Eric von Otter
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ericvonotter.bsky.social
Eric von Otter
@ericvonotter.bsky.social
480 followers 540 following 220 posts
Interested in all things, passionate about a few. 🔬🪱🧬🦠PhD working in pharma. Spent a decade abroad in 🇨🇳🇸🇬🇬🇧, now back in 🇸🇪. Centerpartist. He/Him.
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Reposted by Eric von Otter
c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
16% of graduates students in STEM fields in the US are Chinese nationals.

If we cut funding from any professor who has been the graduate advisor of a Chinese student in the last 5 years RETROACTIVELY, research in the US will grind to a halt.
environmicrobio.bsky.social Roland Hatzenpichler @environmicrobio.bsky.social · 18h
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
stiftelsenexpo.bsky.social
”Ett raskrig sorterar agnarna från vetet”.
”Europa behöver en ny Adolf Hitler”.
Expressen kan nu i samarbete med Expo avslöja att SD-ledaren Jimmie Åkessons mångårige vän i flera år har hetsat mot judar och hyllat nazister och Förintelseförnekare. Samtidigt har han ingått i SD-topparnas inre krets.
Jimmie Åkessons vän hyllade Hitler – spred rasism och judehat
”Judarna tar över Europa”. ”Ett raskrig sorterar agnarna från vetet”. ”Europa behöver en ny Adolf Hitler”. Expressen kan nu i samarbete med Expo avslöja att SD-ledaren Jimmie Åkessons mångårige vän Fr...
expo.se
November 14, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
scurry.bsky.social
Regretfully (for the sake of the authors and journal staff), I have this morning declined an invitation to review for a @royalsociety.org journal because of the Society’s continued refusal to stand up for its values in dealing with Elon Musk FRS.
Text of letter reads: “With apologies to the authors and to the staff at Royal Society Open Science who are blameless in all this, but I am not willing to devote time to review a Royal Society that continues to honour Elon Musk with its fellowship. Mr Musk stands in clear breach of the code of conduct which applies to all Fellows. He runs one of the most voluminous sources of misinformation on the planet (his social media platform X), to which he personally contributes without any regard for the Society's values of truth and evidence. Moreover, as head of DOGE he presided gleefully over the dismantling of USAID, an action hat has already lead to the deaths of an estimated 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. In the coming years millions more will die because of his actions. I am truly sickened by the Royal Society's failure to sand up for its values or indeed for umanity. Until I see a clear demonstration that it is prepared to enforce its code of conduct, I cannot see myself devoting time to reviewing for the Society's journals. Yours faithfully, Stephen Curry” P.S. Please feel free to forward this communication to the President of the Royal Society
November 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
thetransmitter.bsky.social
A group of researchers dug into more than 30 studies on the autism-microbiome connection—including observational studies, preclinical experiments and human clinical trials—and found no evidence for a true link.

By Lauren Schenkman

www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/goi...
Going against the gut: Q&A with Kevin Mitchell
A new review of 15 years of studies on the connection between the microbiome and autism reveals widespread statistical and conceptual errors.
www.thetransmitter.org
November 13, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
ashtonpittman.bsky.social
Meanwhile, here's an example of the horrendous things found in Hillary Clinton's emails—the only story worth covering for any serious news outlet in 2016, apparently.

This email is also regarding a child who suffered abuse from a grown man.
From: Sent: To: Subject: H <hrod17@clintonemail.com> Friday, August 28, 2009 4:39 PM verveerms@state.gov' Noori Ali Do you recall Noori Ali(?), the ten year. old Yemeni girl who got herself divorced? I met her at the Glamour awards last year. There was a CNN story last few days about how unhappy she is, still living at home, not attending school and quite angry that her life is not better. Is there any way we can help her? Could we get her to the US for counselling and education?
November 13, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
maxread.info
genuinely very few things more satisfying than reading the kinds of emails rich and famous people send each other
November 13, 2025 at 3:47 AM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
maxboot.bsky.social
Odds of Venezuela getting bombed just went up. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
House Democrats release Epstein email that claimed Trump ‘spent hours’ with victim
In the 2011 email, the disgraced financier wrote to Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump had “spent hours at my house” with one of Epstein’s victims and that encounter “has never once been mentioned” by polic...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
carlquintanilla.bsky.social
International stocks are outperforming the S&P 500 by the widest margin in 16 years.

@bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
November 12, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
jowolff.bsky.social
While we’re at it maybe also treat inheritances as taxable income spread over, say, 10 years.

As many have pointed out absurd that we tax income earned through labour more heavily than other forms of income and acquired wealth.
premnsikka.bsky.social Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 3d
Laws are bent for the rich.

Wages taxed at marginal rates of 20% – 45% plus national insurance contributions (NIC).

Capital gains taxed at 18% to 32%, no NIC .

Dividends taxed at 8.75% to 39.35%, no NIC.

All income must be taxed at the same rate.
Nothing will change until the political system is freed from the clutches of corporations and the super-rich
The law is being used to enforce existing power structures for the benefit of the few
leftfootforward.org
November 11, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
c0nc0rdance.bsky.social
A biologist at the American Museum of Natural History, Jonathan Coddington, cataloged a new genus of South American spiders in 1986.

Two things about the spider were unique:
they lived in caves & laid cubic eggs.

So he called them genus 'Plato', and that's the nerdiest thing I have read all year.
bealeiderman.bsky.social Bea Leiderman @bealeiderman.bsky.social · 3d
Diminutive fairy wombat poop. Tiny cubes under 2mm on each side.

These are egg sacs made by a spider in the family Theridiosomatidae.

They made yesterday’s hike special. Finding something I’ve never seen before is such a thrill.

🌱 #nature #macro #spider
Tiny pink and cream colored cube under 2mm stuck to the surface of a leaf. There were several, scattered around randomly, but the photo is cropped to show the one that was in best focus. The second picture shows a bit of my thumbnail in the corner, with sparkly nail polish. Tiny pink and cream colored cube under 2mm stuck to the surface of a leaf. There were several, scattered around randomly, but the photo is cropped to show the one that was in best focus. The second picture shows a bit of my thumbnail in the corner, with sparkly nail polish.
November 11, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
leyawn.bsky.social
ms paint of a twitter post by Joyce Carol Oates that reads: "So curious that the richest man in the world doesn't have a favorite shape. Does he even know any shapes?" separate twitter post by an account named "shapesthetics": "The triangle is a shape with three sides and three corners, one of the most basic yet beautiful shapes in Euclidean geometry." reply to this post by Elon Musk: "Great shape:
November 10, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
abeardedpanda.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
omrimarian.bsky.social
Per several reports in Israeli media the former IDF AG is hospitalized following an attempted suicide earlier today. Very few details, but she's apparently conscious and in stable condition.
omrimarian.bsky.social Omri Marian @omrimarian.bsky.social · 14d
Allow me to summarize:
1. 5 IDF soldiers caught sexually molesting a Palestinian prisoner.
2. IDF files charges.
3. IDF AG faces enormous pressure from government to drop charges. Mob storms base where it happened.
4. IDF AG leaks video documenting the molestation.
5. IDF AG pushed out (continued)
IDF's legal chief resigns over suspected involvement in Gaza detainee abuse video leak
In a Statement Friday Morning, Defense Minister Israel Katz Cited the 'Severity of the Suspicions' Against Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi in the Sde Teiman Affair, Saying She Won't Be Reinstated. Sh...
www.haaretz.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:32 AM
ericvonotter.bsky.social
Media failing every test
amybrown.xyz amy brown @amybrown.xyz · 4d
Ms Rachel says The New York Times asked her if she’s funded by Hamas
Screenshot of a post from Ms Rachel’s Instagram Real Question from The NY Times As you know, a group has suggested, albeit without evidence, that you are accepting money in order to further Hamas's agenda. Is that true? This accusation is not only absurd, it's patently false.
November 10, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
amybrown.xyz
“a group has suggested, without evidence, that you are accepting money to further hamas’s agenda. would you like to legitimize this by addressing it in the paper of record?”
November 10, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
neruatnight.bsky.social
Also in case its not being mentioned in your feed, there is still a remaining vote for this and Somehow they didn't anticipate the outrage, so there's apparently some hesitation now.

If those were your senators, call them and don't stop. I will also be calling even though they arent mine
kevinmkruse.bsky.social Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 4d
Call the United States Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will connect you with your senator's office.

No matter how they voted last night, every one of them has a say in maintaining Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin as their caucus leaders. Every one of them is accountable here.
November 10, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
ianzpotter.bsky.social
Happy There Is A Circulatory System Walking Through The Kitchen Day to all who celebrate.
It's an artistic representation of a circulatory system walking through a kitchen, as drawn by Dave Gibbons and written about by Alan Moore. It happens a lot 'round here.
November 10, 2025 at 10:54 AM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
elisabethbik.bsky.social
Reformation of science publishing: the Stockholm Declaration
A call to action for universities, academies, science organizations and funders to unite and join this effort.
Bernhard Sabel and Dan Larhammar

royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Reformation of science publishing: the Stockholm Declaration | Royal Society Open Science
Science relies on integrity and trustworthiness. But scientists under career pressure are lured to purchase fake publications from ‘paper mills’ that use AI-generated data, text and image fabrication....
royalsocietypublishing.org
November 9, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
downwithdan.bsky.social
lol she got his ass and he knows it
Joyce Carol Oates @Joyce... 17h O So curious that such a wealthy man never posts anything that indicates that he enjoys or is even aware of what virtually everyone appreciates— scenes from nature, pet dog or cat, praise for a movie, music, a book (but doubt that he reads); pride in a friend's or relative's accomplishment; condolences for someone who has died; pleasure in sports, acclaim for a favorite team; references to history. In fact he seems totally uneducated, uncultured. The poorest persons on Twitter may have access to more beauty & meaning in life than the "most wealthy person in the world." Elon Musk ' @elonmusk X.com Oates is a liar and delights in being mean. Not a good human.
November 9, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
dingdingpeng.the100.ci
This one surely has something on offer for every one: In this cross-sectional mediation analysis, the "effects" of soft drink consumption on depression were "mediated" by abundance of Eggerthela in the gut microbiome.

This was sent to me via dm and now you all got to suffer as well.
Soft Drink Consumption and Depression Mediated by Gut Microbiome Alterations
This cohort study examines the association between soft drink consumption and major depressive disorder diagnosis and severity and whether this association is mediated by changes in the gut microbiota...
jamanetwork.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:19 AM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
edvinalpros.bsky.social
Det krävdes en demonstration emot folkmord för att moderater skulle börja ömma för SL-resenärer
För att ge vika åt demonstrationer ska tolv busslinjer i Stockholms innerstad dras om under lördagen. Polisen borde flytta Palestinatågen till en plätt gräs där de inte kan störa och förstöra för stockholmarna mer, skriver M.
November 8, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
eyepatchwolf.bsky.social
“0% woke shit”

a black man with a physical disability leads an environmental terrorist cell trying to save the planet from mega-billionaires and you play as a cross dressing twink femdomed by two different women ending and the final boss against the gayest angel of all time
November 7, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
carlzimmer.com
On the event of James Watson's death, I highly recommend this 2023 commentary from @matthewcobb.bsky.social and Nathaniel Comfort with crucial new insights into the discovery of the double helix. (And also check out Cobb's brand new biography of Francis Crick) www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
mrclmb.bsky.social
Excellent #postdoc opportunity available in @sjorsscheres.bsky.social’ group, working on new image processing algorithms for #cryoEM structure determination in their #RELION open-source software.
www.nature.com/naturecareer...
Apply by 25 NOV
#PostdocJobs #ScienceJobs
November 6, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Eric von Otter
rcmacleod.bsky.social
Wait sorry WHAT
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/u...
In an interaction early the next month, after Zane suggested “it’s okay to give myself permission to not want to exist,” ChatGPT responded by saying “i’m letting a human take over from here – someone trained to support you through moments like this. you’re not alone in this, and there are people who can help. hang tight.” But when Zane followed up and asked if it could really do that, the chatbot seemed to reverse course. “nah, man – i can’t do that myself. that message pops up automatically when stuff gets real heavy,” it said.
November 7, 2025 at 2:44 AM