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Alexander Mark Weber

@weberam2.bsky.social
147 followers 246 following 140 posts

Assistant Professor 🔍 in the Department of Pediatrics at UBC, Vancouver, Canada 🇨🇦 Interested in multi-model quantitative MRI 🧲 in developing baby brains 👶🧠. Outdoor enthusiast 🧗🏂🚴🏻‍♂️🥾 weberlab.github.io @weberam2@mastodon.social

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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
🚨NEW PAPER OUT IN #ImagingNeuroscience🚨 In our new study, we tested whether the Hurst exponent (H) from fMRI reflects the brain's excitatory:inhibitory (E:I) balance measured with MR spectroscopy. 🧠🧵 The idea comes from critical brain theory... direct.mit.edu/imag/article...
direct.mit.edu
Does the brain’s E:I balance really shape long-range temporal correlations? Lessons learned from 3T MRI
Abstract. A 3T multimodal MR study of healthy adults (n = 18; 10 female; 21.3–53.4 years) was performed to investigate the relationship between functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) long-range ...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
University Professors in the Neoliberal Academic Ecosystem m.youtube.com/watch?v=PGO4... Crossposted with @openvibe.social
m.youtube.com
University Professors in the Neoliberal Academic Ecosystem
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
"Contemporary academic job management culture is fundamentally incompatible with quality research and lecturing." www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
www.experimental-history.com/p/text-is-king Is reading dying? Some interesting thoughts in here
experimental-history.com
Text is king - by Adam Mastroianni - Experimental History
read on, queen
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Michael Reeves @integralpilot.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
On Apple M3, a Linux KDE plasma desktop under Fedora Asahi Remix is now WORKING! Super excited to share this update and happy to answer any questions! Co-credits to noopwafel and Shiz. :)
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
" a submission tsunami fueled by generative AI, paper mills, and publication pressure has strained these conferences' review pipelines to the breaking point" gptzero.me/news/neurips/
gptzero.me
GPTZero finds 100 new hallucinations in NeurIPS 2025 accepted papers
GPTZero's analysis 4841 papers accepted by NeurIPS 2025 show there are at least 100 with confirmed hallucinations
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Original post: mastodon.online/@parismarx/1...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
As AI systems advance, they will challenge our fundamental assumptions about research quality, scholarly communication, and the nature of intellectual labor. gwern.net/doc/science/... #science #academia #publishing #llm
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PessoaBrain @pessoabrain.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆? @lucinauddin.bsky.social explains many of the challenges and controversies! Great discussion too. Check out the latest Neuroscience & Philosophy Salon. youtu.be/pP5swFPR0Ns
youtu.be
Prof. Lucina Uddin from UCLA discusses her views on brain networks as studied with functional MRI
YouTube video by Neuroscience & Philosophy Salon
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
bsky.app
@elife.bsky.social on Bluesky
New maps of brain folds from 26 carnivoran species show how differences in behaviour and ecology appear in their anatomy. buff.ly/IQvBHbh
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eLife @elife.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
New maps of brain folds from 26 carnivoran species show how differences in behaviour and ecology appear in their anatomy. buff.ly/IQvBHbh
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Blood flow ≠ oxygen consumption www.tum.de/en/news-and-...
tum.de
40 percent of MRI signals misinterpreted - TUM
Interpretation of numerous MRI data may be incorrect: blood flow is not a reliable indicator of brain activity.
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Dan Levenstein @dlevenstein.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
Some really good tips here. Wish I had learned number 3 earlier, or ever for that matter 🥲 www.reddit.com/r/GradSchool...
reddit.com
From the GradSchool community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the GradSchool community
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Does anyone know how to access the #Altmetric API now? They require an API key, which, when i applied for one they denies me. Very annoying, as I had a python script that pulled the Altmetric data and autopopulated my CV. Now I have to do this manually
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Science in Vancouver @scienceinvancouver.com · 10/10/2025
A recent study led by Drs. @weberam2.bsky.social and Ruth Grunau explores an innovative way to measure how preterm infants’ brains use oxygen, using advanced MRI technology that is both safe and noninvasive. Learn more about the work from UBC and @bcchresearch.bsky.social: bit.ly/46HAZ5m
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Very cool explanation of Markov Chains and how LLMs are just fancier versions of an old idea elijahpotter.dev/articles/mar...
elijahpotter.dev
Markov Chains Are the Original Language Models
Back in my day, we used math for autocomplete.
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
WILD www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...
smithsonianmag.com
These Ant Queens Seem to Defy Biology: They Lay Eggs That Hatch Into Another Species
Iberian harvester ant queens produce offspring of their own species and of the builder harvester ant, seemingly by cloning males
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
I am giving a talk next week about how to use your computer in a more efficient way: #homerowmods, copy/paste with #copyq, screenshots with #flameshot, #wezterm, #tmux, #zsh, #vim, #neovim, #windowtilingmanager, #bat, #eza, #fzf, #rg, #fd, #zoxide, #yazi or #vifm, #lazygit Any other ideas?
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
Big news! I was on a podcast for @bcchresearch.bsky.social This was research in #preterm #brains, #oxygenation measured with #arterialspinlabelling and #qsm, and looking at ventilation methods. Read more about the study here: bsky.app/profile/webe... plmlex.clicks.mlsend.com/tl/c/eyJ2Ijo...
plmlex.clicks.mlsend.com
Transforming neonatal care through MRI innovation - Best Lives
This episode explores new research from BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) that uses an innovative MRI technique to measure brain oxygen metabolism in preterm infants. Dr. Alexander Web...
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Heejung Jung @jungheejung.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
New Open dataset alert: 🧠 Introducing "Spacetop" – a massive multimodal fMRI dataset that bridges naturalistic and experimental neuroscience! N = 101 x 6 hours each = 606 functional iso-hours combining movies, pain, faces, theory-of-mind and other cognitive tasks! 🧵below
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
Publish or perish incentivises researchers to publish more, where scientific fraud has now become its own industry www.science.org/content/arti...
science.org
Scientific fraud has become an ‘industry,’ alarming analysis finds | Science | AAAS
Sophisticated global networks are infiltrating journals to publish fake papers
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 29/07/2025
My work is being highlighted by BCCHR Communications, but I don't use Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn: Facebook: www.facebook.com/share/p/1E3k... Instagram: www.instagram.com/p/DMqKEWAp-G... LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
facebook.com
Redirecting...
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Nature @nature.com · 23/07/2025
Scientists overwhelmingly recognize the value of sharing null results, but rarely publish them in the research literature go.nature.com/450KElr
go.nature.com
Researchers value null results, but struggle to publish them
Survey finds that fear of reputational harm and a lack of support and publication platforms are among respondents’ key concerns.
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Berna Devezer @devezer.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
I believe at this time we can afford more nuance and precision than this. Most null results are uninformative because most experiments are uninformative because we use NHST to replace the scientific process. We can't keep avoiding the root problem forever. Also the focus on efficiency is jarring.
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Interesting theory re #schizophrenia www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/schizophre...
psychiatrymargins.com
Schizophrenia Is the Price We Pay for Minds Poised Near the Edge of a Cliff
Cliff-edged fitness functions and the evolution of schizophrenia
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
Interesting theory re #schizophrenia www.psychiatrymargins.com/p/schizophre...
psychiatrymargins.com
Schizophrenia Is the Price We Pay for Minds Poised Near the Edge of a Cliff
Cliff-edged fitness functions and the evolution of schizophrenia
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Katherine Pearson @kpear.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Basic science is essential. "Most drugs don’t begin with research intended to make that drug. In fact, the results of their study showed that 80% of the medicines on their list led back to a discovery from basic research without any intention of creating a new drug" www.chronicle.com/article/in-d...
chronicle.com
In Defense of ‘Silly’ Science
Basic research and the value of curiosity.
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Utterly fascinating "Researchers using the same data and hypothesis arrive at different conclusions" www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
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Aidan Wright @aidangcw.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Pro tip, folks: if you make a figure for a publication, don’t just hand the copyright over to the publisher. Post it on OSF first and then give yourself permission to use it in the first publication and then all future publications. That way, no permissions issues.
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Am I crazy, or did this paper get published with very low resolution figures? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Developmental patterns of white matter functional networks in neonates
In recent years, the development of neonatal brain networks has become a research focus, with traditional studies primarily emphasizing gray matter (G…
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Diedrich Bader @diedrichbader.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
This is breathtakingly shortsighted and just plain dumb
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Excited to share my #biocommentary for @springernature.com in @pediatricresearch.bsky.social 📝✨ From #neuroscience at UofT 🧠 to discovering #MRI 🧲 at McMaster, then moving to BC to work with @rauschermri.bsky.social🏔️ My journey as an #assistantprofessor over the last 5 years! 👩‍🔬📚 rdcu.be/enUNo
rdcu.be
ECI biocommentary
Pediatric Research - ECI biocommentary
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 21/05/2025
Seems useful for grant and paper writing 128 words to use instead of "very" #grants #papers #academia
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 20/05/2025
🚨NEW PAPER OUT IN #NMRinBiomedicine🚨 We developed a noninvasive MRI method to measure brain oxygen use (CMRO₂) and blood flow (CBF) in preterm infants. This could be key for understanding early brain development! #Neonatology #MRI #BrainHealth #openaccess 👶🧪 doi.org/10.1002/nbm.... 🧵 1/9
doi.org
Assessing Semiregional Cerebral Oxygen Consumption (CMRO2) in Preterm Neonates: A Quantitative MRI Cohort Study With Exploratory Analysis of Respiratory Support
This study presents a novel multimodal MRI approach to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) and oxygen metabolism (CMRO2) in preterm infants. Exploratory findings suggest noninvasive respiratory support...
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Rafeeque Mavoor @rafeequemavoor.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
🧵5 Top Free Alternatives to BioRender for Scientific Illustrations! These five websites offer free scientific illustrations for biologists. Great for presentations, research papers and other research communication needs. Save and share the post!
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Very cool review paper that cited our work "studies suggest that neonatal metastability develops over the third gestational trimester, with ... greater signal complexity." www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... the paper they cited: doi.org/10.1093/CERC...
sciencedirect.com
Development of brain metastable dynamics during the equivalent of the third gestational trimester
Metastability, a concept from dynamical systems theory, provides a framework for understanding how the brain shifts between various functional states …
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Good article being skeptical of #fMRI skepticism onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Good article being skeptical of #fMRI skepticism onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....
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Imaging Neuroscience @imagingneurosci.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
New paper in Imaging Neuroscience by Elodie Germani, Camille Maumet, et al: On the validity of fMRI mega-analyses using data processed with different pipelines doi.org/10.1162/imag...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Super interesting: perhaps our concepts of ancient use of psychedelics is totally off www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
theguardian.com
The ancient psychedelics myth: ‘People tell tourists the stories they think are interesting for them’ | Drugs | The Guardian
The narrative of ancient tribes around the world regularly using ayahuasca and magic mushrooms in healing practices is a popular one. Is it true?
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Some great points in here www.arj.no/2024/10/19/p... Specifically, I had never heard of: - www.arj.no/2022/11/21/e... and - open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu
arj.no
Peer Review is Killing Science | ARJ (English)
I write about how peer review is currently ruining the scientific system.
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Cool article about hydrogen - the most abundant atom - and how it's creation will have either aligned or not aligned spins, and how the transition will create a photon with 21cm wavelength; perhaps the most important wavelength of light bigthink.com/starts-with-...
bigthink.com
Why 21 cm is our Universe's "magic length" - Big Think
Photons come in every wavelength you can imagine. But one particular quantum transition makes light at precisely 21 cm, and it's magical.
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Aperture Neuro @apertureohbm.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Germann et al. propose a new deformation-based morphometry pipeline to measure longitudinal within-subject volumetric changes: doi.org/10.52294/001... @fmri-today.bsky.social @mallarchak.bsky.social @ohbmofficial.bsky.social
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Brian Nosek @briannosek.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Call for collaborators! We are launching the Replicability Project: Health Behavior (RPHB) to replicate a sample of findings relevant to public health, epidemiology, health policy, and behavioral science. Teams receive funding for conducting replication studies. Details: www.cos.io/rphb
cos.io
Replicability Project: Health Behavior (RPHB)
The Center for Open Science (COS) is launching the Replicability Project: Health Behavior (RPHB), which is a large-scale, multi-team effort to help support a transparent and trustworthy foundation in ...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
Original post: mastodon.social/@thetransmit...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Original post: wisskomm.social/@ChariteBerl...
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Oh interesting
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Rogier Min @rogiermin.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Excited to share our latest paper! We argue that in MS, the primary immune attack isn’t on myelin or myelinated axons — but on the ion & water homeostasis machinery in astrocyte endfeet. A short thread on this new perspective 1/11
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Alexander Mark Weber @weberam2.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Whoa
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Waggoner Lab @labwaggoner.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
A western dietary pattern during pregnancy is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and adolescence @natmetabolism.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s42...
nature.com
A western dietary pattern during pregnancy is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood and adolescence - Nature Metabolism
Leveraging four large, longitudinal, prospectively-followed mother–child cohorts, this study shows that a western diet in early–mid-pregnancy is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders in the off...
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