Cian O'Donnell
@cianodonnell.bsky.social
Computational neuroscientist.
Senior Lecturer at Ulster University in the Great City of Derry, Northern Ireland.
"not articulate enough"
https://odonnellgroup.github.io
Senior Lecturer at Ulster University in the Great City of Derry, Northern Ireland.
"not articulate enough"
https://odonnellgroup.github.io
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
"Anyone who thinks the 21st century will not see the biggest global movement of peoples in history has not been paying attention."
David Runciman on the combination of population decline in affluent countries and climate stress in the less affluent...
David Runciman on the combination of population decline in affluent countries and climate stress in the less affluent...
David Runciman · Are we doomed? The End of the Species
Are we doomed to die out? We find ourselves at the only point in the history of the species when the rate of population...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 5:50 PM
"Anyone who thinks the 21st century will not see the biggest global movement of peoples in history has not been paying attention."
David Runciman on the combination of population decline in affluent countries and climate stress in the less affluent...
David Runciman on the combination of population decline in affluent countries and climate stress in the less affluent...
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Gosh that's a very good long read, but not an easy one :)
scottaaronson.blog?p=9030
scottaaronson.blog?p=9030
November 10, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Gosh that's a very good long read, but not an easy one :)
scottaaronson.blog?p=9030
scottaaronson.blog?p=9030
unclear if Watson made a net positive or negative contribution to science.
Without him would the double helix have been figured out sooner or later?
Perhaps CSHL would not have grown to its eventual status
Perhaps a swathe of women and non-white researchers would not have been lost from science
Without him would the double helix have been figured out sooner or later?
Perhaps CSHL would not have grown to its eventual status
Perhaps a swathe of women and non-white researchers would not have been lost from science
November 9, 2025 at 5:39 PM
unclear if Watson made a net positive or negative contribution to science.
Without him would the double helix have been figured out sooner or later?
Perhaps CSHL would not have grown to its eventual status
Perhaps a swathe of women and non-white researchers would not have been lost from science
Without him would the double helix have been figured out sooner or later?
Perhaps CSHL would not have grown to its eventual status
Perhaps a swathe of women and non-white researchers would not have been lost from science
Endorse, and I'd also add that it's nice to mention a few things you liked about the paper at the start of the review.
My reviewing style has changed over time. Rather than litigate every little thing, and pushing my own ideas, I focus only on 2 things:
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
November 8, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Endorse, and I'd also add that it's nice to mention a few things you liked about the paper at the start of the review.
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
My reviewing style has changed over time. Rather than litigate every little thing, and pushing my own ideas, I focus only on 2 things:
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
November 8, 2025 at 11:22 AM
My reviewing style has changed over time. Rather than litigate every little thing, and pushing my own ideas, I focus only on 2 things:
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
(1) Are the claims interesting/important?
(2) Does the evidence support the claims?
Most of my reviews these days are short and focused.
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
"studies have found little evidence for uniformly increased sensory precision in autism, but instead point to aberrant context-sensitive modulation of prediction errors"? which explains "why autism is associated with both hyper- & hyporeactivity to sensory input"? www.cell.com/trends/cogni... review
Sensory processing sensitivity: theory, evidence, and directions
In recent years, scientific interest in sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), a personality
trait reflecting increased sensitivity, reactivity, and deeper processing of stimuli,
has grown exponentiall...
www.cell.com
November 8, 2025 at 10:22 AM
"studies have found little evidence for uniformly increased sensory precision in autism, but instead point to aberrant context-sensitive modulation of prediction errors"? which explains "why autism is associated with both hyper- & hyporeactivity to sensory input"? www.cell.com/trends/cogni... review
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Watson was a racist who, "near the end of his life, faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying Black people are less intelligent than white people"
James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, has died at age 97
Scientist James Watson, who shared a Nobel prize for helping discover the double-helix shape of the DNA molecule, has died. He was 97.
apnews.com
November 7, 2025 at 8:07 PM
Watson was a racist who, "near the end of his life, faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying Black people are less intelligent than white people"
I saw Jim Watson speak in the flesh only once, in 2013. During the talk he mentioned the "historic curse of the Irish, which is not alcohol, it’s not stupidity. But it’s ignorance."
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/03/21/w...
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/03/21/w...
November 7, 2025 at 8:15 PM
I saw Jim Watson speak in the flesh only once, in 2013. During the talk he mentioned the "historic curse of the Irish, which is not alcohol, it’s not stupidity. But it’s ignorance."
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/03/21/w...
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2013/03/21/w...
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Delighted to announce with my colleagues Prof Yvonne Daly, Dublin City Uni; Prof Dave Walsh Walsh, De Montfort Uni; Prof Bennett Kleinberg, Tilburg Uni, we have secured an ERC Synergy grant entitled JUSTICE (or ‘Joining Unique Strategies Together For Interrogative Coercion Elimination).
📣 Meet the new ERC Synergy Grant awardees!
Sixty-six research teams have been selected for funding, bringing together 239 scientists. Congratulations to all!
➡️ buff.ly/PSn3bi9
#EUfunded #HorizonEurope #ERCSyG
Sixty-six research teams have been selected for funding, bringing together 239 scientists. Congratulations to all!
➡️ buff.ly/PSn3bi9
#EUfunded #HorizonEurope #ERCSyG
November 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Delighted to announce with my colleagues Prof Yvonne Daly, Dublin City Uni; Prof Dave Walsh Walsh, De Montfort Uni; Prof Bennett Kleinberg, Tilburg Uni, we have secured an ERC Synergy grant entitled JUSTICE (or ‘Joining Unique Strategies Together For Interrogative Coercion Elimination).
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.
November 7, 2025 at 7:39 AM
The world’s first trillionaire initiated a move that has left more than half a million people dead, most of whom are children.
Personally I have never used an LLM to:
- review a paper
- review a grant
- mark student assessments
These are tasks I do not pass to LLMs because I am getting paid to do them and because I was asked to provide my individual professional judgement on their quality
- review a paper
- review a grant
- mark student assessments
These are tasks I do not pass to LLMs because I am getting paid to do them and because I was asked to provide my individual professional judgement on their quality
November 7, 2025 at 9:31 AM
Personally I have never used an LLM to:
- review a paper
- review a grant
- mark student assessments
These are tasks I do not pass to LLMs because I am getting paid to do them and because I was asked to provide my individual professional judgement on their quality
- review a paper
- review a grant
- mark student assessments
These are tasks I do not pass to LLMs because I am getting paid to do them and because I was asked to provide my individual professional judgement on their quality
LLMs are already reviewing science... just often not declared
In the shorter term, we should resist the use of LLMs in reviewing science, and reform the system to avoid the problems we already have with human PR. A good start would be getting rid of journals and switching to post publication, open and ongoing review.
November 7, 2025 at 9:27 AM
LLMs are already reviewing science... just often not declared
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
My prediction is that LLM peer review will slow down science. It will do this for precisely the same reasons that contemporary peer review does and some extra ones. Start by reading @hansonmark.bsky.social thread below, then read on. 🧵
Just tried q.e.d. by @odedrechavi.bsky.social et al. with a few papers including by myself & others where I knew a claim within was flawed based on a misunderstanding of the signal.
1) it was impressive. I see what the hype is about.
2) it hallucinated.
www.qedscience.com
Overly long #SciPub🧵 1/n
1) it was impressive. I see what the hype is about.
2) it hallucinated.
www.qedscience.com
Overly long #SciPub🧵 1/n
q.e.d Science
Critical Thinking AI for constructive criticism and science evaluation
www.qedscience.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:30 PM
My prediction is that LLM peer review will slow down science. It will do this for precisely the same reasons that contemporary peer review does and some extra ones. Start by reading @hansonmark.bsky.social thread below, then read on. 🧵
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
The advances we've made in statistics, experimental study design, and causal inference over the past century are remarkably useful for understanding our world. But there is never been a push to make people use them like we are seeing with generative AI. Perhaps take a moment to consider why.
November 7, 2025 at 9:07 AM
The advances we've made in statistics, experimental study design, and causal inference over the past century are remarkably useful for understanding our world. But there is never been a push to make people use them like we are seeing with generative AI. Perhaps take a moment to consider why.
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
November 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Getting nervous for the talk I'm about to give at a workshop about "using AI to drive impact" which features slides such as these.
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
We must change this mindset that the essential and most critical work in a field is always the first one. That distorted view has caused a lot of problems in psychological science already. The first work is just that—the start. Every field should be evaluated based on the complete body of evidence.
November 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
We must change this mindset that the essential and most critical work in a field is always the first one. That distorted view has caused a lot of problems in psychological science already. The first work is just that—the start. Every field should be evaluated based on the complete body of evidence.
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Reactions to the "debunking" of the original 1956 cognitive dissonance work baffles me. A whole area doesn't die just bec the first work is faulty. That's novelty bias & theory ownership in psych talking. Mendelian genetics did not die when Mendel's original results were found too good to be true.
November 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reactions to the "debunking" of the original 1956 cognitive dissonance work baffles me. A whole area doesn't die just bec the first work is faulty. That's novelty bias & theory ownership in psych talking. Mendelian genetics did not die when Mendel's original results were found too good to be true.
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
My favorite comment on the FT story
November 6, 2025 at 7:49 PM
My favorite comment on the FT story
how much of this concession is just shareholder fear that "if Musk walks away our stock value will fall"?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Tesla shareholders approve $878 billion pay plan for Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
reut.rs
November 6, 2025 at 10:53 PM
how much of this concession is just shareholder fear that "if Musk walks away our stock value will fall"?
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
news.sky.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:44 AM
Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how
not the first and almost certainly not the last time I am asking ChatGPT: what's the difference between a research aim and an objective
November 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
not the first and almost certainly not the last time I am asking ChatGPT: what's the difference between a research aim and an objective
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
2/n Scientific heroes from the past had v different experiences / opportunities. His wife "..ran their households, hosted exuberant parties and raised their children. In short, she provided an environment in which Crick had the luxury of devoting all of his energy to his intellectual life."
and..
and..
November 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM
2/n Scientific heroes from the past had v different experiences / opportunities. His wife "..ran their households, hosted exuberant parties and raised their children. In short, she provided an environment in which Crick had the luxury of devoting all of his energy to his intellectual life."
and..
and..
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Reposted by Cian O'Donnell
Many of our big insights into brain function come from trying to mimic it, writes @timothyoleary.bsky.social. This lesson should guide how we organize research programs.
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
Neuroscience needs engineers—for more reasons than you think
Adopting an engineering mindset will help the field focus its research priorities.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 3, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Many of our big insights into brain function come from trying to mimic it, writes @timothyoleary.bsky.social. This lesson should guide how we organize research programs.
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence
www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...
#neuroskyence