Gunnar De Winter
@gunnardewinter.bsky.social
Biologist and semi-philosopher | science (and fiction) writer | plays with words and ideas
🌍 Belgium (for now)
🙋♂️ gunnardewinter.com
🌍 Belgium (for now)
🙋♂️ gunnardewinter.com
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
Before you settle down at a New Year’s Eve feast, let me hand you some soup. And bugs. And philosophers.
#science #philosophy #newyear
#science #philosophy #newyear
Pupal Soup
On the past, the future, and the power of goo. Plus recommendations.
subtlesparks.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Before you settle down at a New Year’s Eve feast, let me hand you some soup. And bugs. And philosophers.
#science #philosophy #newyear
#science #philosophy #newyear
Before you settle down at a New Year’s Eve feast, let me hand you some soup. And bugs. And philosophers.
#science #philosophy #newyear
#science #philosophy #newyear
Pupal Soup
On the past, the future, and the power of goo. Plus recommendations.
subtlesparks.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Before you settle down at a New Year’s Eve feast, let me hand you some soup. And bugs. And philosophers.
#science #philosophy #newyear
#science #philosophy #newyear
Yes, in mice, but still... 👀
"Restoring brain NAD+ homeostasis reverses advanced AD in mice."
#science #health #medicine
"Restoring brain NAD+ homeostasis reverses advanced AD in mice."
#science #health #medicine
Pharmacologic reversal of advanced Alzheimer’s disease in mice and identification of potential therapeutic nodes in human brain
Chaubey et al. demonstrate that restoration of brain resilience reverses advanced
disease in two different mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), challenging the
century-long dogma of AD irreversib...
www.cell.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:04 PM
New year's resolution:
Look upon my words, ye mighty,
and pay me for them
Look upon my words, ye mighty,
and pay me for them
December 28, 2025 at 3:08 PM
New year's resolution:
Look upon my words, ye mighty,
and pay me for them
Look upon my words, ye mighty,
and pay me for them
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
A new device inspired by the frog’s vocal sac can amplify and sense sound—showcasing its potential for acoustic heart monitoring.
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4aRVY7R
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4aRVY7R
Frog vocal sacs-inspired soft acoustic system with continuously tunable resonance for sound emission and stethoscopic sensing
Frog-inspired, soft, continuously tunable acoustics are designed for personalized voice and wearable auscultation.
scim.ag
December 23, 2025 at 7:14 PM
A new device inspired by the frog’s vocal sac can amplify and sense sound—showcasing its potential for acoustic heart monitoring.
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4aRVY7R
Learn more in #ScienceAdvances: https://scim.ag/4aRVY7R
Ancient bees built nests in mammal bones!
"... scans of the host bones show multi-generational use of the same cavity, suggesting repeated use and some degree of nest fidelity."
(paging @thedeadlands.com)
#science #biology #fossils
"... scans of the host bones show multi-generational use of the same cavity, suggesting repeated use and some degree of nest fidelity."
(paging @thedeadlands.com)
#science #biology #fossils
Trace fossils within mammal remains reveal novel bee nesting behaviour
Abstract. Bees (Anthophila) are well known for their species and remarkable behavioural diversity, ranging from solitary taxa that nest in burrows to eusoc
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 23, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Ancient bees built nests in mammal bones!
"... scans of the host bones show multi-generational use of the same cavity, suggesting repeated use and some degree of nest fidelity."
(paging @thedeadlands.com)
#science #biology #fossils
"... scans of the host bones show multi-generational use of the same cavity, suggesting repeated use and some degree of nest fidelity."
(paging @thedeadlands.com)
#science #biology #fossils
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
New paper on evolution, emergence, and novelty generation. I had a lot of fun working with my philosophy of science colleagues on this one!
Selective funnelling and state-space expansion: a conceptual framework for novelty generation and origin events
Abstract. Evolution, conceived broadly as encompassing both biological and abiological systems, generates novel structures and phenomena that are seemingly
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 22, 2025 at 5:29 PM
New paper on evolution, emergence, and novelty generation. I had a lot of fun working with my philosophy of science colleagues on this one!
The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go.
Uh oh...
Uh oh...
December 19, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The #1 movie when you were 10 years old is how your 2026 is going to go.
Uh oh...
Uh oh...
From LA's smog to Gila monsters to why we should give silly science more money.
#science #biology #technology
#science #biology #technology
The Future Needs Blue Skies
On the value of basic research and funding silly science
subtlesparks.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
From LA's smog to Gila monsters to why we should give silly science more money.
#science #biology #technology
#science #biology #technology
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
✍️New blog post! Evolution Has No Plan: Why Organisms Don’t Rewrite Their DNA
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/e...
The news articles on polar bears that are “rewriting their DNA in response to climate change” triggered me to write this blog post. Evolution has no foresight.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/e...
The news articles on polar bears that are “rewriting their DNA in response to climate change” triggered me to write this blog post. Evolution has no foresight.
Evolution Has No Plan: Why Organisms Don’t Rewrite Their DNA
A quick explanation of some common misunderstandings about evolution.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
December 18, 2025 at 12:46 PM
✍️New blog post! Evolution Has No Plan: Why Organisms Don’t Rewrite Their DNA
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/e...
The news articles on polar bears that are “rewriting their DNA in response to climate change” triggered me to write this blog post. Evolution has no foresight.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2025/12/18/e...
The news articles on polar bears that are “rewriting their DNA in response to climate change” triggered me to write this blog post. Evolution has no foresight.
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
More ideas. We’re not going to run out of ideas but generative AI is a tool for people who don’t want to be involved in the step between idea and art. People whose own ideas will never evolve or become more complex because they don’t actually want to interact with or examine them.
December 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM
More ideas. We’re not going to run out of ideas but generative AI is a tool for people who don’t want to be involved in the step between idea and art. People whose own ideas will never evolve or become more complex because they don’t actually want to interact with or examine them.
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
You may have heard about the population of orcas that began attacking boats.
A new study now finds that orcas can recruit dolphins as scouts. The cetacean revolution is here...
#science #biology #marinebiology
A new study now finds that orcas can recruit dolphins as scouts. The cetacean revolution is here...
#science #biology #marinebiology
Cooperative foraging between dolphins and fish-eating killer whales - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Cooperative foraging between dolphins and fish-eating killer whales
www.nature.com
December 13, 2025 at 6:50 PM
You may have heard about the population of orcas that began attacking boats.
A new study now finds that orcas can recruit dolphins as scouts. The cetacean revolution is here...
#science #biology #marinebiology
A new study now finds that orcas can recruit dolphins as scouts. The cetacean revolution is here...
#science #biology #marinebiology
Cooperative foraging between dolphins and fish-eating killer whales - Scientific Reports
Scientific Reports - Cooperative foraging between dolphins and fish-eating killer whales
www.nature.com
December 13, 2025 at 5:56 PM
You may have heard about the population of orcas that began attacking boats.
A new study now finds that orcas can recruit dolphins as scouts. The cetacean revolution is here...
#science #biology #marinebiology
A new study now finds that orcas can recruit dolphins as scouts. The cetacean revolution is here...
#science #biology #marinebiology
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
Analysis of more than 1 million people shows that mental-health disorders fall into five clusters, each of them linked to a specific set of genetic variants
go.nature.com/3Ymtiwg
go.nature.com/3Ymtiwg
Huge genetic study reveals hidden links between psychiatric conditions
Analysis of more than 1 million people shows that mental-health disorders fall into five clusters, each of them linked to a specific set of genetic variants.
go.nature.com
December 10, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Analysis of more than 1 million people shows that mental-health disorders fall into five clusters, each of them linked to a specific set of genetic variants
go.nature.com/3Ymtiwg
go.nature.com/3Ymtiwg
Me: I can post while on the go.
Typos: hehehe.
Typos: hehehe.
December 9, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Me: I can post while on the go.
Typos: hehehe.
Typos: hehehe.
Couldn't agree more!
I wrote a piece for Marginalia Review of Books, based on a talk earlier this year, about the role of narratives in science - something that I think deserves more attention than it gets.
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com/post/theory-...
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com/post/theory-...
Theory, Metaphor, Narrative: How Science Creates the Stories it Tells
PHILIP BALL | Science is often not a competition between theories but a process of narrative creation in which the paradigm tends to be set by the most persuasive narrative
www.marginaliareviewofbooks.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:14 AM
Couldn't agree more!
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
I've really enjoyed all of @gunnardewinter.bsky.social work in Clarkesworld this year! His writing makes me think about SF in a broader perspective. I often think back to stories I love and how they relate to actual science. I definitely rec. you give them a read!!!
#BookSky 📚🪐 #SciFiSky
#BookSky 📚🪐 #SciFiSky
No idea if non-fiction essays that link science and science fiction can be nominated for the Hugo for best related work, but I've had several essays in Clarkesworld this year that I'm pretty proud of (space soil! Symbiosis everywhere! Space bears! Alien/animal language!)...
#writing
Read 'em here:
#writing
Read 'em here:
Gunnar De Winter
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.
clarkesworldmagazine.com
December 3, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I've really enjoyed all of @gunnardewinter.bsky.social work in Clarkesworld this year! His writing makes me think about SF in a broader perspective. I often think back to stories I love and how they relate to actual science. I definitely rec. you give them a read!!!
#BookSky 📚🪐 #SciFiSky
#BookSky 📚🪐 #SciFiSky
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
🧬 Low-dose zinc, branched-chain amino acids and serine improved social behaviour in autism-linked mouse models and partly calmed overactive amygdala circuits. Early-stage work only. 🔗 Link to study in comments #Neuroscience #Autism #ScienceNews #BrainHealth #Research
December 2, 2025 at 9:33 PM
🧬 Low-dose zinc, branched-chain amino acids and serine improved social behaviour in autism-linked mouse models and partly calmed overactive amygdala circuits. Early-stage work only. 🔗 Link to study in comments #Neuroscience #Autism #ScienceNews #BrainHealth #Research
No idea if non-fiction essays that link science and science fiction can be nominated for the Hugo for best related work, but I've had several essays in Clarkesworld this year that I'm pretty proud of (space soil! Symbiosis everywhere! Space bears! Alien/animal language!)...
#writing
Read 'em here:
#writing
Read 'em here:
Gunnar De Winter
Clarkesworld Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine and Podcast.
clarkesworldmagazine.com
December 2, 2025 at 7:33 PM
No idea if non-fiction essays that link science and science fiction can be nominated for the Hugo for best related work, but I've had several essays in Clarkesworld this year that I'm pretty proud of (space soil! Symbiosis everywhere! Space bears! Alien/animal language!)...
#writing
Read 'em here:
#writing
Read 'em here:
Reposted by Gunnar De Winter
Happy to join these great writers with an essay on singing whales, talking orangutans, and counting crows.
#science #biology
clarkesworldmagazine.com/dewinter_12_...
#science #biology
clarkesworldmagazine.com/dewinter_12_...
December 1, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Happy to join these great writers with an essay on singing whales, talking orangutans, and counting crows.
#science #biology
clarkesworldmagazine.com/dewinter_12_...
#science #biology
clarkesworldmagazine.com/dewinter_12_...
"Healthy human societies could use some political medicine from honeybees. Tell the truth. Don’t suppress dissent. Listen to the experts. Always dance."
#science #biology
#science #biology
The Moral Authority Of Animals | NOEMA
For millennia before we showed up on the scene, social animals — those living in societies and cooperating for survival — had been creating cultures imbued with ethics.
www.noemamag.com
December 2, 2025 at 10:58 AM