Springer Nature retracted two studies by Max Planck. In response to a question from @samkean.bsky.social, they issued this statement: "Detailed information about specific retractions is usually confidential and can only be shared with the relevant authors.”

Why have papers by one of history’s most famous physicists been retracted?

Springer Nature has removed two studies by Max Planck. A bot may be to blame

science.org

When @lndriscoll.bsky.social began her doctoral research at Harvard, her first task was to find the baseline of how specific neurons fired. Then the baseline kept moving. @dianakwon.bsky.social asked the researchers grappling with the brain's shifting code: https://go.nature.com/3RYKGHJ

In Europe, the idea of “digital sovereignty” is gaining steam: Governments, academic institutions and individual researchers are reducing their reliance on US technology companies--and choosing European and open-source alternatives instead. My latest for @nature.com

Europe is ditching US tech — what does this mean for researchers?

European governments are choosing European digital tools — and some universities and researchers are doing the same.

nature.com

Representational drift - the change in cells' responses to the same stimulus over time - may be a feature rather than a bug. Thank you to @dianakwon.bsky.social for giving me a chance to talk about this fascinating topic. 🤯 The brain never ceases to amaze!

Diana Kwon@dianakwon.bsky.social · 3mo ago

My latest feature for @nature.com is about "representational drift," a concept that's turned some long-standing ideas of how the brain works on its head. “When people talk about this phenomenon, it’s exciting because it’s just so full of possibilities." - Andrew Fink

“This year, we really wanted to bring back the interdisciplinary nature of [INSAR].” – Christine Wu Nordahl. #neuroskyence By @dianakwon.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/bri...

Bringing basic biology back to INSAR, a Q&A

Basic science has become less dominant at the International Society for Autism Research meeting. Christine Wu Nordahl aims to turn that tide.

thetransmitter.org

My latest feature for @nature.com is about "representational drift," a concept that's turned some long-standing ideas of how the brain works on its head. “When people talk about this phenomenon, it’s exciting because it’s just so full of possibilities." - Andrew Fink

The brain’s code seems to be in constant flux. Neuroscientists are baffled

Neurons fire much more erratically than researchers thought. What does that mean for how the brain works?

nature.com

I really, really hate to sharing this, but last week, we @biographic.bsky.social learned that the California Academy of Sciences will no longer be providing the magazine with financial support, including money we were expecting to receive this year. We're in a real bind.

“You would hope that German officials would support scientists’ advice, but they have ignored it,” says one marine biologist who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions. Must-read story by @martinenserink.bsky.social in @science.org. Feels like an encapsulation of our times 🧪

Chaotic whale rescue shocks marine biologists

Timmy, a humpback whale stranded in Germany 6 weeks ago, was ailing and may already be dead

science.org

This year’s INSAR meeting brought together more than 2,200 people from around the globe to share, learn and discuss the latest in autism research. #INSAR2026 By @dianakwon.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/rep...

Reporter’s notebook: Highlights from INSAR 2026

At the 25th annual INSAR meeting, clinicians and self-advocates gathered to discuss autism genetics, profound autism, and more.

thetransmitter.org

🚨 For nearly two years - and even now, depending on the day and model - AI models could tell you all about bixonimania, a totally made-up disease in a paper funded by “the Professor Sideshow Bob Foundation". My @nature.com story on AI's fallibility in medicine www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Scientists invented a fake disease. AI told people it was real

Bixonimania doesn’t exist except in a clutch of obviously bogus academic papers. So why did AI chatbots warn people about this fictional illness?

nature.com

Appreciate this clear coverage of our “body-wandering” paper in Science News. www.sciencenews.org/article/mind...

Mind wandering to physical sensations could impact your mental health

People’s minds sometimes wander to their bodily sensations, which may reduce symptoms of depression and ADHD, a new study suggests.

sciencenews.org

I've always wanted to be in @nature.com , but I never would have guessed it would be like this--repping Science in Solidarity “It’s in relationships where we build our power.” Struggling to focus on research when the world is ‘on fire’? Some ways to cope www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Struggling to focus on research when the world is ‘on fire’? Some ways to cope

Keeping up with distressing news is affecting some researchers’ mental health and their scientific work.

nature.com

Scientists/science writers I found in Grammarly's 'expert review' system: David Spiegelhalter, Ivan Oransky, Mary Roach, Rebecca Skloot, Ed Yong, Melinda Wenner Moyer, Deborah Blum, Tom Knight, Michael E Mann, Corinne Le Quere. [pic: results of 5 trials w/ free burner acct]. No doubt many more.

Dave Karpf@davekarpf.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Is there a way to check if you’re in Grammarly’s “expert review” system without creating a Grammarly account? Because (a) fuck Grammarly, and (b) fuck Grammarly.

This feels like a helpful primer for understanding AI in general. It makes programmers more efficient on the front end because they can generate more code. But it makes them less efficient afterwards because it vastly increases the amount of time they spend tweaking and fixing bugs.

Why developers using AI are working longer hours

Studies find AI helps developers release more software—while logging longer hours and fixing problems after the code goes live

scientificamerican.com

Looking for sources for a @nature.com story about how researchers are coping in the midst of current events: If you're a PhD or other academic who's struggling to focus with everything that's happening in the world and would like to be interviewed for this story, please get in touch ASAP!

A researchers’ propensity for risky projects is passed down to their doctoral students — and stays with trainees after they leave the laboratory go.nature.com/4sHq58H

PhD students’ taste for risk mirrors their supervisors’

Learned risk-taking behaviours can persist for years after leaving the lab — and even after taking on a new research topic.

go.nature.com

The infection enigma: why some people die from typically harmless germs www.nature.com/articles/d41... @nature.com @dianakwon.bsky.social

My latest feature for @sciam.bsky.social explores the research connecting problems with interoception to a wide variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, eating disorders, & PTSD. This work is ultimately circling in on a central message: the body & mind are inextricably intertwined.

Disruptions in This Sixth Sense May Drive Mental Illness

Disruptions in interoception may underlie anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health ailments

scientificamerican.com

New writeup on interoception in Scientific American focusing on its role in mental health: www.scientificamerican.com/article/inte...

Disruptions in This Sixth Sense May Drive Mental Illness

Disruptions in interoception may underlie anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health ailments

scientificamerican.com

My latet feature for @sciam.bsky.social, explores the research connecting problems with interoception to a wide variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, eating disorders, & PTSD. This work is ultimately circling in on a central message: the body & mind are inextricably intertwined.

Disruptions in This Sixth Sense May Drive Mental Illness

Disruptions in interoception may underlie anxiety, eating disorders, and other mental health ailments

scientificamerican.com

A new stem cell biobank—with a comprehensive database of the donors’ genetics, health history and more—provides scientists with a platform to probe mechanisms of neurodevelopmental conditions and validate therapeutics. By @dianakwon.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/new...

New organoid atlas unveils four neurodevelopmental signatures

The comprehensive resource details data on microcephaly, polymicrogyria, epilepsy and intellectual disability from 352 people.

thetransmitter.org

Germany's a popular destination for international students and researchers. But those pursuing academic careers in the country face an intensely hierarchical system with few permanent positions. My latest for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

How to stop the revolving door of German academia

Germany is one of the most popular destinations for students and scholars worldwide, but those pursuing academic careers face significant hurdles to success.

nature.com

German academia: great place to work? You should think twice before giving it a try: Permanent positions are very rare, most scholars have to drop out after some precarious years. @dianakwon.bsky.social has written a great piece about this for @nature.com and also talked to yours truly. #IchBinHanna

How to stop the revolving door of German academia

Germany is one of the most popular destinations for students and scholars worldwide, but those pursuing academic careers face significant hurdles to success.

nature.com

Got the last word in this great perspective on the state of fluorescent indicators in @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

How genetically encoded sensors have lit up neuroscience

Tools that track specific molecules in neurons have enabled researchers to probe previously unexplored aspects of neurobiology — although important caveats remain.

nature.com

“This new class of genetically encoded sensors has really opened up this world.” New @nature.com, what's new in the world of genetically encoded neurochemical sensors. by @dianakwon.bsky.social 🧪 🧠 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

How genetically encoded sensors have lit up neuroscience

Tools that track specific molecules in neurons have enabled researchers to probe previously unexplored aspects of neurobiology — although important caveats remain.

nature.com

A new dopamine sensor enables neuroscientists to simultaneously monitor the activity of two additional signaling chemicals in the brains of living mice and zebrafish. By @dianakwon.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/methods/new-...

New dopamine sensor powers three-color imaging in live animals

The tool leverages a previously unused segment of the color spectrum to track the neurotransmitter and can be used with two additional sensors to monitor other neurochemicals at different wavelengths.

thetransmitter.org

Older cells that have outlived their purpose don’t necessarily die — in fact, these “zombie cells” can use more energy than their younger counterparts. Their revved-up metabolism may drive some of the wear and tear of aging, @dianakwon.bsky.social reports in @nature.com

How your brain controls ageing — and why zombie cells could be key

Research is revealing the cellular mechanisms that link mental well-being and longevity.

nature.com

The brain's master conductor role in our aging process New feature @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down? @knowablemag.bsky.social‬ vist.ly/3n535it

How Stress Shapes Cancer’s Course

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down?

brainfacts.org

People with #cancer may experience a wide range of stressors, both related and unrelated to the disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that these may influence how a tumor grows and spreads. Learn more in @dianakwon.bsky.social's recent report, republished by @brainfactsorg.bsky.social 👇

BrainFacts@brainfacts.org · last yr.

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down? @knowablemag.bsky.social‬ vist.ly/3n535it