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alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Alfons López Tena
@alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
900 followers 2 following 260 posts
Jurist, writer, and politician
Posts Replies Media Videos
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Researchers are responsible for raising their own funds through grants with success rates of 10%, an enormous short-term pressure to keep producing—to always have the next paper ready to publish. The optimized response is risk aversion
open.substack.com/pub/persuasi...
The Real Reason Science Is Broken
AI productivity tools can’t fix bad incentives.
open.substack.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:49 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
El miedo de los científicos en USA ha llevado a 'maquillar' proyectos para sobrevivir a la censura y los conflictos ideológicos. Investigadores extranjeros temen perder el estatus legal, no poder regresar al país tras estancias de campo, y deportaciones
www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/...
Dos paleontólogos de prestigio de EEUU ya trabajan en Catalunya: 'Con Trump, estudiar la evolución humana se ha vuelto tabú'
Los investigadores, anteriormente afincados en Nueva York, son los primeros en incorporarse al ecosistema científico catalán gracias a las becas ICREA y al programa de captación Catalunya Talent Bridg...
www.elperiodico.com
February 5, 2026 at 12:11 AM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Florida Universities partnered with ICE police, stoking anxiety among students. The agreements give university police departments, after training from ICE, authority to conduct immigration enforcement and access to databases to check immigration status
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...
Florida Universities Have Partnered With ICE, Stoking Anxiety Among Students
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:04 AM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
What the US TikTok takeover is already revealing about new forms of censorship: It’s not what we can or cannot say that matters – rather, it’s whether what we say can get any visibility at all under the US-specific algorithm
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What the US TikTok takeover is already revealing about new forms of censorship | Paolo Gerbaudo
It’s not what we can or cannot say that matters – rather, it’s whether what we say can get any visibility at all under the US-specific algorithm, says academic Paolo Gerbaudo
www.theguardian.com
January 30, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Alfons López Tena
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Human monogamy in mammalian context — How monogamous are humans? Somewhere between the European beaver and a meerkat
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Human monogamy in mammalian context
Abstract. Monogamy has been argued to have played an important role in human evolution and, across animals more generally, evolutionary transitions to high
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
España logra atraer a una veintena de científicos punteros de Estados Unidos que huyen de la represión — Provienen de los laboratorios que están sufriendo la censura, los recortes y la represión del gobierno
www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/...
España logra atraer a una veintena de científicos punteros de Estados Unidos que huyen de la 'represión' de Trump
Cada investigador recibirá una media de un millón de euros para desarrollar su actividad en los laboratorios españoles
www.elperiodico.com
January 30, 2026 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Alfons López Tena
moudhy.bsky.social
“Do not bend your neck for that which cuts necks.”

A Sumerian proverb, as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.
Photo of a fragment of a clay tablet shaped a bit like a diamond. Although it is only a fragment, the cuneiform text on it is well-preserved. There is a vertical line down the centre which indicates it once had at least two columns. The colour is reddish brown
February 7, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Reposted by Alfons López Tena
evolbrain.bsky.social
The warmongering & global destabilization - NATO, Greenland, Panama, Ukraine - aims to precipitate the suspension of law. Vance, Musk, Thiel et al see the advantages of an authoritarian regime as exemplified by China & think they can do it better. They imagine we'll be better for it. Trump agrees.
March 1, 2025 at 4:08 AM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
From 2021 through 2024, anti-gay bias in US rose by around 10%. Increases also appeared in bias toward Black, darker-skinned, older, disabled and overweight people, but not as starkly. These trends were distinctly robust among Americans under 25
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Opinion | Americans Are Turning Against Gay People
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:06 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Colleges and universities' enrollment in US hits 10-year high reaching 19.4 million. It has increased for the third straight year, fueled by community college growth — More Blacks, Asian, Hispanic US students, less US Whites, less foreigners
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
College enrollment hits 10-year high, fueled by community college growth
New data show drops for foreign student enrollment and private colleges. Enrollment for students of color increased while fewer White students enrolled.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 17, 2026 at 5:27 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
High-coverage genome from muscle tissue of a 14,400-year-old woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis) that went extinct 14,000-years ago, found inside a permafrost-preserved wolf's stomach. No recent inbreeding despite their near-extinction then
academic.oup.com/gbe/article/...
Genome Shows no Recent Inbreeding in Near-Extinction Woolly Rhinoceros Sample Found in Ancient Wolf's Stomach
Abstract. Using temporarily spaced high-coverage ancient genomes, we can assess population decline prior to extinction. However, finding suitable ancient r
academic.oup.com
January 14, 2026 at 10:13 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Poison in arrows from 60,000 years ago: Oldest evidence of its use in human weapons discovered. The oldest until now were 6,700 years old — The finding in South Africa identifies toxic alkaloids in these projectiles, used for hunting during the Paleolithic
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
Poison in arrows from 60,000 years ago: Oldest evidence of its use in human weapons discovered
The finding in South Africa identifies toxic alkaloids in these projectiles, used for hunting during the Paleolithic era
english.elpais.com
January 10, 2026 at 11:03 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Human monogamy in mammalian context — How monogamous are humans? Somewhere between the European beaver and a meerkat
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
Human monogamy in mammalian context
Abstract. Monogamy has been argued to have played an important role in human evolution and, across animals more generally, evolutionary transitions to high
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 11, 2025 at 5:40 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
The Conservative overhaul of @utaustin.bsky.social is underway. The school has been brought to heel by conservative critics of higher education. It is part of a broader transformation at Texas' universities
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/u...
The Conservative Overhaul of the University of Texas Is Underway
www.nytimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 5:02 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Trump’s pardons cover every conceivable form of corruption. He is doling them to crooks, cronies, campaign contributors, violent insurrectionists, child sex offenders, convicted drug dealers, and others
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
Trump’s Pardons Cover Every Conceivable Form of Corruption
He is doling them to crooks, cronies, campaign contributors, violent insurrectionists, child sex offenders, convicted drug dealers, and others
open.substack.com
December 5, 2025 at 6:50 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Cranial feathers of male golden (C. pictus) and Lady Amherst’s (C. amherstiae) pheasants significantly restrict their visual field relative to females and may impede their ability to gather information. In the vertical extent, the difference is 30° to 40°
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
The visual impediment of cranial ornamentation in male Chrysolophus pheasants | Biology Letters
Sexually selected traits such as feather ornamentation of male birds can act as an impediment to movement and predator detection. Here, we report a previously undocumented example of an impediment derived from a sexually selected trait: the cranial ...
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:06 AM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Hong Kong: How the Mecca of Chinese capitalism is attracting top Western scientists, courting international researchers with astronomical salaries and cutting-edge equipment
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
Hong Kong: How the Mecca of Chinese capitalism is attracting top Western scientists
The Beijing-controlled megacity is courting international researchers with astronomical salaries and cutting-edge equipment. After its success story with trade and capital flows, it now wants to do th...
english.elpais.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:04 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Censorship and purges in US — A professor who showed a graphic labeling the MAGA slogan as covert white supremacy has been removed from teaching as ordered by a MAGA US senator under a new Indiana law meant to foster “intellectual diversity"
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Indiana Professor Removed From Class Over White Supremacy Lesson
www.nytimes.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:39 AM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Charting the Decline in International Students to the U.S. — 19% globally, 12% less from China, 44% down from India
www.nytimes.com/video/upshot...
Video: We Charted the Decline in International Students to the U.S.
The Upshot reporter Aatish Bhatia walks through a chart he created showing the decline, by country, of international students arriving to the United States this year.
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by Alfons López Tena
zackbeauchamp.bsky.social
Trump's corruption has felt like the dog that didn't bark for a while, politically speaking. But I wonder if looting the Treasury like he's Imelda Marcos could be the thing that finally gets people to pay attention
October 21, 2025 at 7:02 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
White House fails to entice top colleges to sign submission to MAGA policies in exchange of funds. The blackmail has been rejected by MIT, Brown, Pennsylvania, Southern California, Virginia, Dartmouth—Only @utaustin.bsky.social ‬⁩expressed "enthusiasm"
www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
White House hits roadblock in effort to get top colleges to agree to deal
Six of nine universities that were asked to sign an agreement in exchange for funding advantages have rejected the offer, two said they were open to more discussion
www.washingtonpost.com
October 21, 2025 at 3:18 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
Fossils found in Kenya shed light on the origin of human hands—Remains of ‘Paranthropus boisei’, who inhabited the earth 2.6 to 1.3 million years ago, reveal that they were capable of manipulating objects and food, climbing trees, perhaps making tools
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
Fossils found in Kenya shed light on the origin of human hands
Researchers say the remains of ‘Paranthropus boisei’ reveal that this ancient relative was capable of powerfully manipulating objects and food, climbing trees, and perhaps making tools
english.elpais.com
October 17, 2025 at 5:57 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
US government's foolish War on Basic Science — Cutting funding for gravitational wave studies won’t save taxpayers much but will jeopardize future scientific breakthroughs
open.substack.com/pub/theunpop...
The Administration’s Foolish War on Basic Science
Cutting funding for gravitational wave studies won’t save taxpayers much but will jeopardize future scientific breakthroughs
open.substack.com
October 11, 2025 at 8:16 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
A cGAS-mediated mechanism in naked mole-rats potentiates DNA repair and delays aging — Unlike human cGAS, which inhibits DNA repair by homologous recombination in the nucleus, the naked mole rat enzyme has 4 amino acid changes that enhances DNA repair
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A cGAS-mediated mechanism in naked mole-rats potentiates DNA repair and delays aging
Efficient DNA repair might make possible the longevity of naked mole-rats. However, whether they have distinctive mechanisms to optimize functions of DNA repair suppressors is unclear. We find that na...
www.science.org
October 11, 2025 at 6:04 PM
alfonslopeztena.bsky.social
The University of Zurich said that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, known for their work in development economics, will move from the US to Switzerland, amid US government's attacks on universities
www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/a...
Nobel-winning economists Duflo and Banerjee will leave US for Switzerland
The University of Zurich said that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee, known for their work in development economics, will move from the US to Switzerland, amid Donald Trump's attacks o...
www.lemonde.fr
October 11, 2025 at 4:34 PM