Tim Verstynen
@tdverstynen.bsky.social
Professor
Department Gadfly
Data Alchemist
Synthetic Psychologist
Zombie Apologist
“The enemy” - JD Vance
Opinions are my own. Not gonna let my employer take credit for them.
Department Gadfly
Data Alchemist
Synthetic Psychologist
Zombie Apologist
“The enemy” - JD Vance
Opinions are my own. Not gonna let my employer take credit for them.
Pinned
Tim Verstynen
@tdverstynen.bsky.social
· Jan 28
I grew up a white kid in a bilingual, majority Hispanic state, in a pueblo region continuously occupied by indigenous peoples for over a thousand years, and in a city whose name is derived from an old Arabic phrase.
This is what America looks like.
This is what America looks like.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
RFK Jr. has talked up the promise of infusing his department with AI for months—but the full extent of his AI push is just now becoming clear, Matteo Wong and Nicholas Florko write:
Drink Whole Milk, Eat Red Meat, and Use ChatGPT
What Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “AI revolution” really looks like
bit.ly
February 15, 2026 at 2:15 AM
RFK Jr. has talked up the promise of infusing his department with AI for months—but the full extent of his AI push is just now becoming clear, Matteo Wong and Nicholas Florko write:
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
At 9:18, 3rd period of the Finland-Switzerland women's ice hockey QF game, the ice crew came to clean the ice during a pause
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
February 15, 2026 at 12:14 AM
At 9:18, 3rd period of the Finland-Switzerland women's ice hockey QF game, the ice crew came to clean the ice during a pause
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
What follows is the funniest use of the slo-mo alternate angle tech I've seen them use during these Olympics of one of the crew members falling
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Measles is a bellwether. Because it’s the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease, when vaccination rates drop, it’s the first to start spreading.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Maryland health officials warn providers about an upsurge in mumps cases
Maryland health officials are warning about an uptick in cases of mumps.
www.thebanner.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:34 PM
Measles is a bellwether. Because it’s the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease, when vaccination rates drop, it’s the first to start spreading.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
Now we’ve got mumps rolling up.
Expect more.
This is just the beginning of RFK Jr.’s successful infectious disease reintroduction plan.
As someone who works at one of these verboten schools I can tell you that this only hurts the military and those veterans wishing to receive a world class education.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
UPDATE: Hegseth has included VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY on a list of schools off limits for tuition assistance for military officers as part of his campaign against schools he describes as “biased” against the US military.🤔 www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/p...
February 14, 2026 at 10:01 PM
As someone who works at one of these verboten schools I can tell you that this only hurts the military and those veterans wishing to receive a world class education.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
It’s a complete self-own simply to assuage a weak man’s delicate ego.
It’s a little on the nose that this is written by someone named Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley.
February 14, 2026 at 7:14 PM
It’s a little on the nose that this is written by someone named Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
I’m pretty sure you all needed to see this video of a baby manatee with its mom.
February 14, 2026 at 3:10 AM
I’m pretty sure you all needed to see this video of a baby manatee with its mom.
They’re literally shaming people for eating real food.
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
Gen Zers and millennials are swimming in student debt and may never own homes, but they’re splurging on gut-healthy juices and rotisserie chickens.
The Booming Business of Luxury Grocery Stores
A new crop of gourmet grocers has hit the city, drawing lines of trendy TikTokers, MAHA-curious health fiends and Instacart devotees who want to pop in for a treat.
on.wsj.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:27 AM
They’re literally shaming people for eating real food.
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
“The peasants must eat only Twinkies and drink only soda!”
I’ll just be here waiting for the Trump administration to go as vigorously against Fox News for its blatant antisemitism as it did against US universities.
Current state of things: One Fox News host casually declares that Epstein’s money comes from “Jewish billionaires” and a “Jewish banking family,” another responds that he was a “sex rabbi.” www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/jes...
February 13, 2026 at 6:58 PM
I’ll just be here waiting for the Trump administration to go as vigorously against Fox News for its blatant antisemitism as it did against US universities.
This is why I say that those who advertise their Christianity the loudest tend to be the least Christ like.
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:11 PM
This is why I say that those who advertise their Christianity the loudest tend to be the least Christ like.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
USAID money that saved people’s lives now reallocated to create a paid entourage for the guy who promised to put federal employees in trauma
there's fierce competition, but this is one of the most stomach-turning things I've read in some time
Exclusive: White House uses USAID funds for budget director Vought's security, documents show
The White House budget office is using millions of dollars from the former U.S. foreign aid agency to pay for the security detail of Russell Vought, President Donald Trump's budget chief and an archit...
www.reuters.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:45 PM
USAID money that saved people’s lives now reallocated to create a paid entourage for the guy who promised to put federal employees in trauma
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
I kept thinking of the busy bee freak out from Best in Show when I read about the blanket incident.
February 13, 2026 at 11:56 AM
I kept thinking of the busy bee freak out from Best in Show when I read about the blanket incident.
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
wow. if i'm reading this right, people are using publicly available texts in order to profit off of stealing others' intellectual property. crazy
February 12, 2026 at 8:50 PM
wow. if i'm reading this right, people are using publicly available texts in order to profit off of stealing others' intellectual property. crazy
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
I'm revoking the scientific finding that gravity keeps us anchored to the earth. See you losers later; I'm going gliding
BREAKING: The EPA revokes scientific finding that greenhouse gases endanger the public health, removing a key basis for the climate change fight.
Live updates: Trump's EPA revokes scientific finding that underpinned US fight against climate change
The Trump administration revoked a scientific finding at the center of U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change, a significant rollback of regulations.
bit.ly
February 12, 2026 at 8:43 PM
I'm revoking the scientific finding that gravity keeps us anchored to the earth. See you losers later; I'm going gliding
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
The repeal of the "endangerment finding" will make it harder for future administrations to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act without a new law or amendment passed by Congress—with serious public health and climate consequences
What repealing the 'endangerment finding' means for public health
The EPA has scrapped a rule stating that climate change harms human health. Here’s what that could mean
www.scientificamerican.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:49 PM
The repeal of the "endangerment finding" will make it harder for future administrations to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act without a new law or amendment passed by Congress—with serious public health and climate consequences
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Found one in the wild! Models of the language network in a published paper in a (presumably) predatory journal.
I think I'd be concerned if a patient had four anterior temporal lobes in their lert hemisphere, it might affect their conprehension
#NeuroSkyence
I think I'd be concerned if a patient had four anterior temporal lobes in their lert hemisphere, it might affect their conprehension
#NeuroSkyence
February 11, 2026 at 9:57 PM
Found one in the wild! Models of the language network in a published paper in a (presumably) predatory journal.
I think I'd be concerned if a patient had four anterior temporal lobes in their lert hemisphere, it might affect their conprehension
#NeuroSkyence
I think I'd be concerned if a patient had four anterior temporal lobes in their lert hemisphere, it might affect their conprehension
#NeuroSkyence
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Beautiful new paper out from the Peyrache lab. Shows an incredibly stable code for head direction.
Representational drift ain't a thang y'all...
#neuroscience 🧪
Representational drift ain't a thang y'all...
#neuroscience 🧪
New paper alert! 🚨
We found that the brain's compass is remarkably stable at two scales
1️⃣ the system maintains its internal organization for weeks
2️⃣ It "remembers" its orientation for weeks, even after a single visit
This may be key to how the brain aligns its other maps.
Paper: rdcu.be/e3waP
We found that the brain's compass is remarkably stable at two scales
1️⃣ the system maintains its internal organization for weeks
2️⃣ It "remembers" its orientation for weeks, even after a single visit
This may be key to how the brain aligns its other maps.
Paper: rdcu.be/e3waP
February 11, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Beautiful new paper out from the Peyrache lab. Shows an incredibly stable code for head direction.
Representational drift ain't a thang y'all...
#neuroscience 🧪
Representational drift ain't a thang y'all...
#neuroscience 🧪
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
cool, cool. so we are sort of like citizens, but not really?
February 12, 2026 at 9:09 PM
cool, cool. so we are sort of like citizens, but not really?
A shocking number of people from the infamous Harpers Letter are in the Epstein files.
www.theverge.com/tech/874721/...
archive link: archive.ph/FBaJK
www.theverge.com/tech/874721/...
archive link: archive.ph/FBaJK
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo
The emails show the “anti-woke” crusaders are afraid of accountability.
www.theverge.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:56 PM
A shocking number of people from the infamous Harpers Letter are in the Epstein files.
www.theverge.com/tech/874721/...
archive link: archive.ph/FBaJK
www.theverge.com/tech/874721/...
archive link: archive.ph/FBaJK
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
A great piece from @alibreland.bsky.social on Epstein's race science obsession—one he shares with much of the contemporary right wing elite www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Epstein Emails Show How the Powerful Talk About Race
The files reveal the disgraced financier’s interest in “race science.”
www.theatlantic.com
February 12, 2026 at 4:25 PM
A great piece from @alibreland.bsky.social on Epstein's race science obsession—one he shares with much of the contemporary right wing elite www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
The infantile amnesia period offers researchers a window to test conditions that may alter memory engram dynamics. New research points to microglial involvement, though this conclusion has drawn mixed reactions.
By Lauren Schneider (@lauren-schneider.com)
www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/mic...
By Lauren Schneider (@lauren-schneider.com)
www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/mic...
Microglia implicated in infantile amnesia
The glial cells could explain the link between maternal immune activation and autism-like behaviors in mice, but methodological challenges prompt questions about the new evidence.
www.thetransmitter.org
February 12, 2026 at 3:09 PM
The infantile amnesia period offers researchers a window to test conditions that may alter memory engram dynamics. New research points to microglial involvement, though this conclusion has drawn mixed reactions.
By Lauren Schneider (@lauren-schneider.com)
www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/mic...
By Lauren Schneider (@lauren-schneider.com)
www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/mic...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
Diffusion tractography outside the brain: the road less travelled | Brain Structure and Function | Springer Nature Link link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Diffusion tractography outside the brain: the road less travelled - Brain Structure and Function
Brain Structure and Function - Diffusion tractography is a powerful MRI technique for mapping fibrous tissue architecture, traditionally applied to the white matter of the brain. This report...
link.springer.com
February 11, 2026 at 11:44 PM
Diffusion tractography outside the brain: the road less travelled | Brain Structure and Function | Springer Nature Link link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Reposted by Tim Verstynen
According to multiple NYT sources, it wasn’t even military personnel at Fort Bliss that fired an anti-drone laser at alleged cartel drones. It was CBP who used the weapon on loan from DoD against a child’s party balloon they mistook for a drone. The Pentagon gave CBP an anti-aircraft weapon.
February 12, 2026 at 3:28 AM
According to multiple NYT sources, it wasn’t even military personnel at Fort Bliss that fired an anti-drone laser at alleged cartel drones. It was CBP who used the weapon on loan from DoD against a child’s party balloon they mistook for a drone. The Pentagon gave CBP an anti-aircraft weapon.
I have so many mixed feelings about this in the context of academia. Yes, much like we had to adapt to search engines 30 years ago, we’ll adapt now.
However, the costs of “AI” are significantly higher than the initial internet boom, in terms of jobs, literal energy, & polluted information spaces.
However, the costs of “AI” are significantly higher than the initial internet boom, in terms of jobs, literal energy, & polluted information spaces.
This piece really nails how I have been feeling in the last couple of weeks. fortune.com/2026/02/11/s...
Something big is happening in AI — and most people will be blindsided | Fortune
It’s not like a light switch... more like the moment you realize the water has been rising around you and is now at your chest.
fortune.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:28 AM
I have so many mixed feelings about this in the context of academia. Yes, much like we had to adapt to search engines 30 years ago, we’ll adapt now.
However, the costs of “AI” are significantly higher than the initial internet boom, in terms of jobs, literal energy, & polluted information spaces.
However, the costs of “AI” are significantly higher than the initial internet boom, in terms of jobs, literal energy, & polluted information spaces.