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Rahul Siddharthan

@rsidd120.bsky.social
837 followers 1.4K following 97 posts

Computational biology at IMSc Chennai. Regulatory genomics, chromatin, evolution, ML and health.

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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Dead Neanderthals @deadneanderthals.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
BTW our manuscript has been accepted for publication this week in Bioengineered! The editorial board is showing real courage. I hope this serves as an example for all other publishers. @elisabethbik.bsky.social @thatsregrettab1.bsky.social @smutclyde.bsky.social @mortenoxe.bsky.social
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Dead Neanderthals @deadneanderthals.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
The journal Bioengineered is going to pause all submissions and are currently investigating over 1000 papers they've published in the past. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... We could only dream of this outcome after our investigation: arxiv.org/abs/2503.21267 1/2
tandfonline.com
Publisher note: suspending submissions to Bioengineered
Published in Bioengineered (Vol. 16, No. 1, 2025)
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
RIP Jayant Narlikar, a titan of Indian science. I first heard of him in middle school when he gave a Hindi summary of Carl Sagan's Cosmos on Doordarshan. I acquired some of his books in high school. I didn't do astronomy but had the good fortune of meeting him, briefly, just a few months ago.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
Spotted in Paris. Wish it was a real book (maybe a bande dessinée of the Beatles?)
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
If science has no passport, perhaps the EU can make conference and research visas easier for the global south. (And India's conference visa rules are no better.) France is relatively friendly to scientists seeking visas. Some other Schengen states are horrible.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
This is after the fatal crash caused by a Black Hawk at the same airport!
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
We have extended our deadline for applying to our PhD programme in computational biology by 12 days. Apply by May 12 if you have a mathematical bent of mind, biology interest, and necessary conditions met! (4-year or 5-year degree in STEM, any qualifying exam) More: www.imsc.res.in/phd_programm...
imsc.res.in
Ph.D. Programme in Computational Biology | The Institute of Mathematical Sciences
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
If American science dies (or goes into a long, slow decline), what will replace it? No other country is close. www.vox.com/future-perfe...
vox.com
The self-inflicted death of American science has already begun
Trump’s crackdown on foreign students and scientists will do irreparable harm to the country.
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Nicole Tersigni @nicsigni.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
you’re fired. wait you’re rehired. email us a list of things you’ve done today wait forget it you’re fired again. come back your job was important. you’re fired. or hired. come in to the office. wait the office has no computers go home. we are the department of government efficiency.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Cuisine evolves. A lot of "Indian" dishes are unthinkable without chilis, potatoes, tomatoes, all of which originated in the Americas. But at least they have been here for a few hundred years. Many iconic "Italian" dishes are a lot more recent, it seems. www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
bbc.com
Is there no such thing as Italian cuisine?
Italian cuisine may be one of the most recognised and loved in the world. But now, a food historian is arguing that the Italian food as we know it is barely a few decades old.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 25/02/2025
Before taking a week off social media, let me add some points 8. The winners from the chaos and destruction in US defence, security and intelligence departments are Beijing and Moscow 9. Musk has significant business ties with China 10. (repeating 6) Musk was not elected
Scott Adam's list of the worst takes on DOGE which allegedly reveal your business inexperience
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 15/02/2025
Hi @janecasey.bsky.social, just read "Outside the door". Previously you wrote a story from Georgia's p.o.v. which made her much more likeable. Liv was already likeable and this story from her p.o.v. makes her much *less* so... or so it seems? Curtain raiser for complications in "Secret room"?
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 02/02/2025
With all Trump's talk of annexing Canada, I'm surprised this 2004 meme hasn't showed up very much (cf en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesusla...)
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 29/01/2025
remember stuff like this when they tell you that diversity means a lowering of standards
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
Beautiful tribute to a giant, the last of The Band www.rollingstone.com/music/music-...
rollingstone.com
Garth Hudson Was the Spirit and Soul of The Band's Musical Brotherhood
The Band were the ultimate rock & roll fantasy of brotherhood, and Garth Hudson was the glue guy who made the fantasy real. Rob Sheffield pays tribute
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 16/01/2025
I took a Tesla taxi in Germany some time ago and this vision system seemed impressive (no trains in sight) and totally unnecessary. Which human driver needs this? But this is why my electric car (Tata Nexon) cost < €20000 (take-home) while the cheapest Tesla costs ~ €40000 (before duties/taxes).
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Al Yankovic @alyankovic.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
I love Los Angeles - I was born and raised here, and I’ll probably always live here. I have never seen devastation and heartbreak like I’ve seen in the past week. It’s unimaginable.  Like pretty much everyone else in L.A., I have several close friends who have lost everything. My heart goes out to those who are suffering, and my profound thanks goes out to all the helpers, including World Central Kitchen, Red Cross LA, LAFD Foundation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Wildfire Recovery Fund, California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund, and of course all of our incredibly brave firefighters (shoutout to Canada and Mexico for being good neighbors).  To all my fellow Angelenos, please stay safe and keep your chins up - we’ll get through this.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
I don't think many Californians voted for accelerating global climate change. Many Americans, however, did.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 12/01/2025
I privately reached out to folk I know/knew in the LA area, but have undoubtedly forgotten many and know many more only via SM. All of you, hope you are safe. Scary scary visuals.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
It would be more accurate to say that the toffee business previously boomed, not because of genuine demand, but because of the government's inability to get enough small coins into circulation. Now the toffee demand is back to realistic values, i.e. not much demand. www.livemint.com/money/how-16...
livemint.com
How 16.73 billion UPI transactions killed the ubiquitous toffee business | Mint
Check out how the 16.73 billion Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions, as of December 2024, are hurting the toffee business in the nation.
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
MANJUL @manjultoons.bsky.social · 09/01/2025
#Cartoon #ManmohanSingh #GDP Linktr.ee/MANJULtoons
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
My experience as an EV owner, after about 14 months / 13,000 km. Should answer a lot of questions I have received, at greater length than anyone would want, probably. horadecubitus.wordpress.com/2025/01/07/e...
horadecubitus.wordpress.com
Electric cars: An owner’s view after one year
Having owned an electric vehicle (Tata Nexon) for a bit over 14 months / 13,000 km now, and given the amount of disinformation and controversy (even on auto forums) about EVs and infrastructure, th…
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 06/01/2025
An example of the Streisand effect. By trying to censor @anntelnaes.bsky.social the BezosPost has amplified her.
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Paul Krugman @pkrugman.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
Democrats say this, Republicans say that. But don't readers deserve to hear some facts? paulkrugman.substack.com/p/bothsidesi...
paulkrugman.substack.com
Bothsidesing, With a Republican Slant: Here We Go Again
Election results don’t change the facts
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
Good thread, and all countries should adopt this in particular. But not just speed, acceleration should be limited. EV makers are now selling cars that go from 0 to 100 km/h in ≈ 2 seconds. That is ridiculous: nobody needs that.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 01/01/2025
Happy new year, from peaceful Yercaud
Photo of my laptop on my lap, with dog and Yercaud retreat in background
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
I have encountered too many academics that only stay for the day of their presentation. Including international travellers that just fly in and out after agreeing to participate. (I plead innocent of that: I generally stay at least 2 days if within India, full meeting if elsewhere!)
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Anthony Etherin @anthonyetherin.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
THE FRANKENSTEIN SONNETS (Two Shakespearean sonnets in iambic pentameter. The first is a palindrome; the second is composed of anagrammed lines)
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
It seems to me that humans have a big advantage over AI: AI depends on human-generated power. When AI machines learn how to power themselves, that's when we need to worry, or am I missing something? There are other societal dangers with AI of course. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
‘Godfather of AI’ shortens odds of the technology wiping out humanity over next 30 years
Geoffrey Hinton says there is 10% to 20% chance AI will lead to human extinction in three decades, as change moves fast
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Vishwesha (Vishu) Guttal ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ ಗುತ್ತಲ್ @vishuguttal.bsky.social · 27/12/2024
Finally, nice to see the beautiful work and efforts of @shikharabhat.bsky.social as a Synthesis article in the Am Nat! Our work provides a math framework unifying various previous results on the effects of stochasticity on evolutionary outcomes: journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10....
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
Surprised by this: at least in Chennai you can find "beef and pork" shops (advertised as such) within 100 metres of temples/mosques
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
So there are lots of Indians here on bluesky. Or maybe it's Australians who hate the #1 trender? I like the science on this place better on the whole but the ex birdplace has more India-relevant stuff even now. How to change that?
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 26/12/2024
Maybe the Democrats didn't listen to the concerns of the average voters. Or maybe the median voter is an irredeemable conspiracy theorist. Depressing. Where America leads, the world follows—in this aspect India is likely ahead. www.salon.com/2024/12/26/c...
salon.com
QAnon fell out of headlines in 2024 — but only because conspiracy theory is the new normal
The single biggest reason Trump won? The median voter ignores real news to consume endless disinformation
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Soumitra সৌমিত্র சௌமித்ரா سومترہ @netshrink.bsky.social · 25/12/2024
Young ppl: Outlive Chat is a safe space to find peer support & tools to help manage difficult feelings & thoughts of ending your life. It has many tools that can help you manage your thoughts & feelings in difficult moments. It's free! Pl RT & share chat.outlive.in/landing-page
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
Sorry, this author should be locked in a room and made to read ET Jaynes's book "Probability theory: the logic of science". « any practical use of probability involves subjective judgements. » only when setting the priors. Those "subjective judgements" are important. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
nature.com
Why probability probably doesn’t exist (but it is useful to act like it does)
All of statistics and much of science depends on probability — an astonishing achievement, considering no one’s really sure what it is.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 19/12/2024
When the obsession with citations and impact factors meets ChatGPT: thousands of AI-generated reviews, hundreds in one year in just one journal (Neurosurgical Review), of which 122 from just one institution (Saveetha university). Win-win for authors, univs, publishers www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Shoddy commentaries—a quick and dirty route to higher impact numbers—are on the rise
AI-generated content floods literature with poor-quality publications, casts doubt on metrics, Science and Retraction Watch investigation finds
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
I was vegetarian (not vegan) growing up and have eaten other stuff occasionally for many years now, but for some reason this post got me thinking about Roald Dahl's short story "Pig". (**NOT*** one of his children's stories)
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Wow. Amazing how Buddhist poets over 2000 years ago perfectly anticipated social media
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 18/12/2024
Not just America
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
NPR @npr.org · 16/12/2024
JUST IN: Hussain's career spanned over five decades, during which he was revered as both a national treasure in India and admired worldwide.
npr.org
Zakir Hussain, legendary tabla virtuoso who defied genres, dies at 73
Hussain's career spanned over five decades, during which he was revered as both a national treasure in India and admired worldwide.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
I was beginning to worry. So I asked ChatGPT
I asked ChatGPT: Is Bluesky subject to enshittification? It answered:

"Enshittification," a term coined by tech critic Cory Doctorow, describes the process by which platforms start out serving users well, then prioritize other stakeholders (like advertisers or investors), ultimately degrading the user experience to maximize profits. Whether Bluesky is subject to this dynamic depends on its structure, incentives, and governance model.

[much detail beyond character limit]

Conclusion

Bluesky's decentralized architecture gives it some inherent defenses against enshittification, but it’s not immune. Long-term success will depend on whether its governance structures resist the pull of profit maximization at users' expense and maintain alignment with its original values.
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
How can you resist an invitation to a conference talk from Julie Andrews?
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
Word
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 13/12/2024
The federal crash-reporting rule Tesla opposes could be on the chopping block
tcrn.ch
The federal crash-reporting rule Tesla opposes could be on the chopping block
The Trump transition team wants to end a federal rule requiring automakers to report crashes when advanced driver-assistance or autonomous driving technology is engaged, Reuters reports. Federal safety agencies would lose the ability to investigate and…
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Very Europe-dominated. India has Punjab (#7), Maharashtra (#41), West Bengal (#54), Southern India (#59; "southern India" is as diverse as "southern Europe"!) Meanwhile Italy, Greece, France and others have multiple specific sub-regions like Campania, Pelopponese, Brittany...
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Confluence (online platform from the Indian Academy of Sciences) republished what I wrote confluence.ias.ac.in/one-nation-o...
confluence.ias.ac.in
One nation, one subscription: A good first step | Confluence
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Reposted by Rahul Siddharthan
Randall Munroe @xkcd.com · 12/12/2024
The Maritime Approximation xkcd.com/3023
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Rahul Siddharthan @rsidd120.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
If there is one lesson from the covid pandemic to be drawn, it is: let's not use the lab as a playground to make pathogens even more dangerous. (Whether or not that is what actually caused the pandemic.) This article is scary.
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