Larry W. Hunter | Lightnews

Larry Hunter

@proflhunter.bsky.social

5.1K followers 4.2K following 1.2K posts

Knowledge based biomedical data science, artificial intelligence for discovery in molecular biomedicine, computational bioethics, theory of mattering. University of Chicago / Big Island HI

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Business 36%

Biology 15%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Jesse M. Shapiro, Wolfgang Huber, Larry W. Hunter , and 2 more Jesse M. Shapiro, Wolfgang Huber, Larry W. Hunter, Frédéric Delsuc, Alan McNally

Steven Salzberg @stevensalzberg.bsky.social · 1d

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

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting perspective on the rise of Chinese tech, from @bruces.bsky.social

If you say, "what does a Chinese flying car look like," that sounds
corny and goofy. If you ask "what does a Xiaomi-Huawei pilotless
taxi-drone look like when it's a new-energy-vehicle," then the Saudi
investors would fret about that.

"Room temperature superconductors" are also an old idea, but if ten
thousand Chinese lab engineers ground-it-out force-of-numbers style,
and some Chinese heavy-industry managed to mass-build those, the
world would be set on its ear. Of course the world would still be
stricken with the ongoing climate crisis, but everybody would kowtow
to them because it would transform the grid worldwide.

The Xi Jinping "Chinese Dream" is about the kowtows. It's about
historically overcoming the "century of humiliation" and having the
world bow the knee in awed respect of a rejuvenated hegemonic
techno-superpower. I get it why that would be a Chinese
ethnonationalist aspiration, but if everybody else is
auto-humiliating themselves by comparison, that makes them look even
more impressive. I'm not all that "impressed" by them, but I'm sure
I'll be paying more attention to them. If they're setting the pace,
it behooves you to look.

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 1d

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.

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 1d

Burrata, surrounded by cavatappi in a sauce of lion's mane mushrooms, spinach, and fresh tomatoes, topped with basil and pecorino Romano.

A milky circle of cheese, surrounded by curly pasta in a dark sauce, topped with green leaves and flakes of cheese, in a yellow bowl on a brown table.

Reposted by Mary Jane Curry, Larry W. Hunter, Beth Tellman

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 1d

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

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 2d

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...

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

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Larry W. Hunter

STAT @statnews.com · 3d

#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

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

Trends in Cognitive Sciences @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social · 3d

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

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Virginia Braun, Jason Stajich , and 11 more Brendan Nyhan, Virginia Braun, Jason Stajich, Scott L. Greer, Hugo Mercier, Fabián Muniesa, Smith, W Grant, Larry W. Hunter, Julie Novkov, Manisha Sinha, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Dana Howard, Kristina McElheran

Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 3d

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.

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

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

Sorry! *HIPAA*

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

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.

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

So sad to see what we almost had slip out of reach...

#BruceSterling @bruces.bsky.social · 4d

*The green checks no longer exist, and the rest of it is absolutely thriving. #Trumpistan #ethics #networksociety #oligarchy #kleptocracy #conspiracy #illegality #posttruth

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

#BruceSterling @bruces.bsky.social · 4d

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

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

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

Commonweal @commonweal.bsky.social · 6d

"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...

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

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

As I have said for more than 2 years now, advertising is the only path to profitability for chatbots.

Lindsay Owens @lindsayowens.bsky.social · 5d

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

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

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.

Reuters @reuters.com · 4d

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.

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

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)

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

#BruceSterling @bruces.bsky.social · 4d

*The green checks no longer exist, and the rest of it is absolutely thriving. #Trumpistan #ethics #networksociety #oligarchy #kleptocracy #conspiracy #illegality #posttruth

Reuters @reuters.com · 4d

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.

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

Biodiversity Heritage Library @biodivlibrary.bsky.social · 4d

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

Two mudskippers (brown fish with large google eyes and large front fins used for "walking"), one on the mud on the ground, the other up a tree root.

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

I’d also like the link to try it. DMs open

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d

Not a grad student, but how about a blue check equivalent that validated identity through ORCID?

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 5d

I heard you, and not wishing to debate. I was reacting to "spread across NYC"

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 5d

New Haven would beg to differ. Lombardi's (NY) opened in 1897. Pepe's storefront opened in 1925, but according to Wikipedia "the owner served pies from local carts and bakeries for 20–25 years."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...

History of pizza - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 5d

Another example of England borrowing food words from France (where it is roquette).

Reposted by Steve Peers, Daniel W. Drezner, Smith , and 3 more Steve Peers, Daniel W. Drezner, Smith, Robert C. Richards, Larry W. Hunter, David Darmofal

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 5d

JUST IN: A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $12 million in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics, saying the terminations appear to be retaliation for the group's view points re: vaccine safety/efficacy. ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...