Carl T. Bergstrom
Professor of Biology @UW. I use math & evolutionary theory to study information flow in biology & society, including how science works. I love corvids.
Last synced from Twitter 16m ago
Hundreds of extreme self-citing scientists revealed in new database
Some highly cited academics seem to be heavy self-promoters — but researchers warn against policing self-citation.
Carl T. Bergstrom
I certainly I hope that each and every one of the entries on this extreme self-citer list has been validated by hand.
Sure would be irresponsible to disparage someone unfairly because of a glitch in code or data.
nature.com/articles/d4158… pic.twitter.com/aBNxGr4VyC
1h
Finite decimal expansion, infinite time constants and structural controllability of networks
The International Society for Clinical Densitometry has an official position on the number of decimal digits that should be reported when describing the results of bone density scans: BMD (bone min…
1
Carl T. Bergstrom
@KordingLab @SaraASolla @talyarkoni Just to lay out concrete example out there, our refutation of a Nature cover article, which @lpachter blogged about here liorpachter.wordpress.com/2013/09/28/fin… was rejected without review at Nature, and rejected after review at PRL as too negative.
25h
How you spell “The Berenstain Bears” could be proof of parallel universes
“You need to look up the Berenst#in Bears problem.”
Artificial Intelligence Is Coming for Our Faces
Trained for a week on a massive data set of portraits, a neural network spits out striking images of nonexistent people.
LIBERATION OF THE NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN GERMANY, 1945
A Polish boy liberated by the Americans at Eisenach enjoying his first meal of US Army rations, 9 April 1945.
Is your coworker an assclown or an asshat? Linguists explain the difference
Are there subtle distinctions between the two? Linguists say yes.
Carl T. Bergstrom
The OED identifies the Jan. 4, 2002, Usenet post “You’re an asshat too” as the word’s first known inscription in written English, making the newsgroup https://t.co/2iBz1QVL5f.paintball sort of like asshat’s own Chauvet Cave.
qz.com/work/1420173/i…
8d
Process over state: Math is about proofs, not theorems.
A couple of days ago, Maylin and I went to pick blackberries along some trails near our house. We spent a number of hours doing it and eventually I turned all those berries into one half-litre jar …
1
Carl T. Bergstrom
Lovely post about mathematics as process rather than product, from @kaznatcheev
10d
FACT CHECK: Does Your Food Contain Beaver Secretions?
Alarmist warnings about beaver-derived castoreum are overblown: its use is now exceedingly rare, and the typical consumer is unlikely to ever encounter castoreum in food.
Carl T. Bergstrom
Earlier today I retweeted a post about vanilla extract from @WebMD, which purports to "bring you the most trust-worthy and timely health news and information." Unfortunately, it was misleading at best. Via snopes: snopes.com/fact-check/cas… pic.twitter.com/bgkbVfbD0w
10d
Slideshow: Foods That Aren't What You Think
Not every food is exactly what it says on the label. Hidden ingredients and mislabeled foods are more common than you might think. Some can even make you sick. Find out which common foods may not be quite what you expect.
Absurd Creature of the Week: The Parasitic Worm That Turns Snails Into Disco Zombies
This is Leucochloridium, a parasitic worm that invades a snail's eyestalks, where it pulsates to imitate a caterpillar. The worm then mind-controls its host out into the open for hungry birds to pluck its eyes out. In the bird’s guts the worm...
Opinion: Why science needs philosophy
> A knowledge of the historic and philosophical background gives that kind of independence from prejudices of his generation from which most scientists are suffering. This independence created by philosophical insight is—in my opinion—the mark of...
Quillette Duped by Left-Wing Hoaxer Posing as Communist Construction Worker
“Archie Carter,” who pretended to be a blue-collar member of the Democratic Socialists of America, says he set out to humiliate the conservative site with his error-riddled story.
1
Carl T. Bergstrom
Update.
We now know the answer to the age-old question
"Who will Sokal the Sokalers?"
14d
Chasing the Pink
A report from our gamified future.
3
Carl T. Bergstrom
Fellow academics:
1) Read this remarkable article about the long history of gamification at work.
2) Feel grateful you don't work in the gig economy, working insane hours chasing meaningless badges at minimal pay.
3) Take a long hard look in the mirror.
14d
How Trump came to commute an ex-meatpacking executive’s 27-year prison sentence
An array of government officials and others had long argued that Rubashkin's 27-year prison sentence was draconian and influenced by prosecutorial misconduct.
Carl T. Bergstrom
So one raid on this scale occurred in 2008. The CEO of the meatpacking company in question got 27 years in jail.
Seemed like a good precedent.
Until Trump commuted his sentence in 2017.
h/t @JodyShenn
washingtonpost.com/news/morning-m… pic.twitter.com/VVOAndrzIy
15d
Immigration raids at Mississippi food processing plants
MORTON, Miss. (AP) — U.S. immigration officials raided several Mississippi food processing plants on Wednesday, part of a large-scale operation carried out by President Donald Trump's...
World's largest parrot found in Central Otago - and it's twice the size of a Kākāpō
Heracles inexpectatus - twice the size of a Kākāpō - adds to New Zealand's legacy of large birds.
Carl T. Bergstrom
If we are ever going to bring back extinct species, I’ve got a new place to start.
15d
Students for Trump founder pleads guilty to posing as lawyer in $46K scam
The founder of Students for Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday to running a $46,000 scam in which he posed as a lawyer and gave legal advice.