Imunitas @GODan@qoto.org

Please take a moment to drink in the absolute spectacle that is the Brands.town instance: https://brands.town/explore

This piece from @ct_bergstrom et al arguing for science education adapted to the #misinformation age makes sense. Still, as I'm sure others have pointed out, other disciplines already teach these skills. The trouble is that as a society we continue to devalue the #humanities and #socialSciences in our rush to celebrate #STEM. I'm a #historian, so I know predictions are dubious. Still, to me it seems like this sort of siloed approach only helps misinformation thrive. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/to-fight-misinformation-we-need-to-teach-that-science-is-dynamic/

Is there an #immunology #mastodon instance and why isn't it called mast.cell?

My hot take: the next thing Mastodon should do is not just hold to the 64k limit (or raise it) but start evolving the desktop and mobile UIs to encourage longer posts. Twitter and Facebook's pivoting of our brains towards required brevity is a major part of how we all wound up in this hellscape out of Black Mirror. It's time to nudge people back towards normal attention spans.

To this extent I'm really interested to know how the age breakdown of people on the #Fediverse. On one hand it would seem to make sense to me that most people here remember the "old internet" before the centralization and they're here to rekindle that flame of independence. On the other hand the youths are generally pretty up on this whole technology thing. I grew up on the internet and since then smartphones have become even more ubiquitous.

(Please boost for reach)

Good discussion with a colleague on how we write about #biology to lay audiences, and how we may need to do more to generalise knowledge of molecular biology. E.g. a better general understanding of RNA, what it is, and how it works might’ve done wonders against vaccine hesitancy. We have some fantastic physics communicators in the mainstream, in TV and in popular science publications, maybe we should try to get more cell and molecular biologists there too? #SciComm #MolBio #CellBio

Consider the shade .. thrown

#academia #PhD #science #xp @OpenAcademics @AcademicChatter

This being #human thing is hard. #DigitalMedia has, in many ways, made it even harder. So many other voices, experiences, triumphs, challenges, fears, and frustrations collide with our own.

But it also opens the world up, allowing us to build #community across boundaries that might otherwise keep us apart.

I’m thankful for everyone here who has long been figuring out ways of making #SocialMedia safe and kind. 💜 Thank you for #welcoming newcomers into this space.

#WorldKindnessDay

Even Fauci can be peer pressured into unmasking. This is why mask mandates are so important in places that historically aren't used to masking. Behavioral change takes time, and mask mandates help create an environment supportive of masking. #BringBackMasks

https://www.wired.com/story/anthony-faucis-sign-off-message/

#MaskUp #COVID #COVID19 #publichealth

In a recent study, researchers created #brain organoids and infected them with #COVID19.

They found that “an excessive number of synapses were eliminated – more than you would expect to see in a normal brain.”

https://www.psypost.org/2022/11/long-covid-study-suggests-lost-connections-between-neurons-may-explain-cognitive-symptoms-64291

#Research #science #health #mentalhealth #medicine #covid #longcovid #psychology #psychiatry #neuroscience #neurology

There's something oddly comforting about the idea that "if you're not paying for the product, you're the product," namely, the corollary: "If you can afford to pay for a product, you won't be the product." But it's bullshit. Companies don't make you the product because you don't pay - they make you the product because you can't stop them.

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Today's threads (a thread)

Inside: Even if you're paying for the product, you're still the product; and more!

Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/

#Pluralistic

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Last #fediverse comment and then I go to bed. There’s nothing watching you. You can like a picture of a cat and nothing will steer 100 more cat pictures into your feed. Nothing fills your screen with cat food and cat beds and ads for cat services. You can visit the timeline of someone #NSFW and nobody knows and nobody cares. It doesn’t feed anybody’s AI model about you and who you are and what you’re like. You’re not for sale here. The timeline: it’s chronological. There’s no steering it or reordering it or buying the top slot. It’s just like the weather. It just happens. Lean into it.

White smoke from under my hood means either my starter went out or my car has elected a new Pope.

Dentist: "Do you floss daily?"
Me: "Do you backup your data daily?"

I like how people say "manage your depression" like it's a stock portfolio but you're heavily invested in sadness

Good read!

"The Fediverse is Inefficient (but that’s a good trade-off)"

➡️ https://berk.es/2022/11/08/fediverse-inefficiencies/

#Fediverse #Mastodon