Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

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Brady West @bradytwest.bsky.social · 35m

💯

samuel mehr @mehr.nz · Dec 14

it's wild that R, the ubiquitous statistical computing language, was co-created by a Māori prof (Ross Ihaka) — and yet the vast majority of scientists who use R don't know

this is like inventing the toaster. possibly the largest impact of a single member of an indigenous community on modern science

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The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 20h

VIRGINIA CALLER: “As a Republican, I'm very disappointed in my party, and I'm very disappointed in you… I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die... the audacity of someone who makes 6 figures a year to do this to military families is insane.” #TrumpShutdown

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Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · 2h

I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

🧵 1/7

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 2h

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee, in announcing the award, cited “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

Update from Jonathan Wolfe

www.nytimes.com

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Sarah Brayne @sarahbrayne.bsky.social · 9d

Stanford Sociology is fortunate to have an open senior search this year! More info in the job announcement here: facultypositions.stanford.edu/cw/en-us/job...

Stanford | Faculty Positions: Details - Senior appointment in the Department of Sociology at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor

facultypositions.stanford.edu

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Randi Weingarten 🖇️📚✊🇺🇸 @rweingarten.bsky.social · 7h

New study shows COVID vaccines:
💉Reduced people’s risk of ER by 29%
💉Reduced risk of hospitalizations by 39%
💉Reduced the risk of death by 64%
💉Vaccination was effective in all age groups and “in persons with or without major chronic conditions.”
www.scientificamerican.com/article/new-...

Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows

A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination

www.scientificamerican.com

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Leah Litman @leahlitman.bsky.social · 16h

Brett Kavanaugh: “The Govt sometimes makes brief investigative stops …”

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 9h

To his great credit

Alex Wayne @aawayne.bsky.social · 18h

“Oklahomans would lose their mind if Pritzker in Illinois sent troops down to Oklahoma during the Biden administration.”

The Republican chair of the National Governors Association breaks with Trump.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

Oklahoma’s Republican Governor Criticizes National Guard Deployment in Chicago

www.nytimes.com

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Toshi Clark @shikataganai.bsky.social · 19h

as a physician, I'll note that if you have a fetus in your placenta then something has gone quite wrong indeed

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George Conway 👊🇺🇸🔥 @gtconway.bsky.social · 1d

www.nbcnews.com/politics/con...

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Siva @sivav.bsky.social · 1d

The “compact” for higher ed is an unserious document written by unserious people from a position of spectacular ignorance. No one should take it seriously. Sadly, my bosses are taking it seriously.

newrepublic.com/article/2013...

Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down

How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education

newrepublic.com

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Dr. Samantha Hancox-Li @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com · 1d

i know leftists have all their memes about rainbow-painted b-52s but i think resegregating the military is bad actually

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/u...

Trump Fires Black Officials From an Overwhelmingly White Administration

www.nytimes.com

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Johnny Ryan @johnnyryan.bsky.social · 1d

Big piece in POLITICO asking about the independence of Ireland's process of appointing people to its Data Protection Commission. There is deep unease in Brussels about Ireland appointing a former Meta lobbyist as Meta's watchdog. Now questions about who was involved.

www.politico.eu/article/big-...

Big Tech lawyer played key role in picking Ireland’s new privacy regulator

Former Meta lobbyist Niamh Sweeney will co-lead the Irish Data Protection Commission from mid-October.

www.politico.eu

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 1d

Weirdly like the small Connecticut town where I grew up!

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 1d

This has been the time eternal argument about new technologies. It’s not the technology. It’s a policy choice. It’s why places like Belgium are reducing their workweek, while American tech gods want us to sleep on pullouts in our offices.

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 1d

Ari Emanuel bets AI will boost leisure time with three-day working week on.ft.com/48RbY99

Ari Emanuel bets AI will boost leisure time with three-day working week

Hollywood agent raises almost $3bn from investors including Apollo and QIA for venture spanning tennis to car auctions

on.ft.com

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 1d

Winner!!!

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hilzoy @hilzoy.bsky.social · 1d

Worcester (MA)

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Memento (Spooky) Morty 🌙 @mementomorty.bsky.social · 1d

Losing the war on woke

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Trump is fighting sleep during this antifa roundtable and sleep is gaining the upper hand

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Pam Herd @pamherd.bsky.social · 1d

Paging @weedenkim.bsky.social. What’s your take on this???

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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 1d

JUST IN: The Republican Mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska’s second biggest city, lost re-election last night to a Democrat.

Mayor David Pruhs is a conservative who fought protections for LGBTQ+ residents; he made comments this year drew condemnation this year from Alaska Natives. He lost to Mindy O'Neall.

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ProPublica @propublica.org · 2d

Your periodic reminder that you have the right to find out why your health insurer denied your claim.

We built a tool to help you do it: projects.propublica.org/claimfile/

Find Out Why Health Insurance Denied Your Claim

You likely have the right to access records that explain why your insurer denied your claim or prior authorization request. Use ProPublica’s free tool to generate a letter requesting your claim file f...

projects.propublica.org

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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 1d

Good lord.

@apnews.com

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Ishmail Abdus-Saboor @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social · 1d

I’m extremely honored to be a recipient of the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award!

Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute @zuckermanbrain.bsky.social · 1d

Congratulations to @ishmailsaboor.bsky.social on receiving the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, celebrating “scientists with outstanding records of creativity.” His lab will explore how the sense of touch can help build relationships. 🫶🧠💡

See zuckermaninstitute.columbia.edu/zuckerman-in...

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Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law @jhppl.bsky.social · 1d

@pamherd.bsky.social analyzes why MAHA won't make Americans healthy, give its focus on individual solutions to systemic health challenges & its disconnect from scientific institutions. The upending of health agency independence will have an enduring impact. read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/articl...

MAHA Won't Make Americans Healthy Again: The Politicization of U.S. Federal Health Agencies During the Second Trump Administration | Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law | Duke University Press

read.dukeupress.edu

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Omri Marian @omrimarian.bsky.social · 2d

I have worked with Katie when there were no cameras around for several years. She's great. Some people just can't handle the fact she can easily call their BS.

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