Double J

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place

[Double J @DoubleJ47]

@timventura Indeed!

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

2024 was filled with mathematical discovery. Read editor @jordanacep’s list of the year’s biggest developments in mathematics: https://t.co/OVV0T8AcT7

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

As a grad student, the biologist Yitzhi “Patrick” Cai helped program 𝘌. 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘪 bacteria to become a biosensor for arsenic contamination in drinking water. Today, he is leading a global effort to build the first-ever synthetic eukaryotic genome. https://t.co/EUelw9pKX3

[🦊 GitLab @gitlab]

AI isn't just changing coding—it's revolutionizing the entire role of developers.

Emilio Salvador shares his vision of AI breaking down silos and transforming software development in this conversation with @devops_research's @nathenharvey

Watch here: https://t.co/DAYdnIUqOJ

[Santa Fe Institute @sfiscience]

Mathematical reasoning could lead to new insights into the universal characteristics of living systems.

For 3.8 billion years, evolution has followed a branching tree pattern, from simple bacteria to complex life forms. But what if the structure of these evolutionary trees reveals hidden patterns? Recent work has uncovered two key features across evolutionary time:

Scale-Invariant Topology: Evolutionary trees aren't perfectly balanced nor fully unbalanced—they follow a striking in-between structure; Bursts of Diversification: These trees experience rapid, unpredictable bursts of new species formation across all time scales.

In this SFI colloquium titled “Topological scaling laws and the mathematics of evolution,” Nigel Goldenfeld uses statistical models to show how the interaction between ecological niches and speciation might explain these patterns. Even though biology is intimidatingly complex, his findings suggest that universal rules may shape the evolution of life.

https://t.co/AO5gieyi71

#Evolution #Complexity #Mathematics #Biology #Innovation

[New Scientist @newscientist]

Saturn’s moon Enceladus appears to have a greater range of complex organic molecules than previously thought, increasing the likelihood of chemical reactions that produce the building blocks of life. https://t.co/RWeWZulw6W

[Paul Stamets @PaulStamets]

Further confirmation that psilocybin is a breakthrough therapy in a Phase II study for depression was just published on the online version of the medical journal The Lancet.

Conducted in the UK, “25 participants in the PT (Psilocybin Treatment) group and 21 in the ET (Escitalopram Treatment) group completed the 6-month follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up, both PT and ET conditions yielded sustained improvements in depressive symptom severity” The PT group showed comparatively greater improvements. Secondary outcomes demonstrated that PT had greater mean between-condition differences in functioning (WSAS: −7.46; 95% CI: −12.4, −2.47; p < 0.001) psychological connectedness (WCS: 11.02; 95% CI: 1.25, 20.83; p = 0.033), and meaning in life (MLQ: 4.86; 95% CI: 0.67, 9.05; p = 0.021).

See the chart showing the change from baseline in connectedness, comparing escitalopram, a commonly prescribed anti-depressant drug vs. psilocybin.

There are currently 188 studies registered at https://t.co/538kP4rjpR using psilocybin for various treatments, from addiction to autism to many mood disorders.

This latest study is a validation of the preliminary results of several other research teams who have conducted similar studies.

Moreover, I think psilocybin revitalizes neural networks so this result is one of many benefits improving the human condition.

https://t.co/ttb3zvbus4

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

Recently, Ziming Liu, a physics grad student at MIT, and his adviser Max Tegmark (@tegmark) built the first functioning ​​Kolmogorov-Arnold networks — AI systems that are easier for scientists to understand than conventional neural networks.
https://t.co/FWtNrKzYCV

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

Thorium-229 is special. Discovered in 1976 in a tank of radioactive waste, the isotope has a mysterious nuclear state that can be excited with far less energy than usual. Thorium-229 can be used to test the constancy of nature’s fundamental forces. https://t.co/IWKZ4wLmaw

[Matt Strassler @MattStrassler]

Today in @QuantaMagazine: my article on how the #Higgs field truly gives #particles their masses -- without the need for false analogies. There's a musical side to the story. (A condensed version of what's in the book "Waves in an Impossible Sea.")
https://t.co/QcQCm5pDfY

[Eric Weinstein @ericweinstein]

FaceTime video is remote viewing.

FaceTime video capability in 1850 would be the occult.

I don’t believe in remote viewing and try not to go near it. It sounds too close to neutrino based communication directed by aliens. That sounds extraordinarily unlikely and is not supported by strong reproducibile experiments to the best of my knowledge.

But I could also be wrong, as per the above.

[Save Raised By Wolves Official @saveRBWofficial]

Lots of love recently for Raised by Wolves with the new Alien movie. 3.9K likes for this retweet ! Bring back this haunting sci-fi masterpiece ! #RenewRaisedbyWolves @primevideo @appletv @netflix @hulu @paramountplus @peacock @JSalke @thomasryan @2Earley @kellycampbell @ajassy

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

Tensors are instrumental in physics, machine learning and even biology. Einstein once begged a friend to help him understand them, fearing he was going mad. Joseph Howlett explains how they work: https://t.co/OAkmeNPoEl

[Yuval Noah Harari @harari_yuval]

What if AI becomes completely incomprehensible to humans? The difference between having 1% of humanity understand how it works versus none could be immense.
Watch the full discussion here: 
https://t.co/7M2r9UmBOd
#AI #Understanding

[nature @Nature]

Stress leads to disarray of the gut microbiome, which in turn causes inflammation and a drop in the body’s ability to fend off infection https://t.co/63TlTLJTNY

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

Since late 2017, Ashwin Sah and Mehtaab Sawhney have written a mind-boggling 57 math proofs together, many of them profound advances in various fields. Their latest findings are no exception: https://t.co/EyJMPP8Vrt

[nature @Nature]

Stress leads to disarray of the gut microbiome, which in turn causes inflammation and a drop in the body’s ability to fend off infection https://t.co/qR2KCbHQ85

[Max Tegmark @tegmark]

Rapid AI progress is turbocharging robotics. Do you think you can beat this bot?

[Quanta Magazine @QuantaMagazine]

Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? https://t.co/GHfB7refn3