Mike Arcaro
@mikearcaro.bsky.social
vision neuroscientist, U Penn Psych PI, appreciator of penguins
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
October 21, 2025 at 2:45 PM
ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we've ever seen in the agency - a 700% increase.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
The President is building an army to attack his own country.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
Courtesy of colleagues at Penn
October 12, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Courtesy of colleagues at Penn
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
This is a big one! A 4-year writing project over many timezones, arguing for a reimagining of the influential "core knowledge" thesis.
Led by @daweibai.bsky.social, we argue that much of our innate knowledge of the world is not "conceptual" in nature, but rather wired into perceptual processing. 👇
Led by @daweibai.bsky.social, we argue that much of our innate knowledge of the world is not "conceptual" in nature, but rather wired into perceptual processing. 👇
October 9, 2025 at 4:31 PM
This is a big one! A 4-year writing project over many timezones, arguing for a reimagining of the influential "core knowledge" thesis.
Led by @daweibai.bsky.social, we argue that much of our innate knowledge of the world is not "conceptual" in nature, but rather wired into perceptual processing. 👇
Led by @daweibai.bsky.social, we argue that much of our innate knowledge of the world is not "conceptual" in nature, but rather wired into perceptual processing. 👇
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
George Orwell’s Animal Crossing
October 7, 2025 at 4:29 PM
George Orwell’s Animal Crossing
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
Members of the Penn community: please sign this actionnetwork.org/petitions/ju...
Just Say No to Trump's Compact for Academic Extortion
Yesterday, the University of Pennsylvania was one of nine targets of the Trump Administration's "Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education." Through it, Trump asks once again for universitie...
actionnetwork.org
October 3, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Members of the Penn community: please sign this actionnetwork.org/petitions/ju...
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
I'm recruiting PhD students to join my new lab in Fall 2026! The Shared Minds Lab at @usc.edu will combine deep learning and ecological human neuroscience to better understand how we communicate our thoughts from one brain to another.
October 1, 2025 at 10:39 PM
I'm recruiting PhD students to join my new lab in Fall 2026! The Shared Minds Lab at @usc.edu will combine deep learning and ecological human neuroscience to better understand how we communicate our thoughts from one brain to another.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
Imagine if Richard Nixon had just tweeted out the Watergate scandal rather than putting it on secret tapes.
That’s what this is.
That’s what this is.
September 21, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Imagine if Richard Nixon had just tweeted out the Watergate scandal rather than putting it on secret tapes.
That’s what this is.
That’s what this is.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
I won't quote-tweet our main character of the day, but if your complaint is that Charlie Kirk's words are being taken out of context, I'd encourage you to skim through the Media Matters tag for his name. They have hundreds of posts about Kirk and most have longer clips that give the full context.
Charlie Kirk
www.mediamatters.org
September 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
I won't quote-tweet our main character of the day, but if your complaint is that Charlie Kirk's words are being taken out of context, I'd encourage you to skim through the Media Matters tag for his name. They have hundreds of posts about Kirk and most have longer clips that give the full context.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
These job ads have now been posted! 🎉
Social/Personality: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05020
Biological Basis of Behavior: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05054
Please spread the word!
Social/Personality: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05020
Biological Basis of Behavior: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05054
Please spread the word!
August 7, 2025 at 11:30 PM
These job ads have now been posted! 🎉
Social/Personality: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05020
Biological Basis of Behavior: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05054
Please spread the word!
Social/Personality: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05020
Biological Basis of Behavior: aprecruit.berkeley.edu/JPF05054
Please spread the word!
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
My paper with @stellalourenco.bsky.social is now out in Science Advances!
We found that children have robust object recognition abilities that surpass many ANNs. Models only outperformed kids when their training far exceeded what a child could experience in their lifetime
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
We found that children have robust object recognition abilities that surpass many ANNs. Models only outperformed kids when their training far exceeded what a child could experience in their lifetime
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Fast and robust visual object recognition in young children
The visual recognition abilities of preschool children rival those of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence models.
doi.org
July 2, 2025 at 7:38 PM
My paper with @stellalourenco.bsky.social is now out in Science Advances!
We found that children have robust object recognition abilities that surpass many ANNs. Models only outperformed kids when their training far exceeded what a child could experience in their lifetime
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
We found that children have robust object recognition abilities that surpass many ANNs. Models only outperformed kids when their training far exceeded what a child could experience in their lifetime
doi.org/10.1126/scia...
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
We should all be disgusted by the flood of anti-Muslim remarks spewed in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary — some blatant, others latent.
Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.
Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.
Attacks on Muslims flood mainstream after Mamdani win
Openly racist rhetoric has become normalized at the highest levels of American politics.
www.axios.com
June 29, 2025 at 1:54 PM
We should all be disgusted by the flood of anti-Muslim remarks spewed in the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the NYC mayoral primary — some blatant, others latent.
Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.
Shame on the members of Congress who have engaged in such bigotry and anyone who doesn’t challenge it.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
June 17, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
What shapes the topography of high-level visual cortex?
Excited to share a new pre-print addressing this question with connectivity-constrained interactive topographic networks, titled "Retinotopic scaffolding of high-level vision", w/ Marlene Behrmann & David Plaut.
🧵 ↓ 1/n
Excited to share a new pre-print addressing this question with connectivity-constrained interactive topographic networks, titled "Retinotopic scaffolding of high-level vision", w/ Marlene Behrmann & David Plaut.
🧵 ↓ 1/n
June 16, 2025 at 3:11 PM
What shapes the topography of high-level visual cortex?
Excited to share a new pre-print addressing this question with connectivity-constrained interactive topographic networks, titled "Retinotopic scaffolding of high-level vision", w/ Marlene Behrmann & David Plaut.
🧵 ↓ 1/n
Excited to share a new pre-print addressing this question with connectivity-constrained interactive topographic networks, titled "Retinotopic scaffolding of high-level vision", w/ Marlene Behrmann & David Plaut.
🧵 ↓ 1/n
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
In Philadelphia alone, a crowd of over 100,000 hit the streets despite the rain.
🎥 @indivisiblephl.bsky.social
🎥 @indivisiblephl.bsky.social
June 14, 2025 at 8:20 PM
In Philadelphia alone, a crowd of over 100,000 hit the streets despite the rain.
🎥 @indivisiblephl.bsky.social
🎥 @indivisiblephl.bsky.social
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
#106 - Chiara Caldinelli, Jing-Jing Li, Garrett Chao, Mike Arcaro & Anne Collins. The role of the thalamus in dynamic decision-making
June 10, 2025 at 4:35 PM
#106 - Chiara Caldinelli, Jing-Jing Li, Garrett Chao, Mike Arcaro & Anne Collins. The role of the thalamus in dynamic decision-making
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
this is such a good representation of American Christianity
June 9, 2025 at 10:12 PM
this is such a good representation of American Christianity
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
Here is a link you can blast out to all of your networks to ask them to consider signing on in support of our NIH heroes.
actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
We are at 5000 folks who have signed on. But we can do better
Only for people who have ever been sick or knows someone who has been.
actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
We are at 5000 folks who have signed on. But we can do better
Only for people who have ever been sick or knows someone who has been.
ADD YOUR NAME: Sign the Open Letter in Support of NIH Staff
Join the courageous and committed National Institutes of Health (NIH) public servants by adding your name now.
actionnetwork.org
June 9, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Here is a link you can blast out to all of your networks to ask them to consider signing on in support of our NIH heroes.
actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
We are at 5000 folks who have signed on. But we can do better
Only for people who have ever been sick or knows someone who has been.
actionnetwork.org/forms/add-na...
We are at 5000 folks who have signed on. But we can do better
Only for people who have ever been sick or knows someone who has been.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
Important thing to beat people over the head with: Trump has turned American cities into warzones and for fucking what? Prices are way up, jobs will be way down, the dollar is worth less, and now the highway is blocked off by cops. Maybe the Great Mythical Immigrant wasn’t the problem after all.
June 8, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Important thing to beat people over the head with: Trump has turned American cities into warzones and for fucking what? Prices are way up, jobs will be way down, the dollar is worth less, and now the highway is blocked off by cops. Maybe the Great Mythical Immigrant wasn’t the problem after all.
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
Man imagine being such a combination of malicious and incompetent that the LAPD think it’s too much
Yep. LAPD released a statement on their Facebook page that they are not cooperating at all: www.facebook.com/share/p/16Dk...
bsky.app/profile/linw...
bsky.app/profile/linw...
June 7, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Man imagine being such a combination of malicious and incompetent that the LAPD think it’s too much
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have federal funding that was promised to you for important work suddenly and arbitrarily ripped away
“In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately”
June 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM
must be incredibly frustrating and disheartening to have federal funding that was promised to you for important work suddenly and arbitrarily ripped away
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
GUYS. The comment period for this ends in THREE DAYS. PLEASE if you have even a little bit of time, submit a comment here: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...
Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...
Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...
FDA will limit Covid vaccines to people over 65 or at high risk of serious illness, leaders say
The FDA announced it will limit access to Covid-19 vaccines going forward to people 65 and older and others at high risk of serious illness
www.statnews.com
May 20, 2025 at 7:36 PM
GUYS. The comment period for this ends in THREE DAYS. PLEASE if you have even a little bit of time, submit a comment here: www.regulations.gov/commenton/FD...
Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...
Let them know EVERYONE should be able to get COVID vaccines. They BACK DOWN when WE PUSH BACK. www.statnews.com/2025/05/20/f...
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
What are the organizing dimensions of language processing?
We show that voxel responses during comprehension are organized along 2 main axes: processing difficulty & meaning abstractness—revealing an interpretable, topographic representational basis for language processing shared across individuals
We show that voxel responses during comprehension are organized along 2 main axes: processing difficulty & meaning abstractness—revealing an interpretable, topographic representational basis for language processing shared across individuals
May 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
What are the organizing dimensions of language processing?
We show that voxel responses during comprehension are organized along 2 main axes: processing difficulty & meaning abstractness—revealing an interpretable, topographic representational basis for language processing shared across individuals
We show that voxel responses during comprehension are organized along 2 main axes: processing difficulty & meaning abstractness—revealing an interpretable, topographic representational basis for language processing shared across individuals
Reposted by Mike Arcaro
The best time for university presidents to get out in public & fight this authoritarianism collectively was two months ago. The next best time is now. Reactive unilateralism & quiet lawsuits is not working, & the public still doesn't grasp how existential the fascist assault on higher ed really is.
It’s March Madness. Our University Leaders Must Speak Out Against the Madness
For college basketball fans, this week is the start of the most wonderful time of the year. Over the next month, 136 teams will compete in the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments. This is on...
www.markcopelovitch.com
May 22, 2025 at 8:16 PM
The best time for university presidents to get out in public & fight this authoritarianism collectively was two months ago. The next best time is now. Reactive unilateralism & quiet lawsuits is not working, & the public still doesn't grasp how existential the fascist assault on higher ed really is.