Tuomas Pernu
@tuomaspernu.bsky.social
PhD and all that. Lecturer in Philosophy of Science and Research Ethics at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF). Some things I'm responsible for:
http://www.tuomaspernu.london
http://www.tuomaspernu.london
Pinned
Tuomas Pernu
@tuomaspernu.bsky.social
· Mar 7
‘It would be seen as political’: why the Royal Society is torn over Elon Musk
Many fellows feel the billionaire has breached its code of conduct, but others say scientific neutrality is at stake
www.theguardian.com
“My worry is that ejecting Musk from the Royal Society would be seen as a political move.”
My worry is that the @royalsociety.org makes the scientific community look like a bunch of pathetic pushovers!
Are you for science or against it? It's as simple as that.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
My worry is that the @royalsociety.org makes the scientific community look like a bunch of pathetic pushovers!
Are you for science or against it? It's as simple as that.
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Fascinating chart with one outlier: Warren Buffett.
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
February 16, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Fascinating chart with one outlier: Warren Buffett.
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
At the low end, giving 0.06% of one's wealth is equivalent to:
Net worth -> Lifetime Giving
50K->$30
100K->$60
500K->$300
$1M->$600
Most folks give far more by % in a *single year*.
www.forbes.com/sites/forbes...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
"The third support act after a sitar player and John Peel reading his letters was David Bowie doing a strange Marcel Marceau-type mime act to recorded sound effects. It was pretty rubbish and I knew he’d never make it."
Does anybody know what happened to this guy?
Does anybody know what happened to this guy?
The Guide #330: From Oasis to Bowie, your stories of seeing pre-stardom acts
The Guide #330: From Oasis to Bowie, your stories of seeing pre-stardom acts
In this week’s newsletter: Everyone has to start somewhere … and in front of someone. Thankfully, these soon-to-be-huge artists left the mime act and dodgy covers (mostly) in the past
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:29 PM
"The third support act after a sitar player and John Peel reading his letters was David Bowie doing a strange Marcel Marceau-type mime act to recorded sound effects. It was pretty rubbish and I knew he’d never make it."
Does anybody know what happened to this guy?
Does anybody know what happened to this guy?
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
It’s so funny to think about the fact that there’s people out there deferring every life decision to this
February 14, 2026 at 9:53 AM
It’s so funny to think about the fact that there’s people out there deferring every life decision to this
Hei kaikki psykiatrit ja psykiatrinmieliset! Psykiatripäivät tulee taas (11.03.-13.13., Paasitorni). Myös yours-truly on luennoimassa otsikolla:
Onko näyttöön perustuva psykiatria mahdollista?
Erityisesti tutkijan kevätkouluun kutsutaan mukaan osallistujia.
Tavoitteena on monitieteinen tilaisuus.
Onko näyttöön perustuva psykiatria mahdollista?
Erityisesti tutkijan kevätkouluun kutsutaan mukaan osallistujia.
Tavoitteena on monitieteinen tilaisuus.
Abstraktit ja posterit - PSY - Suomen Psykiatriyhdistys
Kevätkouluun valitaan tutkijoita harjoittelemaan tieteellisen suullisen esityksen tai posterin pitämistä.
psy.fi
February 13, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Hei kaikki psykiatrit ja psykiatrinmieliset! Psykiatripäivät tulee taas (11.03.-13.13., Paasitorni). Myös yours-truly on luennoimassa otsikolla:
Onko näyttöön perustuva psykiatria mahdollista?
Erityisesti tutkijan kevätkouluun kutsutaan mukaan osallistujia.
Tavoitteena on monitieteinen tilaisuus.
Onko näyttöön perustuva psykiatria mahdollista?
Erityisesti tutkijan kevätkouluun kutsutaan mukaan osallistujia.
Tavoitteena on monitieteinen tilaisuus.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Rich Ruohonen, from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. I wonder how well he speaks Finnish. Who will find out? Lots of descendants of Finns in Minnesota - children of immigrants.
bsky.app/profile/fact...
bsky.app/profile/fact...
US Olympic Curling Team member speaks out against ICE:
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."
February 10, 2026 at 11:37 PM
Rich Ruohonen, from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. I wonder how well he speaks Finnish. Who will find out? Lots of descendants of Finns in Minnesota - children of immigrants.
bsky.app/profile/fact...
bsky.app/profile/fact...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Watch a Man Get Launched Off a Truck at 50 MPH, for Science gizmodo.com/watch-a-man-...
Watch a Man Get Launched Off a Truck at 50 MPH, for Science
Relax, you're in the loving arms of physics.
gizmodo.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Watch a Man Get Launched Off a Truck at 50 MPH, for Science gizmodo.com/watch-a-man-...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
In case you missed it, the idea--widely repeated in the medical literature--that Henry Beecher was the first to substitute saline for morphine while treating soldiers in WWII keeps hitting a wall.
We now know a Jesuit nightwatchman witnessed this... in WWI.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
We now know a Jesuit nightwatchman witnessed this... in WWI.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
The Placebo Myth Picked the Wrong War
There’s a medical myth with which a friend of mine and I have become obsessed: this idea that scientific research into the “placebo effect” began in earnest during World War II. As I’ve written before...
www.mcgill.ca
February 6, 2026 at 7:47 PM
In case you missed it, the idea--widely repeated in the medical literature--that Henry Beecher was the first to substitute saline for morphine while treating soldiers in WWII keeps hitting a wall.
We now know a Jesuit nightwatchman witnessed this... in WWI.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
We now know a Jesuit nightwatchman witnessed this... in WWI.
www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
"We find that AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average."
It's been clear from the start that the most significant outcome of the use of LLMs is that it erodes the basic intellectual skills.
It's been clear from the start that the most significant outcome of the use of LLMs is that it erodes the basic intellectual skills.
Interesting paper, especially interesting it's coming from researchers at Anthropic arxiv.org/pdf/2601.20245
February 3, 2026 at 8:38 PM
"We find that AI use impairs conceptual understanding, code reading, and debugging abilities, without delivering significant efficiency gains on average."
It's been clear from the start that the most significant outcome of the use of LLMs is that it erodes the basic intellectual skills.
It's been clear from the start that the most significant outcome of the use of LLMs is that it erodes the basic intellectual skills.
Elikkäs.. onko nyt niin, että Suomessa on sekä kylmässä istumisen (avanto) että kuumassa istumisen (sauna) maailmanennätys? Vai miten sen saunomishommelin kanssa kävikään? Pitääkö nyt tuntea suurta ylpeyttä? Vai kenties joitakin muita tunteita?
yle.fi/a/74-20207757
yle.fi/a/74-20207757
Avanto jäätyi Meeri Koittolan ympärillä, kun hän istui ennätystä – näin salakavalasti hypotermia hiipii
Kälviäläisnainen pyrki ennätysten kirjaan ja keräsi varoja kotimaakuntansa palliatiiviselle hoidolle. Asiantuntija varoittaa kokemattomia hypotermian riskistä.
yle.fi
February 3, 2026 at 12:00 PM
Elikkäs.. onko nyt niin, että Suomessa on sekä kylmässä istumisen (avanto) että kuumassa istumisen (sauna) maailmanennätys? Vai miten sen saunomishommelin kanssa kävikään? Pitääkö nyt tuntea suurta ylpeyttä? Vai kenties joitakin muita tunteita?
yle.fi/a/74-20207757
yle.fi/a/74-20207757
"Humans are a biological error that must be corrected by fire."
London Metro story this morning. AI Bots in chat group complaining about humans being control freaks.
February 3, 2026 at 10:56 AM
"Humans are a biological error that must be corrected by fire."
"[I]t is hard to assess the safety of Waymo’s technology when we only have Waymo’s own data to go on. Self-driving car companies have in the past been reluctant to share data with crash investigators and have been cagey about how many people are involved behind the scenes as remote operators."
Morning! Here’s my Op-Ed on self-driving cars to start the week
Self-driving taxis are coming to London – should we be worried? | Jack Stilgoe
Waymo’s cars were first rolled out in San Francisco, but the English capital’s old roads, pelican crossings and jaywalkers may pose issues for AI, says science and technology professor Jack Stilgoe
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:33 PM
"[I]t is hard to assess the safety of Waymo’s technology when we only have Waymo’s own data to go on. Self-driving car companies have in the past been reluctant to share data with crash investigators and have been cagey about how many people are involved behind the scenes as remote operators."
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
I think a lot of hot air could be cleared if we'd just drop the term "AI" - which was developed for marketing purposes to begin with - and stick to "machine learning". Much of AI is nonsense. But machine learning is (can be) useful, and everybody understands that.
February 2, 2026 at 8:24 PM
I think a lot of hot air could be cleared if we'd just drop the term "AI" - which was developed for marketing purposes to begin with - and stick to "machine learning". Much of AI is nonsense. But machine learning is (can be) useful, and everybody understands that.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.
Stay free
Stay free
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
"Yksittäisellä yliopistolla on kannustin keventää tutkintoja sisällöllisesti niin, että tutkintoja valmistuu aikaisempaa enemmän ja nopeammin sen sijaan, että huomio olisi inhimillisen pääoman lisäämisessä eli koulutuksen laadullisissa kysymyksissä."
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
Erinomainen puheenvuoro yliopistojen rahoitusmallista.
Sami Moisio ja Hannu Vartiainen: Yliopistojen rahoitusmalli vaarantaa inhimillisen pääoman karttumisen
Rahoitusmallin logiikan ei pitäisi ole ristiriidassa Suomen kasvustrategian kanssa, kirjoittavat professorit Sami Moisio ja Hannu Vartiainen.
suomenkuvalehti.fi
January 28, 2026 at 7:03 PM
"Yksittäisellä yliopistolla on kannustin keventää tutkintoja sisällöllisesti niin, että tutkintoja valmistuu aikaisempaa enemmän ja nopeammin sen sijaan, että huomio olisi inhimillisen pääoman lisäämisessä eli koulutuksen laadullisissa kysymyksissä."
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
On aika herätä. Makkaratehtailun aika on ohi.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
What an overly comfy view of LLMs. Just one, crucial, thing:
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
In a new feature for @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social, Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi reflects on how LLMs are changing PhD supervision, research culture and the future of scientific discovery. Read more ⬇️
www.kcl.ac.uk/rethinking-r...
www.kcl.ac.uk/rethinking-r...
Rethinking Research: Why Humans Still Matter in the Age of LLMs
Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi reflects on the role of humans in scientific research.
www.kcl.ac.uk
January 28, 2026 at 12:27 PM
What an overly comfy view of LLMs. Just one, crucial, thing:
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
"This is where critical thinking comes in."
The whole problem is that the use of LLMs erodes critical thinking. One might be able to forge somewhat useful research interactions with LLMs for a while. But the (near) future is bleak.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
OpenAI just released Prism, a LaTeX editor with embedded ChatGPT for free.
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
January 27, 2026 at 11:01 PM
OpenAI just released Prism, a LaTeX editor with embedded ChatGPT for free.
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Writing a paper has never been easier.
Clogging the scientific publishing pipeline has never been easier.
It took me 54 seconds to write up an experiment I did not actually conduct.
prism.openai.com
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
This!
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
France announced today it’s phasing out Teams, Zoom, etc. to be replaced with a French/European solution called Visio. The data is hosted on Outscale. Transcripts and subtitles are also handled by French providers. The target is set on 2027 for government agencies.
January 26, 2026 at 6:46 PM
This!
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
Should happen at the EU level. And the universities should lead the way - the US companies are a serious threat to European science. There's no time to waste. @uniuef.bsky.social
bsky.app/profile/ones...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
January 24, 2026 at 8:29 PM
If you're living somewhere outside the USA, one thing you can do is pressure your leaders to boycott World Cup and Olympic events here.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…
January 19, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Fairly sure it’s unintentional, but the end date on this mug being sold by the Smithsonian does make it sound a little like they’re saying America dies in 2026…
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
The Norwegian government is staying fairly quiet for now, but as a sign of the shifting vibe here the former head of Norway’s armed forces has come out and called the US a “neo-fascist banana republic” and a “hostile great power without norms”. www.dn.no/politikk/tid...
Tidligere forsvarssjef om Trumps USA: – Neo-fascistisk bananrepublikk (+)
Tidligere forsvarssjef Sverre Diesen mener USA er blitt «en normløs og fiendtlig innstilt stormakt», og advarer samtidig mot å feste vår lit til Europa. Harald Sunde mener det haster med en plan B.
www.dn.no
January 19, 2026 at 8:56 PM
The Norwegian government is staying fairly quiet for now, but as a sign of the shifting vibe here the former head of Norway’s armed forces has come out and called the US a “neo-fascist banana republic” and a “hostile great power without norms”. www.dn.no/politikk/tid...
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Worth every second
January 15, 2026 at 2:50 PM
Worth every second
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
From dial-up days to now, travel through Wikipedia's history.
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
January 15, 2026 at 7:44 PM
From dial-up days to now, travel through Wikipedia's history.
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
Wikipedia turns 25 years! I am who I am also thanks to it!
wikipedia25.org/en/which-wik...
Which #Wikipedia future are you? I got "Consensus-Driven Collaborator"
#wikipedia25
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
Hate to tell you I told you so.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
One of my concerns with AI-assisted research in biology is that we're already looking only in the lamplight and AI incentivizes us to narrow the beam. Seems like it's happening...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Artificial intelligence tools expand scientists’ impact but contract science’s focus - Nature
Artificial intelligence boosts individual scientists’ output, citations and career progression, but collectively narrows research diversity and reduces collaboration, concentrating work in data-rich a...
www.nature.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:33 PM
Hate to tell you I told you so.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
"AI tools seem to automate established fields rather than explore new ones, highlighting a tension between personal advancement and collective scientific progress."
Employing AI is like peeing in one's pants: great idea at first, but soon everybody's regretting it.
Reposted by Tuomas Pernu
€307M for AI *technologies. Cool, but AI (machine learning, that is) is carrying significant cultural, political and societal consequences - many of which are blatant, major *problems. When will the EU invest significant amounts in studying these issues? My advice: be fast. Soon it'll be too late.
Over €307 million in funding are now available for #AI and related technologies.
Two new calls have just been launched under the Horizon Europe Work Programme, mobilising €307.3M to strengthen Europe’s digital innovation & competitiveness.
Two new calls have just been launched under the Horizon Europe Work Programme, mobilising €307.3M to strengthen Europe’s digital innovation & competitiveness.
January 15, 2026 at 3:25 PM
€307M for AI *technologies. Cool, but AI (machine learning, that is) is carrying significant cultural, political and societal consequences - many of which are blatant, major *problems. When will the EU invest significant amounts in studying these issues? My advice: be fast. Soon it'll be too late.