Thiago Carvalho @cyrilpedia@social.cleverlibre.org

Given that "the era of exponential growth in academic research is over", Casey Bergman had (2012) some advice for senior academics:

"3) For established academics: you came up during the halcyon days of growth in science, so bear in mind that you had it easy relative to those trying to make it today. So when you set your expectations for your students or junior colleagues in terms of performance, recruitment or tenure, be sure to take on board that they have it much harder now than you did at the corresponding point in your career [see points 1) and 2)]. A corollary of this point is that anyone actually succeeding in science now and in the future is (on average) probably better trained and works harder than you (at the corresponding point in your career), so on the whole you are probably dealing with someone who is more qualified for their job than you would be. So don’t judge your junior colleagues with out-of-date views (that you might not be able to achieve yourself in the current climate) and promote values from a bygone era of incessant growth. Instead, adjust your views of success for the 21st century and seek to promote a sustainable model of scientific career development that will fuel innovation for the next hundred years."

https://caseybergman.wordpress.com/2012/08/26/the-logistics-of-scientific-growth-in-the-21st-century/

HT @quantixed

#academia #science #ECR #EarlyCareerScientists #TenureTrack #PhD

Every bunny was Kung Fu fighting

Happy #FluorescenceFriday! This week we’re highlighting the effect of overproduction of aggregation-prone Tau on mitochondria from Hope Needs, Kevin Wilkinson, Jeremy Henley and Ian Collinson

https://journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/136/13/jcs260993/323170/Aggregation-prone-Tau-impairs-mitochondrial-import

#microscopy #cellbiology #openaccess

Heard a senior academic recently say, in regards to not being able to afford talent for intern positions, that "Grad students these days have different standards. When I was in grad school, I had roommates and ate ramen". To be crystal clear: renting a room in a house *with 5 roommates* in Boston costs $1,000/month, not including utilities. $15/hr before taxes means 70+ hours of work *just to pay rent*.

"...individual life-history variation is likely idiosyncratic across species, potentially because of processes such as stochasticity, density dependence, and individual differences in resource acquisition that affect species differently and generate non-generalizable patterns across species." #biology

Individual life histories: neither slow nor fast, just diverse | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2023.0511

Do you have information or opinions on the role of preprints in Masters's and PhD graduation requirements at your institution? Help us by filling out a 5-minute survey!

#preprints #OpenScience #publishing

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScXP-bl8wkZOCpL06d_9U-oFOHCGJ-9sdzyYOdMS4CR6ajydQ/viewform

Politico:
California replaces textbooks canceled by far-right board

“If the school board won’t do its job by its next board meeting to ensure kids start the school year with basic materials, the state will deliver the book into the hands of children and their parents — and we’ll send the district the bill and fine them for violating state law,” the governor said.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/07/13/california-anti-book-ban-law-00106222

'Evelyn M. Witkin, whose discovery of the process by which DNA repairs itself opened the door to significant advances in the treatment of cancer and genetic defects, died on Saturday in Plainsboro Township, N.J. She was 102.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/13/science/evelyn-m-witkin-dead.html?action=click&module=Well&pgtype=Homepage&section=Obituaries

'In one analysis that combined data from 11 of those studies, researchers found a particular region of the genome that was associated with about 1.6-fold higher odds of developing long COVID. That segment of DNA is near a gene called FOXP4, which is active in the lungs and other organs. The variant linked to long COVID is also associated with higher expression of FOXP4 in lung cells.'

#Covid #Covid19 #LongCovid

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02269-2

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/13/twitter-creators-payments-right-wing/

Our latest #preprint list is now available. This week we focus on new research in #bioimageanalysis, including a number of methods using generative AI. Let us know if we have missed any recent preprints and we’ll add them to our list.
https://focalplane.biologists.com/2023/07/14/microscopy-preprints-bioimage-analysis-tools-12/
#microscopy

I'm reading an essay by Cuban historian Alejandro González Acosta and came across this gem (translation mine):

"Fortunately, the brief presence of the English in conquered Havana (1762-1763) left no noticeable footprints in the national cuisine, because only the most selfless patriotism on the part of the British can celebrate their own gastronomy as edible."

A note on the #SAGAFTRA #WGA strike, and the fact that people keep mentioning that Reagan was president of #SAG the last time both unions went on strike simultaneously.

Here's a bit that seems to be getting left out, which makes sense, because it doesn't seem to be directly related, but I think it is. Reagan, as I'm sure you know, went on to be president, during which time he used his bully pulpit and the power of the office to break an air traffic controllers union strike, and then went on to be one of the most anti-union presidents we've ever had. Quality of life for working people is what it is today, because unions were kneecapped in the 80's. I mention this because it is a clear example of the long history of hypocrisy within the conservative movement, especially concerning the "rugged individualism" they claim to believe in. 

The strike was good for Reagan, not just personally as an actor. Being president of SAG was part of what he touted as his qualifications for being governor of California. Essentially, he used it as an example of having been in an executive position. That was then the experience he put forward as an example of why he should be president. He then turned around and used his power as president to preside over the systematic undermining of union power. Part of why this strike is happening now, is that unions on the whole, have been in decline, until the last two or three years when we've seen an explosion of organizing unlike anything since the 30's and 40's. 

Reagan used a union to build a ladder to the most powerful elected office in the world, and then went around chopping the ladders for all other working people down. That is American conservatism. It is the project of the wealthy and the powerful, and serving them, and that's all it is.