Alex Holcombe
@alexh.bsky.social
Science-ing, trying to improve science. Metascience, open access, reforming scholarly authorship practices. Cognitive and perceptual psychologist.
Mastodon: @alexh@fediscience.org
Mastodon: @alexh@fediscience.org
The Open Journals Collective (@ojcollective.bsky.social) has just launched and already includes 75 journals! www.openjournalscollective.org/catalogue/?q...
I am enthusiastic about the OJC and how well it has been set up to advance diamond (free) open access, working with libraries and funders.
I am enthusiastic about the OJC and how well it has been set up to advance diamond (free) open access, working with libraries and funders.
Free Journal Network – Nurturing an ecosystem of high quality, open access, scholar-controlled journals with no author-facing charges
freejournals.org
February 1, 2026 at 8:39 PM
The Open Journals Collective (@ojcollective.bsky.social) has just launched and already includes 75 journals! www.openjournalscollective.org/catalogue/?q...
I am enthusiastic about the OJC and how well it has been set up to advance diamond (free) open access, working with libraries and funders.
I am enthusiastic about the OJC and how well it has been set up to advance diamond (free) open access, working with libraries and funders.
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
Former Texas Lege reporter here. A Dem hasn't held this seat since 1990. Tarrant is the safest of red suburban counties. There is no way the TX and national GOP aren't in panic mode right now.
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 5:29 AM
Former Texas Lege reporter here. A Dem hasn't held this seat since 1990. Tarrant is the safest of red suburban counties. There is no way the TX and national GOP aren't in panic mode right now.
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
This is a targeted attack on science media.
Bhattacharya has slammed science media for what he calls biased coverage, but how are our readers — the global scientific community — supposed to understand his new agency priorities if we can't even get in the door?
Bhattacharya has slammed science media for what he calls biased coverage, but how are our readers — the global scientific community — supposed to understand his new agency priorities if we can't even get in the door?
January 30, 2026 at 6:08 PM
This is a targeted attack on science media.
Bhattacharya has slammed science media for what he calls biased coverage, but how are our readers — the global scientific community — supposed to understand his new agency priorities if we can't even get in the door?
Bhattacharya has slammed science media for what he calls biased coverage, but how are our readers — the global scientific community — supposed to understand his new agency priorities if we can't even get in the door?
“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer” “a people... is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge.” -Hannah Arendt theconversation.com/repeated-gov...
Repeated government lying, warned Hannah Arendt, makes it impossible for citizens to think and to judge
When officials lie time and again, people don’t know what to trust. And when this happens, citizens cannot deliberate, approve or dissent coherently, because a shared world no longer exists.
theconversation.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:44 PM
“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer” “a people... is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge.” -Hannah Arendt theconversation.com/repeated-gov...
Exciting to see this launch. Been in the works for a long time, with dozens or possibly hundreds of journals involved, and major library institutions, banding together for sustained support of free to read, free to publish in, open access journals. #openaccess
We've officially launched! With our new #DiamondOpenAccess investment campaign to help libraries build a sustainable, community‑led future for scholarly publishing & support journals flipping away from costly subscription models. Read the Press release here drive.google.com/file/d/10Hgf...
January 29, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Exciting to see this launch. Been in the works for a long time, with dozens or possibly hundreds of journals involved, and major library institutions, banding together for sustained support of free to read, free to publish in, open access journals. #openaccess
For a weekly seminar class, I'm looking for pairings of psych popularization with scholarly take-downs of the underlying research. I want students to see examples of how shoddy research gets hyped.
January 29, 2026 at 5:49 AM
For a weekly seminar class, I'm looking for pairings of psych popularization with scholarly take-downs of the underlying research. I want students to see examples of how shoddy research gets hyped.
The annals of Elsevier villainy are extensive, but perhaps their funniest gambit was when they started six "Australasian" fake journals that were really just sponsored publications for pharmaceutical companies, set up to launder their marketing as ostensibly peer-reviewed research.
January 29, 2026 at 5:08 AM
The annals of Elsevier villainy are extensive, but perhaps their funniest gambit was when they started six "Australasian" fake journals that were really just sponsored publications for pharmaceutical companies, set up to launder their marketing as ostensibly peer-reviewed research.
See you in Melbourne in Nov 2027, SIPSers and AIMOSers! #metascience
📅 Mark your calendars for #SIPS2027!
The 2027 SIPS conference, organized in collaboration with the Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-Research and Open Science @aimosinc.bsky.social, will be held in November at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
The 2027 SIPS conference, organized in collaboration with the Association for Interdisciplinary Meta-Research and Open Science @aimosinc.bsky.social, will be held in November at the University of Melbourne, Australia.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
January 28, 2026 at 1:43 AM
See you in Melbourne in Nov 2027, SIPSers and AIMOSers! #metascience
Fossil study suggests that early vertebrates had four eyes!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many, like we mammals, through evolution reduced to just two eyes and shifted from the pineal gland system. Meanwhile, some organisms like the tuatara lizard have maintained a third, pineal eye.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many, like we mammals, through evolution reduced to just two eyes and shifted from the pineal gland system. Meanwhile, some organisms like the tuatara lizard have maintained a third, pineal eye.
January 27, 2026 at 11:11 PM
Fossil study suggests that early vertebrates had four eyes!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many, like we mammals, through evolution reduced to just two eyes and shifted from the pineal gland system. Meanwhile, some organisms like the tuatara lizard have maintained a third, pineal eye.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Many, like we mammals, through evolution reduced to just two eyes and shifted from the pineal gland system. Meanwhile, some organisms like the tuatara lizard have maintained a third, pineal eye.
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
“’'This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,’' Sala [Milan Mayor] told RTL Radio 102 before ICE’s deployment to the Games was confirmed."
BREAKING: ICE agents will have a security role during the upcoming Winter Olympics, U.S. embassy sources confirm.
ICE agents will have a security role at Milan-Cortina Olympics, US sources say
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will have a security role during the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games, according to sources at the U.S. embassy in Rome.
bit.ly
January 27, 2026 at 1:29 PM
“’'This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt,’' Sala [Milan Mayor] told RTL Radio 102 before ICE’s deployment to the Games was confirmed."
What would your university do? What should it do? www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
January 26, 2026 at 7:38 PM
What would your university do? What should it do? www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...
Excellent analysis! Including e.g. Trump's own crude take, "You got to win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms… they’ll find a reason to impeach me."
What should academics be doing right now?
I have been writing up some thoughts on what the research says about effective action, and what universities specifically can do.
davidbau.github.io/poetsandnurs...
It's on GitHub. Suggestions and pull requests welcome.
github.com/davidbau/poe...
I have been writing up some thoughts on what the research says about effective action, and what universities specifically can do.
davidbau.github.io/poetsandnurs...
It's on GitHub. Suggestions and pull requests welcome.
github.com/davidbau/poe...
January 26, 2026 at 5:27 AM
Excellent analysis! Including e.g. Trump's own crude take, "You got to win the midterms, because if we don’t win the midterms… they’ll find a reason to impeach me."
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
Comparing registrations to published papers is essential to research integrity - and almost no one does it routinely because it's slow, messy, and time-demanding.
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck
RegCheck is an AI tool to compare preregistrations with papers instantly.
regcheck.app
January 22, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Comparing registrations to published papers is essential to research integrity - and almost no one does it routinely because it's slow, messy, and time-demanding.
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
RegCheck was built to help make this process easier.
Today, we launch RegCheck V2.
🧵
regcheck.app
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
NYT video analysis confirms victim’s gun was removed before he was shot. So he was unarmed. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/minneapolis-shooting-federal-agents-video.html
January 24, 2026 at 8:35 PM
NYT video analysis confirms victim’s gun was removed before he was shot. So he was unarmed. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/us/minneapolis-shooting-federal-agents-video.html
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
Moments before the first shot is fired, this federal agent can be seen retreating with a gun. It appears to match the general appearance of the firearm posted by DHS, including the red dot sight. This agent’s back is turned when the first shot occurs. x.com/BillMelugin_...
January 24, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Moments before the first shot is fired, this federal agent can be seen retreating with a gun. It appears to match the general appearance of the firearm posted by DHS, including the red dot sight. This agent’s back is turned when the first shot occurs. x.com/BillMelugin_...
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
January 24, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
the nba postponed a game because the united states government is killing its citizens
January 24, 2026 at 7:51 PM
the nba postponed a game because the united states government is killing its citizens
As I (alexholcombe.wordpress.com/2024/03/30/c...) and others have been saying for years, we need chain of evidence custody for scientific data, to have some assurance that at least the data behind the BS that people write (and now AIs, on a larger scale) is real.
Committing research fraud is easy. Let’s make it harder.
originally published by The Chronicle of Higher Education as “How to Stop Academic Fraudsters” (I didn’t choose that title) “Hi Alex, this is not credible.” I’ll never forget that…
alexholcombe.wordpress.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:38 PM
As I (alexholcombe.wordpress.com/2024/03/30/c...) and others have been saying for years, we need chain of evidence custody for scientific data, to have some assurance that at least the data behind the BS that people write (and now AIs, on a larger scale) is real.
Smoking salvia divinorum also tends to make you experience non-existent sentient beings, although not of any particular size(!), as we discussed in this paper (www.frontiersin.org/journals/int...)
January 23, 2026 at 7:46 AM
Smoking salvia divinorum also tends to make you experience non-existent sentient beings, although not of any particular size(!), as we discussed in this paper (www.frontiersin.org/journals/int...)
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
Kent, Essex and apparently Sussex all decline to be gouged by Elsevier Read & Publish deals. Others may well follow. 1/2
Three major research universities opt out of new Elsevier deal
Complaints over ‘price increases’ and open access models spur UK institutions to walk away from offer from publishing giant, despite nationally negotiated agreement
www.timeshighereducation.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Kent, Essex and apparently Sussex all decline to be gouged by Elsevier Read & Publish deals. Others may well follow. 1/2
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Part 1: How do LLMs work?
YouTube video by Andrew Perfors
www.youtube.com
January 22, 2026 at 12:45 AM
I just created a series of seven deep-dive videos about AI, which I've posted to youtube and now here. 😊
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Targeted to laypeople, they explore how LLMs work, what they can do, and what impacts they have on learning, well-being, disinformation, the workplace, the economy, and the environment.
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
Penalise ‘retraction hotspot’ universities, says integrity expert: Indian campaigner Achal Agrawal says research watchdog he founded gets tens of tip-offs regarding suspected malpractice every day www.timeshighereducation.com/news/penalis...
Penalise ‘retraction hotspot’ universities, says integrity expert
Indian campaigner Achal Agrawal says research watchdog he founded gets tens of tip-offs regarding suspected malpractice every day
buff.ly
January 22, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Penalise ‘retraction hotspot’ universities, says integrity expert: Indian campaigner Achal Agrawal says research watchdog he founded gets tens of tip-offs regarding suspected malpractice every day www.timeshighereducation.com/news/penalis...
Cave art (hand stencils) dated to 67,000 years ago, older than any other known, and in the migration route in Indonesia of those who who first populated Australia
theconversation.com/humanitys-ol...
theconversation.com/humanitys-ol...
Humanity’s oldest known cave art has been discovered in Sulawesi
People were creating cave art in Indonesia 67,800 years ago – before modern humans reached Australia.
theconversation.com
January 21, 2026 at 9:32 PM
Cave art (hand stencils) dated to 67,000 years ago, older than any other known, and in the migration route in Indonesia of those who who first populated Australia
theconversation.com/humanitys-ol...
theconversation.com/humanitys-ol...
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
1/ I'm seeking expressions of interest from nonprofit organizations to take over the Open Access Tracking Project (#OATP, @oatp) and the open-source software (#TagTeam) on which it runs.
Details in this Google doc:
https://bit.ly/TransferOATP
Contact me if you have any […]
Details in this Google doc:
https://bit.ly/TransferOATP
Contact me
Original post on fediscience.org
fediscience.org
January 20, 2026 at 6:53 PM
1/ I'm seeking expressions of interest from nonprofit organizations to take over the Open Access Tracking Project (#OATP, @oatp) and the open-source software (#TagTeam) on which it runs.
Details in this Google doc:
https://bit.ly/TransferOATP
Contact me if you have any […]
Details in this Google doc:
https://bit.ly/TransferOATP
Contact me
Reposted by Alex Holcombe
I'm excited to be organising the joint EPC*-APCV^ meeting in Auckland this year, with @sampendu.bsky.social @courtneybhilton.bsky.social @paulcorballis.bsky.social & Chris Erb.
Info here!
visualneuroscience.auckland.ac.nz/epc-apcv-2026/
*Experimental Psych. Conference
^Asia-Pacific Conf. on Vision
Info here!
visualneuroscience.auckland.ac.nz/epc-apcv-2026/
*Experimental Psych. Conference
^Asia-Pacific Conf. on Vision
January 20, 2026 at 9:27 PM
I'm excited to be organising the joint EPC*-APCV^ meeting in Auckland this year, with @sampendu.bsky.social @courtneybhilton.bsky.social @paulcorballis.bsky.social & Chris Erb.
Info here!
visualneuroscience.auckland.ac.nz/epc-apcv-2026/
*Experimental Psych. Conference
^Asia-Pacific Conf. on Vision
Info here!
visualneuroscience.auckland.ac.nz/epc-apcv-2026/
*Experimental Psych. Conference
^Asia-Pacific Conf. on Vision