cyrilpedia

cyrilpedia, 1 day ago to random

"Normally, I celebrate when my papers are accepted, but not this time. This paper frustrated me because my article was accepted only after I reluctantly changed my writing from first person (“I”) to third person (“the author”). This change introduced false modesty, took away my agency, and made many sentences difficult to read and imprecise (which author—me, or one of the 77 authors I cited?). The third-person voice also inserted unnecessary barriers between me and readers."
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2316966121

cyrilpedia, 4 days ago to random

'The computerization of everything, from tractors to toothbrushes, has compelled fervent activism under the banner of “right to repair.” Advocates aim to secure a universal legal right for consumers to modify and repair the things they own, including tools used in essential activities, like growing food.'

https://placesjournal.org/article/step-by-step-repair-manuals-political-ecology/

cyrilpedia, 12 days ago to random

'The debates about embryo research and in vitro fertilisation in the 1970s and 1980s raised very different issues. But in many respects, Harding argues, they anticipated a lot of the ethical, moral and technical issues that surround AI. The philosopher Mary Warnock, who chaired a committee to consider these dilemmas, did a remarkable job in delineating clear moral lines and practical avenues for regulation in her report published in 1984. These rules have since enabled some 400,000 IVF babies to be born in the UK, and encouraged the development of a vibrant life sciences industry. Contrary to the familiar trope that regulation kills innovation, Harding argues that in fact the political, moral and legal clarity provided by the Warnock commission spurred investment and economic growth.'

https://www.ft.com/content/32f6a003-e5b4-442a-9a5d-37bdc1c6d392

cyrilpedia, 24 days ago to random

'Regardless of whether this virus sparks a full-blown pandemic, “we are completely ignoring the public-health threat that is happening right now,” Jennifer Nuzzo, the director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown University School of Public Health, told me. The fumbles of COVID’s early days should have taught the government how valuable proactive testing, reporting, and data sharing are. What’s more, the pandemic could have taught us to prioritize high-risk groups, Sosin told me. Instead, the United States is repeating its mistakes.'

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/04/bird-flu-response-failing/678243/

cyrilpedia, 25 days ago to random

'Five for profit publishers (Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor Francis and MDPI) publish over 50% of all publications. In economics this is called an oligopoly, where a small number of companies control the market. Worse, because scientists “have” to publish in top journals, publishers have even more power than the oligopoly nature suggests.'

https://dynamicecology.wordpress.com/2024/04/29/the-state-of-academic-publishing-in-3-graphs-5-trends-and-4-thoughts/

cyrilpedia, 27 days ago to random

'They don’t tell you beforehand that it will be a choice between having a career in science or starting a family. But that’s the message I heard loud and clear 17 years ago, in my first job after completing my Ph.D. in evolutionary biology. During a routine departmental meeting, a senior academic announced that pregnant women were a financial drain on the department. I was sitting visibly pregnant in the front row. No one said anything.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/26/opinion/women-science-motherhood.html

cyrilpedia, 27 days ago to random

'Scientists now warn this form of avian influenza is likely more widespread in cows, and was transmitting for longer than official reports suggest. And while American officials are ramping up testing — all in an effort to keep sick cows from being moved between states — others say we're already several steps behind the spread of a disease that could pose a major threat to human health'

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/h5n1-second-opinion-april-27-cattle-1.7185165