Katie Wilkinson
@drkwilkinson.bsky.social
Neurophysiologist | http://wilkinsonneuro.com | Past Chair of the American Physiological Society's Science Policy Committee | she/hers
Pinned
Katie Wilkinson
@drkwilkinson.bsky.social
· Mar 20
a man says call your senators with his hands folded
ALT: a man says call your senators with his hands folded
media.tenor.com
Heading back from #FASEBOnTheHill and want to share what I learned and why I think all scientists need to be setting up meetings w their reps to talk about the impacts on science of the current chaos. #AcademicSky #NeuroSky @faseborg.bsky.social @apsphysiology.bsky.social 🧪
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other.
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq
November 21, 2025 at 12:49 PM
It’s widely known (and, I think, pretty uncontroversial) that learning requires effort — specifically, if you don’t have to work at getting the knowledge, it won’t stick.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Even if an LLM could be trusted to give you correct information 100% of the time, it would be an inferior method of learning it.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Proud papa moment: my son J published a letter in the @nytimes.com today (in print tomorrow) on the need to think our definitions of autism.
October 18, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Proud papa moment: my son J published a letter in the @nytimes.com today (in print tomorrow) on the need to think our definitions of autism.
Full circle moment: former undergrad research student is now teaching another section of Intro Bio. I used some of her data from the lab as an exam question asking students to identify the dependent variable & whether the hypothesis was supported. 🧪
November 18, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Full circle moment: former undergrad research student is now teaching another section of Intro Bio. I used some of her data from the lab as an exam question asking students to identify the dependent variable & whether the hypothesis was supported. 🧪
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
The fight has come to NC, and it just hit close to home. Our daughter teaches in Durham public schools and she said almost all of the Latinx kids are not in school today. ICE is targeting everyone who "looks Hispanic", citizen or not. I am even more angry today-kids need to go to school!
November 18, 2025 at 4:34 PM
The fight has come to NC, and it just hit close to home. Our daughter teaches in Durham public schools and she said almost all of the Latinx kids are not in school today. ICE is targeting everyone who "looks Hispanic", citizen or not. I am even more angry today-kids need to go to school!
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
More than 73,000 people were in Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health
This cross-sectional study summarizes the number of trials with terminated grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and calculates the proportion of affected trials among those with previou...
jamanetwork.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM
More than 73,000 people were in Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at the National Institutes of Health jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Probably fewer women in economics because they’re just not as smart, right, Larry?
The emails have Summers reporting to Epstein about his attempts to date a Harvard economics student & to hit on her during a seminar she was giving.
November 16, 2025 at 12:52 AM
Probably fewer women in economics because they’re just not as smart, right, Larry?
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
I give Catholic bishops a hard time often for all the obvious reasons, but this is beautiful and loving, and I'm deeply grateful to hear it. This can change hearts and save lives.
Good statement from the US conference of Catholic Bishops
November 14, 2025 at 3:49 AM
I give Catholic bishops a hard time often for all the obvious reasons, but this is beautiful and loving, and I'm deeply grateful to hear it. This can change hearts and save lives.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 9, 2025 at 8:49 PM
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
I show this every year in Intro Bio after showing this video of how fast antibiotic resistance can evolve in a huge Petri dish with increasing concentrations of antibiotics news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor... 🧪
November 8, 2025 at 4:24 PM
I show this every year in Intro Bio after showing this video of how fast antibiotic resistance can evolve in a huge Petri dish with increasing concentrations of antibiotics news.harvard.edu/gazette/stor... 🧪
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.
The Coming Out of a Transgender Scientist
"I know that I am making the right decision because whenever I think about changing my gender role, I am flooded with feelings of relief."
thereader.mitpress.mit.edu
April 8, 2025 at 8:24 PM
We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
Tesla shareholders approve $878 billion pay plan for Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk scored a resounding victory on Thursday as shareholders approved a pay package of as much as $878 billion over the next decade, endorsing his vision of morphing the EV maker into an AI and robotics juggernaut.
reut.rs
November 6, 2025 at 10:19 PM
To put this in scale, Elon Musk's salary from Tesla alone could fund the SNAP program for the entire country into 2034.
Very cool finding by SJSU prof @cassandrapaul.bsky.social & @djphysicswebb.bsky.social that higher stakes exams can explain the gender gap in physics. More evidence for changing the course structure instead of blaming student prep. 🧪
Our new research indicates that the gender gap in intro physics is an artifact correlated with the “stakes” associated with physics exams and is therefore NOT due to differences in preparation or understanding. 🧪🧵 #acadmicsky #HigherEd #EduSky #STEMed link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/...
High-stakes exams inflate a gender gap and contribute to systematic grading errors in one introductory physics series
A study in introductory physics suggests high-stakes exams are causing a gender gap, rather than measuring it.
link.aps.org
November 6, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Very cool finding by SJSU prof @cassandrapaul.bsky.social & @djphysicswebb.bsky.social that higher stakes exams can explain the gender gap in physics. More evidence for changing the course structure instead of blaming student prep. 🧪
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Warning. ⚠️ If you are writing an NSF GRFP, new this year, you need official transcripts to apply. Beware. They will not review applications without official transcripts. ‼️
November 4, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Warning. ⚠️ If you are writing an NSF GRFP, new this year, you need official transcripts to apply. Beware. They will not review applications without official transcripts. ‼️
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
This is devastating, and it is also the society we have allowed a broken government to create for our kids. So many kids are getting exposed to this terror. They deserve a childhood of joy and it’s been taken from them.
newrepublic.com/article/2023...
newrepublic.com/article/2023...
November 4, 2025 at 2:04 PM
This is devastating, and it is also the society we have allowed a broken government to create for our kids. So many kids are getting exposed to this terror. They deserve a childhood of joy and it’s been taken from them.
newrepublic.com/article/2023...
newrepublic.com/article/2023...
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
The whole state of Idaho banning all vaccine mandates should be bigger news! If you want your grandmother's nursing home or your daughter's day care to require nurses and teachers to vaccinate, you literally can't! None of them are allowed to require that.
November 4, 2025 at 1:31 PM
The whole state of Idaho banning all vaccine mandates should be bigger news! If you want your grandmother's nursing home or your daughter's day care to require nurses and teachers to vaccinate, you literally can't! None of them are allowed to require that.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Scaling back DEI isn’t just a moral setback—it’s a loss of innovation.
Bhalla, Trejo & @marymunson4.bsky.social in Nature Cell Biology: limiting who can participate in science “weakens research capacity and stifles discovery.”
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Bhalla, Trejo & @marymunson4.bsky.social in Nature Cell Biology: limiting who can participate in science “weakens research capacity and stifles discovery.”
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
November 3, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Scaling back DEI isn’t just a moral setback—it’s a loss of innovation.
Bhalla, Trejo & @marymunson4.bsky.social in Nature Cell Biology: limiting who can participate in science “weakens research capacity and stifles discovery.”
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Bhalla, Trejo & @marymunson4.bsky.social in Nature Cell Biology: limiting who can participate in science “weakens research capacity and stifles discovery.”
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Fun fact!
Daylight Saving Time was introduced specifically so there was more light entering the windows of factories and office buildings ... so businesses wouldn't have to spend so much money on electricity.
It's not about us individual people or our wellness at all.
Standard time FTW!
Daylight Saving Time was introduced specifically so there was more light entering the windows of factories and office buildings ... so businesses wouldn't have to spend so much money on electricity.
It's not about us individual people or our wellness at all.
Standard time FTW!
“Permanent Standard Time gives your body a healthier rhythm. Energy, metabolism, and immune system stay more synchronized, lowering risks of chronic conditions.”
November 3, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Fun fact!
Daylight Saving Time was introduced specifically so there was more light entering the windows of factories and office buildings ... so businesses wouldn't have to spend so much money on electricity.
It's not about us individual people or our wellness at all.
Standard time FTW!
Daylight Saving Time was introduced specifically so there was more light entering the windows of factories and office buildings ... so businesses wouldn't have to spend so much money on electricity.
It's not about us individual people or our wellness at all.
Standard time FTW!
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Some charts for those who don't know the extent of the US public (and private) investment in research (particularly in biomedical research) compared to other countries and institutions. The destruction of the US' scientific institutions has global implications.
November 2, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Some charts for those who don't know the extent of the US public (and private) investment in research (particularly in biomedical research) compared to other countries and institutions. The destruction of the US' scientific institutions has global implications.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Maybe the thing that gives me a pulse-pounding throbbing headache is when I think of how techbros sold ChatGPT to universities as ‘revolutionizing’ higher education and our institutions just forked over money without even asking for actual evidence
When people learn with ChatGPT instead of following their own searches, they end up knowing less, caring less, and producing worse advice, even when the facts are the same.
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Friction is an essential ingredient for learning! Convenience makes us shallow.
academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar...
Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning
Abstract. The effects of using large language models (LLMs) versus traditional web search on depth of learning are explored. A theory is proposed that when
academic.oup.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Maybe the thing that gives me a pulse-pounding throbbing headache is when I think of how techbros sold ChatGPT to universities as ‘revolutionizing’ higher education and our institutions just forked over money without even asking for actual evidence
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Whenever people complain about the number of folks relying on food stamps, it is worth reminding them that SNAP is, by too large of a degree, a subsidy for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage and their political allies who reject public policy prescriptions to reduce income inequality.
October 27, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Whenever people complain about the number of folks relying on food stamps, it is worth reminding them that SNAP is, by too large of a degree, a subsidy for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage and their political allies who reject public policy prescriptions to reduce income inequality.
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
Finally read the paper and it's worth the buzz.
mRNA vaccines saved 20 million lives in a global pandemic and the technology is opening up new avenues for the treatment of deadly cancers. This is really one of the most impactful scientific developments of our time.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
mRNA vaccines saved 20 million lives in a global pandemic and the technology is opening up new avenues for the treatment of deadly cancers. This is really one of the most impactful scientific developments of our time.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint blockade - Nature
mRNA vaccines targeting SARS-CoV-2 also sensitize tumours to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
www.nature.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Finally read the paper and it's worth the buzz.
mRNA vaccines saved 20 million lives in a global pandemic and the technology is opening up new avenues for the treatment of deadly cancers. This is really one of the most impactful scientific developments of our time.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
mRNA vaccines saved 20 million lives in a global pandemic and the technology is opening up new avenues for the treatment of deadly cancers. This is really one of the most impactful scientific developments of our time.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
RIGHT ON 👊🏽
I voted YES on 50 (a temporary measure to level the playing field) and my ballot was already counted.
Join me— remember to vote, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. #VoteYesOnProp50
I voted YES on 50 (a temporary measure to level the playing field) and my ballot was already counted.
Join me— remember to vote, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. #VoteYesOnProp50
October 24, 2025 at 7:04 PM
RIGHT ON 👊🏽
I voted YES on 50 (a temporary measure to level the playing field) and my ballot was already counted.
Join me— remember to vote, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. #VoteYesOnProp50
I voted YES on 50 (a temporary measure to level the playing field) and my ballot was already counted.
Join me— remember to vote, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. #VoteYesOnProp50
Reposted by Katie Wilkinson
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"
Scaling back DEI programmes and the loss of scientific talent
Nature Cell Biology - Programmes that support diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in science are under attack in the USA. Data indicate that diversity in the scientific workforce increases...
www.nature.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:36 PM
@joann-trejo.bsky.social, @marymunson4.bsky.social and I have a commentary in @natcellbio.nature.com on recent attacks on DEI in biomedical research: "If scientific research, especially biomedical research, is meant to serve everyone, then it requires that everyone has an opportunity to participate"