Mark A. Hanson
@hansonmark.bsky.social
New PI interested in #immune #evolution, host #pathogen interactions, and #ScientificPublishing @ University of Exeter, UK. He/him.
#immunity #infection #antimicrobialpeptides #microbiome #Drosophila #AcademicSky #AcademicChatter #OpenScience 🇨🇦
#immunity #infection #antimicrobialpeptides #microbiome #Drosophila #AcademicSky #AcademicChatter #OpenScience 🇨🇦
Pinned
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Really informative and important thread. Hiring and promotion committees need to change the way they work. Maybe ask applicants for their top 2 papers in the last 5yr and actually read them?
Since AI slop is again all over Scientific Reports, a thread on the economics of grey-zone publishing.
Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this?
Background readings:
Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r
Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy
Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this?
Background readings:
Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r
Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy
December 1, 2025 at 6:15 AM
Really informative and important thread. Hiring and promotion committees need to change the way they work. Maybe ask applicants for their top 2 papers in the last 5yr and actually read them?
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Great thread by one of the folks who brought you “The strain on scientific publishing”
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
December 1, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Great thread by one of the folks who brought you “The strain on scientific publishing”
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
direct.mit.edu/qss/article/...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Since AI slop is again all over Scientific Reports, a thread on the economics of grey-zone publishing.
Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this?
Background readings:
Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r
Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy
Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this?
Background readings:
Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r
Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy
November 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Since AI slop is again all over Scientific Reports, a thread on the economics of grey-zone publishing.
Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this?
Background readings:
Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r
Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy
Why does slop keep getting published? What does it mean for science? How can we stop this?
Background readings:
Understand the strain: tinyurl.com/2b6wxx5r
Stop the drain: tinyurl.com/3jfscscy
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
CNRS cancels Web of Science in order to focus on qualitative evaluation and promoting the development of open databases.
www.cnrs.fr/en/update/cn...
www.cnrs.fr/en/update/cn...
The CNRS is breaking free from the Web of Science
From January 1st 2026, the CNRS will cut access to one of the largest commercial bibliometric databases, Clarivate Analytics'
www.cnrs.fr
December 1, 2025 at 12:31 PM
CNRS cancels Web of Science in order to focus on qualitative evaluation and promoting the development of open databases.
www.cnrs.fr/en/update/cn...
www.cnrs.fr/en/update/cn...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Interesting investigation into a dodgy Elsevier journal -- with the additional nugget that the CEO of Elsevier's parent company made more than €15 million in total compensation last year.
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
The fall of a prolific science journal exposes the billion-dollar profits of scientific publishing
One of the 15 publications that put out the most studies globally has been expelled from the indexing system for irregularities. Its publisher, Elsevier, has a 38% profit margin that reached $1.5 bill...
english.elpais.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Interesting investigation into a dodgy Elsevier journal -- with the additional nugget that the CEO of Elsevier's parent company made more than €15 million in total compensation last year.
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
english.elpais.com/science-tech...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
2. colleagues looking for promotion / validation targeted the weakest links in the list massively - which is a totally rational thing to do. Some MDPI journals had made the list, and the result is that Italy has the highest number of MDPI papers per researcher per year among big countries.
Tricky.
Tricky.
December 1, 2025 at 1:06 PM
2. colleagues looking for promotion / validation targeted the weakest links in the list massively - which is a totally rational thing to do. Some MDPI journals had made the list, and the result is that Italy has the highest number of MDPI papers per researcher per year among big countries.
Tricky.
Tricky.
Paper for the #Drosophila community on a food recipe that rears dozens of species. This was a full team effort, with key contributions from UG, MSc, and PhD students! 👩🎓🎉
Plus an #infection observation re: Diet x #Microbiota 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#EvolBiol #AcademicSky #SymbioSky
1/4
Plus an #infection observation re: Diet x #Microbiota 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#EvolBiol #AcademicSky #SymbioSky
1/4
December 1, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Paper for the #Drosophila community on a food recipe that rears dozens of species. This was a full team effort, with key contributions from UG, MSc, and PhD students! 👩🎓🎉
Plus an #infection observation re: Diet x #Microbiota 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#EvolBiol #AcademicSky #SymbioSky
1/4
Plus an #infection observation re: Diet x #Microbiota 🦠
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
#EvolBiol #AcademicSky #SymbioSky
1/4
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Sooner or later the reputation catches up with you. And it spells doom.
At some point in 2024, common knowledge of bad reputation started to hit MDPI.
IJERPH -- then the world's biggest journal -- got delisted by Clarivate. Submissions plummeted there and across all MDPI portfolio.
At some point in 2024, common knowledge of bad reputation started to hit MDPI.
IJERPH -- then the world's biggest journal -- got delisted by Clarivate. Submissions plummeted there and across all MDPI portfolio.
November 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Sooner or later the reputation catches up with you. And it spells doom.
At some point in 2024, common knowledge of bad reputation started to hit MDPI.
IJERPH -- then the world's biggest journal -- got delisted by Clarivate. Submissions plummeted there and across all MDPI portfolio.
At some point in 2024, common knowledge of bad reputation started to hit MDPI.
IJERPH -- then the world's biggest journal -- got delisted by Clarivate. Submissions plummeted there and across all MDPI portfolio.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
OMG - it’s like the old days of Hindawi AI gobbledegook sandwiches
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
November 29, 2025 at 6:48 PM
OMG - it’s like the old days of Hindawi AI gobbledegook sandwiches
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
The reputation isn't gone until it's **common knowledge** that it is gone.
As long as people think there might be others thinking that SciRep is a good journal, or think they have plausible deniability of not knowing better, submissions will not only continue but grow.
Same as it was for MDPI.
As long as people think there might be others thinking that SciRep is a good journal, or think they have plausible deniability of not knowing better, submissions will not only continue but grow.
Same as it was for MDPI.
November 29, 2025 at 10:19 PM
The reputation isn't gone until it's **common knowledge** that it is gone.
As long as people think there might be others thinking that SciRep is a good journal, or think they have plausible deniability of not knowing better, submissions will not only continue but grow.
Same as it was for MDPI.
As long as people think there might be others thinking that SciRep is a good journal, or think they have plausible deniability of not knowing better, submissions will not only continue but grow.
Same as it was for MDPI.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
An important thread on how norms for what it means to study, learn, and even read have been eroded to the point where they mean nothing beyond "type some prompts."
Educational administrators have failed students and faculty by normalizing ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis machines.
Pushing back:
1/
Educational administrators have failed students and faculty by normalizing ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis machines.
Pushing back:
1/
And I don't know if the answer is: everyone is too traumatized to do work and we need to reinvent society. Or if it's more like: generations are losing their cognitive abilities and willpower due to destructive technologies. Or: we all have post-viral brain damage. Or: all of the above.
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 AM
An important thread on how norms for what it means to study, learn, and even read have been eroded to the point where they mean nothing beyond "type some prompts."
Educational administrators have failed students and faculty by normalizing ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis machines.
Pushing back:
1/
Educational administrators have failed students and faculty by normalizing ecocide-plagiarism-psychosis machines.
Pushing back:
1/
Now published as version of record at @elife.bsky.social !
Layers of Immunity: Deconstructing the Drosophila effector response. The tools are now deposited in the VDRC (link ⬇️)
elifesciences.org/articles/107...
shop.vbc.ac.at/vdrc_store/d...
#Drosophila #IDsky #SymbioSky #Infection #Immunology
Layers of Immunity: Deconstructing the Drosophila effector response. The tools are now deposited in the VDRC (link ⬇️)
elifesciences.org/articles/107...
shop.vbc.ac.at/vdrc_store/d...
#Drosophila #IDsky #SymbioSky #Infection #Immunology
November 28, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Now published as version of record at @elife.bsky.social !
Layers of Immunity: Deconstructing the Drosophila effector response. The tools are now deposited in the VDRC (link ⬇️)
elifesciences.org/articles/107...
shop.vbc.ac.at/vdrc_store/d...
#Drosophila #IDsky #SymbioSky #Infection #Immunology
Layers of Immunity: Deconstructing the Drosophila effector response. The tools are now deposited in the VDRC (link ⬇️)
elifesciences.org/articles/107...
shop.vbc.ac.at/vdrc_store/d...
#Drosophila #IDsky #SymbioSky #Infection #Immunology
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
It all boils down to this! If we believe in science and the peer-review process in its broader sense, why wouldn’t we always choose to send our work to respectable non-profit journals from scientific societies that do a great job in the review process?
In general, let's just stop paying companies that host this BS.
Fight the drain of scientific publishing.
arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Fight the drain of scientific publishing.
arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
November 28, 2025 at 9:01 AM
It all boils down to this! If we believe in science and the peer-review process in its broader sense, why wouldn’t we always choose to send our work to respectable non-profit journals from scientific societies that do a great job in the review process?
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Scientific Reports has a ⬆️ Impact Inflation: a very high IF given their citation network (self-citing, citation cartels, etc).
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
November 28, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Scientific Reports has a ⬆️ Impact Inflation: a very high IF given their citation network (self-citing, citation cartels, etc).
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
Scientific Reports has a ⬆️ Impact Inflation: a very high IF given their citation network (self-citing, citation cartels, etc).
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
November 28, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Scientific Reports has a ⬆️ Impact Inflation: a very high IF given their citation network (self-citing, citation cartels, etc).
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
They'll even typeset & publish AI slop for a fee!
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Strain explorer β: pagoba.shinyapps.io/strain_explo...
#SciPub #ResearchIntegrity #AcademicSky
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
👀ICYMI: "if the drain has a particular history and geography, it means that it is not inevitable. It can be resisted."
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #ScholComm
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #ScholComm
Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science - Impact of Social Sciences
Have the interests of commercial publishers now become antithetical to the pursuit of knowledge?
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 26, 2025 at 4:41 PM
👀ICYMI: "if the drain has a particular history and geography, it means that it is not inevitable. It can be resisted."
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #ScholComm
#AcademicSky #HigherEd #ScholComm
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
November 15, 2025 at 3:35 PM
WE ARE RECRUITING PHD STUDENTS!!!
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
We have three(!) funded PhD studentships advertising presently. If any of these are of interest, please reach out! Thread below with links to more information on each project.
#Drosophila #Evolution #Immunity #SelfishGene #Aphids
Thread with links below 🧵 1/4
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Read this inspiring perspectives coauthored by the Worm Resource directors and worm Nobel Laureates! 4 Nobel Prizes and how they were enabled by major NIH-supported research resources (the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center, WormBase, and WormAtlas) www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
November 25, 2025 at 6:18 AM
Read this inspiring perspectives coauthored by the Worm Resource directors and worm Nobel Laureates! 4 Nobel Prizes and how they were enabled by major NIH-supported research resources (the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center, WormBase, and WormAtlas) www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Scientific journals: we don’t want you using generative AI because it makes shit up.
Same journal: here is an AI summary or evaluation of this paper. This might be more useful than the actual abstract or paper that the authors freaking wrote
Same journal: AI cover art which makes no sense? Oooh!
Same journal: here is an AI summary or evaluation of this paper. This might be more useful than the actual abstract or paper that the authors freaking wrote
Same journal: AI cover art which makes no sense? Oooh!
November 23, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Scientific journals: we don’t want you using generative AI because it makes shit up.
Same journal: here is an AI summary or evaluation of this paper. This might be more useful than the actual abstract or paper that the authors freaking wrote
Same journal: AI cover art which makes no sense? Oooh!
Same journal: here is an AI summary or evaluation of this paper. This might be more useful than the actual abstract or paper that the authors freaking wrote
Same journal: AI cover art which makes no sense? Oooh!
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Revised refereed preprint:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Revision work lead by @longweibai.bsky.social
Our work reveals how the #microbiota helps buffer #malnutrition: L. plantarum sustains intestinal activity of the steroid hormone ecdysone, expanding the midgut and supporting systemic growth.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Revision work lead by @longweibai.bsky.social
Our work reveals how the #microbiota helps buffer #malnutrition: L. plantarum sustains intestinal activity of the steroid hormone ecdysone, expanding the midgut and supporting systemic growth.
November 23, 2025 at 6:19 AM
Revised refereed preprint:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Revision work lead by @longweibai.bsky.social
Our work reveals how the #microbiota helps buffer #malnutrition: L. plantarum sustains intestinal activity of the steroid hormone ecdysone, expanding the midgut and supporting systemic growth.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Revision work lead by @longweibai.bsky.social
Our work reveals how the #microbiota helps buffer #malnutrition: L. plantarum sustains intestinal activity of the steroid hormone ecdysone, expanding the midgut and supporting systemic growth.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
This is the sad impact of grade inflation:
"These kids were not doing anything wrong. They were lied to. They were told that they were prepared for classes they were not prepared for. They were told that they were excelling in classes that they were not excelling in. They deserved better."
"These kids were not doing anything wrong. They were lied to. They were told that they were prepared for classes they were not prepared for. They were told that they were excelling in classes that they were not excelling in. They deserved better."
November 23, 2025 at 5:17 AM
This is the sad impact of grade inflation:
"These kids were not doing anything wrong. They were lied to. They were told that they were prepared for classes they were not prepared for. They were told that they were excelling in classes that they were not excelling in. They deserved better."
"These kids were not doing anything wrong. They were lied to. They were told that they were prepared for classes they were not prepared for. They were told that they were excelling in classes that they were not excelling in. They deserved better."
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
A lot has happened since our first announcement of #ExE2026, an evolutionary ecology conference hosted by @uniexecec.bsky.social in #Cornwall from June 29 to July 3 2026.
Have a look at our new website to see our confirmed plenary speakers, the mid-conference excursions, and more.
👉 evoxeco.uk 👈
Have a look at our new website to see our confirmed plenary speakers, the mid-conference excursions, and more.
👉 evoxeco.uk 👈
November 21, 2025 at 4:50 PM
A lot has happened since our first announcement of #ExE2026, an evolutionary ecology conference hosted by @uniexecec.bsky.social in #Cornwall from June 29 to July 3 2026.
Have a look at our new website to see our confirmed plenary speakers, the mid-conference excursions, and more.
👉 evoxeco.uk 👈
Have a look at our new website to see our confirmed plenary speakers, the mid-conference excursions, and more.
👉 evoxeco.uk 👈
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Academic publishing is broken due to for-profit actors. Time to explore alternatives as researchers → A Diamond Open Access conference, Feb 5-6, 2026 in Nijmegen NL.
Free registration (limited seats): horizondiamond.nl
Let's build a sustainable publishing infrastructure together.
Free registration (limited seats): horizondiamond.nl
Let's build a sustainable publishing infrastructure together.
November 21, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Academic publishing is broken due to for-profit actors. Time to explore alternatives as researchers → A Diamond Open Access conference, Feb 5-6, 2026 in Nijmegen NL.
Free registration (limited seats): horizondiamond.nl
Let's build a sustainable publishing infrastructure together.
Free registration (limited seats): horizondiamond.nl
Let's build a sustainable publishing infrastructure together.
Reposted by Mark A. Hanson
Just reflecting that I have presented to university leaders, library leaders and editors. Looks like funders should be next and we can stop the drain before Christmas :P :D (4/4)
November 19, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Just reflecting that I have presented to university leaders, library leaders and editors. Looks like funders should be next and we can stop the drain before Christmas :P :D (4/4)
Thanks to the LSE blog for the highlight!
The one constant of all publishing reform efforts has been ludicrous publisher profit margins. We specifically highlight a need for funders to act.
Find out more
Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Oligopoly: bit.ly/OligSciPub
The one constant of all publishing reform efforts has been ludicrous publisher profit margins. We specifically highlight a need for funders to act.
Find out more
Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Oligopoly: bit.ly/OligSciPub
💥New: Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science
✍️ @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca
#AcademicSky #ScholComm #AcademicPublishing
✍️ @danbrockington.bsky.social @aileenfyfe.bsky.social @stefhaustein.scholcommlab.ca
#AcademicSky #ScholComm #AcademicPublishing
Money, Time, Trust, Control – How commercial publishers drain science - Impact of Social Sciences
Have the interests of commercial publishers now become antithetical to the pursuit of knowledge?
blogs.lse.ac.uk
November 19, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Thanks to the LSE blog for the highlight!
The one constant of all publishing reform efforts has been ludicrous publisher profit margins. We specifically highlight a need for funders to act.
Find out more
Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Oligopoly: bit.ly/OligSciPub
The one constant of all publishing reform efforts has been ludicrous publisher profit margins. We specifically highlight a need for funders to act.
Find out more
Drain: arxiv.org/abs/2511.04820
Strain: bit.ly/StrainQSS
Oligopoly: bit.ly/OligSciPub