§ɦṛɛɗɗịɛ ßịⱺ𝔩ⱺɠịᵴŧ

“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” – Rich Feynman

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Joined 4 years ago
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Cake day: March 19th, 2022

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  • Not sure what’s up with Nature’s website on your end, but here’s the link that’s working for me to access the paper, which was published today (10-3-25): https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43018-025-01054-6

    Nonetheless, a paper from 6 years ago studying a receptor found on almost half of immune cells should have more current information available by now, if not already. In science, we build on the shoulders of giants and try to expand on the knowledge they helped us understand. Additionally, the older study examines SLAMF6’s function across health and disease, so it’s much more generalized. The new study aims to provide additional context for the earlier findings and focuses on acute myeloid leukemia in particular. I have a PhD in immunology, and it’s astonishing how little we actually understand about the subject. All in all, we understand the ocean better than the immune system, even though there’s more we don’t know about the ocean than we do. Even crazier is that most of our current understanding in immunology is actually for a rat’s immune system and not humans! But you’re not wrong to be cautious, all research papers should be read with a healthy amount of scrutiny. A wise man told me in undergrad that half of what we’d cover in the course would be incorrect, we just don’t know which half.





















  • Obsidian isn’t FOSS, but two fantastic replacements are Standard Notes and Notesnook.

    A great paint option I don’t see listed is KolourPaint, plus Kdenlive for video editing. For audio editing, Tenacity is the better choice over Audacity. It’s an Audacity fork made after some questionable privacy policy changes.

    CryptPad is an awesome Google Doc’s replacement, but Libre Office is actively working on their version too.

    For your security section, adding some encryption software would be smart. Both VeraCrypt and Cryptomator are amazing. Also, Bitwarden/Vaultwarden are solid password manager alts for KeePassXC, with Vaultwarden being self hosted.

    Here’s a great site for all sorts of Lemmy clients.

    As far as Linux laptops go, System 76’s Darter Pro is also a solid choice. Tuxedo is probably System 76’s biggest competition, as they offer very comparable laptops. Their InfinityBook Pro is a great computer. Frameworks, Slimbook, and Star Labs are all also worth a mention.







  • It’s not just USAID. The BBC is actually funded by two branches of the US government.

    Last year, the US State Department gave BBC Media Action £280,000.

    The group says it used the $$$ to reach 100 million people in 24 countries with its programmes.

    After covering the BBC’s public relations response, the article then goes on to say:

    That sounds nice, of course. But when you’re aware of the role USAID has played as the ‘friendly face’ of US imperialism, more scrutiny of BBC Media Action is essential.

    What I took away from it is that since the BBC is affiliated with this blatant US corruption, regardless of directly or indirectly, the specifics regarding the association needs to be known by the public.





  • I hear what you’re saying, but I wanted to point out that any living organism is built from the same 20 amino acids, which are put together based on a blueprint (aka DNA). A string of amino acids is called a polypeptide, which is also known as a protein. But both dogs and wolves are omnivores, it’s a common misconception to think they’re carnivorous. Cats on the other hand are carnivorous creatures.

    Additionally, it is not necessarily true that carnivores are more intelligent than omnivores or herbivores as a result of their diet. Instead, predators and prey are in a contest of brain size relative to body size. While carnivores and omnivores have more potential opportunity to develop intelligence, they’d have to be a social species for that to occur. So relative brain size and intelligence aren’t directly associated with diet, but more so a result of social structures and genetics.


  • Not exactly, Homo erectus and Neanderthal’s both ate meat. The consumption of meat by Homo erectus was associated with a reduction in the size of the gut area due to consistently incorporating animal foods into their diet. Neanderthals were known to be skilled hunters as well. The biggest difference between us and our more recent ancestors is the truncation of a GTPase gene in our DNA, which led to the ability to have neurons grow on top of one another. Previously, neuron growth would be stopped when a neuron came into contact with another. So that’s without question the biggest genetic feature that sets us apart.


  • Right! But, if you zoom out, it’s not exactly too wild. Ground squirrels have voles beat in size and they have habitat overlap with both living underground. Additionally, dietary shifts give animals the flexibly to respond to changes in the environment plus foraging risks and opportunities. It’s been known since the early 2000’s that squirrels can supplement some of their diet with insects or bird eggs/baby birds. Knowing this, it starts to make a lot more sense ground squirrels would hunt voles, as the environment is rapidly changing, they’re known to already hunt a bit, and voles could be their annoying neighbor.