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Zen Faulkes

@doctorzen.net

2.2K followers 310 following 3.1K posts

Home page: http://DoctorZen.net. Biologist. Author of Better Posters book and blog. Collector of academic hoaxes.

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Environmental science 49%

Geography 13%

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Juan Cole, Smith, Alan Richardson , and 2 more Juan Cole, Smith, Alan Richardson, Zen Faulkes, David L. Anderson

Kate Clancy @kateclancy.bsky.social · 2h

I am being asked to tell my department which pieces of lab equipment should be supported with backup power because they expect rolling blackouts and brownouts in 2026 due to increased energy demands from AI. In case you're wondering how my day is going.

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Reposted by Zen Faulkes

Aubrey Hirsch @aubreyhirsch.bsky.social · 2h

Did you know that if you buy my book on Amazon, Jeff Bezos makes 5 times as much as I do on each copy sold? Sharing some behind-the-scenes book math on why buying directly from presses is best for EVERYONE (except Bezos) in my newsletter today! aubreyhirsch.substack.com/p/book-math

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 4h

I never advertised, because I was in a place with a Master’s program, which rarely interests external candidates, and there were never positions available with guaranteed full funding.

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Reposted by Zen Faulkes

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 7h

(and i think it is a demand that stems from fear more than a rational assessment of the threat environment)

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Reposted by Anna O. Law, American Library Association, David R. Miller , and 6 more Anna O. Law, American Library Association, David R. Miller, Margot C. Finn, Scott A. Imberman, Anne Norton, Zen Faulkes, Mark Rice, Kate Jackson

Julie Greene @greeneland.bsky.social · 18h

I just learned, Thomas Alter, tenured professor, has been terminated effective immediately. Shame on Texas State! We mst build support for Tom. spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-tex...

Texas State upholds the firing of associate history professor Thomas Alter

Alter’s termination occurred on Sept. 10, stemming from his remarks at the Revolutionary Socialism Conference on Sept. 7.

spectrumlocalnews.com

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 20h

What is MidSci? I’d search but don’t want to give them a single web visit after seeing this atrocity.

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 22h

Good luck!

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 1d

Another one of my free resources is a little ebook on giving oral presentations:

doi.org/10.6084/m9.f...

PDF, but there's also a cheap Kindle version if that's your thing.

Presentation Tips: Selections from NeuroDojo

This is short ebook is for people making oral presentations. It is geared towards academics presenting at technical conferences, but many of the topics will be generally applicable.The book is divided...

doi.org

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 1d

Occasional reminder that I have a collection of academic hoaxes.

Hoaxes offer a unique window into academic publishing!

doi.org/10.6084/m9.f...

Stinging the Predators: A collection of papers that should never have been published

This ebook collects academic papers and conference abstracts that were meant to be so terrible that nobody in their right mind would publish them. All were submitted to journals and conferences to exp...

doi.org

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 1d

Same scale is sometimes helpful, but not necessary. If not, I’d suggest a “Species not to scale” note somewhere.

Reposted by Zen Faulkes

Joseph Fasano @josephfasano.bsky.social · 1d

This is the single best thing anyone could ever send to a writer. I'm holding back tears.

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 1d

Hanco Kolk is surely the winner 🏆 of the “Comic Artist whose name sounds most like a Star Wars character” competition.

(Also, thanks for introducing me to his art!)

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 2d

“Not safe for autoclave.”

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Reposted by Zen Faulkes

John Hawks @johnhawks.net · 2d

Paleoanthropology can be confusing with names. Why would scientists use “Denisovan” instead of coming up with a species name? Or “modern human” instead of Homo sapiens? And why didn’t some names ever catch on, like the Heidelbergers or the chumanzees?

www.johnhawks.net/p/informal-h...

Informal hominins, from Denisovan to superarchaic

In a new research article, I review the ways that paleoanthropologists name ancient groups outside the Linnaean system.

www.johnhawks.net

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 2d

Every sign, they say, has a story behind it.

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 2d

I also appreciated this sign in the Globe gift shop ⚔️🚫

A sign that says “No Sword-Fighting in the Shop” next to a display of toy swords

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Reposted by Zen Faulkes

Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 2d

I also appreciated this sign in the Globe gift shop ⚔️🚫

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 2d

It must look even worse with the hat on, which is emphatically NOT a Mountie’s Stetson.

rcmp.ca/en/history-r...

Stetson

An RCMP stetson hat. With the possible exception of the Red Serge tunic, no other element of the RCMP uniform has the mystique of the stetson hat.

rcmp.ca

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 2d

This is professional misconduct.

Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P @clairezagorski.bsky.social · 2d

A student on TikTok has been documenting her journey with a professor who “wrote” the anatomy textbook and it’s all a bunch of AI hallucinations.

She’s saying that, understandably, the students are doing super poorly!

Behold what we’re teaching the healthcare professionals of tomorrow:

A diagram of the bones and (some) deep muscles of the hand and forearm. AI says that we only have four digits. It’s also identified a tendon as the median nerve, another tendon as the ulnar nerve, among other issues.

An AI generated diagram of the muscles of the neck. It hallucinated the “ennocleidomasid” muscle, and the “anterior scalpalin muscle”.

An AI generated diagram of the muscles of the lateral thigh. It says that the gluteus Maximus (the big juicy butt muscle) is on the anterior side. It also points to the quadriceps muscle and says “attattment”. It also says that the same structure is the tibia AND the deep fascia of the leg.

An AI generated diagram of the bones of the hand and forearm. This time AI says we have 6 digits. It also says that the radius is the ulnar artery. Among other many issues.

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Reposted by Peter Thorne, Gavin A. Schmidt, Zen Faulkes

Claire Zagorski, MSc, EMT-P @clairezagorski.bsky.social · 2d

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

Thanks to this post, I’ve caught myself whistling this multiple times this morning

Dang it

Reposted by Zen Faulkes

National Center for Science Education @ncse.bsky.social · 3d

It’s the last day to order an NCSE t-shirt or hoodie! Every order makes an impact by helping us provide resources for teachers and classrooms under pressure. https://www.bonfire.com/science-makes-you-strong-1/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky&utm_campaign=Bonfire&utm_content=link #EduSky

Science Makes You Strong | Bonfire

Buy Science Makes You Strong merchandise that supports National Center for Science Education. Featuring Solid Black Blend Premium Unisex Tees, professionally printed in the USA.

www.bonfire.com

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

New from Men Without Hats: youtu.be/V6wLlHpZz4I

Never stop making art

In Glorious Days

YouTube video by Men Without Hats - Topic

youtu.be

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

Frog 🐸: Chemical neurotransmission.

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

Squid 🦑: Ionic basis of actions potentials.

Crayfish 🦞: Electrical synapses.

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

Wait what?

I mean, it's nice and all. But what makes this such a high value collector's item?

Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

Make a movie better by adding John Carpenter's to the title:

John Carpenter's The Karen Carpenter Story

John Carpenter's A Carpenter Christmas Story

John Carpenter's The Carpenter's Son

John Carpenter's The Carpenter

minty tear gas @nihilamacabre.bsky.social · 4d

Make a movie better by adding John Carpenter's to the title:

John Carpenter's The Crying Game

⚧️Marionette: Little Tin Goddess🏳️‍⚧️ @marionette.bzky.team · 4d

Make a movie better by adding John Carpenter's to the title:

John Carpenter‘s Les Miserables

Reposted by Zen Faulkes

mossworm.bsky.social @mossworm.bsky.social · 3d

still amazing to me the number of movies, games, etc. which have Venus Flytrap-based creatures in some form compared to the actual native range of Venus Flytrap, which is like, the great untamed jungles of a few wet pine savannas in North Carolina

map illustrating the native range of Venus Flytrap plants, just a little half circle around coastal North and South Carolina in USA

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 3d

Because he was awesome from every direction, one assumes

Reposted by Zen Faulkes

Riley Black 🦕 🏳️‍⚧️ @restingdinoface.bsky.social · 4d

Word of mouth is so important for books.

If you’ve read something you like, shout it out, leave a review somewhere, ask your library to carry it.

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Zen Faulkes @doctorzen.net · 4d

🟩 Jealous! 🟩

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