Steve Buyske
@stevebuyske.bsky.social
Professor of Statistics at Rutgers University; mostly work in human genetics. https://statweb.rutgers.edu/buyske/
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8539-5416
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8539-5416
Reposted by Steve Buyske
THREAD. A collection of photographs of excellent cattle I have met on walks.
You will find the captions for the photos in the alt text.
You will find the captions for the photos in the alt text.
February 4, 2026 at 9:23 AM
THREAD. A collection of photographs of excellent cattle I have met on walks.
You will find the captions for the photos in the alt text.
You will find the captions for the photos in the alt text.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
January 22, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Last term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out.
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class.
Here's what happened:
Reposted by Steve Buyske
ARE YOU A NON-MINNESOTAN WHO WANTS IDEAS OF STUFF TO DO TO HELP MINNESOTA RESIST FASCIST TYRANNY? Have I got a blog post for you! With additional advice for how to get ready in case tyranny shows up at YOUR doorstep next!
naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...
naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...
How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota
I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, you more or less understand the situation in Minnesota and I don’t have to explain it to you! That said, I do have a section of lo…
naomikritzer.com
January 21, 2026 at 4:13 AM
ARE YOU A NON-MINNESOTAN WHO WANTS IDEAS OF STUFF TO DO TO HELP MINNESOTA RESIST FASCIST TYRANNY? Have I got a blog post for you! With additional advice for how to get ready in case tyranny shows up at YOUR doorstep next!
naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...
naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/h...
Reposted by Steve Buyske
A pet cow named Veronika can scratch her back with a broom, the first scientifically documented case of tool use in cows.
“Perhaps the absurd thing was not the absurdity of a cow using tools," one researcher said, "but the absurdity of us never thinking that a cow might be intelligent.”
“Perhaps the absurd thing was not the absurdity of a cow using tools," one researcher said, "but the absurdity of us never thinking that a cow might be intelligent.”
Cows Use Tools, Too, New Study Finds
A pet cow named Veronika can scratch her own back with a broom — the first scientifically documented case of tool use in cows, researchers say.
nyti.ms
January 19, 2026 at 6:20 PM
A pet cow named Veronika can scratch her back with a broom, the first scientifically documented case of tool use in cows.
“Perhaps the absurd thing was not the absurdity of a cow using tools," one researcher said, "but the absurdity of us never thinking that a cow might be intelligent.”
“Perhaps the absurd thing was not the absurdity of a cow using tools," one researcher said, "but the absurdity of us never thinking that a cow might be intelligent.”
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Getting asked about how academics can continue to do science & inspire trainees even in the midst of a continued (escalated) assault on science, reason, truth, & human rights. I don’t have great answers.
I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.
I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.
January 17, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Getting asked about how academics can continue to do science & inspire trainees even in the midst of a continued (escalated) assault on science, reason, truth, & human rights. I don’t have great answers.
I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.
I would love to hear from mentors about advice they’re giving to trainees/ colleagues.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Rather than a religious text, newly-minted New Jersey Assemblywoman Katie Brennan, a progressive who beat a million-dollar spending disadvantage and the full force of the Hudson County machine, was sworn in on a printout of her district's entire universe of registered voters
January 13, 2026 at 10:06 PM
Rather than a religious text, newly-minted New Jersey Assemblywoman Katie Brennan, a progressive who beat a million-dollar spending disadvantage and the full force of the Hudson County machine, was sworn in on a printout of her district's entire universe of registered voters
Reposted by Steve Buyske
I love passing this bridge and realizing that if a whole city can be this petty, I am not holding onto too many grudges.
January 9, 2026 at 5:18 PM
I love passing this bridge and realizing that if a whole city can be this petty, I am not holding onto too many grudges.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Brenna Henn Wanted to Improve Genetic Medicine. Then Her N.I.H. Grant Was Cut.
Brenna Henn Wanted to Improve Genetic Medicine. Then Her N.I.H. Grant Was Cut.
Brenna Henn had a long-term grant to study the genetic diversity of Africans and people of African descent. Then her N.I.H. funding was cut.
www.nytimes.com
January 2, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Brenna Henn Wanted to Improve Genetic Medicine. Then Her N.I.H. Grant Was Cut.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
“The secret that scientists don’t want you to know about!”
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December 30, 2025 at 9:14 PM
“The secret that scientists don’t want you to know about!”
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Reposted by Steve Buyske
If you're feeling down because you were wrong about something, just remember that, no matter how embarrassing it was, at least you didn't sign the Harper's "Letter on Justice and Open Debate" declaring that the greatest threat to free speech was "censoriousness" among liberal academics. 🫶
“At Texas A&M, internal emails show staff are using AI software to search syllabi and course descriptions for words that could raise concerns under new system policies restricting how faculty teach about race and gender.”
www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/t...
www.texastribune.org/2025/12/15/t...
Texas universities deploy AI for course audits
Records obtained by The Texas Tribune show how universities are using the technology to reshape curriculum under political pressure, raising concerns about academic freedom.
www.texastribune.org
December 15, 2025 at 3:09 PM
If you're feeling down because you were wrong about something, just remember that, no matter how embarrassing it was, at least you didn't sign the Harper's "Letter on Justice and Open Debate" declaring that the greatest threat to free speech was "censoriousness" among liberal academics. 🫶
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Important piece thinking through what eugenics actually is and how this qualifies.
It's not lost on me that these companies are primarily men telling women how to responsibly reproduce. The marketing/examples are telling. It's part of a larger movement around control & should be treated seriously.
It's not lost on me that these companies are primarily men telling women how to responsibly reproduce. The marketing/examples are telling. It's part of a larger movement around control & should be treated seriously.
I wrote about the bizarre case of Herasight, the embryo selection company going all in on eugenics.
Embryo selection company Herasight goes all in on eugenics
...
open.substack.com
December 14, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Important piece thinking through what eugenics actually is and how this qualifies.
It's not lost on me that these companies are primarily men telling women how to responsibly reproduce. The marketing/examples are telling. It's part of a larger movement around control & should be treated seriously.
It's not lost on me that these companies are primarily men telling women how to responsibly reproduce. The marketing/examples are telling. It's part of a larger movement around control & should be treated seriously.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
the economic success of the U.S. is significantly built on the land grant universities and in particular their excellent agricultural science tradition.
Really important to stress that the Crown Jewels of the US higher education system were never the Ivies or elite SLACs (other countries have equivalents of these) but the well-funded, large, cheap, and excellently staffed public state university systems bringing high quality education to the masses.
November 23, 2025 at 5:26 PM
the economic success of the U.S. is significantly built on the land grant universities and in particular their excellent agricultural science tradition.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Over the last 10 months, the federal government has cracked down on political expression with a persistence and viciousness reminiscent of some of the darkest periods of U.S. history. Welcome to the Third Red Scare.
The First Amendment Won’t Go Quietly
Welcome to the third Red Scare.
www.theatlantic.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Over the last 10 months, the federal government has cracked down on political expression with a persistence and viciousness reminiscent of some of the darkest periods of U.S. history. Welcome to the Third Red Scare.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last month:
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
Breaking News: Cornell University reached an agreement with the Trump administration that would restore hundreds of millions in funding to the university. It's expected to pay a $30 million fine to the government and to invest $30 million in agriculture and farming programs.
Cornell Reaches Deal with Trump Administration to Restore Research Funds
The Ivy League university had warned of layoffs after the Trump administration stripped it of funds this year. The cuts were among the deepest in higher education.
nyti.ms
November 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM
As Ta-Nehisi Coates said last month:
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
“.. it’s either one of two things: either you’re cowards or you’re with him. And if you’re with him, you never believed in the things you were talking about to begin with.”
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Last time I saw him, he told me that eugenics had gotten a bad rap. That it was, in fact, a great thing. To be celebrated. As well as the usual racist & misogynistic rants.
But honestly the worst part was seeing the light die in fellow lab members eyes when they met their hero and got...that.
But honestly the worst part was seeing the light die in fellow lab members eyes when they met their hero and got...that.
Hey folks, as news of Watson's demise spreads, please don't set aside his weighty legacy of misogyny and racism. He was truly among the worst of us. www.vox.com/2019/1/15/18...
DNA scientist James Watson has a remarkably long history of sexist, racist public comments
“People say it would be terrible if we made all girls pretty,” he said in 2003. “I think it would be great.”
www.vox.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Last time I saw him, he told me that eugenics had gotten a bad rap. That it was, in fact, a great thing. To be celebrated. As well as the usual racist & misogynistic rants.
But honestly the worst part was seeing the light die in fellow lab members eyes when they met their hero and got...that.
But honestly the worst part was seeing the light die in fellow lab members eyes when they met their hero and got...that.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Before her (too early) death, the amazing Sharon Begley wrote this piece on double helix co-discoverer James Watson and the racist and sexist pronouncements he seemed to revel in making in later life. Fascinating read about a troubling individual.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Before her (too early) death, the amazing Sharon Begley wrote this piece on double helix co-discoverer James Watson and the racist and sexist pronouncements he seemed to revel in making in later life. Fascinating read about a troubling individual.
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
www.statnews.com/2025/11/07/j...
Reposted by Steve Buyske
toddlers victorious
Back for Day 2 of Sandwich Guy’s trial. In government opening statement: “This case is about the fact that you can’t go around throwing stuff at people when you’re mad.”
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 PM
toddlers victorious
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Donald Trump is telling his own Justice Department that it owes him $230 million, @qjurecic.bsky.social writes. "The goal is not just dictatorial power, but the ostentatious performance of dictatorial power."
Trump to DOJ: Pay Up
The goal is not just dictatorial power, but ostentatious performance.
bit.ly
October 23, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Donald Trump is telling his own Justice Department that it owes him $230 million, @qjurecic.bsky.social writes. "The goal is not just dictatorial power, but the ostentatious performance of dictatorial power."
Reposted by Steve Buyske
@qjurecic.bsky.social is answering your questions about the role of the courts and the expansion of executive power during the second Trump administration. Ask her anything at 2 p.m. ET: www.reddit.com/r/Law_and_Po...
October 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
@qjurecic.bsky.social is answering your questions about the role of the courts and the expansion of executive power during the second Trump administration. Ask her anything at 2 p.m. ET: www.reddit.com/r/Law_and_Po...
Reposted by Steve Buyske
After 2024, pundits brushed off the Resistance as cringe. I submit: Yes, it was. And cringe is good. Cringe, in fact, will save democracy.
Resistance Is Cringe
But it’s also effective.
www.theatlantic.com
October 18, 2025 at 1:53 PM
After 2024, pundits brushed off the Resistance as cringe. I submit: Yes, it was. And cringe is good. Cringe, in fact, will save democracy.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Donald Trump might soon find that the same thing making the indictments of officials such as James Comey and Letitia James possible is exactly what will undermine the Justice Department’s ability to win convictions, Quinta Jurecic argues.
Trump’s Revenge Tour
The president is getting the indictments he wants, but the next phase will be much harder.
bit.ly
October 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Donald Trump might soon find that the same thing making the indictments of officials such as James Comey and Letitia James possible is exactly what will undermine the Justice Department’s ability to win convictions, Quinta Jurecic argues.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Printing presses kept their letters in cases.
Capital letters went in the upper case.
Smaller letters went in the lower case.
This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’
Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press?
MAJUSCULE and minuscule.
Capital letters went in the upper case.
Smaller letters went in the lower case.
This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’
Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press?
MAJUSCULE and minuscule.
October 10, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Printing presses kept their letters in cases.
Capital letters went in the upper case.
Smaller letters went in the lower case.
This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’
Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press?
MAJUSCULE and minuscule.
Capital letters went in the upper case.
Smaller letters went in the lower case.
This is why we say ‘UPPER CASE’ and ‘lower case.’
Ok, but what did we call them before the invention of the printing press?
MAJUSCULE and minuscule.
Reposted by Steve Buyske
Excited to share our recent work characterizing a type 2 diabetes (T2D) polygenic risk score (PRS) in a collaboration that included 244,637 T2D cases and 637,891 controls, led by @boyaguo.bsky.social! (1/3)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Polygenic risk score for type 2 diabetes shows context-dependent effects across populations - Nature Communications
Polygenic risk scores can help identify individuals at higher risk of type 2 diabetes. Here, the authors characterise a multi-ancestry score across nearly 900,000 people, showing that its predictive value depends on demographic and clinical context and extends to related traits and complications.
www.nature.com
October 9, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Excited to share our recent work characterizing a type 2 diabetes (T2D) polygenic risk score (PRS) in a collaboration that included 244,637 T2D cases and 637,891 controls, led by @boyaguo.bsky.social! (1/3)
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Steve Buyske
This week, our colleague Dr. Mark Bray came under attack by Turning Point USA’s Rutgers chapter for his public scholarship. Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union condemn this campaign and stand in solidarity with our colleagues. Read our full statement here: https://loom.ly/BDXasRY
October 8, 2025 at 9:02 PM
This week, our colleague Dr. Mark Bray came under attack by Turning Point USA’s Rutgers chapter for his public scholarship. Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union condemn this campaign and stand in solidarity with our colleagues. Read our full statement here: https://loom.ly/BDXasRY