Stefanie, PhD
@stanc1ss.bsky.social
Radical behaviorist. Italian American. Feminist. Mountaineering and snowboarding enthusiast. Opinions are mine. (She/her)
Pinned
Stefanie, PhD
@stanc1ss.bsky.social
· Nov 26
Oh hi, BlyeSky! Good to see all your friendly faces. Let’s chat science.
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
Although these findings from JWST are yet to be confirmed, they mark the closest astronomers have come to locating the universe’s most ancient stars
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
The James Webb Telescope May Have Seen the First Stars in the Universe
Although these findings from JWST are yet to be confirmed, they mark the closest astronomers have come to locating the universe’s most ancient stars
www.scientificamerican.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Although these findings from JWST are yet to be confirmed, they mark the closest astronomers have come to locating the universe’s most ancient stars
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...
One man with no medical or scientific training forcing his crackpot ideas on a nation.
A crackpot with control over the infrastructure trying to force reality to bend to his fringe beliefs.
November 21, 2025 at 9:23 PM
One man with no medical or scientific training forcing his crackpot ideas on a nation.
With all the discussion about illegal orders with service members, I think it’s important to remember (or learn) the process by which orders are passed down. There is a reason when Trump said “can’t we just shoot them” it was not passed down to our service members, bc it was an illegal order.
“Without concrete examples, legal context or acknowledgment of process, such as the role of commanders and JAGs, the video oversimplifies a complex legal area that service members navigate at real personal risk.”
www.military.com/feature/2025...
www.military.com/feature/2025...
When Lawmakers Lecture the Military: Why the “Unlawful Orders” Video Invites Confusion
A group of Democratic lawmakers released a video telling service members they must refuse unlawful orders, a message that is legally correct but poorly delivered. The video offered no examples or lega...
www.military.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:25 PM
With all the discussion about illegal orders with service members, I think it’s important to remember (or learn) the process by which orders are passed down. There is a reason when Trump said “can’t we just shoot them” it was not passed down to our service members, bc it was an illegal order.
“Without concrete examples, legal context or acknowledgment of process, such as the role of commanders and JAGs, the video oversimplifies a complex legal area that service members navigate at real personal risk.”
www.military.com/feature/2025...
www.military.com/feature/2025...
When Lawmakers Lecture the Military: Why the “Unlawful Orders” Video Invites Confusion
A group of Democratic lawmakers released a video telling service members they must refuse unlawful orders, a message that is legally correct but poorly delivered. The video offered no examples or lega...
www.military.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:16 PM
“Without concrete examples, legal context or acknowledgment of process, such as the role of commanders and JAGs, the video oversimplifies a complex legal area that service members navigate at real personal risk.”
www.military.com/feature/2025...
www.military.com/feature/2025...
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
November 20, 2025 at 4:19 AM
Can’t believe the whole country has to suffer through the return of Dickensian childhood diseases because the worst, most ignorant attention-demanders decided other people’s expertise makes them feel bad
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
LLMs have not compromised survey research any more (at this point) than they were already compromised by the explosion of low-quality/spam responders.
Prolific and MTurk have been poisoned wells for a few years now, LLMs won’t dramatically depreciate them further
Prolific and MTurk have been poisoned wells for a few years now, LLMs won’t dramatically depreciate them further
Just so that we're on the same page: This paper tells us what is *possible* not what is *true*
This is definitely a concern, but (FWIW) I am highly skeptical that typical survey respondents have the technical skills (let alone the inclination) to do all of this.
This is definitely a concern, but (FWIW) I am highly skeptical that typical survey respondents have the technical skills (let alone the inclination) to do all of this.
new paper by Sean Westwood:
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
With current technology, it is impossible to tell whether survey respondents are real or bots. Among other things, makes it easy for bad actors to manipulate outcomes. No good news here for the future of online-based survey research
November 18, 2025 at 9:32 PM
LLMs have not compromised survey research any more (at this point) than they were already compromised by the explosion of low-quality/spam responders.
Prolific and MTurk have been poisoned wells for a few years now, LLMs won’t dramatically depreciate them further
Prolific and MTurk have been poisoned wells for a few years now, LLMs won’t dramatically depreciate them further
Just walking at the park.
📸 My husband
📸 My husband
November 14, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Just walking at the park.
📸 My husband
📸 My husband
Trump says gas prices are coming down. And yet…
Gas on post yesterday: $2.53
Gas on post today: $2.85
Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
Gas on post yesterday: $2.53
Gas on post today: $2.85
Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
November 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Trump says gas prices are coming down. And yet…
Gas on post yesterday: $2.53
Gas on post today: $2.85
Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
Gas on post yesterday: $2.53
Gas on post today: $2.85
Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
All these people complaining about giving kids food but not one person complaining about the gov subsidies the rich get to build their stadiums and buildings while they also pay no taxes 🙄
November 6, 2025 at 3:45 PM
All these people complaining about giving kids food but not one person complaining about the gov subsidies the rich get to build their stadiums and buildings while they also pay no taxes 🙄
Winner of the internet! 🤣
If the sandwich don’t split, you must acquit
Defense says that the officer's testimony was "very questionable" because he said the sandwich both exploded in spray of mustard and onions and also landed in its wrapper on the ground.
November 6, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Winner of the internet! 🤣
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
We have at least TWO postdoctoral fellowship openings on our @unm.edu @casaa.bsky.social T32 NIAAA Training Grant, best consideration date for applications is Nov 15 2025. Join our phenomenal community and enjoy incredible quality of life in beautiful New Mexico. casaa.unm.edu/training/ins...
Application Process ::
Center on Alcohol, Substance use, And Addictions (CASAA) | The University of New Mexico
casaa.unm.edu
November 5, 2025 at 10:30 PM
We have at least TWO postdoctoral fellowship openings on our @unm.edu @casaa.bsky.social T32 NIAAA Training Grant, best consideration date for applications is Nov 15 2025. Join our phenomenal community and enjoy incredible quality of life in beautiful New Mexico. casaa.unm.edu/training/ins...
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
I am accepting graduate students for the UCI Cognitive Sciences PhD program for Fall 2026. Check out my lab website - www.relcoglab.org for our recent themes. Our funded work focuses on combinatorial reasoning, moral decision-making, and conceptual cognition in humans and large language models.
Relational Cognition Lab
www.relcoglab.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:09 AM
I am accepting graduate students for the UCI Cognitive Sciences PhD program for Fall 2026. Check out my lab website - www.relcoglab.org for our recent themes. Our funded work focuses on combinatorial reasoning, moral decision-making, and conceptual cognition in humans and large language models.
Conversation with a neighbor:
My husband: we live in the house with both garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣😂🤣
My husband: we live in the house with both garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣😂🤣
November 3, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Conversation with a neighbor:
My husband: we live in the house with both garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣😂🤣
My husband: we live in the house with both garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣😂🤣
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
“Permanent Standard Time gives your body a healthier rhythm. Energy, metabolism, and immune system stay more synchronized, lowering risks of chronic conditions.”
November 1, 2025 at 7:52 PM
“Permanent Standard Time gives your body a healthier rhythm. Energy, metabolism, and immune system stay more synchronized, lowering risks of chronic conditions.”
Random conversation with a neighbor.
My husband: we live in that house with the garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣
My husband: we live in that house with the garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣
November 1, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Random conversation with a neighbor.
My husband: we live in that house with the garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣
My husband: we live in that house with the garage doors open.
Neighbor: the one with the jeeps? YOU HAVE A KID?!?
🤣
Happy Halloween 🎃
November 1, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Happy Halloween 🎃
The return to office has led to a new life skill: being able to tell which of my colleagues is walking down the hall by their walk/step pattern.
October 30, 2025 at 1:24 PM
The return to office has led to a new life skill: being able to tell which of my colleagues is walking down the hall by their walk/step pattern.
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM
Chatbots — LLMs — do not know facts and are not designed to be able to accurately answer factual questions. They are designed to find and mimic patterns of words, probabilistically. When they’re “right” it’s because correct things are often written down, so those patterns are frequent. That’s all.
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
When standards are lowered, it is easier to say your drinking water meets them. Hey EPA doesn’t the P stand for PROTECTION? 🌊🌊
environmentamerica.org/articles/epa...
environmentamerica.org/articles/epa...
EPA moves to allow more PFAS in drinking water
The EPA is moving to weaken its own limits on forever chemicals flowing from your kitchen sink
environmentamerica.org
October 25, 2025 at 11:36 AM
When standards are lowered, it is easier to say your drinking water meets them. Hey EPA doesn’t the P stand for PROTECTION? 🌊🌊
environmentamerica.org/articles/epa...
environmentamerica.org/articles/epa...
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
A submarine passing by the Seattle skyline.
📸 Kristin L Raught
📸 Kristin L Raught
October 21, 2025 at 11:20 PM
A submarine passing by the Seattle skyline.
📸 Kristin L Raught
📸 Kristin L Raught
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.
It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.
Long thread.
It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.
Long thread.
October 15, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Trump's mechanism to pay the troops during the shutdown is by far the most illegal budgetary action he's taken as POTUS, potentially setting the stage to break everything.
It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.
Long thread.
It's also needless because Congress would easily pass a troop pay bill if Johnson were willing to gavel in.
Long thread.
Reposted by Stefanie, PhD
Resharing this piece to remind everyone why we have Columbus Day in the first place. #columbusday hint: it’s the white supremacists.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | How Italians Became ‘White’ (Published 2019)
Vicious bigotry, reluctant acceptance: an American story.
www.nytimes.com
October 13, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Resharing this piece to remind everyone why we have Columbus Day in the first place. #columbusday hint: it’s the white supremacists.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...