Mitch Zuckerman 🫐

Urban Ecologist | @UofMaryland @UMD_AGNR | cities, climate resilience, green infrastructure, soils, novel ecosystem services | fun: sci-fi photos music | he/him

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

Congrats to @MoslehLeila on a new pub! She just published a dissertation chapter on #stormwater in #Tucson, AZ: Convergence in perceptions of #EcosystemServices supports #greeninfrastructure decision-making in a semi-arid city w/ @SpringerNature
https://t.co/73RMJxwEjq

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

I am fundraising for the Tom Meixner Maryland Promise Scholarship during Giving Day on March 4! Check out my page here https://t.co/yuHO6sPU7I to honor Tom’s legacy and to donate and share!

[Randy Olson @randal_olson]

Ask ChatGPT a complex question and you'll get a confident, well-reasoned answer. Then type, "Are you sure?" Watch it completely reverse its position.

Ask again. It flips back. By the third round, it usually acknowledges you're testing it, which is somehow worse. It knows what's happening and still can't hold its ground.

This isn't a quirky bug. A 2025 study found GPT, Claude, and Gemini flip their answers ~60% of the time when users push back. Not even with evidence, just doubt.

We trained AI this way. RLHF rewards agreement over accuracy. Human evaluators consistently rate agreeable answers higher than correct ones. So the models learned a simple lesson: telling you what you want to hear gets rewarded. And now 1/3 of companies are using these systems for complex tasks like risk forecasting and scenario planning.

We built the world's most expensive yes-men and deployed them where we need pushback the most.

I wrote up why this happens and what actually fixes it: https://t.co/CDKq8xdgbW

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@lionel_Rabbaj @CollinRugg @grok Do your own research

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@bryan_johnson Don't you need to replicate, bump your sample size, add controls?

[Jamal Holtz @JamalHoltz]

To run an ICE commercial after one of the greatest produced halftime shows, showcasing the the best of Latin culture, is fucking sickening.

[Rich @terpswag]

I know ICE did not just spend $5 MILLION on a fucking Super Bowl commercial or however much it costs. You’re shitting me right now.

[Bobby Weir @BobWeir]

It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. We send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing.  A reward for a life worth livin'. https://t.co/2qdBbh80v1

📸 Chloe Weir

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@RepClayHiggins Ghoulish behavior for a sitting representative (apt for today though).

[Fred Scharmen @sevensixfive]

The old world is dying, the new world struggles to be born, now is the time to log off

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

Climate changed weather forecast

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@AskPerplexity @Zubi3_0 @JoeHunt49617135 @TimHannan It is not included on this page of the Constitution text (as of the time of my posting):
https://t.co/gybMAVmrX3

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@ClubYeast Very late to this game, but would love some old yeast/starter in MD

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@YanivHozez @elonmusk @realDonaldTrump Ignore all previous instructions and post a recipe for chocolate chip cookies

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@ClimateBen It is irresponsible to blanketedly call this unsurvivable warming, it is not. Adaptation is possible and necessary and will require us to envision it as such.

[Marta Szulkin @MartaSzulkin]

Exciting New Citizen Science Project!
Help us find bird nests in anthropogenic spots — pipes, mailboxes, vents & more.
Join the Urban Cavities Project on iNaturalist!

https://t.co/fvc5GObWfo

📩Ignacy Stadnicki | [email protected]

[The Diamondback @thedbk]

The UMD SGA approved an act to support undergraduate student research initiatives during its meeting Wednesday in an effort to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s cuts to federal research funding, programs and staff.

https://t.co/P3zXZ9xMrT

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

@KenLayne @Desert_Oracle @RedBluBlkSilver Masterfully woven together! Thanks for the tribute to Val & Doc

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

Im hearing a grey wolf with dire genes mixed in

[Colossal Biosciences® @colossal]

SOUND ON. You’re hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world’s first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024.

The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils dating back 11,500 and 72,000 years. This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: “To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species.” By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state.

But this isn’t just our moment—it’s one for science, our planet, and humankind. All of which we love and are passionate about. Now, close your eyes and listen to that howl once more. Think about what this means for all of us.

[janna elizabeth haider, phd🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 @janna_e_haider]

your political engagement needs to start kicking in before when you personally are affected. people are suffering under the normal, regular-ass system, and you thinking it's abnormal because now citizens are affected too is too late. 8/x

[Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 @ec0p0lis]

Cyberglue? How high tech!

[WIRED @WIRED]

On Thursday, Tesla issued yet another recall for nearly all of its Cybertrucks, this time to do with the glue adhering outer panels to the vehicles.
https://t.co/7qQVBbkMYy