samuel mehr
@mehr.nz
i am a cognitive scientist working on auditory perception at the University of Auckland and the Yale Child Study Center 🇳🇿🇺🇸🇫🇷🇨🇦
lab: themusiclab.org
personal: mehr.nz
intro to my research: youtu.be/-vJ7Jygr1eg
lab: themusiclab.org
personal: mehr.nz
intro to my research: youtu.be/-vJ7Jygr1eg
I told my children I was leaving for Montréal for a few days and they cheered and pumped their fists. Brutal
November 11, 2025 at 7:45 AM
I told my children I was leaving for Montréal for a few days and they cheered and pumped their fists. Brutal
Summer has arrived, fresh asparagus is punchy and sweet with a chicken thigh in briney capers, lemony anchovy pan sauce. White rice to balance the brightness of the sauce
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Summer has arrived, fresh asparagus is punchy and sweet with a chicken thigh in briney capers, lemony anchovy pan sauce. White rice to balance the brightness of the sauce
Reposted by samuel mehr
Christchurch's playground elephant: demure, unassuming, shaped like a friend
Oamaru's playground elephant: ready for the next Punic war
Oamaru's playground elephant: ready for the next Punic war
November 11, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Christchurch's playground elephant: demure, unassuming, shaped like a friend
Oamaru's playground elephant: ready for the next Punic war
Oamaru's playground elephant: ready for the next Punic war
Reposted by samuel mehr
We are doing a pilot survey about how prospective PhD students in PSYCHOLOGY make decisions about applying to grad programs. If you are thinking of applying to a program in the future, and have 2-5 minutes to spare, could you take this survey? 🫶
northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
We are doing a pilot survey about how prospective PhD students in PSYCHOLOGY make decisions about applying to grad programs. If you are thinking of applying to a program in the future, and have 2-5 minutes to spare, could you take this survey? 🫶
northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
northwestern.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
what's your love language, mine is trolling NIMBYs in my neighbourhood facebook group 😘
November 11, 2025 at 2:48 AM
what's your love language, mine is trolling NIMBYs in my neighbourhood facebook group 😘
Reposted by samuel mehr
hi, can you do me a favor?
take a picture of your pet and then take a picture again while you sing to them
thank you, this is for science
here is my contribution
take a picture of your pet and then take a picture again while you sing to them
thank you, this is for science
here is my contribution
November 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
hi, can you do me a favor?
take a picture of your pet and then take a picture again while you sing to them
thank you, this is for science
here is my contribution
take a picture of your pet and then take a picture again while you sing to them
thank you, this is for science
here is my contribution
big academic energy here
this meeting could have been me hitting you with my car
November 10, 2025 at 11:36 PM
big academic energy here
Reposted by samuel mehr
An engineer wanted to make a quiet high-speed train. “The question then occurred to me — is there some living thing that manages sudden changes in air resistance as a part of daily life?” The answer: the kingfisher. See my story today for more tales of bioinspiration. Gift link: nyti.ms/4otNQyl
November 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
An engineer wanted to make a quiet high-speed train. “The question then occurred to me — is there some living thing that manages sudden changes in air resistance as a part of daily life?” The answer: the kingfisher. See my story today for more tales of bioinspiration. Gift link: nyti.ms/4otNQyl
Jerry Kagan. His fascination with everything was infectious. He would grab you by the shoulders and actually shake you, bc he was so excited by whatever it was he'd read. He made a point of reading every dissertation coming out of William James Hall. He was wise. I think of him often and miss him
Right, enough of James Watson - who's a senior academic you've met who's been an utter delight?
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
I'll go first: Jocelyn Bell Burnell
November 10, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Jerry Kagan. His fascination with everything was infectious. He would grab you by the shoulders and actually shake you, bc he was so excited by whatever it was he'd read. He made a point of reading every dissertation coming out of William James Hall. He was wise. I think of him often and miss him
Reposted by samuel mehr
one reason it will be hard for academics to take back uk/aus/nz universities from the business-brained folk who are in charge is that it's basically impossible to speak to them without going insane
September 9, 2025 at 4:27 AM
one reason it will be hard for academics to take back uk/aus/nz universities from the business-brained folk who are in charge is that it's basically impossible to speak to them without going insane
a very NZ experience in 2025
(1) realizing that the energy company has been over-charging for over a year for electric, gas, internet by not bundling the services together, and then
(2) looking into it and discovering a new plan is even more expensive than the over-charged non-bundle has been
(1) realizing that the energy company has been over-charging for over a year for electric, gas, internet by not bundling the services together, and then
(2) looking into it and discovering a new plan is even more expensive than the over-charged non-bundle has been
November 9, 2025 at 11:30 PM
a very NZ experience in 2025
(1) realizing that the energy company has been over-charging for over a year for electric, gas, internet by not bundling the services together, and then
(2) looking into it and discovering a new plan is even more expensive than the over-charged non-bundle has been
(1) realizing that the energy company has been over-charging for over a year for electric, gas, internet by not bundling the services together, and then
(2) looking into it and discovering a new plan is even more expensive than the over-charged non-bundle has been
good morning to everybody except the super-senior PI whose paper I just reviewed, a new submission of a ms I reviewed in March that was rejected from the same Very Good journal, which ignored most of my original review and which changed all the stats to make the results look stronger than they are 🤡
November 9, 2025 at 9:46 PM
good morning to everybody except the super-senior PI whose paper I just reviewed, a new submission of a ms I reviewed in March that was rejected from the same Very Good journal, which ignored most of my original review and which changed all the stats to make the results look stronger than they are 🤡
there are certainly individual differences in the ability to write grants but I'd argue the largest distinction between scientists is less "good at grants" vs not and more "applies for tons of grants" vs not
as NIH POs say, it's 100% sure you won't get funded if you don't apply
as NIH POs say, it's 100% sure you won't get funded if you don't apply
November 9, 2025 at 8:56 PM
there are certainly individual differences in the ability to write grants but I'd argue the largest distinction between scientists is less "good at grants" vs not and more "applies for tons of grants" vs not
as NIH POs say, it's 100% sure you won't get funded if you don't apply
as NIH POs say, it's 100% sure you won't get funded if you don't apply
ever since I got Gretchen's book I am unable to say a typographically inflected thing without thinking of that chapter (like just now when I said "today I have to submit a verrrrrrry long expense report")
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
ever since I got Gretchen's book I am unable to say a typographically inflected thing without thinking of that chapter (like just now when I said "today I have to submit a verrrrrrry long expense report")
holy review requests batman, did everybody submit their papers this week or what
November 9, 2025 at 7:14 PM
holy review requests batman, did everybody submit their papers this week or what
it does not appear to have escaped anybody's notice that Watson was a jerk
November 9, 2025 at 7:20 AM
it does not appear to have escaped anybody's notice that Watson was a jerk
for dinner, blistered green beans with pork and pickled tuber, Sichuan style
November 9, 2025 at 5:30 AM
for dinner, blistered green beans with pork and pickled tuber, Sichuan style
Reposted by samuel mehr
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
A Sharon Begley byline, almost 5 years after her death.
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
Upon hearing the news James Watson had died, a STAT reporter said in our Slack, "I wish I could read what Sharon would have written."
Incredible news: Sharon in fact did pre-write a Watson obit. And it is masterful and excoriating.
🧪🧬🧫
James Watson, dead at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers
James Watson, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA who died Thursday at 97, was a scientific legend and a pariah among his peers.
www.statnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
pre-writing a devastating obituary for your enemy is god-tier hating of a kind you don’t often see anymore. renaissance haterism. beautiful stuff.
5yo is making a birthday card for Olivia Brown. She's called Olivia Brown, not Olivia B, because there are three Olivias in her classroom (Olivia is a popular name in NZ). Of those, two are Olivia Browns.
5yo sits there, pensively, and goes "I think I can just write 'Olivia' for her card"
5yo sits there, pensively, and goes "I think I can just write 'Olivia' for her card"
November 8, 2025 at 12:13 AM
5yo is making a birthday card for Olivia Brown. She's called Olivia Brown, not Olivia B, because there are three Olivias in her classroom (Olivia is a popular name in NZ). Of those, two are Olivia Browns.
5yo sits there, pensively, and goes "I think I can just write 'Olivia' for her card"
5yo sits there, pensively, and goes "I think I can just write 'Olivia' for her card"
The public dismissal of serious concerns about the uncritical adoption of LLM tools in science as "reflexive loathing", by a person who has done very good things for science (via biorxiv in particular), makes me sad
one less tool in the scientific publishing workflow for me—bye biorxiv, I'll miss u
one less tool in the scientific publishing workflow for me—bye biorxiv, I'll miss u
The reaction to this is fascinating. It's like a microcosm of all discussions around AI: lots of enthusiasm, lots of loathing (much of it reflexive), and some wise 'let's maybe try it and see' responses.
Excited to launch an openRxiv partnership with the scientist-run AI review service qed (@qedscience.bsky.social), the brainchild of @odedrechavi.bsky.social 1/n
openrxiv.org/enabling-rev...
openrxiv.org/enabling-rev...
November 7, 2025 at 6:52 PM
The public dismissal of serious concerns about the uncritical adoption of LLM tools in science as "reflexive loathing", by a person who has done very good things for science (via biorxiv in particular), makes me sad
one less tool in the scientific publishing workflow for me—bye biorxiv, I'll miss u
one less tool in the scientific publishing workflow for me—bye biorxiv, I'll miss u
disappointed that @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social is implicitly endorsing the use of LLMs to replace scientific thought
@richardsever.bsky.social this is a short-sighted move and a net negative for science
@richardsever.bsky.social this is a short-sighted move and a net negative for science
IT'S HAPPENING! 💥 I'm psyched to launch the collaboration between @qedscience.bsky.social & @openrxiv.bsky.social @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social! Preprint + q.e.d = your science is out there, and anyone can appreciate it. Let's care about making discoveries, and not on “getting published” (1/3) 👇
November 7, 2025 at 9:06 AM
disappointed that @biorxivpreprint.bsky.social is implicitly endorsing the use of LLMs to replace scientific thought
@richardsever.bsky.social this is a short-sighted move and a net negative for science
@richardsever.bsky.social this is a short-sighted move and a net negative for science
Reposted by samuel mehr
why is the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society published by Oxford when it could have been Random House
October 4, 2025 at 9:46 AM
why is the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society published by Oxford when it could have been Random House
in an editorial meeting this morning I got to introduce two people to this, one of my all-time favourites, relevant to infinite subjects in science, writing, and intellectual life
November 7, 2025 at 1:52 AM
in an editorial meeting this morning I got to introduce two people to this, one of my all-time favourites, relevant to infinite subjects in science, writing, and intellectual life
Dear students from Westport, CT who want to interview scientists about your research project. Please stop. It's kickass that you are so stoked by science but personal email is not how to learn more about science. Consider going to a talk, reading a paper, listening to a podcast, instead.
love,
Sam
love,
Sam
November 7, 2025 at 12:33 AM
Dear students from Westport, CT who want to interview scientists about your research project. Please stop. It's kickass that you are so stoked by science but personal email is not how to learn more about science. Consider going to a talk, reading a paper, listening to a podcast, instead.
love,
Sam
love,
Sam