Siegfried Hekimi
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siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi
@siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
840 followers 800 following 460 posts

Biologist seeking to formulate and test new conjectures about aging.
McGill U.
Worms, yeast, mice, patient cells.
Aging, mitochondria, CoQ.
Former professional cyclist.

hekimilab.mcgill.ca
https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=2WIdFlcAAAAJ .. more

Videos
Biology 76%
Neuroscience 9%
Posts Replies Media Videos

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 4h
I have a zoom meeting today at 3pm. And I won’t be 3 min late.

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

wbderry.bsky.social
W. Brent Derry @wbderry.bsky.social · 5h
#TodaysJam

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

barteltlab.bsky.social
Alexander Bartelt @barteltlab.bsky.social · 1d
In 2025, we reviewed a new lab record number of 117 manuscripts.

If I was to charge 250 EUR per hour and would invest 2 h of work for every review this would make 58500 EUR @springernature.com @elsevierconnect.bsky.social @embopress.org & Co. owe me and my junior co-reviewers...

Happy Sunday!

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 2d
Back to good old “hold my beer”!
jjvincent.bsky.social James Vincent @jjvincent.bsky.social · 2d
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 2d
Not according to my CV.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Axel Bruns, Brendan Nyhan , and 32 more

jjvincent.bsky.social
James Vincent @jjvincent.bsky.social · 2d
another robot highlight for 2025: man wearing humanoid mocap suit kicks himself in the balls

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 7d
youtube.com/shorts/iAw7N...
There are no fundamental particles | Hilary Lawson, Robert Lawrence Kuhn
YouTube video by The Institute of Art and Ideas
youtube.com

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 7d
youtube.com/shorts/iAw7N...

I agree that there is no bottom in physics. But there is a bottom in biology and the proof is the existence and function of DNA. So, at least living things have “reality”.
There are no fundamental particles | Hilary Lawson, Robert Lawrence Kuhn
YouTube video by The Institute of Art and Ideas
youtube.com

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 21d
Getting a new battery for my diving computer. Hoping to not get Covid like last time 🙄. Yes, I know, my life is a dream in any case.

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 26d
My mental life is full of anecdote that felt and feel meaningful.

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 26d
Fritz Wunderlich was a great tenor I really liked as a teenager and still do. If was really a fun surprise when as an elite cyclist I won a stage in the Tour of Rhineland-Palatinate in the city of Kusel, his proud birthplace, and they gave me the Fritz Wunderlich medal (worlds colliding).

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 26d
This sounds like reduction to the lowest common denominator. The only way to fix peer review is to fix publishing. Such as boycott journals that do desk rejection for anything else than lack of soundness. If this were so I and many other would be less reluctant to spend time reviewing.
magdalenaskipper.bsky.social Magdalena Skipper @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social · 26d
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer. This stand first says it all…
A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro

🧪 #academicSky
@nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI reviewers are here — we are not ready
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

magdalenaskipper.bsky.social
Magdalena Skipper @magdalenaskipper.bsky.social · 26d
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer. This stand first says it all…
A timely World View Colin in our pages by Giorgio Gilestro

🧪 #academicSky
@nature.com

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI reviewers are here — we are not ready
Artificial intelligence promises rapid and polite feedback on papers — but we must first review the reviewer.
www.nature.com

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · 26d
I found “papers” that were AI rewording almost sentence by sentence of papers I published 15 years ago. There is something wrong with me but I just thought it hilarious (despite the fact that it is terrible).
drmel.bsky.social Dr Mel T @drmel.bsky.social · 27d
Great thread on the Ponzi scheme that is academic publishing. Public funds funnelled into obscene private profits using free labour of (publicly funded) Academics. AI slop contaminating the literature.
paolocrosetto.bsky.social Paolo Crosetto @paolocrosetto.bsky.social · 29d
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

Reposted by Paolo Crosetto, Catherine J. Frieman, Siegfried Hekimi

drmel.bsky.social
Dr Mel T @drmel.bsky.social · 27d
Great thread on the Ponzi scheme that is academic publishing. Public funds funnelled into obscene private profits using free labour of (publicly funded) Academics. AI slop contaminating the literature.
paolocrosetto.bsky.social Paolo Crosetto @paolocrosetto.bsky.social · 29d
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
An obviously AI-generated figure with AI slop and fake text all over it, recently published in Scientific Reports.

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Nov 22
I always carefully slow down my walk when I come across this warning.

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Nov 22
Vance knows this, which makes his comments even worse!
craigmccormick.bsky.social Craig McCormick @craigmccormick.bsky.social · Nov 22
100% Canadian provinces look poor compared to American states by this metric, but it ignores our significant structural advantages like universal healthcare, part of higher standard of living and longer life span.
Also, Vance is a dipshit who is wrong about everything.
davetait.bsky.social Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · Nov 22
"GDP per person" is meaningless as a measure of national standard of living unless we also know how widely the wealth is shared, and how all our lives are enriched by collective wealth through such things as universal health care. A lot hoarded by a few is less than a moderate amount shared by all.

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

craigmccormick.bsky.social
Craig McCormick @craigmccormick.bsky.social · Nov 22
100% Canadian provinces look poor compared to American states by this metric, but it ignores our significant structural advantages like universal healthcare, part of higher standard of living and longer life span.
Also, Vance is a dipshit who is wrong about everything.
davetait.bsky.social Dave Tait @davetait.bsky.social · Nov 22
"GDP per person" is meaningless as a measure of national standard of living unless we also know how widely the wealth is shared, and how all our lives are enriched by collective wealth through such things as universal health care. A lot hoarded by a few is less than a moderate amount shared by all.
JD Vance blames immigration for Canada's 'stagnating' living standards | CBC News
U.S. Vice-President JD Vance made a series of posts criticizing Canada’s political leadership, public broadcaster and immigration system, saying our living standards are “stagnating” because of all th...
www.cbc.ca

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Nov 6
Lavater finally vindicated 🤪

Reposted by Timnit Gebru, Rosemary A. Joyce, Malcolm MacLean , and 13 more

economist.com
The Economist @economist.com · Nov 6
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
Should facial analysis help determine whom companies hire?
A new paper suggests a photo can tell a recruiter much about an applicant’s personality
econ.st

Reposted by Paul Glasziou, Ruairidh Milne, Siegfried Hekimi

erictopol.bsky.social
Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Oct 29
The prostate cancer PSA screening story over 23 years of follow-up for >166,000 participants: more detection, small reduction of mortality www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Oct 29
Maybe enhanced DNA repair can only be beneficial for them because they are otherwise protected from the environment thanks to size (whales) and stable habitat (mole rats).

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

erictopol.bsky.social
Eric Topol @erictopol.bsky.social · Oct 29
What do the naked mole rat and bowhead whale (lives to ~200 years) have in common to explain their remarkable longevity?
Enhanced DNA repair
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
erictopol.substack.com/p/a-long-awa...
Evidence for improved DNA repair in long-lived bowhead whale - Nature
Analysis of the longest-lived mammal, the bowhead whale, reveals an improved ability to repair DNA breaks, mediated by high levels of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein.  &nbs...
www.nature.com

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Oct 29
Bill Gates underestimates the perils of the climate crisis, but I agree with him: we shouldn’t sacrifice those alive now for future people who might never exist.
It’s like buying a lifetime supply of petri dishes at a discount and then switch to a field that doesn’t need any.

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Oct 28
Not all leaves are alike. And despite the fear and regret that the world is falling apart, I delight to be able to name them!

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

inuyasha1953.bsky.social
Master Elrond [he/him] @inuyasha1953.bsky.social · Oct 25
The dude who singlehandedly controls the government is demanding it pay him a quarter of a billion dollars of our tax money as restitution for having been caught committing crimes.

He’s discovered forms of looting no one ever even thought possible.

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Oct 24
Great color!!!

siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social
Siegfried Hekimi @siegfriedhekimi.bsky.social · Oct 24
Eating Beaver Tails is MAHA diet 🤔😉

Reposted by Hugo Mercier, Siegfried Hekimi

wajali.bsky.social
Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · Oct 24
That’s no ballroom…

Reposted by Siegfried Hekimi

drruth.bsky.social
Ruth Ann Crystal @drruth.bsky.social · Oct 24
Guess what? COVID mRNA vaccines don't just protect against COVID.

COVID mRNA vaccines also cause cancers to become sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). buff.ly/GEfJ5Zl

Let's fund more mRNA research!

#medsky #oncsky 🛟😷🧪
complicated diagram with red cancer cells, green T cells, and other immune cells in purple (dendritic cells). Shows mRNA vaccine priming immunity for checkpoint inhibitors.