Diana Kwon

My latest feature for @nature.com is about "representational drift," a concept that's turned some long-standing ideas of how the brain works on its head. “When people talk about this phenomenon, it’s exciting because it’s just so full of possibilities." - Andrew Fink

A new method called SORDINO muted scanner noise during fMRI, capturing clear scans of mice grasping food pellets and simultaneously imaging the brains of two interacting animals. #neuroskyence By @dianakwon.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/methods/sile...

If you're a science journalist, this impersonation of writers is scary: www.science.org/content/arti...

Is sensory over-responsivity universally associated with all psychiatric conditions or linked to specific diagnoses? A study suggests autism and anxiety may be uniquely tied to this trait. By @dianakwon.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/sen...

Springer Nature retracted two studies by Max Planck. In response to a question from @samkean.bsky.social, they issued this statement: "Detailed information about specific retractions is usually confidential and can only be shared with the relevant authors.”

When @lndriscoll.bsky.social began her doctoral research at Harvard, her first task was to find the baseline of how specific neurons fired. Then the baseline kept moving. @dianakwon.bsky.social asked the researchers grappling with the brain's shifting code: https://go.nature.com/3RYKGHJ

In Europe, the idea of “digital sovereignty” is gaining steam: Governments, academic institutions and individual researchers are reducing their reliance on US technology companies--and choosing European and open-source alternatives instead. My latest for @nature.com

Representational drift - the change in cells' responses to the same stimulus over time - may be a feature rather than a bug. Thank you to @dianakwon.bsky.social for giving me a chance to talk about this fascinating topic. 🤯 The brain never ceases to amaze!

“This year, we really wanted to bring back the interdisciplinary nature of [INSAR].” – Christine Wu Nordahl. #neuroskyence By @dianakwon.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/bri...

I really, really hate to sharing this, but last week, we @biographic.bsky.social learned that the California Academy of Sciences will no longer be providing the magazine with financial support, including money we were expecting to receive this year. We're in a real bind.

“You would hope that German officials would support scientists’ advice, but they have ignored it,” says one marine biologist who asked not to be identified because they feared repercussions. Must-read story by @martinenserink.bsky.social in @science.org. Feels like an encapsulation of our times 🧪

This year’s INSAR meeting brought together more than 2,200 people from around the globe to share, learn and discuss the latest in autism research. #INSAR2026 By @dianakwon.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/rep...

🚨 For nearly two years - and even now, depending on the day and model - AI models could tell you all about bixonimania, a totally made-up disease in a paper funded by “the Professor Sideshow Bob Foundation". My @nature.com story on AI's fallibility in medicine www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Appreciate this clear coverage of our “body-wandering” paper in Science News. www.sciencenews.org/article/mind...

Scientists/science writers I found in Grammarly's 'expert review' system: David Spiegelhalter, Ivan Oransky, Mary Roach, Rebecca Skloot, Ed Yong, Melinda Wenner Moyer, Deborah Blum, Tom Knight, Michael E Mann, Corinne Le Quere. [pic: results of 5 trials w/ free burner acct]. No doubt many more.

This feels like a helpful primer for understanding AI in general. It makes programmers more efficient on the front end because they can generate more code. But it makes them less efficient afterwards because it vastly increases the amount of time they spend tweaking and fixing bugs.

A researchers’ propensity for risky projects is passed down to their doctoral students — and stays with trainees after they leave the laboratory go.nature.com/4sHq58H

The infection enigma: why some people die from typically harmless germs www.nature.com/articles/d41... @nature.com @dianakwon.bsky.social

New writeup on interoception in Scientific American focusing on its role in mental health: www.scientificamerican.com/article/inte...

My latet feature for @sciam.bsky.social, explores the research connecting problems with interoception to a wide variety of mental illnesses, including anxiety disorders, eating disorders, & PTSD. This work is ultimately circling in on a central message: the body & mind are inextricably intertwined.

A new stem cell biobank—with a comprehensive database of the donors’ genetics, health history and more—provides scientists with a platform to probe mechanisms of neurodevelopmental conditions and validate therapeutics. By @dianakwon.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/spectrum/new...

Germany's a popular destination for international students and researchers. But those pursuing academic careers in the country face an intensely hierarchical system with few permanent positions. My latest for @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

German academia: great place to work? You should think twice before giving it a try: Permanent positions are very rare, most scholars have to drop out after some precarious years. @dianakwon.bsky.social has written a great piece about this for @nature.com and also talked to yours truly. #IchBinHanna

Got the last word in this great perspective on the state of fluorescent indicators in @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

“This new class of genetically encoded sensors has really opened up this world.” New @nature.com, what's new in the world of genetically encoded neurochemical sensors. by @dianakwon.bsky.social 🧪 🧠 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A new dopamine sensor enables neuroscientists to simultaneously monitor the activity of two additional signaling chemicals in the brains of living mice and zebrafish. By @dianakwon.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/methods/new-...

Older cells that have outlived their purpose don’t necessarily die — in fact, these “zombie cells” can use more energy than their younger counterparts. Their revved-up metabolism may drive some of the wear and tear of aging, @dianakwon.bsky.social reports in @nature.com

The brain's master conductor role in our aging process New feature @nature.com by @dianakwon.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down? @knowablemag.bsky.social‬ vist.ly/3n535it

People with #cancer may experience a wide range of stressors, both related and unrelated to the disease. A growing body of evidence suggests that these may influence how a tumor grows and spreads. Learn more in @dianakwon.bsky.social's recent report, republished by @brainfactsorg.bsky.social 👇

AIs can classify illnesses, predict treatment outcomes & identify markers of disease. Chatbots can assist physicians and researchers seeking to decipher the data hidden in stained slices of tissue. New by @dianakwon.bsky.social @nature.com, the growing use of #AI in #digitalpathology 🧪

What do scientists think about using AI to write papers? @richvn.bsky.social & I put together a survey to find out--and more than 5,000 researchers took part. Our survey reveals a divided landscape: Researchers don't always agree on what they view as appropriate. My latest for @nature.com

Brilliant. The "Science Homecoming" project helps scientists place articles in local papers about how Trump & Musk's cuts to science harm their communities. 🧪 on @nature.com

The link between stress and cancer goes back more than 2,000 years--but the research has long been messy and full of contradictions. Recent studies are starting to reveal how, exactly, psychological factors can influence tumor biology. Learn more in my latest for @knowablemag.bsky.social!

“I don’t think anyone appreciated the magnitude by which even mild stress, if it’s chronic, can have such a negative influence on cancer growth.” Studies show psychological strain can accelerate tumors — could beta blockers slow them down? 📝 @dianakwon.bsky.social for @knowablemag.bsky.social

The connection between stress and cancer is messy, the research difficult to do. But a clearer picture is emerging, which this @knowablemag.bsky.social story by @dianakwon.bsky.social. conveys with grace and restraint! I learned a lot, editing her story.

Predicting 3D structures for proteins with A.I. is a lot easier than for RNA www.nature.com/articles/d41... @nature.com feature by @dianakwon.bsky.social

“There is no schizophrenia. There are schizophrenias." Researchers are discovering that schizophrenia, which can involve alterations in both the brain and the body—particularly in the immune system—doesn't look the same in everyone with the condition. My latest feature for @sciam.bsky.social:

I'm just sending out a survey from Nature's news team asking about ethical ways to use generative AI tools to write or review research papers. To reassure anyone who received this email and is finding this post: this is a genuine survey! Please message me if you have questions.

Reactions to eLife losing its impact factor, and then announcing it'll send Web of Science a partial feed of its papers — only those deemed ‘solid’ or above — so they'll be indexed. | by @dianakwon.bsky.social in Nature www.nature.com/articles/d41...

eLife lost its impact factor last month, raising questions about whether authors are willing to dump conventional measures of quality & prestige for what many say is a long-needed change in research publishing. My piece about the latest developments at eLife in @natureportfolio.bsky.social

Over 30 prominent scientists call for a ban on the creation of a "mirror cell"--a microbe made of molecules that are mirror images of their natural forms. It could cause a mind-boggling global disaster. Here's my story [gift link] 🧪https://nyti.ms/3OUCXp6

A powerful read from my colleague, Miryam Naddaf, who recounts her own experience and explains what the fall of the Assad regime may mean for science in Syria: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Scholarly publishers are licensing their content to train LLMs. For @natureportfolio.bsky.social, I wrote about a tracker that @rschon.bsky.social and team made to catalogue these deals—and some of the early trends they're observing. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

This fearless science sleuth risked her career to expose publication fraud Anna Abalkina @abalkina.bsky.social is part of Nature’s 10, a list of people who shaped science in 2024. Holly Else reports at Nature. www.nature.com/articles/d41...