Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Richard Sever @richardsever.bsky.social · Nov 8

New accessibility pilot on bioRxiv pilot: AI-generated paper summaries at 3 levels (general -> expert).

Click Automated Services in the dashboard to view these. We welcome feedback. connect.biorxiv.org/news/2023/11...

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Unofficial BBCNews (UK) Bot @bbcnews-uk-rss.bsky.social · Nov 26

Booker Prize 2023: Who are the shortlisted authors?

Three men called Paul are on the shortlist of six. Will one of them take the prize in tonight's ceremony?

www.bbc.co.uk

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Paul Guinnessy @paulguinnessy.bsky.social · Dec 4

I remember it was quicker to set a job running on our 32-bit VAX-11 overnight, than it was to get the results back from he supercomputer up in Birmingham (because it was so oversubscribed). thechipletter.substack.com/p/why-are-th...

Why Are There No Minicomputers Any More?

What lessons can we learn from the demise of 'mini' form factor, architectures and companies?

thechipletter.substack.com

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · Dec 15

A new computational tool provides insights into the structure of the cerebellum in mammals. elifesciences.org/articles/931...

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Stephen Royle @steveroyle.bsky.social · Dec 20

Please suggest a cool paper/preprint in your field in the last year or so!
For a course I teach, I am collecting papers on: cell/dev bio, microbio, neuro, maths/stats/CS/chem/phys applied to biology.

🧪
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Sjang ten Hagen @sjangtenhagen.bsky.social · Dec 13

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS – I'm teaming up with Marie-Gabrielle Verbergt to edit a special issue of Minerva on the history of peer review in the humanities (and its connection to the sciences). Submit your abstracts by March 15, 2024, and help us spread the word!

link.springer.com/collections/...

Call for Abstracts: The Past and Present of Humanities Peer Review

Abstract submission deadline: 15 March 2024 Peer review, i.e. the institutionalized evaluation of scholars and their outputs by others working in the same ...

link.springer.com

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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · Nov 18

‘When the painting was rediscovered by modern scholars in the 1990s, many distinguished commentators presumed that it was a caricature.’

Fara Dabhoiwala on uncovering the secret of the 18th-century portrait of a Jamaican scholar and businessman:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Fara Dabhoiwala · A Man of Parts and Learning: Francis Williams Gets His Due

The only certainty about the picture is that it shows Francis Williams. No one has ever been able to discover who...

www.lrb.co.uk

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Research on Research Institute (RoRI) @rorinstitute.bsky.social · Nov 13

The peer review system needs change. Let’s make publishing faster, more efficient, and rewarding 📈

Join us on 21 Nov at #AIMOS2024 or online on 26 Nov for the launch of MetaROR - an open platform by RoRI & AIMOS making reviews visible & reusable.

More info: researchonresearch.org/metaror-laun...

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The Guardian @theguardian.com · Dec 7

This is how we do it: ‘My life with my lover exists in a different universe to my marriage’

Sebastian and Vivianna have been in a secret relationship for seven years, which has maintained its intensity despite long absences from each other How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously There was always a sense that we were…

www.theguardian.com

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Science Magazine @science.org · Dec 18

A new Science and Retraction Watch investigation finds AI-generated commentary articles flood the literature with poor-quality publications and casts doubt on metrics of scholarly output and impact. scim.ag/4gJmD6O

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

scim.ag

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · Jan 16

🎉 eLife is pleased to announce Timothy Behrens (@behrenstimb.bsky.social) as our new Editor-in-Chief!

A distinguished neuroscientist and long-time supporter, Tim will lead our efforts in transforming research communication for all.

eLife appoints Timothy Behrens as Editor-in-Chief

Behrens will lead eLife’s efforts to improve research communication for all.

buff.ly

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Tim Behrens @behrenstimb.bsky.social · Jan 30

Hope you'll forgive a quick thread as I take over as the new EiC of @elife.bsky.social

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Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · Feb 21

Superb post from @alisongopnik.bsky.social. Although I grew up (in the UK) with the story being about Nail Soup. simons.berkeley.edu/news/stone-s...

Stone Soup AI

For some time, I’ve argued that a common conception of AI is misguided. This is the idea that AI systems like large language and vision models are individual intelligent agents, analogous to human age...

simons.berkeley.edu

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Nature @nature.com · Feb 27

Can toads can find their way home across long distances

https://go.nature.com/4ij5ZLM

Take me home, country toads

Cane toads have remarkable navigation abilities, even when their sense of smell and magnetic-sensory systems are compromised.

go.nature.com

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Davide Castelvecchi @castelvecchi.bsky.social · Mar 19

CERN's secular plan: Can we predict what technologies will be available 50 years from now that could make high-energy colliders radically different — or even obsolete? And some wonder whether we can even imagine what questions physicists will be asking in 2070. #FCC
www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The biggest machine in science: inside the fight to build the next giant particle collider

The European physics laboratory CERN is planning to build a mega collider by 2070. Critics say the plan could lead to its ruin.

www.nature.com

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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · Mar 25

Others in this growing collection:
By @blekhman.bsky.social

“Make no mistake: this is not just bad for science – it is bad for America.“

elifesciences.org/articles/106...

Science Under Threat in the United States: How scientists and institutions should respond

Individual researchers and university leaders need to make the case for science to their elected representatives and to the public at large.

elifesciences.org

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Vaughn Cooper @vscooper.micropopbio.org · Mar 25

By Nicolas Gilpin:
“It is clear that scientific communication by scientists, universities, and research societies must drastically improve.”

elifesciences.org/articles/106...

Science Under Threat in the United States: The NIH is a sound investment for the US taxpayer

Research funded by the National Institutes of Health is essential for improving the health of Americans and developing new drugs and treatments for a wide range of diseases.

elifesciences.org

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Ran Blekhman @blekhman.bsky.social · Mar 25

Trying to make sense of the current situation, I put together some thoughts in an op-ed for @elife.bsky.social on what we, as scientists, can do – and what institutions MUST do – to protect science right now

elifesciences.org/articles/106...

Science Under Threat in the United States: How scientists and institutions should respond

Individual researchers and university leaders need to make the case for science to their elected representatives and to the public at large.

elifesciences.org

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Anna Greene @annagreene.bsky.social · Mar 26

Last year, I was surprisingly diagnosed with AML. Attacks on science that we currently face threaten future scientific discoveries that can benefit individuals' health. This should scare us all. Read more about my story and thoughts on this below (with @casey.greenelab.com).

Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · Mar 26

Science Under Threat in the US
Research turns hope into reality
by @annagreene.bsky.social & @casey.greenelab.com
Two scientists describe how an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis underscores the need for continued federal support for research and access to care. elifesciences.org/articles/106...

Science Under Threat in the United States: Research turns hope into reality

Two scientists describe how an acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis underscores the need for continued federal support for research and access to care.

elifesciences.org

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Mayank Chugh (he/him) ✨ @mayankchugh.bsky.social · Mar 26

My undergraduate students & I have been having discussions about what the current US policies mean for the science, their career aspirations, & public health.

Thank you @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social @elife.bsky.social @elifecommunity.bsky.social
for giving us a space to share our voices & fears.

Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · Mar 26

Science Under Threat in the United States
The impact on undergraduate students
by @mayankchugh.bsky.social et al
Anti-science policies, funding cuts, scientific censorship and the US withdrawing from international commitments are worrying students.
elifesciences.org/articles/106...

Science Under Threat in the United States: The impact on undergraduate students

Anti-science policies, funding cuts, scientific censorship and the US withdrawing from international commitments are worrying members of the ReForm Lab at the College of William & Mary.

elifesciences.org

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · Mar 26

1/ NIH-funded research has come under a new level of fiscal scrutiny under Trump, sending shock waves through biomedical research.

As Nick Gilpin writes, at the core of these cuts is one question: Is it a worthwhile investment for the US taxpayer?
buff.ly/qJ8axNe

"Given the opportunity to invest one dollar and receive a guaranteed $2.56 in return, most Americans would likely do so without hesitation." Nicholas Gilpin

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · Mar 27

@abankston.bsky.social – a science policy fellow at the US House Representatives – outlines some options available for responding to the attacks on science and the scientific workforce in the US.
buff.ly/udqoZI5

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · Mar 27

There is plenty of scope for reducing bureaucracy for the benefit of research, @stuartbuck.bsky.social argues. However, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency are going about this completely the wrong way.
buff.ly/aLkxKhC

"If DOGE wants to fulfil the original mission to reduce bureaucracy and improve efficiency, it needs to execute a 180 degree change of direction." Stuart Buck

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Nature @nature.com · Apr 2

Long-awaited report explores the practicalities of building a triple-sized version of the LHC

https://go.nature.com/4iUOjqL

CERN releases detailed plans for supercollider — but no hints about funding

Long-awaited report explores the practicalities of building a triple-sized version of the LHC.

go.nature.com

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Matheus Gallas-Lopes @matheusglls.bsky.social · Apr 5

How replicable is Brazilian research? The Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative explores this key question, assessing how well biomedical studies can be reproduced using standard lab methods. Check our preprint 👇
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Estimating the replicability of Brazilian biomedical science

Concerns over the replicability and reproducibility of published research have grown in many research fields, but empirical data to inform policies are still scarce. Biomedical research in Brazil expa...

doi.org

Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · May 23

Webinar about the Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative next Friday.

And you you cannot wait until then . . . .
elifesciences.org/interviews/3...

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eLife @elife.bsky.social · Apr 14

Heading to #ASBMB25? Find us at stand 333 to talk about our publishing model and what we're doing for #OpenScience!

At the stand, you'll find friendly faces Shane Alsop and Matthew Perkins, plus some exclusive eLife goodies. We hope to see you there!

phot of shane and matthew at the E life booth at ASBMB

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Sreetama Bhadra @sreetamabhadra.bsky.social · Apr 14

How can we fix gender #inequality in #academia in 3 steps? Suggestions from our article in @elife.bsky.social with Gabriella Damasceno, @danielahoss.bsky.social, Alexandra Weyrich, a product of the iDiv Female Scientists initiative www.idiv.de/striving-for...

elifesciences.org/articles/105...

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Improving gender equity in academia depends on the workplace environment

The authors recommend actions that can be taken by individuals, institutions and policymakers to promote gender equity.

elifesciences.org

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Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · Apr 9

Congratulations to the Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative on publishing “Estimating the replicability of Brazilian biomedical science”.
Bottom line: replication rates varied between 15 and 45%

Matheus Gallas-Lopes @matheusglls.bsky.social · Apr 5

How replicable is Brazilian research? The Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative explores this key question, assessing how well biomedical studies can be reproduced using standard lab methods. Check our preprint 👇
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Estimating the replicability of Brazilian biomedical science

Concerns over the replicability and reproducibility of published research have grown in many research fields, but empirical data to inform policies are still scarce. Biomedical research in Brazil expa...

doi.org

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Peter Rodgers @drpeterrodgers.bsky.social · Apr 9

96 replications of 47 experiments were considered valid by an independent committee.

For these experiments, replication rates varied between 15 and 45% (according to 5 predefined criteria)

@elife.bsky.social article from 2019 about the initiative: elifesciences.org/articles/41602

Science Forum: The Brazilian Reproducibility Initiative

Researchers are undertaking a systematic assessment of the reproducibility of biomedical science in Brazil.

elifesciences.org

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