Alex Diaz-Papkovich
@alexandr.bsky.social
Statistician and mathematician. Postdoc working on population genetics at the Data Science Institute at Brown University. UWaterloo, Carleton, and McGill alum. Skeets are my own. He/him.
https://github.com/diazale
https://github.com/diazale
From 2022-23 I built a dataset using news stories of 2000+ times Canadian drivers crashed into people and structures. It prompted lots of questions, which I want to answer through a series of blog posts.
My first post outlines the data and some of those questions.
diazale.github.io/blogs/202511...
My first post outlines the data and some of those questions.
diazale.github.io/blogs/202511...
Working Through Data: Death By Car
From April 2022 to September 2023, I collected news stories of car crashes in Canada. Specifically, crashes where the drivers struck something or someone other than another vehicle. The rules were sim...
diazale.github.io
November 25, 2025 at 7:22 PM
From 2022-23 I built a dataset using news stories of 2000+ times Canadian drivers crashed into people and structures. It prompted lots of questions, which I want to answer through a series of blog posts.
My first post outlines the data and some of those questions.
diazale.github.io/blogs/202511...
My first post outlines the data and some of those questions.
diazale.github.io/blogs/202511...
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
A bad day for Canada, and therefore the world.
Ontario (population 16 million, 40% of the country) has passed new legislation prohibiting bike lanes that take a lane from cars.
An escalation from Bill 212, which required municipalities to get approval.
Ontario (population 16 million, 40% of the country) has passed new legislation prohibiting bike lanes that take a lane from cars.
An escalation from Bill 212, which required municipalities to get approval.
November 24, 2025 at 7:50 PM
A bad day for Canada, and therefore the world.
Ontario (population 16 million, 40% of the country) has passed new legislation prohibiting bike lanes that take a lane from cars.
An escalation from Bill 212, which required municipalities to get approval.
Ontario (population 16 million, 40% of the country) has passed new legislation prohibiting bike lanes that take a lane from cars.
An escalation from Bill 212, which required municipalities to get approval.
hell, when the first leg of the REM opened up me and my friends took it to DIX30 just because! and it was fun!
Lots of people on Reddit were in disbelief about all the positive REM videos, thinking it was a CDPQ conspiracy.
No, people really do like transit that much. You just don’t follow it when it happens in other cities.
And on top of that, the REM really is a particularly exciting project!
No, people really do like transit that much. You just don’t follow it when it happens in other cities.
And on top of that, the REM really is a particularly exciting project!
November 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
hell, when the first leg of the REM opened up me and my friends took it to DIX30 just because! and it was fun!
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
This bs is now top search result in Google
November 21, 2025 at 7:27 PM
This bs is now top search result in Google
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Give Jamie Loftus a Golden Globe you cowards
November 19, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Give Jamie Loftus a Golden Globe you cowards
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Advocates rally for lower speeds and safer streets in Providence
"We have the tools and know-how to prevent traffic violence and severe injuries. We can save lives by investing in safe road and vehicle designs and by prioritizing safety over speed."
steveahlquist.substack.com/p/advocates-...
"We have the tools and know-how to prevent traffic violence and severe injuries. We can save lives by investing in safe road and vehicle designs and by prioritizing safety over speed."
steveahlquist.substack.com/p/advocates-...
Advocates rally for lower speeds and safer streets in Providence
"We have the tools and know-how to prevent traffic violence and severe injuries. We can save lives by investing in safe road and vehicle designs and by prioritizing safety over speed."
steveahlquist.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:17 PM
Advocates rally for lower speeds and safer streets in Providence
"We have the tools and know-how to prevent traffic violence and severe injuries. We can save lives by investing in safe road and vehicle designs and by prioritizing safety over speed."
steveahlquist.substack.com/p/advocates-...
"We have the tools and know-how to prevent traffic violence and severe injuries. We can save lives by investing in safe road and vehicle designs and by prioritizing safety over speed."
steveahlquist.substack.com/p/advocates-...
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Amazing to have a byline with @cbo.bsky.social - read our take on Watson’s ultimate legacy in the Boston Globe. Will be in Sunday’s print edition.
"What James Watson got wrong about DNA"
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
By the great Sohini Ramachandran (@sramach.bsky.social) and your boy for The Boston Globe (@bostonglobe.com).
www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/14/o...
What James Watson got wrong about DNA - The Boston Globe
The science he helped pioneer consistently undermines his view that genes determine everything about us.
www.bostonglobe.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Amazing to have a byline with @cbo.bsky.social - read our take on Watson’s ultimate legacy in the Boston Globe. Will be in Sunday’s print edition.
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
I, for one, welcome our new trash panda overlords.
But for real, fascinating science on how we might be seeing the very early stages of domestication in action in wild animals. 🧪
By @marinacoladas.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social
But for real, fascinating science on how we might be seeing the very early stages of domestication in action in wild animals. 🧪
By @marinacoladas.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social
City Raccoons Are Evolving to Look More Like Pets
City-dwelling raccoons seem to be evolving a shorter snout—a telltale feature of our pets and other domesticated animals
www.scientificamerican.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:27 PM
I, for one, welcome our new trash panda overlords.
But for real, fascinating science on how we might be seeing the very early stages of domestication in action in wild animals. 🧪
By @marinacoladas.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social
But for real, fascinating science on how we might be seeing the very early stages of domestication in action in wild animals. 🧪
By @marinacoladas.bsky.social for @sciam.bsky.social
We could fix a lot of problems if it didn’t cost scientists $10k+ to publish open access articles and if people didn’t run into paywalls whenever they wanted to read medical or scientific research (that their taxes already paid for)
What is the most profitable industry in the world, this side of the law? Not oil, not IT, not pharma.
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
It's *scientific publishing*.
We call this the Drain of Scientific Publishing.
Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Background: doi.org/10.1162/qss_...
Thread @markhanson.fediscience.org.ap.brid.gy 👇
November 12, 2025 at 1:32 PM
We could fix a lot of problems if it didn’t cost scientists $10k+ to publish open access articles and if people didn’t run into paywalls whenever they wanted to read medical or scientific research (that their taxes already paid for)
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
🧵
C3S data shows that every year since the Paris Agreement has ranked among the 10 warmest on record.
C3S data shows that every year since the Paris Agreement has ranked among the 10 warmest on record.
November 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
🧵
C3S data shows that every year since the Paris Agreement has ranked among the 10 warmest on record.
C3S data shows that every year since the Paris Agreement has ranked among the 10 warmest on record.
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Jays are on track to win 14,342 to 0.
October 30, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Jays are on track to win 14,342 to 0.
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Can you predict when Lou Bega's greatest hit, Mambo No. 5, was released based on the names of all the women mentioned in the song?
Weirdly yes.
yawpr.substack.com/p/project-a-...
#databs #rstats
Weirdly yes.
yawpr.substack.com/p/project-a-...
#databs #rstats
October 21, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Can you predict when Lou Bega's greatest hit, Mambo No. 5, was released based on the names of all the women mentioned in the song?
Weirdly yes.
yawpr.substack.com/p/project-a-...
#databs #rstats
Weirdly yes.
yawpr.substack.com/p/project-a-...
#databs #rstats
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
World Series - Stadium Edition.
*skydome forever.
*skydome forever.
October 24, 2025 at 1:19 PM
World Series - Stadium Edition.
*skydome forever.
*skydome forever.
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Some common sources of microplastics in the Don River are construction foam, car tires, plastic pellets and tiny pieces shed from larger single-use plastics, Rochman said.
h/t @utoronto.ca
Cc: @juliedabrusin.bsky.social @toenviro.bsky.social @waterfrontoronto.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
h/t @utoronto.ca
Cc: @juliedabrusin.bsky.social @toenviro.bsky.social @waterfrontoronto.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
October 23, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Some common sources of microplastics in the Don River are construction foam, car tires, plastic pellets and tiny pieces shed from larger single-use plastics, Rochman said.
h/t @utoronto.ca
Cc: @juliedabrusin.bsky.social @toenviro.bsky.social @waterfrontoronto.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
h/t @utoronto.ca
Cc: @juliedabrusin.bsky.social @toenviro.bsky.social @waterfrontoronto.bsky.social
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
this map of Montreal's (extremely popular and successful) bike lane network is handy for these comments
October 23, 2025 at 12:51 AM
this map of Montreal's (extremely popular and successful) bike lane network is handy for these comments
Can't wait to dig into this one. They sequenced the DNA from a tooth from an archaic hominin who lived 200,000 years ago!
A high-coverage genome from a 200,000-year-old Denisovan https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.20.683404v1
October 21, 2025 at 1:50 AM
Can't wait to dig into this one. They sequenced the DNA from a tooth from an archaic hominin who lived 200,000 years ago!
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Katy Perry Releases New Single About Superiority Of Canadian Manufacturing
Katy Perry Releases New Single About Superiority Of Canadian Manufacturing
MONTECITO, CA—Signaling a new chapter in her career, pop star Katy Perry released a new single Monday about the superiority of Canadian manufacturing. “When I learned about the strength of Canadian au...
theonion.com
October 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Katy Perry Releases New Single About Superiority Of Canadian Manufacturing
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
I run a frankly wonderful website called HockeyViz.com, to which you can subscribe at several different levels, each providing you with joy* and many charts about the NHL. You can subscribe at hockeyviz.com/subscribe, and this thread will tell you what you'll get.
October 18, 2025 at 3:12 PM
I run a frankly wonderful website called HockeyViz.com, to which you can subscribe at several different levels, each providing you with joy* and many charts about the NHL. You can subscribe at hockeyviz.com/subscribe, and this thread will tell you what you'll get.
I'm mildly obsessed with how local laws mandated and shaped the Trader Joe's parking lot in Providence. Retail requires 1 spot per 500sqft, but you can (legally) fit more spots in the same area using 1-way angle parking. People say the lot is small, but it's still as big as the store!
October 11, 2025 at 8:25 PM
I'm mildly obsessed with how local laws mandated and shaped the Trader Joe's parking lot in Providence. Retail requires 1 spot per 500sqft, but you can (legally) fit more spots in the same area using 1-way angle parking. People say the lot is small, but it's still as big as the store!
I'm glad this works for some people but... I can't help but think of how many dodgy statistical analyses are already out there because of people blindly applying statistical software, and what happens when we add another layer of separation between the user and their understanding of the methods.
Y'all. I just got ChatGPT to do everything in R for this manuscript. I mean EVERYTHING. And it's all legit and reproducible. I'm shook.
How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?
scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
How are we mentoring our trainees in statistics now? Who needs to learn coding in R line by line, and who doesn't?
scienceforeveryone.science/statistics-i...
Statistics in the era of AI
How do we mentor, teach, and do stats when AI can do so much of the work?
scienceforeveryone.science
October 9, 2025 at 12:21 PM
I'm glad this works for some people but... I can't help but think of how many dodgy statistical analyses are already out there because of people blindly applying statistical software, and what happens when we add another layer of separation between the user and their understanding of the methods.
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
New preprint out with Brenna Henn, led by two fantastic grad students in our labs! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Recovering the pre-colonial population structure of Khoe-San descendant populations
San populations from Botswana and Namibia retain exceptional linguistic, cultural and genetic diversity, but few Khoisan-speaking groups remain south of the Kalahari Desert. However, historically, far...
www.biorxiv.org
October 8, 2025 at 4:23 PM
New preprint out with Brenna Henn, led by two fantastic grad students in our labs! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
Time for a thread!🧵 How different is the molecular organization of thylakoids in “higher” plants🌱? To find out, we teamed up with @profmattjohnson.bsky.social to dive into spinach chloroplasts with #CryoET ❄️🔬. Curious? ..Read on!
#TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪 🧶🧬 🌾
elifesciences.org/articles/105...
1/🧵
#TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪 🧶🧬 🌾
elifesciences.org/articles/105...
1/🧵
September 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Time for a thread!🧵 How different is the molecular organization of thylakoids in “higher” plants🌱? To find out, we teamed up with @profmattjohnson.bsky.social to dive into spinach chloroplasts with #CryoET ❄️🔬. Curious? ..Read on!
#TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪 🧶🧬 🌾
elifesciences.org/articles/105...
1/🧵
#TeamTomo #PlantScience 🧪 🧶🧬 🌾
elifesciences.org/articles/105...
1/🧵
Reposted by Alex Diaz-Papkovich
NEW: Vehicles registered to Doug Ford's cabinet ministers have been caught by automated speed cameras more than 20 times.
In one case, they were driving 70 in a 40 zone. On average, they were 17 over the limit. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1146373...
In one case, they were driving 70 in a 40 zone. On average, they were 17 over the limit. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1146373...
Vehicles registered to Ford cabinet ministers caught by speed cameras more than 20 times | Globalnews.ca
Documents obtained by Global News reveal that, over three years, vehicles registered to Ford’s cabinet minister received more than $3,300 in fines for speeding.
globalnews.ca
October 6, 2025 at 11:34 AM
NEW: Vehicles registered to Doug Ford's cabinet ministers have been caught by automated speed cameras more than 20 times.
In one case, they were driving 70 in a 40 zone. On average, they were 17 over the limit. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1146373...
In one case, they were driving 70 in a 40 zone. On average, they were 17 over the limit. #OnPoli
globalnews.ca/news/1146373...