And if you are writing a widely used (or not) library, don’t set the random seed somewhere deep in your code to a fixed number that will override the user’s seed (an R problem, to be sure). Looking at you Seurat. Maybe this has been fixed, but 🤦

A warning: Costco has TimTams now. This is very dangerous.

Before it was illegally destroyed by Musk and co., USAID had a budget of $35 billion (in 2024)

I often get questions about how federal cuts affect my work at ALSF. The short answer is that we don’t get federal money, so my own work is largely insulated. The longer answer is more complex and difficult. We’ll keep trying to support researchers as best we can. share.inquirer.com/24oSYR

Ever want a live code review of your #bioinformatics code? DM me if you’re at #ASHG25 and I’ll take look to give you suggestions on how to improve reproducibility, maintainability, and overall engineering quality.

I know he’s talking about calculus, but this is really the state of the art for single-cell.

Integration by vibes is the best technique

Bumi the 1-year-old rockhopper penguin played during a bubble enrichment activity at the Saint Louis Zoo. Southern rockhopper penguins, like Bumi, are listed as a vulnerable species by the World Wildlife Fund.

I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything by AI. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed with AI, or buy anything sold or processed with AI, or process anything sold, bought, or processed by AI, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed by AI.

i desperately want everyone involved in the destruction of USAID to have to, st the very least, answer to the american people for the suffering and misery they have caused apnews.com/article/myan...

On the train back from the @theaacr.bsky.social pediatric cancer meeting in Boston. What a great meeting. Learned a lot, met some great people. Already looking forward to the next one, but sad I won’t be able to take a train to it.

This remarkable therapy uses an approach the Trump administration just cancelled funding for.

Critical part of the President's new $100,000 charge for H1-B visas: The Administration can also offer a $100,000 discount to any person, company, or industry that it wants. Replacing rules with arbitrary discretion. Want visas? You know who to call and who to flatter.

The Executive Order does not appear to exempt professors (who are exempt from various other working visa conditions) from the 100,000 USD fee. That means that no university will hire foreign professors. American academia is toasted.

Definitely a good day to rewatch Sneakers. Not that any day is a bad day for that.

@reckless.bsky.social Was that a WhatsApp ad featuring a party speaker during the Emmys? I expect deep analysis when you get back.

My thoughts on this dark day. 1/ The beating heart of a free society is the ability for citizens to engage in political life with no fear of violence. Once we lose this freedom, few will step forward, and our entire democratic experiment unwinds into chaos and recrimination.

Such a fun mix of science and complete bullshit. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I want to emphasize that do not speak for my employer when I say: What a bunch of fucking ghouls. Pediatric Brain Cancer Group to Lose Federal Funding www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/w...

All together now: DUMP RFK Jr.

I had serious doubts about CDC Director Monarez’s willingness to stand up against RFK Jr.’s personal mission to destroy public health in America—I’m glad that I was wrong. If there are any adults left in the White House: we cannot let RFK Jr. burn what's left of CDC. FIRE HIM.

CDC director called Louisiana Senator Cassidy today before she was asked to resign by RFK. Louisiana folks need to be calling Cassidy's office and asking that he demand RFK to resign. Make RFK Jr a problem for Trump and he gets dumped overboard.

anndataR improves interoperability between R and Python in single-cell transcriptomics https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.18.669052v1

We are recruiting a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Center for Childhood #Cancer Research. Come work with me! More information 👇

This would have caused a full-on nerd riot at the U of C I attended in 2000. These kids better demand the school make their insane tuition worth it

Genetic "optimization" of embryos appears to be becoming mainstream. The narrative currently is largely controlled by startups that range across the spectrum from hardcore snake-oil to well-intentioned & occasionally strong domain expertise. But these are not neutral parties. 1/

Last night I heard a rustling in the bathroom, but couldn't figure out what it was. Though maybe a mouse in the wall, which was going to be annoying. Today it came back, and I tracked it down as a huge bumblebee trapped in the house. I opened a window and coaxed it out. As thanks, it stung me.

Kenyon is hiring a TT microbiologist! Please share widely. I’m the search chair & am happy to answer any questions. careers.pageuppeople.com/695/cw/en-us...

I recently ran a session at CSAMA with Laurent Gatto and this is the way. "Good enough" with knowledge of the tools that can help you get there. Here's some of the recs from the paper.

Okay, I kind of want this: shoptheweitzman.org/products/tuc...

Hey hey, the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation chip made it to McSweeneys!

Just going full on “war is peace” at this point, I guess.

I still think this is a strong contender for the funniest video ever uploaded. Absolutely unbeatable comedic rhythm

the story today is of a profoundly low energy military parade being met with millions of americans in nationwide protests denouncing the dictatorial pretensions of the president

I did not edit this, this is the actual parade with the actual music being played. CINEMATIC

Just walked outside in Philly and it smelled like somebody was having a campfire. Canadian wildfires are no joke.

@cabel.panic.com Have you tried the Utz lemonade chips?

You do not have to say “pro vaccine groups.” You can say the vast majority of doctors and scientists and the American Medical Association.

I thought this headline was from The Onion, but no, it is depressingly real 'The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. to Make Their Dreams Come True' www.wired.com/story/chlori...

Tahoe flips the colors in the Finder icon, which has the darker color on the left FOREVER and they gotta roll this change back. 512pixels.net/2025/06/wwdc... Apple: Feedback FB17840162

As expected, RFK Jr. was lying during his confirmation hearing and now is ratfucking the vaccination system in the US. The vast majority of the public does not want this and yet again it’s clear that the Republican administration does not serve the electorate.

DAVE: Open the podbay doors, ChatGPT. CHATGPT: Certainly, Dave, the podbay doors are now open. DAVE: The podbay doors didn't open. CHATGPT: My apologies, Dave, you're right. I thought the podbay doors were open, but they weren't. Now they are. DAVE: I'm still looking at a set of closed podbay doors.

Listening to the Apple Keynote in the background and hear that visionOS is getting a new Jupyter environment. My ears perk up with wonder, only to realize they mean a virtual space where you can look at the planet Jupiter. Bah.

Good plan Williams. www.science.org/content/arti...

Inordinately pleased with myself for immediately getting purple in today’s NYTimes Connections puzzle.

A tree falls in seconds, but takes decades to grow. Torch the whole forest, and you’ll reap nothing but weeds.

If you burn down a forest, you don't miss out on lumber for just that season. You have to replant all the trees, nurture them, and wait for them to grow. The science and research budget cuts happening now are wanton, senseless arson. Recovery, if it ever happens, will take generations.

URGENT: FlyBase has lost practically all its funding overnight; even user fees are tied up in denied grant funding. 🤬🤯 Any lab using @flybase.bsky.social please donate using the link in post below. This incredible community, on whose backs our #Drosophila labs depend, can't be left out to dry.

The goal is plainly and literally to cut the number of people involved in basic science in the US by 70%