Author | Lightnews

Reposted by George Chen

The Oatmeal @theoatmeal.bsky.social · 22d

Let’s talk about AI art.

theoatmeal.com/comics/ai_art

A cartoonist's review of AI art - The Oatmeal

This is a comic about AI art.

theoatmeal.com

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · 28d

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
― Jane Goodall (1934-2025)

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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 28d

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Aug 28

So glad all those 'assurances' he got during the confirmation hearings were legally binding /s

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Aug 25

What a terrible, misinformed opinion that further tarnishes WaPo's formerly excellent reputation.

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · Aug 22

Justice Jackson is basically reporting live from inside a garbage fire

www.ballsandstrikes.org/scotus/nih-c...

Ketanji Brown Jackson Stops Just Short of Saying the Supreme Court Is Breathtakingly Full of Shit

“Calvinball has only one rule: There are no fixed rules. We seem to have two: that one, and this Administration always wins.”

www.ballsandstrikes.org

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Aug 20

Strongly feel the suits at TDA need to be forced to book and take a trip at Disneyland like a normal family. Learn firsthand how all these changes have made the experience worse and worse. I don't see a reason why anyone would stay on site over nearby hotels now.

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Aug 19

Story out today from @uclahealth.org on one of my projects in lab studying rare neurodevelopmental disorders using patient stem cells and brain organoids. UCLA #ResearchPowersProgress 🧪 www.uclahealth.org/news/article...

Rare mutation in autism risk gene connects family with researcher

An email to renowned autism investigator Dr. Daniel Geschwind is leading to new science.

www.uclahealth.org

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Aug 14

🧪 #HandsoffNIH

Gretchen Goldman, PhD @gretchentg.bsky.social · Aug 14

My new @science.org editorial on the role of scientists in defending democracy is out today. As authoritarianism takes hold in the US, we must fight for the democratic principles that enable a free society and scientists have a key role. I hope you'll join us.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Scientists’ role in defending democracy

The United States’ democratic leadership, commitment to freedom of expression, and investment in the pursuit of knowledge have long enabled its preeminence in science and technology. Yet today we are ...

www.science.org

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Michael F. Wells @mfwells.bsky.social · Aug 1

Hundreds of millions of dollars suspended for cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's research (among many, many other equally important diseases and endeavors) and for what? What is the point of all of this? Help me understand how this makes our country better, stronger, and healthier in any way.

Thanh Neville, MD, MSHS @thanhneville.medsky.social · Aug 1

The massive list of suspended UCLA grants came out today: 300 NSF and 500 NIH grants. I am miraculously not on the list, but this is devastating. Science will be lost, progress will be frozen, people will lose jobs, and careers in science and medicine are being destroyed. This is not ok.

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Rodger Sherman @rodger.bsky.social · Aug 3

the USA built a system of higher education so good that smart/rich people from across the world came here, spending billions to learn here, subsidizing education for Americans while spending money to live in our cities and towns. our government arbitrarily decided we should stop doing that

Steve Herman @w7voa.journa.host.ap.brid.gy · Aug 3

The US could see a 30-40% decline in new international student enrollment, resulting in nearly $7 billion in lost revenue and more than 60,000 fewer American jobs. https://www.nafsa.org/fall-2025-international-student-enrollment-outlook-and-economic-impact

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Elle Cordova @ellecordova.bsky.social · Jul 31

Federal agencies hiding out in a bunker

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Jun 20

Congratulations!

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Nigel Goldenfeld @nigelgoldenfeld.bsky.social · Jun 9

🧪 #NIH

You may have seen this morning that employees at NIH wrote an open letter to the Director (cheekily called the Bethesda Declaration). You can read it and sign a supporting letter here.

www.standupforscience.net/bethesda-dec...

Please consider signing and forwarding on.

Bethesda Declaration — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE

Support NIH Staff Now!

www.standupforscience.net

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Jun 6

Conan O'Brien and Tom Hanks are the first that come to mind.

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The Pudding @puddingviz.bsky.social · May 29

New project: From stereotypes to breakthroughs, Hollywood's history with Asian and Asian American characters is complicated.

This AAPI Heritage Month, dive into the data that reveals whether that's changed: pudding.cool/2025/05/aapi...

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · May 15

Breaking News: A baby with a rare disorder made medical history by receiving the first custom gene-editing treatment. The technique used has the potential to help people with thousands of other uncommon genetic diseases. nyti.ms/4j49xBy

A baby surrounded by medical devices is being held up by someone with gloved hands. A headline reads: "Baby Is Healed With World's First Personalized Gene-Editing Treatment." Photo courtesy of Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania.

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Nature Portfolio @natureportfolio.nature.com · May 16

A technology feature in Nature explains how organoids, assembloids and a growing toolkit of bioengineering tricks are helping scientists stitch together models of the developing human brain, pushing the limits of realism and control. 🧪

Brain tissues, assemble! Inside the push to build better brain models

With organoids, assembloids and a growing toolkit of bioengineering tricks, scientists are stitching together models of the developing human brain — and pushing the limits of realism and control.

go.nature.com

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Xin Jin @xinjin.bsky.social · May 14

Thrilled to share 2 reviews from the lab:
🧬Annual Review Functional Neurogenomics
annualreviews.org/content/jour...
🧠Current Opinion high-throughput analysis of corticogenesis
authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S...

Thanks to my labbies and the field—we were honored to showcase your work! #WeAreHiring

www.annualreviews.org

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Debby Silver @debbysilver.bsky.social · May 14

Thrilled to share our latest study out in @natureportfolio.nature.com led by the fantastically talented Jing Liu. Our study provides insight into a long standing question in biology: What molecular features make us uniquely human and how do these function? www.nature.com/articles/s41...

A human-specific enhancer fine-tunes radial glia potency and corticogenesis - Nature

HARE5, a human accelerated region enhancer, modulates cortical development by influencing neural progenitor cell behaviour, leading to an enlarged neocortex with increased functional independence betw...

www.nature.com

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · May 14

Congrats, very exciting work! I loved hearing about it at the recent Gordon meeting! Look forward to learning about more HARE functions!

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Alt NIH Bluesky 🧪 @altnih4science.bsky.social · Apr 22

"Dear @senmullin.bsky.social, Capito, Cassidy, Collins, Cornyn..[and 6 others]"

"These hastily-executed NIH contract cuts will damage medical research for diseases like cancer&dementia..."
"It would be taking the side of cancer to do nothing to stop [the cuts]"

Letter sent to R Senators:

To: The Republican Senate caucus, including Senators Mullin, Capito, Cassidy, Collins, Cornyn, Blackburn, Tillis, Lankford, Tim Scott, Rick Scott, and Sullivan (see quotes below)
Dear Senators:
Earlier this month, the Trump administration confirmed ordering NIH and HHS to eliminate 35% of all contracts', amounting to a $2.6 billion cut to NIH?. We write to inform you that these cuts will damage vital clinical care and medical research, conducted at NIH and funded by NIH at centers across the country. Despite what the Trump administration's political employees claim, there is no way to implement these cuts without damaging the NIH mission to understand biology and to understand, prevent, and treat disease and improve human health.
All Americans are touched by diseases like stroke, cancer, and Alzheimer's that NIH works to prevent and cure. NIH has been a worldwide beacon and powerful leader in this research. Currently, this work is under attack from the Trump administration, notably but

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George Chen @gtchen.bsky.social · Apr 22

Over one year! Wow he must have learned a lot about operations in that time, definitely the best candidate for the job. Sheesh.

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Nathan Yau @flowingdata.com · Feb 13

Dishonest charts are coming from all directions, and they're only going to hit harder. Unless we push back. So, an interactive guide: Defense Against Dishonest Charts flowingdata.com/projects/dis...

Defense Against Dishonest Charts

This is a guide to protect ourselves and to preserve what is good about turning data into visual things.

flowingdata.com

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Karyn @kaesser.bsky.social · Mar 13

Yet another report on the economic value of NIH investments The indiscriminate and large cuts are illogical and harmful I am angry www.forbes.com/sites/michae...

NIH Grants Fueled $95 Billion In FY 2024 Economic Activity, Finds New Report

National Institutes of Health grants generated almost $95 billion in economic activity nationwide in FY 2024 according to a new report by United for Medical Research.

www.forbes.com

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