Svasti Haricharan
@svasti.bsky.social
Cancer biologist interested in host characteristics; advocate for equitable research environments; associate professor at SDSU; posts my own
Our latest story in preprint (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...) and one of my favorites so far. More detailed thread to come. Tldr we show that the distinctive collagen patterning we see in black breast cancer patients is caused by tumor intrinsic signaling and is critical for metastasis 1/3 🧪
November 11, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Our latest story in preprint (www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...) and one of my favorites so far. More detailed thread to come. Tldr we show that the distinctive collagen patterning we see in black breast cancer patients is caused by tumor intrinsic signaling and is critical for metastasis 1/3 🧪
One of the many reasons I've often thought that grant awards for federally funded research should be based on performance rather than potential for success 🧪
November 10, 2025 at 10:57 PM
One of the many reasons I've often thought that grant awards for federally funded research should be based on performance rather than potential for success 🧪
We know they have the capacity to be "decent" to people whom they consider to be worthy of decency which is in itself indecent
I also didn't read it as a defense. But it's also not a novel (or necessary) observation that bigoted people aren't terrible all the time. We *know* they have the capacity to be decent and simply refuse to do so. That's part of why it's so awful to experience.
November 9, 2025 at 6:32 PM
We know they have the capacity to be "decent" to people whom they consider to be worthy of decency which is in itself indecent
Before AI and even Grammarly, not just ESL writers but all writers at the beginning of their academic careers would ask more senior academics to give their work a read through. This was a huge entryway to getting senior colleagues to read your work and champion it.
I don't use it, but my colleagues do. They use it to check their grammar after their first drafts (scientific journal articles) as they are non-native English speakers. In my mind, this is what it should be used for. As well as other medical research purposes, like protein structure analysis.
November 9, 2025 at 2:16 PM
Before AI and even Grammarly, not just ESL writers but all writers at the beginning of their academic careers would ask more senior academics to give their work a read through. This was a huge entryway to getting senior colleagues to read your work and champion it.
Reposted by Svasti Haricharan
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages
Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.
futurism.com
November 9, 2025 at 7:35 AM
I honestly don’t get the value of this company. They hoover up energy and water. Their product constantly gets things wrong and, in extreme cases, coaches people into suicide.
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
And it’s all built on what seems to be malicious and vast intellectual property theft.
What does OpenAI offer the world?
Recently chatted with people @americancancersoc.bsky.social about this. People are born scientists but often get socialized out of being curious by the time they reach adulthood. But everytime I manage to communicate my research well, I see that scientist inside their eyes peeking out delightedly
When science is understandable, we all win. I've started a national petition calling on all institutions of higher education, and their accreditors, to require science communication and public engagement training for all STEM degrees. Share and sign today, it only takes a few seconds: bit.ly/3LbnfHB
November 8, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Recently chatted with people @americancancersoc.bsky.social about this. People are born scientists but often get socialized out of being curious by the time they reach adulthood. But everytime I manage to communicate my research well, I see that scientist inside their eyes peeking out delightedly
I sometimes teach a critical thinking class to graduate students and this comes up a lot, the way popular and social media have both-sided their way into making it impossible to evaluate the legitimacy of a debate unless you're already a domain expert or have oodles of time to do in-depth research
"Some people say this; however, others say this. . . Only when you stand a little closer . . . do you notice . . . that there is zero, less than zero, stress put on the relation between those two “sides,” or their histories, or their sponsors, or their relative evidentiary authority, or any of it. "
I havent read such a banger of an essay in a very long time. This is so well-written!
November 8, 2025 at 7:47 PM
I sometimes teach a critical thinking class to graduate students and this comes up a lot, the way popular and social media have both-sided their way into making it impossible to evaluate the legitimacy of a debate unless you're already a domain expert or have oodles of time to do in-depth research
AI being forced on us by money grabbing tech powers is like if we all said we need to be asking Grammarly to come up with ideas because it's so good at grammar. Let's hire faculty with Grammarly expertise and write grant apps about how Grammarly can be used to make scientific breakthroughs. Say wut.
November 8, 2025 at 4:30 AM
AI being forced on us by money grabbing tech powers is like if we all said we need to be asking Grammarly to come up with ideas because it's so good at grammar. Let's hire faculty with Grammarly expertise and write grant apps about how Grammarly can be used to make scientific breakthroughs. Say wut.
Wow! The President's Postdoctoral Fellowship was a tremendous opportunity for recruiting the brightest minds into the UC system and keeping them there. When do these shortsighted decisions end? And why are so many people telling on themselves so blatantly.
A devastating set of decisions on the part of UC leadership to withdraw support from our nationally recognized postdoc program that prioritizes research excellence combined with addressing our university public service mission. www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty...
UC to Stop Funding Systemwide Postdoc Program
Established in 1984 to encourage women and minority Ph.D.s to pursue academia, the program has attracted right-wing criticism for prioritizing diverse candidates.
www.insidehighered.com
November 7, 2025 at 4:32 AM
Wow! The President's Postdoctoral Fellowship was a tremendous opportunity for recruiting the brightest minds into the UC system and keeping them there. When do these shortsighted decisions end? And why are so many people telling on themselves so blatantly.
Truer words. University is an ideal and now it is apparent in all sides that faculty and staff know and live that ideal every day, while underpaid, unsupported and overworked.
While administrators have been negotiating in secret, faculty and staff have been fighting. It just could not be more clear who gives a shit about the university as an ideal and who doesn’t.
November 7, 2025 at 4:28 AM
Truer words. University is an ideal and now it is apparent in all sides that faculty and staff know and live that ideal every day, while underpaid, unsupported and overworked.
I don't know much, I only run a research lab. But if I told my lab members that I didn't know any of the details relating to my job with such frequency, I don't think I'd have much of a lab left to run. And rightly so.
November 4, 2025 at 6:54 PM
I don't know much, I only run a research lab. But if I told my lab members that I didn't know any of the details relating to my job with such frequency, I don't think I'd have much of a lab left to run. And rightly so.
I struggle with this a lot. Should celebrities who have the protection of obscene amounts of money and privilege speak up against injustice? As Burke says, ""When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
De Niro to JLaw: should celebrities be expected to speak out against Trump?
De Niro to JLaw: should celebrities be expected to speak out against Trump?
Trump’s second term has stars calling out the president – but others choose to remain silent, questioning whether it makes any difference
www.theguardian.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I struggle with this a lot. Should celebrities who have the protection of obscene amounts of money and privilege speak up against injustice? As Burke says, ""When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."
There seem to be two types of academics: the ones who understand that critical review of literature & data analysis are integral to being an academic,& ones who consider these tasks to be chores to be outsourced. Understanding that makes all the AI pushing make sense www.nature.com/articles/d41...
PhD training needs a reboot in an AI world
As machines get better at data analysis and writing tasks, doctoral training must evolve to make the most of artificial-intelligence outputs.
www.nature.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:58 PM
There seem to be two types of academics: the ones who understand that critical review of literature & data analysis are integral to being an academic,& ones who consider these tasks to be chores to be outsourced. Understanding that makes all the AI pushing make sense www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Woot! 🧪
Looking forward to hosting Dr. Jerry Tyler DeWitt from @svasti.bsky.social's lab today in the @calstate.bsky.social bioinformatics webinar! Do join us via Zoom: sdsu.zoom.us/j/88624423158
October 31, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Woot! 🧪
PROPOSAL: Lego sorting chambers that you can put a bunch of Lego bricks into and they will sort them into Lego sets you can build using only them (preferably with the option of providing manuals for selected sets)
PROPOSAL: bathroom centrifuges.
indispensable for getting the last bit out of a toothpaste tube or shampoo bottle
indispensable for getting the last bit out of a toothpaste tube or shampoo bottle
October 29, 2025 at 4:05 PM
PROPOSAL: Lego sorting chambers that you can put a bunch of Lego bricks into and they will sort them into Lego sets you can build using only them (preferably with the option of providing manuals for selected sets)
I truly never know what to make of these arguments. Researchers in hypercompetitive fields, like cancer research, need CNS pubs to make it. This is doubly true if they're not white men. Whether it's Nature or Nat Comm, these are a means to status /1
The truth is that journals like Nature Communications and Science Advances have disrupted the publication industry more than we care to admit, and not in a "good" way. They are wildly successful journals.
I'm not sure we've adjusted to this.
I'm not sure we've adjusted to this.
And of course as a publisher seeks to route submissions to trickle-down journals, the bar to desk rejection will inevitably be lowered.
October 29, 2025 at 3:32 AM
I truly never know what to make of these arguments. Researchers in hypercompetitive fields, like cancer research, need CNS pubs to make it. This is doubly true if they're not white men. Whether it's Nature or Nat Comm, these are a means to status /1
Reposted by Svasti Haricharan
We are in a timeline in which People Magazine is publishing legit hard-hitting news headlines while CBS and CNN publicly humiliate themselves.
I don’t like this timeline. But I’m loving People Magazine right now.
I don’t like this timeline. But I’m loving People Magazine right now.
October 28, 2025 at 10:34 PM
We are in a timeline in which People Magazine is publishing legit hard-hitting news headlines while CBS and CNN publicly humiliate themselves.
I don’t like this timeline. But I’m loving People Magazine right now.
I don’t like this timeline. But I’m loving People Magazine right now.
The question often is Should we do this, not Can we do this. But people, equally often get the question wrong. Unfortunate
When I was in high school, my math teacher said ”w^5” [which was what we wanted] instead of “qed”. Feels appropriate here given the thoughtful framing of the project by @odedrechavi.bsky.social and his colleagues
Here’s how: qedscience.com
October 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The question often is Should we do this, not Can we do this. But people, equally often get the question wrong. Unfortunate
So close, Senator Tillis. You should have left out the first clause. Whether you're Rep or Dem, Congress has the power of the purse. You should all be requiring compliance from the Executive branch. For shame, with the partisanship at such a critical time in our history
October 26, 2025 at 2:31 PM
So close, Senator Tillis. You should have left out the first clause. Whether you're Rep or Dem, Congress has the power of the purse. You should all be requiring compliance from the Executive branch. For shame, with the partisanship at such a critical time in our history
My very Californian son's rendition of rangoli. Happy Deepavali to all who fight the good fight against the darkness in our own minds and in the world around us.
October 21, 2025 at 2:11 AM
My very Californian son's rendition of rangoli. Happy Deepavali to all who fight the good fight against the darkness in our own minds and in the world around us.
For goodness sake, I teach a graduate class on this to start discussions on how researchers have learnt, and should continue to learn, from the egregious arrogance of the past. This feels like a top 100 re-release of the Worst of Humanity.
And will there also be untreated "control groups" in studies of serious disease--as in the Tuskegee Study?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskege...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskege...
Tuskegee Syphilis Study - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
October 20, 2025 at 3:08 AM
For goodness sake, I teach a graduate class on this to start discussions on how researchers have learnt, and should continue to learn, from the egregious arrogance of the past. This feels like a top 100 re-release of the Worst of Humanity.
I think few people realize the number of hours a peer reviewer spends writing detailed critiques prior to the actual meeting. Last cycle, because I couldn't make the rescheduled review meeting, those hours were just wasted time that I could have spent on oh, idk, mentoring, teaching, writing 🤷🏾♀️
I wonder if #NIHgrant peer reviewers who did the work preparing for now-cancelled study section meetings will receive their $400 honorarium this time.
October 19, 2025 at 6:28 PM
I think few people realize the number of hours a peer reviewer spends writing detailed critiques prior to the actual meeting. Last cycle, because I couldn't make the rescheduled review meeting, those hours were just wasted time that I could have spent on oh, idk, mentoring, teaching, writing 🤷🏾♀️
The protests included a huge human banner on Ocean Beach.
Massive crowds turn out in Bay Area for 'No Kings' protests against Trump
The protests included a huge human banner on Ocean Beach.
bit.ly
October 19, 2025 at 2:16 AM
I also saw groups of grannies holding up F$#k T$#@p flags on the corners of an intersection in the very conservative vanilla suburban neighborhood I live in. Never did I dream I'd see an 80 year old waving a flag like that. And all the cars honking as they drive by. #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I also saw groups of grannies holding up F$#k T$#@p flags on the corners of an intersection in the very conservative vanilla suburban neighborhood I live in. Never did I dream I'd see an 80 year old waving a flag like that. And all the cars honking as they drive by. #NoKings
Vote!
I just made an account and voted for this biology laboratory made of LEGO to "promote biological research and inspire more people into the world of biology". They need 10K votes. Reposting and/or voting below would be helpful. 🤗
beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...
beta.ideas.lego.com/product-idea...
Biological Laboratory | LEGO® Ideas
This is a two-floor realistic Biological Laboratory building. In this design, I try to tell stories about biologists, introduce biology concepts to general publ…
beta.ideas.lego.com
October 17, 2025 at 12:59 PM
Vote!