Lucas C Parra
@parralab.org
NeuroAI, applied neuroscience, machine learning, brain stimulation, neural signals, medical imaging - physicist by training.
parralab.org
parralab.org
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Did you know that your speed — in a simple task of quickly pressing a button every time you see a yellow square — is faster when you are exhaling or pausing then when you are inhaling?
Dr. Erika Yamazaki figured this out, did all the work, and published on it this week
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Dr. Erika Yamazaki figured this out, did all the work, and published on it this week
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Response speed is modulated by respiratory phase
Behavioral neuroscience; Cognitive neuroscience
www.cell.com
September 30, 2026 at 11:28 PM
Did you know that your speed — in a simple task of quickly pressing a button every time you see a yellow square — is faster when you are exhaling or pausing then when you are inhaling?
Dr. Erika Yamazaki figured this out, did all the work, and published on it this week
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Dr. Erika Yamazaki figured this out, did all the work, and published on it this week
www.cell.com/iscience/ful...
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Google earth has updated its satellite images of Gaza. The destruction is almost incomprehensible.
September 28, 2026 at 9:03 PM
Google earth has updated its satellite images of Gaza. The destruction is almost incomprehensible.
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
Did Anthropic’s A.I. Really Make a Scientific Discovery on Its Own? (Gift Article)
An expert at the University of Copenhagen said his team had been sharing its research with the company’s A.I. model, Claude, and that its new finding matched their work.
nyti.ms
September 27, 2026 at 9:14 PM
Four days ago, a scientist was surprised by the news that Anthropic discovered new virus genes for making DNA. He says he’s been studying them for years—and feeding his data to Anthropic’s AI as part of his own research. Coincidence? Here’s my story. nyti.ms/3VSWayc
Every day humans around the world speak about 58 to 133 trillion words. Large language models process between 360 and 430 trillion tokens a day. Roughly speaking, LLM processes 4 times more words than humans speak each day. AI already dominated the conversation!
September 24, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Every day humans around the world speak about 58 to 133 trillion words. Large language models process between 360 and 430 trillion tokens a day. Roughly speaking, LLM processes 4 times more words than humans speak each day. AI already dominated the conversation!
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
56k submissions to ICLR
These conferences are now 90% AI-written garbage. These ppl who submit AI papers to have a conference paper on resume (for job/position) have effectively turned that value that they are after to "0".
Greed + AI slop -> a pile of rubbish
x.com/denny_zhou/s...
These conferences are now 90% AI-written garbage. These ppl who submit AI papers to have a conference paper on resume (for job/position) have effectively turned that value that they are after to "0".
Greed + AI slop -> a pile of rubbish
x.com/denny_zhou/s...
Denny Zhou (@denny_zhou) on X
ICLR 2027 has received more submissions than all previous years (2013–2026) combined
x.com
September 21, 2026 at 6:35 PM
56k submissions to ICLR
These conferences are now 90% AI-written garbage. These ppl who submit AI papers to have a conference paper on resume (for job/position) have effectively turned that value that they are after to "0".
Greed + AI slop -> a pile of rubbish
x.com/denny_zhou/s...
These conferences are now 90% AI-written garbage. These ppl who submit AI papers to have a conference paper on resume (for job/position) have effectively turned that value that they are after to "0".
Greed + AI slop -> a pile of rubbish
x.com/denny_zhou/s...
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Russell Vought cannot be given the power to decide what science is funded. He knows nothing about science; in fact, he seems to hate it and everyone who does it.
And he has all of the worst characteristics of humanity.
The Republican Congress is a fucking disease.
And he has all of the worst characteristics of humanity.
The Republican Congress is a fucking disease.
Russel Vought will reportedly be given veto power over all NIH grants
Pending move comes over the objections of the NIH director.
arstechnica.com
September 21, 2026 at 9:54 PM
Russell Vought cannot be given the power to decide what science is funded. He knows nothing about science; in fact, he seems to hate it and everyone who does it.
And he has all of the worst characteristics of humanity.
The Republican Congress is a fucking disease.
And he has all of the worst characteristics of humanity.
The Republican Congress is a fucking disease.
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Over the past few days, I've taken the time to summarize my thoughts on the recent incidents involving agents’ misaligned behavior. We don't know with certainty what comes next, but we know where these issues originate, and this can help us plan the path forward.
Yoshua Bengio | Why are AI agents lying, cheating and coordinating?
A lot has been written about the incidents of the last few months in which AI agents misbehaved in serious ways. They took actions that would be considered as crimes if a human took them, escaped thei...
yoshuabengio.org
September 11, 2026 at 2:35 PM
Over the past few days, I've taken the time to summarize my thoughts on the recent incidents involving agents’ misaligned behavior. We don't know with certainty what comes next, but we know where these issues originate, and this can help us plan the path forward.
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
What a fascinating and disturbing article. I’ve had bones to pick with Buddhism and Sam Harris-style meditation for years (despite liking many things in these too), so it was good to see that backed up by scientific research.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The Dark Side of Mindfulness
A prominent psychologist and meditation teacher set out to research the benefits of the practice. What she found alarmed her.
www.theatlantic.com
September 6, 2026 at 12:27 PM
What a fascinating and disturbing article. I’ve had bones to pick with Buddhism and Sam Harris-style meditation for years (despite liking many things in these too), so it was good to see that backed up by scientific research.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
The thing about actually doing power analyses and design simulations is you pretty quickly figure out most studies are grossly underpowered...
September 5, 2026 at 5:46 AM
The thing about actually doing power analyses and design simulations is you pretty quickly figure out most studies are grossly underpowered...
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Found this recording of Rita Moreno performing “Fever” on The Muppet Show from 1976. 14/10
August 22, 2026 at 4:48 AM
Found this recording of Rita Moreno performing “Fever” on The Muppet Show from 1976. 14/10
"The NIH proposes a controversial change to its grant review, hiding numerical scores from applicants."
www.forbes.com/sites/brucel...
Submit comments to this rule change here:
rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3...
@standupforscience.net
www.forbes.com/sites/brucel...
Submit comments to this rule change here:
rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3...
@standupforscience.net
NIH Proposes Big Change In How Grant Applications Evaluated
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is proposing yet another significant change in its grant review process, moving away from numerical scores for applications.
www.forbes.com
August 17, 2026 at 2:42 AM
"The NIH proposes a controversial change to its grant review, hiding numerical scores from applicants."
www.forbes.com/sites/brucel...
Submit comments to this rule change here:
rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3...
@standupforscience.net
www.forbes.com/sites/brucel...
Submit comments to this rule change here:
rfi.grants.nih.gov?s=6a2b1c22c3...
@standupforscience.net
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Memories can survive even after the brain temporarily loses more than half of its synaptic connections, according to a new mouse study in Science, which challenges the long-held view that long-term memories depend on stable individual synapses.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4zhsCK2
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4zhsCK2
Artificial hibernation reveals synaptic engram architecture associated with memory retention
Memories leave lasting physical changes at the synaptic level. Although stable, larger spines are thought to support memory, the high turnover of dendritic spines and the drifting of neuronal represen...
scim.ag
August 13, 2026 at 10:28 PM
Memories can survive even after the brain temporarily loses more than half of its synaptic connections, according to a new mouse study in Science, which challenges the long-held view that long-term memories depend on stable individual synapses.
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4zhsCK2
Learn more: https://scim.ag/4zhsCK2
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Bro. People are cool as fuck.
August 13, 2026 at 1:57 AM
Bro. People are cool as fuck.
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Today is Venn Day, in celebration of the mathematician John Venn, born on this day in 1834. To commemorate the occasion, here’s a poem in the form of a Venn Diagram.
August 4, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Today is Venn Day, in celebration of the mathematician John Venn, born on this day in 1834. To commemorate the occasion, here’s a poem in the form of a Venn Diagram.
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Hello world! 👋
We’re Minds, Machines, and Brains (MMB) 👤🤖🧠 a new open access journal from @mitpress.bsky.social exploring the principles of intelligence and cognition across natural and artificial minds.
Submissions open this Fall! 🔗 direct.mit.edu/mmb
We’re Minds, Machines, and Brains (MMB) 👤🤖🧠 a new open access journal from @mitpress.bsky.social exploring the principles of intelligence and cognition across natural and artificial minds.
Submissions open this Fall! 🔗 direct.mit.edu/mmb
Minds, Machines, and Brains | MIT Press
direct.mit.edu
August 2, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Hello world! 👋
We’re Minds, Machines, and Brains (MMB) 👤🤖🧠 a new open access journal from @mitpress.bsky.social exploring the principles of intelligence and cognition across natural and artificial minds.
Submissions open this Fall! 🔗 direct.mit.edu/mmb
We’re Minds, Machines, and Brains (MMB) 👤🤖🧠 a new open access journal from @mitpress.bsky.social exploring the principles of intelligence and cognition across natural and artificial minds.
Submissions open this Fall! 🔗 direct.mit.edu/mmb
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
🎉 *extremely* excited to share our human single neuron + movie dataset is out in #ScientificData!
📄 Human neuron activity during an 83-minute movie from 2,286 neurons and 29 patients
🔗https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-026-07955-0
1st public dataset from @humansingleneuron.bsky.social!🧵
📄 Human neuron activity during an 83-minute movie from 2,286 neurons and 29 patients
🔗https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-026-07955-0
1st public dataset from @humansingleneuron.bsky.social!🧵
July 30, 2026 at 12:55 PM
🎉 *extremely* excited to share our human single neuron + movie dataset is out in #ScientificData!
📄 Human neuron activity during an 83-minute movie from 2,286 neurons and 29 patients
🔗https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-026-07955-0
1st public dataset from @humansingleneuron.bsky.social!🧵
📄 Human neuron activity during an 83-minute movie from 2,286 neurons and 29 patients
🔗https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-026-07955-0
1st public dataset from @humansingleneuron.bsky.social!🧵
As we explore the idea that brain-body connection plays a role in mental health and psychiatry, let this null results on intersection be a warning: Not all fashionable ideas work out. Important work!
July 24, 2026 at 10:03 AM
As we explore the idea that brain-body connection plays a role in mental health and psychiatry, let this null results on intersection be a warning: Not all fashionable ideas work out. Important work!
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
When we started the visceral mind project, we promised to publish what we found null and otherwise, and we delivered!
Sensing your body (‘Interoception’) is everywhere in theories of mental health.
But when we tested how well hundreds of people sensed their heart and lungs, the link to symptoms was almost nowhere to be found. 💣
🚨New @natmentalhealth.nature.com paper 🚨🎉 asks why 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
But when we tested how well hundreds of people sensed their heart and lungs, the link to symptoms was almost nowhere to be found. 💣
🚨New @natmentalhealth.nature.com paper 🚨🎉 asks why 🧵
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
July 23, 2026 at 3:30 PM
When we started the visceral mind project, we promised to publish what we found null and otherwise, and we delivered!
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
really thinking about this tweet as i’ve been struggling to breathe through nausea for the last 5 hours
July 16, 2026 at 12:34 AM
really thinking about this tweet as i’ve been struggling to breathe through nausea for the last 5 hours
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
From a great collaboration with @lorenzoposani.com, @shuqiw.bsky.social, Samuel Muscinelli, Liam Paninski, now in Nature: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Rarely categorical, highly separable representations along the cortical hierarchy - Nature
Cortical circuits prioritize diversity over categorical structure, supporting a computational regime geared towards high-dimensional, highly separable neural representations.
www.nature.com
July 15, 2026 at 3:55 PM
From a great collaboration with @lorenzoposani.com, @shuqiw.bsky.social, Samuel Muscinelli, Liam Paninski, now in Nature: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
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Should I still teach coding? I take pride in the biomedical signal processing class I have been teaching and refining since 2003. This is the first class where our engineering students learn to code with concrete problems to solve (60% of the grade). Should I still insist that they code themselves?
July 9, 2026 at 1:55 PM
Should I still teach coding? I take pride in the biomedical signal processing class I have been teaching and refining since 2003. This is the first class where our engineering students learn to code with concrete problems to solve (60% of the grade). Should I still insist that they code themselves?
Reposted by Lucas C Parra
The global neuronal workspace (GNW) is currently the best documented neuroscience mechanism by which conscious processing arises in the human brain — and now Anthropic researchers have discovered a similar workspace inside their large language model !
www.anthropic.com/research/glo...
www.anthropic.com/research/glo...
A global workspace in language models
Interpretability research on Claude's internal thoughts.
www.anthropic.com
July 6, 2026 at 6:56 PM
The global neuronal workspace (GNW) is currently the best documented neuroscience mechanism by which conscious processing arises in the human brain — and now Anthropic researchers have discovered a similar workspace inside their large language model !
www.anthropic.com/research/glo...
www.anthropic.com/research/glo...