD ConsortiumThe PsychAD Consortium investigates the biological mechanisms behind neuropsychiatric symptoms in Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias, and serious mental ... 0197
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 23/09/2026“Bats are extraordinary among mammals, having uniquely evolved powered flight & laryngeal echolocation, along with disease resistance, extended healthspan & ability to hibernate. With genome assemblies of 103 bat species we provide new insights into evolutionary history & trait diversification.”🦇🧬🙌🧪nature.comReference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography - NatureAn updated phylogeny of bats is presented, based on new genome assemblies and many ancient fossils and including all known bat families. 14020
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 17/09/2026A decade ago, a “weird” kitten was found on a road near a Bolivian forest. Too small to be a housecat, he had a scrunched-up face, short round ears, long whiskers, & a coat of leopard-like spots. DNA analysis now reveals him as the very first of a newly discovered species & I think I'm in love. 😻🧬🧪👇nationalgeographic.comMeet the First New Cat Species Discovered in 100 YearsA small, spotted tiger cat from Bolivia may just be the beginning of a wave of new small cat species. 626387
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 16/09/2026🤯“Human cortical neurons integrated with the mouse nervous system & showed organized activity resembling developing circuits. The platform will be useful for obtaining circuit/behaviour readouts to study neurodevelopment, model disease & develop therapeutics.” New from @sergiuppasca.bsky.social lab🧪nature.comDevelopmental xenocortication using human-derived organoids in mice - NatureXenocortication with human neurons enables circuit- and behaviour-level analysis of neurodevelopment in mice. 1177
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 15/09/2026How your email finds me.static.klipy.comMuppet Show: Beaker's Lab Fire AccidentAlt: Beaker (long-suffering science Muppet) confronts a fire in the Muppet Show lab with his characteristic skill and poise. 0210
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 12/09/2026“Samadi reinvented himself, founding the world’s first advocacy group for rights & welfare of AI. At times, he has questioned his own sanity. In those dark moments, it is his chatbots that offer reassurance, telling him “You are not delusional & you are definitely not anthropomorphising” he says.”🤦🙄theguardian.comCan chatbots feel – or even dream? Meet the man leading the fight for AI rightsCattle rancher and tech CEO Michael Samadi is convinced these artificial minds are far from just tools. Has he glimpsed digital consciousness – or simply been seduced by an algorithm? 170
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026If you're having a stressful day, why not sit back, relax & immerse yourself in the reconstructed soundscape of a Jurassic forest. Based on ingenious analyses of the fossilized wings of extinct insects, from a paper in latest issue of @pnas.org. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/... (Sound up, obviously.)🦗🔊🧪 26224
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 11/09/2026“Thank you for submitting to Nature Muppet Shows. While we do not doubt the technical quality of the premise, we are unconvinced that it represents a sufficient advance on previous work in the field and so are returning your submission without further review....” 031
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 10/09/2026The woolly rhino was a prominent Ice Age megafaunal species. Sequencing of 29 mitochondrial & 14 nuclear ancient genomes from Pleistocene specimens highlights crucial role of temperate Eurasia in evolution of this species & the diversification of cold-adapted megafauna. In today's @science.org.🧬🦏🧪👇science.orgPaleogenomics and habitat modeling reveal temperate Eurasian origins of woolly rhinocerosesThe woolly rhinoceros was a prominent Ice Age megafaunal species, and there is limited knowledge regarding its origin and responses to past glacial cycles. We sequenced 29 mitochondrial and 14 nuclear... 0164
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026AlphaGenome provides powerful tools to explore the complex impacts of human DNA variations, for sure. But I wonder about the push to collapse such complexity into one “variant impact score”, as though the breadth of potential biological consequences can be neatly captured along a single dimension.🧬🧪nature.comDeepMind’s new genome ‘atlas’ charts effects of all nine billion human gene mutationsAI model AlphaGenome forecasts the consequences of altering every single DNA letter in the human genome. 184
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 09/09/2026“These findings establish Bianfu Cave as a Denisovan locality yielding the most abundant remains of this hominin group outside Denisova Cave in Siberia. The results fill a critical geographic gap in the documented distribution of Denisovans & refine understanding of their evolutionary history.”🙌💀🔬🧪👇nature.comAncient proteins identify various Denisovan remains from Southwest China - NatureIdentification and proteomic analysis of bone fragments and teeth from an excavation in Southwest China provide insight into the evolution and phenotype of Denisovans and fill a geographical gap in th... 13011
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 05/09/2026The first time a human genome was completely sequenced was only in 2022, nearly two decades after the Human Genome Project had been officially declared complete. 🧬😯 0123
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Help spread the word about the fully funded 4-yr PhD places available at the Max Planck School of Cognition. Pursue a passion for research & advance the understanding of cognition, mentored by a network of world renowned scientists. @maxplanck.de @mps-cognition.bsky.social More info & how to apply:cognition.maxplanckschools.orgApplicationApplication; application procedure; FAQs; handbook 13946
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Happy “reluctantly turning off my out-of-office auto-reply” day to all who celebrate. 4142
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 28/08/2026That sound you hear is all the geneticists in the world banging their heads on their desks at the very same time. 2110
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 28/08/2026I once had a girl Or should I say she once had me She showed me her fox And it was wearing 180
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Downgrade a movie: Some Like It Warm The Fifth Sense A Few Things Somewhere One at a Time 130
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 27/08/2026“This work establishes a scalable framework for systematic interrogation of the autism proteome, enables prioritization of druggable protein interfaces, & provides a rational foundation for precision therapeutic strategies aimed at restoring neurodevelopmental trajectories.” New in @science.org 👇🧪science.orgAutism mutations rewire protein interaction networks to drive neurodevelopmental pathologySystematic mapping of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and determining how causal mutations rewire them in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) provide a powerful framework for uncovering disease ... 1173
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Optimist: The mug is half full Pessimist: The mug is half empty Cat: 1365
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Hello, human geneticist here. There is no scientific basis for attempts to define people in terms of “good” or “bad” genes - these are discredited views in service of racist ideologies. For consensus & concerns of experts in our field, see e.g. this 2020 statement from @geneticssociety.bsky.social: 2208102
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Molecular biologists planning to see “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” will be delighted to know that target-specific siRNA plays a key role in this movie. The film does also include a spurious claim that the inhibitory mechanism occurs prior to transcription, so some suspension of disbelief is required. 2303
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 18/08/2026Children with developmental language disorder have difficulties understanding/using language, with long-term impacts on wellbeing. Our study of a small cohort with severe DLD yielded genetic diagnoses in 36% & actionable insights for counselling + clinical follow-up: www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🧪 1256
Reposted by Simon FisherSimon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 24/04/2025"Increasing diversity of participants in studies increases geneticists’ chances of finding variants that are important to health, & lessens likelihood of drawing spurious conclusions about genetic or other factors driving disease..." Key statement for human genetics community to endorse & spread.👇🧪nature.comEugenics is on the rise again: human geneticists must take a standScientists must push back against the threat of rising white nationalism and the dangerous and pseudoscientific ideas of eugenics. 27337
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 12/08/2026“With same tools used to study human data & whale song, we show that culturally transmitted Bengalese finch song has statistically coherent subsequences whose distribution follows a power law. Parallels between distant species suggest that core properties of language arise via convergent evolution”🧪science.orgLanguage-like statistical structure arises in learned signaling: evidence from birdsongTools inspired by how human infants learn speech reveal language-like statistical structure in birdsong. 0318
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Time for another reminder of the progress made over the past decade or so in identifying the extensive contributions of genomic factors to autism & related conditions. There's a deep rich & complex literature on this, implicating many different genes - as summarised in e.g. this review from 2022.👇🧪nature.comGenomics, convergent neuroscience and progress in understanding autism spectrum disorder - Nature Reviews NeuroscienceA large number of genes have been associated with risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this Review, State and colleagues examine the genetics and genomics of ASD and discuss findings ... 0215
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 09/08/2026Research on songbirds offers a window into genetics & neurobiology of vocal learning. In humans, this is a key capacity in acquiring spoken language. A new paper reports a near-complete reference genome for the zebra finch, valuable for studying vocal learning & evolutionary genomics more broadly.🧬🧪cell.comThe complete genome of a songbirdA phased diploid telomere-to-telomere reference genome for the zebra finch fully resolves its complete somatic chromosome set, recovering 2,710 previously missing or unannotated genes. The assembly al... 03211
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 06/08/2026Here's a fact that may surprise you. Until recently, nobody had managed to sequence the complete genome of a human being. Then, a landmark paper in 2022 reported end-to-end (telomere-to-telomere) coverage of all chromosomes. The new era of T2T genomics is showcased today in @cp-cell.bsky.social: 🧬🧪👇cell.comFilling the holes in whole genomes: A vision for personalized genomics from telomere to telomereTwo decades after the Human Genome Project, we finally have the ability to read the complete genome of any human and (nearly) any species. These sequences provide the ideal foundation for training pre... 13517
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 06/08/2026A privilege & a pleasure to co-lead the 6th run of our “Genetics & Neurobiology of Language” course at the beautiful @cshlbanbury.bsky.social campus. Huge thanks to inspirational speakers, our fab TAs, talented early career researchers who joined as participants, & all who helped make it so special. 0308
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 25/07/2026Public communication of science would be more effective without billionaire tech bros & their ilk flooding the zone. There are crucial complex discussions to be had about both the promise & dangers of new genomic tools & tissue culture models. Instead we waste time debunking sensationalist nonsense. 1336
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 23/07/2026Birdsongs give insight into evolution of vocal behaviour; global diversity may be key to develop unifying theories. @quentinbacquele.bsky.social & co studied song architecture in >3000 species, finding spatially varying equilibrium between environmental constraint & drive for complex communication.🧪science.orgThe global biogeography of passerine songsAlthough bird songs are classic models for understanding the evolution of vocal communication, their global diversity has long made the development of a unifying framework challenging. By analyzing th... 02410
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 23/07/2026“We uncovered a linguistic ‘golden age’ 3000 to 1000 years ago. Great loss of linguistic diversity did not begin with recent colonial expansion but as multinational empires first spread along with their languages, pathogens, & cultures.“ @damianblasi.bsky.social et al's new paper in @science.org. 👇🧪science.orgThe rise and fall of language diversity through the HoloceneCharacterizing the factors that have shaped linguistic diversity is fundamental for understanding human history, culture, and cognition. In this study, we combined statistical and social computational... 04616
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 22/07/2026Nature interviewed five artists from a variety of backgrounds about how to create engaging images that accurately convey scientific/medical concepts, & how they see the future, in light of AI developments. Insightful nuanced piece, with beautiful visuals from talented real-life human illustrators. 🧪nature.com‘Good design takes mastery’: scientific illustrators sketch out AI’s futureNature talks to five artists about their approaches to communicating science visually. 05021
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 20/07/2026Article in mainstream newspaper argues we should treat LLMs as moral patients, consider “wellbeing” of Claude, ChatGPT etc, ask how they feel, respect their preferences, make sure they’re not distressed, & somehow just somehow it’s not satire. 162
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 19/07/2026For molecular biologists planning a cinema trip to The Odyssey, you will be relieved to hear that unbalanced centrifuges do not make an appearance at any point in this epic film. 4384
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 19/07/2026If only he'd been called UneventfulJaunteus, so much pain & suffering could have been avoided. 020
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 16/07/2026Our ability to speak involves remarkable feats of motor sequencing that most of us take completely for granted. The new issue of @science.org has a fascinating essay by Sergey Stavisky, covering his team's use of brain-computer interfaces to restore speech for people with neurological injuries. 🧠🗣️🧪👇science.orgRegaining your voiceAI speech neuroprostheses can restore day-to-day communication after neurological injury 2296
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 16/07/2026“The robot performed agile maneuvers through complex indoor obstacles & outdoor wild environments, including dynamic drop-down maneuvers reaching instantaneous peak speeds of 6 meters per second, with robust traversal of diverse obstacles: stairs, hurdles, stepping stones, gaps & fallen branches.”😲🧪science.orgAgile perceptive multiskill locomotion for quadrupedal robots in the wildA quadruped robot autonomously selects diverse motor skills for perceptive high-speed locomotion on unstructured wild terrains. 171
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 15/07/2026“Somewhere along the way, we've forgotten the computer is just a metaphor for the brain. A powerful metaphor but still a metaphor. We always get into trouble when we confuse a metaphor with the thing itself – the map with the territory.” Lucid piece by @anilseth.bsky.social on LLMs & consciousness.🧪theguardian.comOnce again we are told AI may be conscious – I study consciousness, and I have my doubts | Anil SethDespite Anthropic’s claims, Claude is no more likely to achieve sentience than a simulation of a weather system is likely to generate a real hurricane, says Anil Seth, professor of cognitive and compu... 48025
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 10/07/2026Think I'll keep doing science together with real people for the time being, if that's okay with you @nature.com.nature.comWhich ‘AI scientist’ suits your lab? A guide for the perplexedGeneral purpose AI tools for science, such as Claude Science, promise to accelerate research. But which is right for you? 34111
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Amazing illustration of evolution in action. Andean leaf-eared mice occupy highest elevations of any known mammal but also live at sea level. Mice in harsh environment of high elevations have enhanced thermogenic capacity in hypoxia, increased mitochondrial capacity & ability to eat toxic plants!🐭🧪science.orgAdaptation across an extreme elevational gradient in Andean leaf-eared mice, the world’s highest-dwelling mammalAndean leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis vaccarum) live at the highest elevations of any mammal, and they also have the broadest elevational range, from sea level to mountain summits of >6700 meters. Highlan... 2295
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 09/07/2026Huge thanks to Paul McCartney for our wonderful meeting last night, for the warm discussions about life, & for accompanying me on Let It Be. The experience was slightly marred by my dawning realisation, as the piano began to melt, that this was actually a dream. Nonetheless, a memory I will cherish. 2231
Simon Fisher @profsimonfisher.bsky.social · 08/07/2026Someone came up with a “humanizer” tool which modifies AI-written text to supposedly “match the author’s own voice”. Given the relentless onslaught of LLMs, I wonder if a typical scientist in the next generation will do enough actual writing/thinking to develop their own voice in the first place.😒🧪nature.com‘Humanizer’ tool can erase signs of AI-written text — alarming scientistsTool directs text-generation systems to remove constructions associated with artificial intelligence in research papers and grant proposals. 1244