Mike DiCuccio
@dicuccio.bsky.social
My son is my clan leader. I am nobody.
Genomics. Medicine. Computational biology. Fly fishing. Photography.
Genomics. Medicine. Computational biology. Fly fishing. Photography.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
If you / your lab / your institution rely on NIH funding, you need to read this and understand how this is one of many changes affecting you. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Exclusive: key NIH review panels due to lose all members by the end of 2026
Thirteen of the agency’s advisory councils, which must review grant applications before funding is awarded, are on track to have no voting members.
www.nature.com
January 23, 2026 at 1:44 PM
If you / your lab / your institution rely on NIH funding, you need to read this and understand how this is one of many changes affecting you. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS
Back-scratching bovine leads scientists to reassess intelligence of cows
Brown Swiss in Austria has been discovered using tools in multiple ways – something only ever seen in humans and chimpanzees
www.theguardian.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:06 PM
COW TOOLS COW TOOLS COW TOOLS
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
MUST READ thread before Monday night's forecasted G4 / SEVERE geomagnetic storm. Auroras could be seen as far south as the U.S.-Mexico border at times. Widespread mid-latitude displays are possible. Here's what you need to know to have a successful aurora chase tonight! 🧵
#heliophysics #aurora
#heliophysics #aurora
January 19, 2026 at 6:30 PM
MUST READ thread before Monday night's forecasted G4 / SEVERE geomagnetic storm. Auroras could be seen as far south as the U.S.-Mexico border at times. Widespread mid-latitude displays are possible. Here's what you need to know to have a successful aurora chase tonight! 🧵
#heliophysics #aurora
#heliophysics #aurora
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
An animated graphic showing wingbeats of different birds. This one is so beautiful.
Image: Eleanor Lutz
tabletopwhale.com/2014/09/29/f...
Image: Eleanor Lutz
tabletopwhale.com/2014/09/29/f...
January 16, 2026 at 3:15 AM
An animated graphic showing wingbeats of different birds. This one is so beautiful.
Image: Eleanor Lutz
tabletopwhale.com/2014/09/29/f...
Image: Eleanor Lutz
tabletopwhale.com/2014/09/29/f...
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
January 16, 2026 at 4:14 AM
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
This is the story of the day. Share it. We are all being called to be our highest selves. The cavalier treatment of the Nobel Prize is a disgrace. It represents another way to destroy and defile that which should be precious and revered.
We can all make choices to be better.
We can all make choices to be better.
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
January 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM
This is the story of the day. Share it. We are all being called to be our highest selves. The cavalier treatment of the Nobel Prize is a disgrace. It represents another way to destroy and defile that which should be precious and revered.
We can all make choices to be better.
We can all make choices to be better.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
OTD in 1912, Alfred Wegener delivered a lecture propounding the theory that our modern continents were formed by the splitting and drifting apart of an ancient supercontinent, which he named Pangea.
Due to his failure to offer a plausible mechanism, he was widely ridiculed.
🧠🗃️⚒️ 🧪 #HistSTM #PhilSci
Due to his failure to offer a plausible mechanism, he was widely ridiculed.
🧠🗃️⚒️ 🧪 #HistSTM #PhilSci
January 6, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
THREAD.
The definitive list of the absolute best interdimensional portals I have photographed on walks in the British countryside.
1. Gateway To The Land Of Leaping Dogs.
The definitive list of the absolute best interdimensional portals I have photographed on walks in the British countryside.
1. Gateway To The Land Of Leaping Dogs.
November 17, 2025 at 8:17 AM
THREAD.
The definitive list of the absolute best interdimensional portals I have photographed on walks in the British countryside.
1. Gateway To The Land Of Leaping Dogs.
The definitive list of the absolute best interdimensional portals I have photographed on walks in the British countryside.
1. Gateway To The Land Of Leaping Dogs.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
The share of counties where 95% or more of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles has dropped from 50% before the pandemic to 28%, according to our analysis of public records from 44 states and the District of Columbia. At least 19,000 schools are now more vulnerable to outbreaks.
December 31, 2025 at 2:29 PM
The share of counties where 95% or more of kindergartners were vaccinated against measles has dropped from 50% before the pandemic to 28%, according to our analysis of public records from 44 states and the District of Columbia. At least 19,000 schools are now more vulnerable to outbreaks.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated that the 1918 flu pandemic was caused by a lab virus from vaccine research, a defective influenza vaccine. Let’s analyze what a lie this is. First, in 1918, 107 years ago, virology was in its infancy
December 27, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated that the 1918 flu pandemic was caused by a lab virus from vaccine research, a defective influenza vaccine. Let’s analyze what a lie this is. First, in 1918, 107 years ago, virology was in its infancy
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
‘Once in a lifetime’: Crowds gather in Vancouver to look at bird never before seen in Canada
‘Once in a lifetime’: Crowds gather in Vancouver to look at bird never before seen in Canada
Birders are flocking to Vancouver’s Sunset Beach Park this weekend to take in an incredibly rare sight—the first time on record a particular species of bird has ever been seen in Canada.
www.ctvnews.ca
December 28, 2025 at 2:36 AM
‘Once in a lifetime’: Crowds gather in Vancouver to look at bird never before seen in Canada
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Video: "old school coffee brewer"
*video of a replica balance siphon brewer*
Comments: "lmao I'll stick with my Keurig thanks"
You people have no WHIMSYYYY
*video of a replica balance siphon brewer*
Comments: "lmao I'll stick with my Keurig thanks"
You people have no WHIMSYYYY
December 26, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Video: "old school coffee brewer"
*video of a replica balance siphon brewer*
Comments: "lmao I'll stick with my Keurig thanks"
You people have no WHIMSYYYY
*video of a replica balance siphon brewer*
Comments: "lmao I'll stick with my Keurig thanks"
You people have no WHIMSYYYY
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
While I was in prison, I was the food procurement clerk. It was my job to work with the first cook to design the daily food menu and then make sure the men were fed on a budget of $2.60 per person per day.
How I helped make the best Christmas prison meal, a thread.
How I helped make the best Christmas prison meal, a thread.
December 24, 2025 at 11:27 PM
While I was in prison, I was the food procurement clerk. It was my job to work with the first cook to design the daily food menu and then make sure the men were fed on a budget of $2.60 per person per day.
How I helped make the best Christmas prison meal, a thread.
How I helped make the best Christmas prison meal, a thread.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
This story is absolutely wild. Did you know that avocados change sex over the course of a day? And that it's controlled by a single ancient balanced polymorphism? This is flat our crazy
Balanced polymorphism in a floral transcription factor underlies an ancient rhythm of daily sex alternation in avocado https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.22.695989v1
December 25, 2025 at 6:33 AM
This story is absolutely wild. Did you know that avocados change sex over the course of a day? And that it's controlled by a single ancient balanced polymorphism? This is flat our crazy
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
You may not know it, but over the years Santa Claus has had an interesting relationship with nuclear weapons.
During World War II—on a visit to the Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—his sack of toys was subjected to a thorough search before he was allowed to enter the secret city.
During World War II—on a visit to the Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—his sack of toys was subjected to a thorough search before he was allowed to enter the secret city.
December 24, 2025 at 3:28 PM
You may not know it, but over the years Santa Claus has had an interesting relationship with nuclear weapons.
During World War II—on a visit to the Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—his sack of toys was subjected to a thorough search before he was allowed to enter the secret city.
During World War II—on a visit to the Clinton Engineer Works in Oak Ridge, Tennessee—his sack of toys was subjected to a thorough search before he was allowed to enter the secret city.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Happy to highlight an essay I wrote together with @marcdemanuel.bsky.social,
@natanaels.bsky.social and Anastasia Stolyarova, trying to think through what sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n
@natanaels.bsky.social and Anastasia Stolyarova, trying to think through what sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n
What sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species?
Germline mutation rates per generation are strikingly similar across animals, despite vast differences in life histories. Analogously, in at least one somatic cell type, mutation rates at the end of l...
www.biorxiv.org
December 22, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Happy to highlight an essay I wrote together with @marcdemanuel.bsky.social,
@natanaels.bsky.social and Anastasia Stolyarova, trying to think through what sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n
@natanaels.bsky.social and Anastasia Stolyarova, trying to think through what sets the mutation rate of a cell type in an animal species: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... 1/n
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
"Nearly 80 years later, the simplex method is still among the most widely used tools when a logistical or supply-chain decision needs to be made under complex constraints."
only half followed the description of the simplex method in here but super interesting anyways
www.wired.com/story/resear...
only half followed the description of the simplex method in here but super interesting anyways
www.wired.com/story/resear...
Research Reveals the Optimal Way to Optimize
The leading approach to the simplex method, a widely used technique for balancing complex logistical constraints, can’t get any better.
www.wired.com
December 21, 2025 at 12:12 PM
"Nearly 80 years later, the simplex method is still among the most widely used tools when a logistical or supply-chain decision needs to be made under complex constraints."
only half followed the description of the simplex method in here but super interesting anyways
www.wired.com/story/resear...
only half followed the description of the simplex method in here but super interesting anyways
www.wired.com/story/resear...
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
I don’t think we as a society have thanked @papapishu.bsky.social for obtaining, ripping, and uploading a master copy of the essential Ricky Jay And His 52 Assistants, Jay’s 1997 HBO special and the best distillation of his one of a kind talent archive.org/details/rick...
Ricky Jay & His 52 Assistants [1996] - RF Rip : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
NOTE: DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE COMPRESSED MP4 THAT ARCHIVE.ORG AUTO-GENERATES. This is an RF rip of Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants, to date the greatest card...
archive.org
December 14, 2025 at 12:42 AM
I don’t think we as a society have thanked @papapishu.bsky.social for obtaining, ripping, and uploading a master copy of the essential Ricky Jay And His 52 Assistants, Jay’s 1997 HBO special and the best distillation of his one of a kind talent archive.org/details/rick...
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Steve isn’t here anymore, but he always posted this picture on Hanukkah so I thought we could carry on his tradition and remember him.
Happy Hanukkah to our friends who celebrate. Rachel Posner, a rabbi’s wife in Kiel, Germany, took this photograph in 1931 -- a potent reminder that fascism must be fought in every generation, even if it's wrapped in an American flag and a red hat.
December 14, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Steve isn’t here anymore, but he always posted this picture on Hanukkah so I thought we could carry on his tradition and remember him.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
I’ve decided to start watching more Movies Everyone’s Supposed to Watch. I’ll leave all my honest (and probably embarrassing) reactions in this thread. Please send recommendations!
October 3, 2025 at 6:53 PM
I’ve decided to start watching more Movies Everyone’s Supposed to Watch. I’ll leave all my honest (and probably embarrassing) reactions in this thread. Please send recommendations!
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Importantly, this was how the weightless astronauts actually saw Earth that day, with the South Pole at the top, tilted toward the Sun. Most subsequent reproductions reoriented it based on how we assume our planet looks from space.
The photograph is now known as the Blue Marble shot.
The photograph is now known as the Blue Marble shot.
December 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Importantly, this was how the weightless astronauts actually saw Earth that day, with the South Pole at the top, tilted toward the Sun. Most subsequent reproductions reoriented it based on how we assume our planet looks from space.
The photograph is now known as the Blue Marble shot.
The photograph is now known as the Blue Marble shot.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
November 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
Reposted by Mike DiCuccio
I taught (and co-taught) a course on human population genetics from 2000-2024. Having retired, I'm now making all the course materials public: github.com/alanrogers/p... #popgen #evbio
GitHub - alanrogers/popgen: A course on population genetics
A course on population genetics. Contribute to alanrogers/popgen development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I taught (and co-taught) a course on human population genetics from 2000-2024. Having retired, I'm now making all the course materials public: github.com/alanrogers/p... #popgen #evbio