Cahir O'Kane
@cahirokane.bsky.social
Genetics professor: axon ER & degeneration in Drosophila, spastic paraplegia. Rejoin EU. Not the GAA commentator. Speak only for myself. Gaeilge, Deutsch. Maghera (Co Derry), Cambridge (UK).
https://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/research-groups/research-groups/okane
https://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/research-groups/research-groups/okane
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
This is so sad. There are powerful and effective therapies available for spinal muscular atrophy #SMA and we know that they work so much better when administered as early as possible after birth. Lots of other countries have newborn screening for SMA so why not the UK? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Our children waited too long for same diagnosis as Jesy Nelson’s twins
After Little Mix star Jesy Nelson's revelation that her twins have SMA, parents speak about their children's late diagnoses.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 6, 2026 at 11:46 AM
This is so sad. There are powerful and effective therapies available for spinal muscular atrophy #SMA and we know that they work so much better when administered as early as possible after birth. Lots of other countries have newborn screening for SMA so why not the UK? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Why are international press still not being allowed access to Gaza?
Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing that it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submission filed by the public prosecutor
Israel says ban on Gaza media access should remain
Israeli authorities have told the Supreme Court that a ban on international media access to Gaza should remain in place, arguing it is necessary for security reasons, according to a government submiss...
www.rte.ie
January 5, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Why are international press still not being allowed access to Gaza?
The Irish mythological version of the Book of Genesis - free on public display in the RIA in Dublin this week
Come view the Leabhar Gabhála on display in the Reading Room of Royal Irish Academy Library this week from 10.00-13.00 & 14.00-16.30 Monday - Friday. No appointment or reader’s ticket is required to view it 🔍
Leabhar Gabhála / The Book of the Invasions - Royal Irish Academy
RIA MS 23 M 70 and MS 23 K 32 (Cat No. 617) A.D. 1631
www.ria.ie
January 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM
The Irish mythological version of the Book of Genesis - free on public display in the RIA in Dublin this week
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
I'm teaching Statistical Rethinking again starting Jan 2026. This time with live lectures, divided into Beginner and Experienced sections. Will be a lot more work for me, but I hope much better for students.
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
December 9, 2025 at 1:58 PM
I'm teaching Statistical Rethinking again starting Jan 2026. This time with live lectures, divided into Beginner and Experienced sections. Will be a lot more work for me, but I hope much better for students.
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
I will record lectures & all will be found at this link: github.com/rmcelreath/s...
More of us may have to do this.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) will switch its internal work environment away from Microsoft Office to Open Desk, a European open source alternative, the institution confirmed to Euractiv.
www.euractiv.com/news/interna...
www.euractiv.com/news/interna...
International Criminal Court to ditch Microsoft Office for European open source alternative | Euractiv
The court will move its internal work environment to Open Desk, a German-developed open source software
www.euractiv.com
January 5, 2026 at 11:26 PM
More of us may have to do this.
Those were stomach-churning times. Thank god they've gone, although the wounds live on.
A series of killings in Co Armagh 50 years ago has been remembered as "24 hours of evil"
Kingsmill massacre survivors remember events 50 years ago
The sole survivor of the Kingsmill massacre in south Armagh 50 years ago has described the killings as a "sin against humanity".
www.rte.ie
January 5, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Those were stomach-churning times. Thank god they've gone, although the wounds live on.
Indeed.
Europe must unite or it’s ‘finished,’ Poland’s Tusk warns as Trump salivates over Greenland
“One for all, and all for one,” Polish prime minister urges as U.S. strikes Venezuela and threatens Greenland.
“One for all, and all for one,” Polish prime minister urges as U.S. strikes Venezuela and threatens Greenland.
Europe must unite or it’s ‘finished,’ Poland’s Tusk warns as Trump salivates over Greenland
“One for all, and all for one,” Polish prime minister urges as U.S. strikes Venezuela and threatens Greenland.
www.politico.eu
January 5, 2026 at 11:15 PM
Indeed.
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
*how* grok produced porn and CSAM shouldn’t be of primary importance/concern to regulators. rather, they should treat this as evidence of failure to comply with rules and proceed to enforcement i.e. ban the platform till X shows it complies with regulations
Britain demands Elon Musk's X answer concerns about sexualised photos on Grok reut.rs/3YJrspL
Britain demands Elon Musk's X answer concerns about sexualised photos on Grok
Britain has demanded Elon Musk's social media site X explain how its AI chatbot Grok was able to produce undressed images of people and sexualised images of children, and whether it was failing in its legal duty to protect users.
reut.rs
January 5, 2026 at 5:24 PM
*how* grok produced porn and CSAM shouldn’t be of primary importance/concern to regulators. rather, they should treat this as evidence of failure to comply with rules and proceed to enforcement i.e. ban the platform till X shows it complies with regulations
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
imagine a cheery BBC news report in 1938 breezily asking "which countries could be in Hitler's sights after the Sudetenland?"
January 5, 2026 at 5:35 PM
imagine a cheery BBC news report in 1938 breezily asking "which countries could be in Hitler's sights after the Sudetenland?"
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
January 5, 2026 at 7:26 AM
The Utrecht morning rush hour in the snow did not disappoint!
A really nice review on how flies have revealed the roles of PINK1 and Parkin in mitophagy, and some of the implications for disease when this goes wrong.
Drosophila models have been highly useful in dissecting the physiological roles of PINK1 and Parkin in #mitophagy
Led by 3 talented PhD students, we wrote a review summarising recent exciting discoveries and discussed these in context of current in vitro studies
portlandpress.com/biochemj/art...
Led by 3 talented PhD students, we wrote a review summarising recent exciting discoveries and discussed these in context of current in vitro studies
portlandpress.com/biochemj/art...
January 5, 2026 at 12:20 PM
A really nice review on how flies have revealed the roles of PINK1 and Parkin in mitophagy, and some of the implications for disease when this goes wrong.
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration”
January 4, 2026 at 11:05 PM
“The good of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration”
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
America does not now have a president bound by or interested in his Oath of Office, the U.S. Constitution, or even American traditions writ large. Anything he does to benefit America is merely incidental—and not the thrust of his mission.
Accept that and you understand this era.
Accept that and you understand this era.
January 4, 2026 at 2:05 PM
America does not now have a president bound by or interested in his Oath of Office, the U.S. Constitution, or even American traditions writ large. Anything he does to benefit America is merely incidental—and not the thrust of his mission.
Accept that and you understand this era.
Accept that and you understand this era.
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
Some things we learned: 1. CA1 pyramidal neuron dendritic voltage dynamics during behavior are low-dimensional, well described by just two or three compartments (basal, soma, apical). This rules out models in which dendritic branches act as distinct computational compartments.
January 4, 2026 at 6:17 AM
Some things we learned: 1. CA1 pyramidal neuron dendritic voltage dynamics during behavior are low-dimensional, well described by just two or three compartments (basal, soma, apical). This rules out models in which dendritic branches act as distinct computational compartments.
I still don’t follow why crypto is any better an investment than tulips were.
PwC ‘leans in’ to crypto as Donald Trump and lawmakers embrace sector ft.trib.al/pWUJCgj
PwC ‘leans in’ to crypto as Donald Trump and lawmakers embrace sector
Big Four firm has made strategic pivot towards digital assets, says US boss
ft.trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 4:27 PM
I still don’t follow why crypto is any better an investment than tulips were.
Murders of innocents, that leave open wounds in the lives of survivors even after 50 years.
Commemorations are taking place to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in Northern Ireland's Troubles
'Time is not a healer' - 50th anniversary of NI attacks
Commemorations are taking place to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in Northern Ireland's Troubles.
www.rte.ie
January 4, 2026 at 4:24 PM
Murders of innocents, that leave open wounds in the lives of survivors even after 50 years.
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
I had forgotten this, but it is consistent with Trump's efforts to pressure Zelenskyy into dangerous concessions to Putin. It should be (yet another) alarm signal to European leaders - Trump's goals in Ukraine may be the opposite of Europe's.
During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.
January 4, 2026 at 11:22 AM
I had forgotten this, but it is consistent with Trump's efforts to pressure Zelenskyy into dangerous concessions to Putin. It should be (yet another) alarm signal to European leaders - Trump's goals in Ukraine may be the opposite of Europe's.
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
Your fact of the day:
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
Fowl Play: How US Chicken Imports will Pollute Britain's Poor
Since joining the EU British food has gone from bog-awful to top-notch, but Otto English reveals how a US Trade deal will unravel 40 years of progress.
bylinetimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:12 AM
Your fact of the day:
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
it's funny when watching US movies or tv shows i used to be like "man, they sure do use food poisoning as a plot device *a lot* in america..."
then i learned their food poisoning statistics and it blew my mind. that's just how they live!
people DIE of food poisoning regularly in the US.
it's MAD.
then i learned their food poisoning statistics and it blew my mind. that's just how they live!
people DIE of food poisoning regularly in the US.
it's MAD.
Your fact of the day:
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in six American citizens suffers a food-borne illness annually. In the UK, the figure is one in 132.
bylinetimes.com/2020/02/28/f...
Fowl Play: How US Chicken Imports will Pollute Britain's Poor
Since joining the EU British food has gone from bog-awful to top-notch, but Otto English reveals how a US Trade deal will unravel 40 years of progress.
bylinetimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 9:15 AM
it's funny when watching US movies or tv shows i used to be like "man, they sure do use food poisoning as a plot device *a lot* in america..."
then i learned their food poisoning statistics and it blew my mind. that's just how they live!
people DIE of food poisoning regularly in the US.
it's MAD.
then i learned their food poisoning statistics and it blew my mind. that's just how they live!
people DIE of food poisoning regularly in the US.
it's MAD.
Well, whaddaya know
Trump bets US will extract ‘tremendous’ oil wealth from Venezuela ft.trib.al/yU7zZ5V
Trump bets US will extract ‘tremendous’ oil wealth from Venezuela
Country’s crude output has fallen under Maduro regime despite its vast reserves
ft.trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 8:52 AM
Well, whaddaya know
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
But another risk for Europe is Putin invading (say) the Baltic states, and Trump pressuring them as he's pressuring Ukraine, to give up territory for "peace" plus business deals for his cronies etc
To be clear, I'm not saying Trump has some innate respect for Europe's boundaries (plus, as someone rightly said, Greenland is in north America)
Whilst I don't think we can rule out the possibility that Trump will eventually set his sights on Greenland, do think maybe Europeans are centring ourselves a bit to act like it's possibly next on the list.
Right now, this is about America asserting its dominance in its home continent
Right now, this is about America asserting its dominance in its home continent
January 4, 2026 at 12:20 AM
But another risk for Europe is Putin invading (say) the Baltic states, and Trump pressuring them as he's pressuring Ukraine, to give up territory for "peace" plus business deals for his cronies etc
This won’t end well.
Trump's plan appears to be for Venezuela to remain under the day-to-day rule of a senior chavista, with its democratically elected leaders excluded and its wealth controlled by American corporations. It's a scheme worthy of a mob boss. www.economist.com/the-americas...
Donald Trump wants to run Venezuela, and dominate the western hemisphere
Snatching Nicolás Maduro and attempting to take control of Venezuela and its oil is an extraordinary display of the new “Donroe doctrine”
www.economist.com
January 4, 2026 at 8:45 AM
This won’t end well.
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
Want to know what the UK would look like under Farage?
Look at the US right now.
The US far-right *is* the UK far-right, with the same people pulling all the strings on both sides of the Atlantic. The useful idiots are different, but the ideas, the tactics, and the funding are the same
Look at the US right now.
The US far-right *is* the UK far-right, with the same people pulling all the strings on both sides of the Atlantic. The useful idiots are different, but the ideas, the tactics, and the funding are the same
Well spotted on the date.
In his emails to Epstein in mid November 2018 Bannon claims to have met up with Rees Mogg, Farage and Boris Johnson to keep Brexit on track and defeat Theresa May. Farage denies this…. And yet….
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/19/d...
In his emails to Epstein in mid November 2018 Bannon claims to have met up with Rees Mogg, Farage and Boris Johnson to keep Brexit on track and defeat Theresa May. Farage denies this…. And yet….
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/19/d...
NTM Farage & Johnson & Johnson & Bannon.
Bannon: ‘He (#LiarJohnson) flew right over after WE👈👈won”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019...
Bannon: ‘He (#LiarJohnson) flew right over after WE👈👈won”
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019...
January 2, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Want to know what the UK would look like under Farage?
Look at the US right now.
The US far-right *is* the UK far-right, with the same people pulling all the strings on both sides of the Atlantic. The useful idiots are different, but the ideas, the tactics, and the funding are the same
Look at the US right now.
The US far-right *is* the UK far-right, with the same people pulling all the strings on both sides of the Atlantic. The useful idiots are different, but the ideas, the tactics, and the funding are the same
Reposted by Cahir O'Kane
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... It's finally out! Meriam Guellil expertly led this project from the first HHV6 detection to the final paper. We found both human herpesviruses 6A and 6B in ancient remains going back 2500 years.
January 2, 2026 at 7:53 PM
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... It's finally out! Meriam Guellil expertly led this project from the first HHV6 detection to the final paper. We found both human herpesviruses 6A and 6B in ancient remains going back 2500 years.
How did that work out the last time?
Trump on the US running Venezuela: It will not cost us anything because the money coming out of the ground is substantial. We’re going to take back the oil.
January 3, 2026 at 11:29 PM
How did that work out the last time?