Around the Web #11
Around the Web #11
Messi, Lindy, and Semaglutidonomics
First, some housekeeping. I have received a small number of applications for the MBB grant, and virtually all of them are of low quality. So if you have access to clusters of smart young Nigerians, send them the call for application, and tell them to submit their applications.
1. [World Cup] ⚽️ 🌎 🏆
[I]: Argentina vs. France: Mini Movie of 2022 FIFA World Cup final
Via FOX Soccer
“Relive some of the best moments from one of the greatest matches in World Cup history. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé star in this dramatic recap of a match that will be talked about for years to come.”
That game will be hard to forget.
[II]: The Giant World Cup Rookie and an Enduring Dutch Mystery
The dearth of quality goalkeepers as an enduring Dutch mystery is news to me. I have not been paying attention.
“Van Gaal has taken roughly a third of the qualified goalkeepers available to him to Qatar.”
A nice piece about the tallest footballer at the 2022 World Cup and the ‘Dutch mystery.’
Also, here is a short highlight of his World Cup debut
[III]: Qatar World Cup: The Zero Percent Alcohol Edition
Nice essay about a tourist experience at the just concluded World Cup in Qatar.
“It’s a shame that the often bizarre media campaign against the World Cup would have discouraged some people from going out there to enjoy a nice tournament in a pleasant atmosphere and cost effectively too.”
[IV]: How migration has shaped the world cup
Number of foreign-born players in each team 👇🏿👇🏿
Nice (infographic) essay about how migration has shaped the world cup via Vox.
I did a short thread on Twitter: you can read it on Typefully.
2. [Academic Research] 📄✍🏿🚨
All Co-First Authors Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others
Interesting commentary on “co-first/equal contribution” authorship.
“While my colleagues and I recognize the value of each other’s contributions, publications still require one individual to be physically listed first. And unfortunately, publishers have been rather slow in properly recognizing such co-first authorships with readily visible annotations, particularly online.
3. [Philosophy] 🧐🧠🧐
Natural Theology
I really enjoyed this essay by Ed Feser arguing against the framing of the ‘Existence of God’ argumentation as a hypothesis: Is God’s existence a “hypothesis”?
Here is a very relevant section.
“It would be absurd to suggest that something whose essence and existence are distinct might in principle be sustained in being by something other than ipsum esse subsistens, and that we need to come up with some empirical test to show that this is unlikely. That would be as absurd as, say, a Platonist arguing that something other than the Form of the Good might in principle be responsible for things having whatever measure of goodness they have, but that this is improbable given the empirical evidence. Or it is as absurd as a mathematician proposing that there is solid confirming empirical evidence that makes it probable that 12 x 48 = 576. The point isn’t that we don’t need to provide an argument for the claim that 12 x 48 = 576, or for the claim that there is such a thing as the Form of the Good, or, again, for the claim that the world could not exist even in principle apart from God. The point, again, is that the kind of argumentation we would have to give would not involve forming hypotheses and then coming up with ways to test them empirically. That simply would not reflect the nature of mathematical facts, or the nature of the Form of the Good (if such a thing exists) and its relation to particular instances of goodness, or the nature of God and his relationship to the world.”
4. [BioMedicine] 🩺🥼🧑🏻⚕️
[I]: Semaglutidonomics
Nice essay on a weight loss medication, Semaglutide. Why few people use it, potential side effects, modeling for future success, etc.
[II]: Cut and paste CRISPR
Instead of relying on double-strand breaks for DNA integration, these scientists developed a CRISPR system that ‘cuts off’ DNA and inserts foreign DNA (via CRISPR-directed integrases). They call it PASTE – programmable addition via site-specific targeting elements.
Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41587-022-01527-4
[III] Know Your gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor Subunits
From insomnia treatment to anxiety treatment, know the levers that are being pushed: know your GABA.
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter that plays a critical role in regulating the activity of neurons in the brain. It is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, meaning that it helps to regulate the activity of other neurons by reducing their excitability. This makes GABA an important player in the brain's overall system of balance and control, and it has been implicated in a variety of physiological and psychological processes, including sleep, anxiety, and muscle tone.
[IV] Biotech labs are using AI inspired by DALL-E to invent new drugs
Generating proteins with diffusion models
What are diffusion models? Knock yourself out
[V] Gut bacteria are associated with depression
Study shows a possible link between gut microbiome and depression, with 13 specific microbial taxa potentially linked to depressive symptoms (n >2000).
5. [Books] 📚📓📚
[I] The need to read
Paul Graham on reading, thinking, and writing
“You can't think well without writing well, and you can't write well without reading well. And I mean that last "well" in both senses. You have to be good at reading and read good things.
People who just want information may find other ways to get it. But people who want to have ideas can't afford to.”
[II] How I write – Nassim Taleb
How I write by Nassim Taleb. (Spoiler: Lindy effect) Easily one of my favorite essayists.
6. [AI] 🤖🖥👨🏿💻
[I]: Autoencoders and Diffusers: A Brief Comparison
On diffusers and autoencoders.
[II]: GPT
There is just so much out there on GPT that ‘Around the Web GPT’ should have its own entry if time were not to be finite. I am trying to build some personal projects with the model, and I have been playing around a bit.
Quite excited to also see PubMed GPT.
They stated:
“Before we begin, a reminder: this model was developed solely for research purposes and is not suitable for production.”
[7]: [Innovation] 💡🚀💎
The Science of Innovation
I am always on the watch out for cool blogs on the blocks, I found one recently. It's about the ‘ecology’ of innovation, the systematic study of innovation itself.
Here is an introductory post
And another: it explains a brilliant idea of leveraging machine learning techniques to predict “innovation phenotypes,” It essentially predicts innovation and patterns that are yet to happen, so they can be there when it does.