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slightwraith.bsky.social
The Brute Choir
@slightwraith.bsky.social
When was the first time
You realized the next time
Would be last time?
Reposted by The Brute Choir
Massive study from rural Peru finds:

“computer access significantly improved students’ computer skills but not their cognitive skills”
One Laptop Per Child, 10 years later: "we find no significant effects on academic performance but some evidence of negative effects on grade progression... computer access significantly improved students’ computer skills but not their cognitive skills" www.nber.org/papers/w34495
Laptops in the Long Run: Evidence from the One Laptop per Child Program in Rural Peru
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
December 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Reposted by The Brute Choir
thanks to @hellabarnes.bsky.social for alerting me to the existence of Thismia, another entry for my growing database of Deeply Weird Plants Visited By Tiny Beetles
December 5, 2025 at 9:48 PM
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Fun DNA fact:
Five main nucleotide bases are A, G, C, T & U:

A - Adenine - 'ADEN' is Greek for "gland", found in pancreas
G - Guanine - found in bird GUANO
C - Cytosine - calf thymus, but named for CELLs
T - Thymine - Also isolated from calf THYMUS.
U - Uracil - isolated from URINE crystals.
the word dna is displayed on a screen with a glowing background .
Alt: the word dna is displayed on a screen with a glowing background and double helix animation behind it.
media.tenor.com
June 27, 2025 at 1:47 PM
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It's that giving time of year again, so this is a reminder that no matter how they try to dress it up, the Salvation Army is not a charity.
December 3, 2025 at 1:58 AM
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Corporate Media is going to pretend that Trump is heartbroken about the two West Virginian National Guardsmen being shot in DC, but the entire point of moving a standing army into a peaceful city was to induce violence by The People to justify more violence by Trump on The People in retaliation.
November 27, 2025 at 12:19 PM
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Here's the full video for anyone who'd like to watch:

youtu.be/mPFFUWPXAFs?...
Do We Live in the Rarest Solar System In The Universe? We're about to find out!
YouTube video by PBS Space Time
youtu.be
November 26, 2025 at 1:22 PM
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Can you spread the word about weaintbuyingit.com? This is one of the easiest and safest ways possible to fight back against the current administration. If you've been saying there's nothing you can do - you're wrong! All you have to do is not buy from Amazon, Home Depot, or Target for five days.
We Ain’t Buying It! - Economic Pressure on Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday - We Ain’t Buying It!
We Ain’t Buying It is an economic action and solidarity campaign designed to defend democracy and reclaim community power.
weaintbuyingit.com
November 23, 2025 at 4:48 AM
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I wrote a little bit about the "missing heritability" question and several recent studies that have brought it to a close. A short 🧵
The missing heritability question is now (mostly) answered
Not with a bang but with a whimper
theinfinitesimal.substack.com
November 21, 2025 at 10:34 PM
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CDC references Mark & David Geier to prove that vaccines cause autism.
forbetterscience.com/2025/08/26/m...
November 21, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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Reposted by The Brute Choir
Linus Torvalds being unfathomably based
November 17, 2025 at 7:08 PM
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Today on Grading for Growth, Greg Crowther shares some data and reflects on the importance of letting students take home and reflect on feedback.
Will the circle be unbroken?
Reflections on a recent study of anatomy & physiology instructors
gradingforgrowth.com
November 17, 2025 at 1:34 PM
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“Someone with a 1-hr car commute needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they’d fallen in love.” #CityMakingMath

50 reasons to want more walkable cities.
50 Reasons Why Everyone Should Want More Walkable Streets
From making you live longer to making cities more resilient: If you want a reason to make your city more walkable, it's in here.
www.fastcompany.com
November 16, 2025 at 5:40 AM
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"Better World" par Joel Pett @joelpettcartoons.bsky.social
November 15, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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Those claiming Dems should retreat on racial justice aren't hard-headed realists, they're pushing against the electoral tide rather than leaning into it. The story of Gen Z isn't about racist backlash or red-pilled young men. It's the most racially progressive generation in American history. 🧵
November 14, 2025 at 8:44 PM
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How do internal bodily rhythms influence #brain activity & motor function? @tahnee-engelen.bsky.social &co show that #cardiac, #respiratory & #gastric rhythms independently modulate motor excitability, revealing distinct #interoceptive profiles across individuals @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4nMtpLT
November 13, 2025 at 10:17 AM
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“substantial phenotypic diversity already existed in early Holocene dogs” nice #domestixation study by @gregerlarson.bsky.social & collaborators in @science.org 🧪🐶🐾

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
The emergence and diversification of dog morphology
Dogs exhibit an exceptional range of morphological diversity as a result of their long-term association with humans. Attempts to identify when dog morphological variation began to expand have been con...
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:32 PM
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Scientists Wanted to Know How Many Squid Pilot Whales Eat Each Day. What They Found Was Astounding gizmodo.com/scientists-w...
Scientists Wanted to Know How Many Squid Pilot Whales Eat Each Day. What They Found Was Astounding
Short-finned pilot whales love eating squid, and boy do they stuff themselves with it, new research finds.
gizmodo.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:32 PM
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A timeline cleanser: My recent newsletter is about rise of "repair cafes" around the world, where communities come together to fix each other's beloved things. The goal: reduce consumer waste, and maybe make some buddies in the process 🔧👭

insideclimatenews.org/news/1111202...
A Growing Number of ‘Repair Cafes’ Are Popping Up Around the World to Curb Consumer Waste - Inside Climate News
Local communities are hosting events where people can bring in their broken goods for repairs—free of charge.
insideclimatenews.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:37 PM
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"We’re done waiting for Dems to find their spine. We can’t afford a weak & cowardly Democratic Party while the authoritarians invade our cities, terrorize our communities, & threaten our democracy. We get the party we demand, & we intend to demand a Democratic Party that fights.” — @indivisible.org
Indivisible Launches its Largest Primary Program in Response to Senate Democrats Surrendering on the Shutdown Vote
indivisible.org
November 10, 2025 at 11:08 PM
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Reports of the death of the bachelor’s degree have been greatly exaggerated. Enrollment is near pre-pandemic levels, real tuition is flat or down, and the college wage premium remains high.

I explore how the narrative became disconnected from the data.

cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/is-college...
Is college enrollment really plummeting?
Reports of the death of the bachelor’s degree have been greatly exaggerated.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
November 12, 2025 at 2:03 PM
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Many are calling for Chuck Schumer's resignation. What hasn't been reported until now is that any Senate Democrat can offer a motion to challenge his leadership position, and it would have to get a vote within 7 days. From @whitneycwimbish.bsky.social:
prospect.org/2025/11/11/o...
One Weird Trick to Get Rid of Chuck Schumer - The American Prospect
Multiple Democratic groups, House members, and candidates say it’s time for the Senate minority leader to go. It turns out any single Senate Democrat can force a vote on Schumer’s job.
prospect.org
November 11, 2025 at 5:36 PM
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It’s insane to treat the filibuster as the most sacrosanct.

Article 1 power of the purse, oversight, and war? Nah.

Emoluments clauses? Bribery prohibition? Meh.

Criminal law? 14A? Doesn’t count.

But maybe the Senate changes a rule it has multiple times before? Gasp! Not that. Anything but that.
November 11, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by The Brute Choir
The contrast could hardly be sharper. My friends and neighbors, armed only with whistles and voices, spend their weekend fighting off heavily-armed paramilitary goons. Meanwhile, these jagoffs capitulate, but not before securing another $1 billion for their own security.
Chuck Schumer Helps Pull Democrats Back From Brink Of Courage
November 10, 2025 at 1:04 PM