Blue Eyed Grass
@blueeyedgrass.bsky.social
Cell Biology, Genetics, Chromosome stuff. Believer in American placefulness. Also at https://allpoetry.com/Blue_Eyed_Grass
A interesting read. At least for me, with attempts at creative thought, an image "appears" first, and is subsequently attended by words that try to bring it forth. T.S. Eliot wrote "between the conception and and the creation falls the shadow". Sounds like AI is too insubstantial to cast one.
I’ve been running around asking tech execs and academics if language was the same as intelligence for over a year now - and, well, it isn’t. @benjaminjriley.bsky.social explains how the bubble is built on ignoring cutting-edge research into the science of thought www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...
November 25, 2025 at 9:24 PM
A interesting read. At least for me, with attempts at creative thought, an image "appears" first, and is subsequently attended by words that try to bring it forth. T.S. Eliot wrote "between the conception and and the creation falls the shadow". Sounds like AI is too insubstantial to cast one.
Thanksgiving is the holiday where we get to reconnect with the eternal cycle of fall midterm grading. For all who celebrate.
November 24, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Thanksgiving is the holiday where we get to reconnect with the eternal cycle of fall midterm grading. For all who celebrate.
Interesting read on really key issue. Seems like (if followed correctly) even twins raised apart inflate heritability. Wonder why...how mom specifies a maternal program into egg cytoplasm? So like not the code but the hardware. Or is that just an equally deterministic metaphor?
I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Interesting read on really key issue. Seems like (if followed correctly) even twins raised apart inflate heritability. Wonder why...how mom specifies a maternal program into egg cytoplasm? So like not the code but the hardware. Or is that just an equally deterministic metaphor?
I'm not a fashion dude. Nonetheless, I can't help but wonder-is this autoclavable?
Oops, had the artist wrong, here are details sakitheartist.com/pipette-dres... #sciart
Pipette dress by Marty Ornish #sciart
November 17, 2025 at 6:09 AM
I'm not a fashion dude. Nonetheless, I can't help but wonder-is this autoclavable?
Reposted by Blue Eyed Grass
A huge district court victory for the University of California.
District courts find facts. This one found "overwhelming evidence" that the Trump administration has pervasively violated the First Amendment in its efforts to coerce and intimidate the University of California.
News story here—
District courts find facts. This one found "overwhelming evidence" that the Trump administration has pervasively violated the First Amendment in its efforts to coerce and intimidate the University of California.
News story here—
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules
A federal judge ruled Donald Trump cannot demand that UCLA pay a $1.2 billion settlement that would have restricted academic freedoms.
calmatters.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:41 AM
A huge district court victory for the University of California.
District courts find facts. This one found "overwhelming evidence" that the Trump administration has pervasively violated the First Amendment in its efforts to coerce and intimidate the University of California.
News story here—
District courts find facts. This one found "overwhelming evidence" that the Trump administration has pervasively violated the First Amendment in its efforts to coerce and intimidate the University of California.
News story here—
I hear you. I'm old but seems to me science, like so much else, has been caught up in what Paul Virilio calls the dromocratic society, the tyranny of acceleration, compressing everything. Give me a good old fashion 35 page Genetics article, reclaiming slowness, collecting thought.
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
I honestly think we would all be a lot more productive if papers were bullet points with plots.
November 15, 2025 at 5:08 AM
I hear you. I'm old but seems to me science, like so much else, has been caught up in what Paul Virilio calls the dromocratic society, the tyranny of acceleration, compressing everything. Give me a good old fashion 35 page Genetics article, reclaiming slowness, collecting thought.
Reposted by Blue Eyed Grass
"This urgent order to clear away the entire, centuries-old idea of disciplinary governance in one fell swoop is both radical and without even a functional ideology—an especially pure plane of the empty-mind austerity satirized from Office Space to Severance." Adam Rzepka wp.me/p8xr4h-dil
The Eternal Synergy of the Spotless Mind
BY ADAM RZEPKA A large public university is wiping out all of its humanities departments. It isn’t sure why. As I write this, our Interim Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS…
wp.me
November 13, 2025 at 9:53 PM
"This urgent order to clear away the entire, centuries-old idea of disciplinary governance in one fell swoop is both radical and without even a functional ideology—an especially pure plane of the empty-mind austerity satirized from Office Space to Severance." Adam Rzepka wp.me/p8xr4h-dil
Geeky thing but for my cell biol class I've long wanted to build a teaching model of the Sec61 translocon big enough for a large lecture hall to demonstrate how START and STOP signals are read to make trans-membrane proteins. Here it is-behold. Students seemed to like it-fun class session.
November 14, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Geeky thing but for my cell biol class I've long wanted to build a teaching model of the Sec61 translocon big enough for a large lecture hall to demonstrate how START and STOP signals are read to make trans-membrane proteins. Here it is-behold. Students seemed to like it-fun class session.
An informative, clearly written article for anyone seeking insight into the "whys" underlying the current malaise of today's universities. The why of increased tuition for larger classes, the why of bloated admins disconnected from university mission, etc.
stevenmintz.substack.com/p/the-univer...
stevenmintz.substack.com/p/the-univer...
The University of Nebraska Now Spends More on Administrators and Support Staff Than on Professors
And It’s Not an Outlier
stevenmintz.substack.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:17 AM
An informative, clearly written article for anyone seeking insight into the "whys" underlying the current malaise of today's universities. The why of increased tuition for larger classes, the why of bloated admins disconnected from university mission, etc.
stevenmintz.substack.com/p/the-univer...
stevenmintz.substack.com/p/the-univer...
A nice summary. Bridge pieces like this integrating theoretical and practical pedagogical considerations are valuable. I wish more of them explicitly considered scale as a factor. What you can do with 50 is much different than with 300.
From LSE... Want students to lean in? Connect biology to purpose and real-life relevance.
Teaching guide by Dustin Thoman et al. with evidence-based strategies for intro courses.
🔗 www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/...
Teaching guide by Dustin Thoman et al. with evidence-based strategies for intro courses.
🔗 www.lifescied.org/doi/10.1187/...
November 11, 2025 at 9:20 PM
A nice summary. Bridge pieces like this integrating theoretical and practical pedagogical considerations are valuable. I wish more of them explicitly considered scale as a factor. What you can do with 50 is much different than with 300.
Long view on epically shitty day. Shut down reveals evolution in D's ability to fight. But caucus fractures, fumble at end. If true, prediction would be internal push for caucus leadership change. D's respond to electoral pressure and shame. R's respond to ridicule. Message is keep piling both on.
November 10, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Long view on epically shitty day. Shut down reveals evolution in D's ability to fight. But caucus fractures, fumble at end. If true, prediction would be internal push for caucus leadership change. D's respond to electoral pressure and shame. R's respond to ridicule. Message is keep piling both on.
H5N1 jumping back and forth between migratory sea birds and pinnipeds, spreading around the southern Pacific. 97% pup mortality in some colonies. Koyannisquatsi.
“Before 2023, it was impossible to think that a healthy population like the one in Peninsula Valdés could become endangered from one year to another," says biologist Valeria Falabella…”This is a warning," she adds, noting that climate change brings additional risks and uncertainties for the species”
'It was a horrible scene to witness': How bird flu has decimated elephant seal populations
The sudden decimation by bird flu of the world's largest seal species has sent shockwaves through the scientific community, and the ecosystems shaped by these majestic animals.
www.bbc.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:19 AM
H5N1 jumping back and forth between migratory sea birds and pinnipeds, spreading around the southern Pacific. 97% pup mortality in some colonies. Koyannisquatsi.
A nuanced read, bringing in the importance of DEI as an antidote for dealing with the complexity of individual legacies and science's past.
Read @cbo.bsky.social for what you need to know about Watson and his legacy.
race.undark.org/articles/gho...
race.undark.org/articles/gho...
November 7, 2025 at 9:40 PM
A nuanced read, bringing in the importance of DEI as an antidote for dealing with the complexity of individual legacies and science's past.
Another bad look for UC system leadership. “Due to the severe budget constraints currently facing UC, the PPFP faculty hiring incentive is sunsetting as of fall 2025,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “ Yeah, that's not the reason.
A devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
UC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc Program
Established in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.
www.insidehighered.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Another bad look for UC system leadership. “Due to the severe budget constraints currently facing UC, the PPFP faculty hiring incentive is sunsetting as of fall 2025,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “ Yeah, that's not the reason.
Strange, I suppose, but with the election results coming in tonight I find myself thinking of Liz Cheney. We have little in common, but I reflect that the life of a father can fit a pattern, has a sensibility, while the life of a country, with teeming millions, moves in fits and spasms.
November 5, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Strange, I suppose, but with the election results coming in tonight I find myself thinking of Liz Cheney. We have little in common, but I reflect that the life of a father can fit a pattern, has a sensibility, while the life of a country, with teeming millions, moves in fits and spasms.
I guess this is a piece about ballooning spiders, the big and the small, the horror and transformation that attend all scales. It was influenced by artist Tomás Saraceno's work.
#poetry
Ballooning
#poetry
Ballooning
November 3, 2025 at 5:07 AM
I guess this is a piece about ballooning spiders, the big and the small, the horror and transformation that attend all scales. It was influenced by artist Tomás Saraceno's work.
#poetry
Ballooning
#poetry
Ballooning
Wow, the microtubule networks they are visualizing in these organisms are nothing short of jaw dropping. Anytime you swell a specimen for a look see you have to worry about artifacts...but, overall, damn. This is discovery at its best. 🔬
🌊 A pandemic-era breakthrough has allowed scientists to literally expand our view of plankton. By using ultrastructure expansion microscopy, researchers visualised the inner workings of hundreds of marine species for the first time
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/202...
A new microscopy breakthrough is revealing the oceans’ invisible life
A pandemic-era breakthrough has allowed scientists to literally expand our view of plankton. By using ultrastructure expansion microscopy, researchers visualized the inner workings of hundreds of mari...
www.sciencedaily.com
November 2, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Wow, the microtubule networks they are visualizing in these organisms are nothing short of jaw dropping. Anytime you swell a specimen for a look see you have to worry about artifacts...but, overall, damn. This is discovery at its best. 🔬
I get Haaland is a generational athletic talent. And Bournemouth has to stop coughing up the ball midfield.
But criminy...
If I wanted to watch "kick the ball to the big fast kid up front" futbol I could go to the Ulittle AYSO fields. Baggy shorts and screaming parents would be more interesting.
But criminy...
If I wanted to watch "kick the ball to the big fast kid up front" futbol I could go to the Ulittle AYSO fields. Baggy shorts and screaming parents would be more interesting.
November 2, 2025 at 5:54 PM
I get Haaland is a generational athletic talent. And Bournemouth has to stop coughing up the ball midfield.
But criminy...
If I wanted to watch "kick the ball to the big fast kid up front" futbol I could go to the Ulittle AYSO fields. Baggy shorts and screaming parents would be more interesting.
But criminy...
If I wanted to watch "kick the ball to the big fast kid up front" futbol I could go to the Ulittle AYSO fields. Baggy shorts and screaming parents would be more interesting.
First morning with white crowned sparrows under the feeders in good numbers. They've arrived. That, and light angle, most dependable signs winter has come to SoCal. It's good to see them again. Welcome, my Zonotrichia fence row friends. Make yourselves at home and enjoy the season.
November 1, 2025 at 7:01 PM
First morning with white crowned sparrows under the feeders in good numbers. They've arrived. That, and light angle, most dependable signs winter has come to SoCal. It's good to see them again. Welcome, my Zonotrichia fence row friends. Make yourselves at home and enjoy the season.
Example of how science is moving towards activism. All the individual stories and motivations that prompt a decision. Interesting in that NC-11 is quite the cultural leap from Chapel Hill. But if he can flip it that would be amazing. Go Paul!
🧪hey all, a friend and colleague, @maddoxfornc.bsky.social, is running for Congress in North Carolina. He is a scientist, professor, and parent, perspectives that are especially important right now. I hope you will support his run for Congress. Find out more here: www.maddoxforcongress.com/about/
Meet Paul Maddox
Paul Maddox is a world-renowned cancer researcher, two-time entrepreneur, and native son of Western North Carolina–and now, a candidate for U.S. Congress. ....
www.maddoxforcongress.com
October 30, 2025 at 8:08 PM
Example of how science is moving towards activism. All the individual stories and motivations that prompt a decision. Interesting in that NC-11 is quite the cultural leap from Chapel Hill. But if he can flip it that would be amazing. Go Paul!
Reposted by Blue Eyed Grass
What It’s Like to Watch An Internet-Based Ideology Break Containment
talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-...
talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-...
What It’s Like to Watch An Internet-Based Ideology Break Containment
I first realized the extent of the internet’s takeover of U.S. politics...
talkingpointsmemo.com
October 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM
What It’s Like to Watch An Internet-Based Ideology Break Containment
talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-...
talkingpointsmemo.com/tpm-25/what-...
Need to exorcise words or what needs to get done will not get done. Kutya'i is a Cahuilla word for Wind Spirit, like the strong Santa Ana winds we get in SoCal. And in SoCal no matter north, south, east or west you see foothills and then big mountains. so this piece kinda flows from that.
#poetry
#poetry
October 25, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Need to exorcise words or what needs to get done will not get done. Kutya'i is a Cahuilla word for Wind Spirit, like the strong Santa Ana winds we get in SoCal. And in SoCal no matter north, south, east or west you see foothills and then big mountains. so this piece kinda flows from that.
#poetry
#poetry
Read this and then think through the implications of the whole UC Trellix debacle.
The UC Regents finally released the “settlement agreement” the Trump administration proposed in August. It’s a doozy.
UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:
Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.
UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:
Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.
October 25, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Read this and then think through the implications of the whole UC Trellix debacle.
Reposted by Blue Eyed Grass
The UC Regents finally released the “settlement agreement” the Trump administration proposed in August. It’s a doozy.
UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:
Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.
UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:
Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.
October 25, 2025 at 6:53 AM
The UC Regents finally released the “settlement agreement” the Trump administration proposed in August. It’s a doozy.
UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:
Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.
UC alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents, donors—and all citizens of California:
Now is the time to let the UC Regents know you do not want them to sign this bad deal.