Larry Hunter
@proflhunter.bsky.social
Knowledge based biomedical data science, artificial intelligence for discovery in molecular biomedicine, computational bioethics, theory of mattering. University of Chicago / Big Island HI
Tooze on China and climate change: “My deep conviction is that the west needs to accept the end of its era of global domination. ... Ours is a bit part and not the starring role. We’re not the love interest. This song is not about us.” Worth the read!
“Many of the same countries that chose 80 years ago to ally with the Soviet Union to fight Germany will have to decide whether and on what terms they want to work with an economically dominant China on the climate problem.” Wow what a profile www.theguardian.com/business/202...
The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age
The long read: Whether it’s the financial crash, the climate emergency or the breakdown of the international order, historian Adam Tooze has become the go-to guide to the radical new world we’ve enter...
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Tooze on China and climate change: “My deep conviction is that the west needs to accept the end of its era of global domination. ... Ours is a bit part and not the starring role. We’re not the love interest. This song is not about us.” Worth the read!
Reposted by Larry Hunter
"If this change happens, over 100,000 children who are diagnosed with autism each year could claim compensation from the VICP...The expected groundswell of compensation claims and lawsuits will easily bankrupt the vaccine compensation pool..."
From @zekeemanuel.bsky.social.
wapo.st/3NyZ9Yt
From @zekeemanuel.bsky.social.
wapo.st/3NyZ9Yt
Opinion | How RFK Jr. plans to bankrupt vaccine manufacturers
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to flood the vaccine injury compensation program to hurt vaccine access in the U.S.
wapo.st
January 17, 2026 at 7:20 PM
"If this change happens, over 100,000 children who are diagnosed with autism each year could claim compensation from the VICP...The expected groundswell of compensation claims and lawsuits will easily bankrupt the vaccine compensation pool..."
From @zekeemanuel.bsky.social.
wapo.st/3NyZ9Yt
From @zekeemanuel.bsky.social.
wapo.st/3NyZ9Yt
Reposted by Larry Hunter
Apply by Feb. 3 to become a Janelia Group Leader!
Group Leaders drive breakthroughs & experimental approaches in imaging, molecular engineering, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, & methods that don't yet exist. Learn more: janelia.org/groupleader 🧪
Group Leaders drive breakthroughs & experimental approaches in imaging, molecular engineering, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, & methods that don't yet exist. Learn more: janelia.org/groupleader 🧪
December 15, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Apply by Feb. 3 to become a Janelia Group Leader!
Group Leaders drive breakthroughs & experimental approaches in imaging, molecular engineering, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, & methods that don't yet exist. Learn more: janelia.org/groupleader 🧪
Group Leaders drive breakthroughs & experimental approaches in imaging, molecular engineering, protein chemistry, mass spectrometry, & methods that don't yet exist. Learn more: janelia.org/groupleader 🧪
Reposted by Larry Hunter
very sad news. Peer Bork was one of the leaders of our field, a wonderful scientist, and he's much too young to be gone. www.embl.org/news/embl-an...
In remembrance of Peer Bork | EMBL
EMBL and its community are deeply saddened by the death of Peer Bork, the organisation’s Interim Director General.
www.embl.org
January 16, 2026 at 6:33 PM
very sad news. Peer Bork was one of the leaders of our field, a wonderful scientist, and he's much too young to be gone. www.embl.org/news/embl-an...
Interesting perspective on the rise of Chinese tech, from @bruces.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Interesting perspective on the rise of Chinese tech, from @bruces.bsky.social
Reposted by Larry Hunter
I think all of us in academia knew this was coming. I've talked for years how, before the rise of the nazis, you needed to know German if you wanted to understand the most important physical science being done. After the war, you only needed to know English. The nazis destroyed German science.
January 16, 2026 at 3:39 AM
I think all of us in academia knew this was coming. I've talked for years how, before the rise of the nazis, you needed to know German if you wanted to understand the most important physical science being done. After the war, you only needed to know English. The nazis destroyed German science.
Burrata is from Apulia, so for local authenticity I might try to find a Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva. Alternatively, Masi Campofiorin (which has pretty wide distribution) is made from the same Nero di Troia grape.
It was lunch for me, so I paired it with fizzy water & grapefruit juice.
It was lunch for me, so I paired it with fizzy water & grapefruit juice.
January 16, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Burrata is from Apulia, so for local authenticity I might try to find a Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva. Alternatively, Masi Campofiorin (which has pretty wide distribution) is made from the same Nero di Troia grape.
It was lunch for me, so I paired it with fizzy water & grapefruit juice.
It was lunch for me, so I paired it with fizzy water & grapefruit juice.
Reposted by Larry Hunter
Sigh. Shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research will make the world a more dangerous place for all of us.
Colorado senators’ bid to save NCAR funding fails as U.S. Senate passes spending bills
“In the face of unrelenting political attacks from President Trump, we are standing together to protect institutions like NCAR that are vital to our state and our economy,” Sen. John Hickenlo…
www.denverpost.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:14 AM
Sigh. Shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research will make the world a more dangerous place for all of us.
Burrata, surrounded by cavatappi in a sauce of lion's mane mushrooms, spinach, and fresh tomatoes, topped with basil and pecorino Romano.
January 16, 2026 at 1:27 AM
Burrata, surrounded by cavatappi in a sauce of lion's mane mushrooms, spinach, and fresh tomatoes, topped with basil and pecorino Romano.
LLMs are statistical averages that inevitably focus on the densest part of the distribution. They capture popularity. Which makes them problematic in applications that require novelty, like science.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI tools boost individual scientists but could limit research as a whole
Analyses of hundreds of thousands of papers in the natural sciences reveal a paradox: scientists who use AI tools produce more research but on a more confined set of topics.
www.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:50 PM
LLMs are statistical averages that inevitably focus on the densest part of the distribution. They capture popularity. Which makes them problematic in applications that require novelty, like science.
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Larry Hunter
Online Now: Moving intentions from brains to machines
Moving intentions from brains to machines
Brain–computer interface (BCI) research has achieved remarkable technical progress but remains limited in scope, typically relying on motor and visual cortex signals in limited patient populations. We propose a paradigm shift in BCI design rooted in ideomotor theory, which conceptualizes voluntary action as driven by internally represented sensory outcomes. This underused framework offers a principled basis for next-generation BCIs that align closely with the brain’s natural intentional and action-planning architecture. We suggest a more intuitive, generalizable, and scalable path by reorienting BCIs around the ‘what for’ of action—user goals and anticipated effects. This shift is timely and feasible, enabled by advances in neural recording and artificial intelligence–based decoding of sensory representations. It may help resolve challenges of usability and generalizability in BCI design.
dlvr.it
January 14, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Online Now: Moving intentions from brains to machines
Reposted by Larry Hunter
#Breaking: SAMHSA canceled up to $1.9 billion in grants without staff consultation, accelerating the mental health agency's deterioration under President Trump. www.statnews.com/2026/01/14/s...
Trump administration cuts up to $1.9 billion from mental health and addiction treatment programs
SAMHSA canceled up to $1.9 billion in grants without staff consultation, accelerating the mental health agency's deterioration under President Trump.
www.statnews.com
January 14, 2026 at 4:15 PM
#Breaking: SAMHSA canceled up to $1.9 billion in grants without staff consultation, accelerating the mental health agency's deterioration under President Trump. www.statnews.com/2026/01/14/s...
Reposted by Larry Hunter
There’s a big story everyone is missing—but this article hits on it.
We aren’t just seeing public health dismantled bc we’ve been taken over by conspiracy theorists and lunatics.
What we’re really seeing is the giant, predatory, underegulated wellness industry come to Washington.
We aren’t just seeing public health dismantled bc we’ve been taken over by conspiracy theorists and lunatics.
What we’re really seeing is the giant, predatory, underegulated wellness industry come to Washington.
FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies
The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine ally David Geier.
arstechnica.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:30 AM
There’s a big story everyone is missing—but this article hits on it.
We aren’t just seeing public health dismantled bc we’ve been taken over by conspiracy theorists and lunatics.
What we’re really seeing is the giant, predatory, underegulated wellness industry come to Washington.
We aren’t just seeing public health dismantled bc we’ve been taken over by conspiracy theorists and lunatics.
What we’re really seeing is the giant, predatory, underegulated wellness industry come to Washington.
It's University of Chicago's annual certification season! I have once again been trained in HIPPA compliance, prevention of discrimination and harassment, mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect, human subjects research, and infection control. I hope you can all sleep better now.
January 13, 2026 at 8:22 AM
It's University of Chicago's annual certification season! I have once again been trained in HIPPA compliance, prevention of discrimination and harassment, mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect, human subjects research, and infection control. I hope you can all sleep better now.
So sad to see what we almost had slip out of reach...
*The green checks no longer exist, and the rest of it is absolutely thriving. #Trumpistan #ethics #networksociety #oligarchy #kleptocracy #conspiracy #illegality #posttruth
January 13, 2026 at 8:06 AM
So sad to see what we almost had slip out of reach...
Reposted by Larry Hunter
Bill Joy explaining "why the future doesn't need us". aka GRIN, circa 2000 AD
vs
Actual future 2026 AD:
G enetics -- an agro and pharma biz
R obotics -- on its feet, doing a vaudeville dance
I ntelligence -- blowing the roof and doors off
N anotechnology -- Future didn't need it after all
vs
Actual future 2026 AD:
G enetics -- an agro and pharma biz
R obotics -- on its feet, doing a vaudeville dance
I ntelligence -- blowing the roof and doors off
N anotechnology -- Future didn't need it after all
January 13, 2026 at 7:33 AM
Bill Joy explaining "why the future doesn't need us". aka GRIN, circa 2000 AD
vs
Actual future 2026 AD:
G enetics -- an agro and pharma biz
R obotics -- on its feet, doing a vaudeville dance
I ntelligence -- blowing the roof and doors off
N anotechnology -- Future didn't need it after all
vs
Actual future 2026 AD:
G enetics -- an agro and pharma biz
R obotics -- on its feet, doing a vaudeville dance
I ntelligence -- blowing the roof and doors off
N anotechnology -- Future didn't need it after all
The economic diagnosis is right on, but this policy prescription feels wrong. Instead of hoping for government action, we need to build community strength. "Giving to charity" feels impersonal. Helping our friends, causes, and mutuals is concrete and builds relationships that can last a lifetime
"Requiring each person to save enough to support themselves on their own until they’re one hundred years old encourages a way of living inimical to a thriving society."
Nate Bernhard essays on the corrosive influence of the 401(k):
www.commonwealmagazine.org/bernhard-nat...
Nate Bernhard essays on the corrosive influence of the 401(k):
www.commonwealmagazine.org/bernhard-nat...
The 401(k) Is Tearing Society Apart
Individual retirement accounts like the 401(k) have become the backbone of our retirement system. They are a key contributor to the precarity unraveling the social fabric.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 13, 2026 at 7:27 AM
The economic diagnosis is right on, but this policy prescription feels wrong. Instead of hoping for government action, we need to build community strength. "Giving to charity" feels impersonal. Helping our friends, causes, and mutuals is concrete and builds relationships that can last a lifetime
As I have said for more than 2 years now, advertising is the only path to profitability for chatbots.
Big/bad news for consumers. Google is out today with an announcement of how they plan to integrate shopping into their AI offerings including search and Gemini. The plan includes “personalized upselling.” I.e. Analyzing your chat data and using it to overcharge you. 1/2
January 13, 2026 at 7:12 AM
As I have said for more than 2 years now, advertising is the only path to profitability for chatbots.
It’s absolutely astonishing to me what it took to finally neuter the US military and overwhelm our national security. It wasn’t superior force or violence, but unscrupulous billionaires.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the integration of Elon Musk's xAI platform, Grok, into military networks as part of a new "AI acceleration strategy" during a visit to SpaceX.
January 13, 2026 at 6:53 AM
It’s absolutely astonishing to me what it took to finally neuter the US military and overwhelm our national security. It wasn’t superior force or violence, but unscrupulous billionaires.
You are not alone! What’s left of the free democracies is solidly behind you.
One of my best friends is an American medic in 3ій Батальон ''Волинь'' (3rd Battalion "Volyn"), Українська Добровольча Армія (Ukrainian Volunteer Army)
One of my best friends is an American medic in 3ій Батальон ''Волинь'' (3rd Battalion "Volyn"), Українська Добровольча Армія (Ukrainian Volunteer Army)
January 13, 2026 at 6:46 AM
You are not alone! What’s left of the free democracies is solidly behind you.
One of my best friends is an American medic in 3ій Батальон ''Волинь'' (3rd Battalion "Volyn"), Українська Добровольча Армія (Ukrainian Volunteer Army)
One of my best friends is an American medic in 3ій Батальон ''Волинь'' (3rd Battalion "Volyn"), Українська Добровольча Армія (Ukrainian Volunteer Army)
Reposted by Larry Hunter
BHL's new chapter has begun! 🌱
Our latest #BHLTransition Update shares where BHL is now: stable, fully operational, and nearing completion of its transition. BHL has retained its people, its expertise, and its ability to operate effectively. 🔗 blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/01/tran... #ILoveBHL
Our latest #BHLTransition Update shares where BHL is now: stable, fully operational, and nearing completion of its transition. BHL has retained its people, its expertise, and its ability to operate effectively. 🔗 blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/01/tran... #ILoveBHL
January 13, 2026 at 2:09 AM
BHL's new chapter has begun! 🌱
Our latest #BHLTransition Update shares where BHL is now: stable, fully operational, and nearing completion of its transition. BHL has retained its people, its expertise, and its ability to operate effectively. 🔗 blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/01/tran... #ILoveBHL
Our latest #BHLTransition Update shares where BHL is now: stable, fully operational, and nearing completion of its transition. BHL has retained its people, its expertise, and its ability to operate effectively. 🔗 blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2026/01/tran... #ILoveBHL
I’d also like the link to try it. DMs open
January 13, 2026 at 1:50 AM
I’d also like the link to try it. DMs open
Not a grad student, but how about a blue check equivalent that validated identity through ORCID?
January 13, 2026 at 1:44 AM
Not a grad student, but how about a blue check equivalent that validated identity through ORCID?