Larry Hunter
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proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter
@proflhunter.bsky.social
5.1K followers 4.2K following 1.3K posts

Knowledge based biomedical data science, artificial intelligence for discovery in molecular biomedicine, computational bioethics, theory of mattering. University of Chicago / Big Island HI

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Business 36%
Biology 15%
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proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 11h
Another surprising failure mode with LLMs:

Doing well on medical knowledge benchmarks does not translate into providing useful advice.
rocher.lc Luc Rocher @rocher.lc · 12h
⚠️ Despite all the hype, chatbots still make terrible doctors. Out today is the largest user study of language models for medical self-diagnosis. We found that chatbots provide inaccurate and inconsistent answers, and that people are better off using online searches or their own judgment.
Banner image with screenshot of scientific article from nature Medicine, as well as two panels from the study method and results

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Andrew K Przybylski, Larry W. Hunter

rocher.lc
Luc Rocher @rocher.lc · 12h
⚠️ Despite all the hype, chatbots still make terrible doctors. Out today is the largest user study of language models for medical self-diagnosis. We found that chatbots provide inaccurate and inconsistent answers, and that people are better off using online searches or their own judgment.
Banner image with screenshot of scientific article from nature Medicine, as well as two panels from the study method and results

Reposted by Michael Zimmer, Michael D. McDonald, Ann Bartow , and 1 more

hypervisible.blacksky.app
Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 16h
“Researchers from Johns Hopkins, Georgetown and Yale universities recently found that 60 FDA-authorized medical devices using AI were linked to 182 product recalls, according to a research letter published in the JAMA Health Forum in August.”
As AI enters the operating room, reports arise of botched surgeries and misidentified body parts
Medical device makers have been rushing to add AI to their products. While proponents say the new technology will revolutionize medicine, regulators are receiving a rising number of claims of patient ...
www.reuters.com

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 23h
Fascinating!

"Observed failures of VLMs on fundamental tasks may stem from their inability to manage the binding problem; that is, they have difficulty simultaneously representing multiple objects and their associated features without interference"

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

katestorrs.bsky.social
Kate Storrs @katestorrs.bsky.social · 1d
Our latest paper, “Visual language models show widespread visual deficits on neuropsychological tests”, is now out in Nature Machine Intelligence: www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Non-paywalled version:
arxiv.org/abs/2504.10786

Tweet thread below from first author @genetang.bsky.social...
Visual language models show widespread visual deficits on neuropsychological tests - Nature Machine Intelligence
Tangtartharakul and Storrs use standardized neuropsychological tests to compare human visual abilities with those of visual language models (VLMs). They report that while VLMs excel in high-level obje...
www.nature.com

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 1d
Elites prize impunity so that when their capricious whims, limited understandings, and fickle attention destroy precious lives and priceless culture, they can shrug and move on without consequences.
joshtpm.bsky.social Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 1d
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Alan Richardson, Larry W. Hunter

joshtpm.bsky.social
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 1d
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 2d
I've been trying to work more fermented foods into my diet. Decided on a whim to add some of my home-fermented sauerkraut to today's veggie Dan Dan Noodles. Yum, what a great addition!
A white bowl. To one side, green and white bok chopy, flecked with chili oil and sesame seeds. Brown finely diced mushrooms and crumbled tofu, topped with green cilantro leaves and scallions. Noodles peak out here and there. A small pile of yellow sauerkraut at the bottom

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 2d
I like Chance's music, and... I'm pretty sure I know more about AI, neuroscience and genomics than he does, and nobody cares what I think. Wonder how much he got paid by whom to say this...
edzitron.com Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 2d
In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined a more gratuitous sign that AI is a bubble than “chance the rapper, sponsored by coreweave.” It’s beautiful. It’ll be in a movie someday
ANYTHING chancetherapper Paid partnership Follow Academia. Neuroscience. Genomics. All spaces where Al makes possibilities endless. CoreWeave is the Essential Cloud for Al, built to help pioneers go big. Who's ready for anything? #coreweavepartner #sponsored 16 hours ago

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

hawaiinewsnow.com
Hawaii News Now @hawaiinewsnow.com · 2d
Hawaii’s first humpback whale count of 2026 recorded 158 fewer whales than the same period last year.

Why officials said may explain the drop
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/02/07/hawaii-humpback-whale-numbers-down-january-2025/
Image 1

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

edzitron.com
Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 2d
In my wildest dreams I could never have imagined a more gratuitous sign that AI is a bubble than “chance the rapper, sponsored by coreweave.” It’s beautiful. It’ll be in a movie someday
ANYTHING chancetherapper Paid partnership Follow Academia. Neuroscience. Genomics. All spaces where Al makes possibilities endless. CoreWeave is the Essential Cloud for Al, built to help pioneers go big. Who's ready for anything? #coreweavepartner #sponsored 16 hours ago

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 2d
Public health policy in the modern era: Powerful people with a scammy agenda exaggerating something they misremembered a scientist saying once.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/u...
Dr. Palmer said he and Mr. Kennedy met in September 2024, when Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin, hosted a round-table discussion on nutrition. He was invited at the suggestion of Dr. Casey Means, Mr. Trump’s nominee for surgeon general, and her brother, Calley Means, a top adviser to Mr. Kennedy, who also attended.

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 3d
A bit of good conservation news. I love it when these kinds of projects succeed.
mongabay.com Mongabay @mongabay.com · 3d
A decade-long seagrass restoration effort in Peninsular Malaysia shows degraded meadows can recover, with high survival rates at a site impacted by coastal development.

Researchers say success depends on understanding local species, adapting methods, and addressing the drivers of decline.
Seagrass restoration in Malaysia finds multi-species approach boosts recovery
In the shallow waters off Johor Bahru’s rapidly urbanizing shoreline in Peninsular Malaysia, a busy assemblage of crabs, marine worms and mollusks are a sign of recovery. Just over a decade ago, the…
news.mongabay.com

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

mongabay.com
Mongabay @mongabay.com · 3d
A decade-long seagrass restoration effort in Peninsular Malaysia shows degraded meadows can recover, with high survival rates at a site impacted by coastal development.

Researchers say success depends on understanding local species, adapting methods, and addressing the drivers of decline.
Seagrass restoration in Malaysia finds multi-species approach boosts recovery
In the shallow waters off Johor Bahru’s rapidly urbanizing shoreline in Peninsular Malaysia, a busy assemblage of crabs, marine worms and mollusks are a sign of recovery. Just over a decade ago, the…
news.mongabay.com

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 3d
We should form a club of people Grossberg said that to! I bet it would have a lot of interesting people in it.

Reposted by Norbert Schwarz, Larry W. Hunter, Nathan P. Kalmoe

bakerdphd.bsky.social
Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 3d
"Every democracy facing this challenge has learned you don’t defeat authoritarians by being more reasonable. You defeat them by being more determined and by uniting the country against their most visible vulnerability: their corruption."

Worth the wait

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism
Moderation used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated.
www.bostonreview.net

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 3d
Agree wholeheartedly, especially with where this ends up.
joshuasweitz.bsky.social Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 3d
Science EIC Thorp would like to have it both ways:

1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science.

2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders.

🧵
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A tale of many twos
For the American scientific enterprise, the past year has seemed awash in contradiction. On the one hand, it has produced great upheavals and losses for US science. Many universities experienced some ...
www.science.org

Reposted by Miles Corak, Bessma Momani, Larry W. Hunter

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 3d
As Rupert Murdoch TV hammers away telling its viewers that Canadians are their enemies, Republican views of Canada shift on cue. At this point, Murdoch's propaganda machine can make its viewership believe absolutely anything, no matter how absurd.

Reposted by Naomi Klein, Robin Celikates, Beatriz Gallardo Paúls , and 1 more

theverge.com
The Verge @theverge.com · 3d
"It’s hard not to read these files and come to the conclusion that Epstein helped engineer the ultimate elite impunity — in which our society has been totally destroyed so the richest and most powerful men in the world can do whatever they want."

Read more from @lopatto.bsky.social: bit.ly/4kF9C1j
Verge headline: How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo by Elizabeth Lopatto Photo illustration depicts a shadowy Epstein flanked by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, distorted by pink noise

Reposted by James M. Bullock, Zen Faulkes, Larry W. Hunter

joshuasweitz.bsky.social
Joshua Weitz @joshuasweitz.bsky.social · 3d
Science EIC Thorp would like to have it both ways:

1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science.

2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders.

🧵
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
A tale of many twos
For the American scientific enterprise, the past year has seemed awash in contradiction. On the one hand, it has produced great upheavals and losses for US science. Many universities experienced some ...
www.science.org

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

hawaiinewsnow.com
Hawaii News Now @hawaiinewsnow.com · 4d
Balcony solar coming to Hawaii, new laws or not #HNN #HINEWS #HawaiiNews
Balcony solar coming to Hawaii, new laws or not
Hawaii lawmakers are considering legislation to make it easier for apartment owners and renters to install solar panels on their balconies or backyards.
www.hawaiinewsnow.com

Reposted by Timnit Gebru, Bryan D. Jones, Sanford F. Schram , and 9 more

repdexteror.bsky.social
Congresswoman Maxine Dexter, M.D. @repdexteror.bsky.social · 4d
I was just denied entry to the Dilley detention facility while my constituent, seven-year-old Diana, remains inside.

What kind of sick, horrific conditions are children being forced to endure in there?

I will be back tomorrow. Accountability can’t wait.

Reposted by Lisa Diedrich, Larry W. Hunter

gavinyamey.bsky.social
Prof Gavin Yamey @gavinyamey.bsky.social · 4d
One thing about RFK Jr & the MAGA/MAHA team of MDs & PhDs carrying out his policies (Drs Bhattacharya, Kulldorff, Høeg, Oz, Makary, & Prasad) is that EVERY DAY they take so many new dangerous steps to dismantle & demolish medicine & public health that it's impossible to keep up with all the horror
by-cjewett.bsky.social Christina Jewett @by-cjewett.bsky.social · 4d
NEW: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that the keto diet could cure schizophrenia — an unfounded claim that experts say vastly overstates preliminary research into whether a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet might help patients w/ the disorder.
via @sherylnyt.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/u...
Kennedy Makes Unfounded Claim That Keto Diet Can ‘Cure’ Schizophrenia
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Anne Norton, Larry W. Hunter, Kate Jackson , and 1 more

propublica.org
ProPublica @propublica.org · 4d
We found that Jeff Bezos paid *zero* taxes in 2007 and 2011.

In fact, he reported making so little in 2011 that he even claimed and received a $4,000 tax credit for his children.

This is how he did it (published 2021):
The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, ev...
www.propublica.org

Reposted by Brian Keegan, Larry W. Hunter

shaenon.bsky.social
Shaenon K. Garrity @shaenon.bsky.social · 4d
All these men driving women out of their fields with giggly idiot grabassery and then bloviating to the public about how the lack of women is proof of male intellectual superiority... I hate them all. I hate them so much.

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d
1.1 for PUE, +10% more for other operating costs (monitoring personnel, security, etc). I said it was generous. 120kwx1.05x0.12 is still more than $15/hr, so not a huge difference for @edzitron.com 's purposes.

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d
A GB200 rack draws 120kW, add 10% for cooling. Add another 10% or so to (generously) cover other operating costs. Assume the cheapest possible electric supply is $0.12kwh and you get 120x120%x0.12 = $17.50/hr which I think is probably best case. @edzitron.com is this good enough for your purposes?

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d
Sounds promising, but I will believe it when I can try it.
PaperBanana This is the repository for PaperBanana. Our code and dataset will be released in ~2 weeks.

Reposted by Larry W. Hunter

aregenberg.bsky.social
Alan Regenberg @aregenberg.bsky.social · 4d
Biological data governance in an age of AI. Tailored access controls on new viral data would reduce misuse risks. | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Biological data governance in an age of AI
Tailored access controls on new viral data would reduce misuse risks
www.science.org

proflhunter.bsky.social
Larry Hunter @proflhunter.bsky.social · 4d
"We need to go beyond the elite view and provide a more realistic analysis of history and collapse. What did it mean for the health and wealth of the slaves, peasants, and farmers? We need something closer to a people’s history of collapse."
www.amazon.com/Goliaths-Cur...
Goliath's Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse
In , Cambridge scholar Luke Kemp conducts a historical autopsy on our species, from the earliest cities to the collapse of modern states like Somalia. He traces the emergence of “Goliaths”: large so...
www.amazon.com