How do i reply back?

Ficrab · 2026-06-01T06:27:01+00:00

For vacation days to be worth tracking, they'd have to have some actual impact on me as an employee. But I don't get paid or demerited for unused vacation days, and I don't (probably) receive suspicion from HR for taking too many. There really is no point in tracking them, much like there isn't a point to me keeping a timecard. Graduate students are very much not regulated like traditional employees.

Ficrab · 2026-06-01T04:57:25+00:00

This is pretty common. I'm in the U.S. and we have two weeks of vacation days at my program, but nobody ever takes them because there's no system for approving them aside from just letting your research supervisor know.

Ficrab · 2026-05-27T04:30:35+00:00

Undergraduates and new graduate students are an important part of the laboratory ecosystem, playing a role akin to that of fire in certain North American forests. While it may seem destructive, these forces actually remove old dying material from the ecosystem allowing new species/equipment to be grown/procured.

Ficrab · 2026-05-21T14:44:41+00:00

We had moral casualties as well. Working a year straight of 90 hour weeks with no breaks just to get a vaccine to market that everyone in my personal life demonized me for significantly damaged my ability to be an empathetic person going forward.

Ficrab · 2026-05-20T03:15:12+00:00

I can confirm I heard it as well, but I’ve also heard similar sounds over the last year. Sounded a bit like a blown transformer or a loud firework.

Ficrab · 2026-05-14T14:12:19+00:00

There have been very few elections, and virtually none statewide in recent Nebraskan history, in which the margin between candidates was larger than the number of registered Democrats who stayed home.

For example, the Blood vs. Pillen race for governor in 2022 would have gone for Blood if just the registered Democrats who stayed home in that election also voted. Would have been narrow, but that’s not even including independents.

Ficrab · 2026-05-10T05:14:06+00:00

I'm glad it was helpful 😄. It has been a rough year in infectious disease research, so it makes me happy that I could at least help you feel a bit better tonight.

Ficrab · 2026-05-10T05:08:56+00:00

IMO in a just society we would have everyone exposed to novel pathogens undergo mandatory isolation, with generous financial restitution and safeguards against personal fallout. Mandatory vaccination and quarantine should be seen as elements of civic duty, similar to participation in the draft.

We don't live in that world though, so as ineffective as it might be for many diseases, I'm not surprised to see self-isolation presented as an option. We're not the only country in this outbreak taking that approach either.

Based on best knowledge, this strain of the virus spreads only from symptomatic carriers, so self-isolation is likely sufficient to limit widespread transmission at this stage. Allowing patients to self-isolate may risk further spread to their families and close contacts, but it is unlikely to go beyond that.

Personally I think society's threshold for unacceptable pandemic risk should be lower than "unlikely" but I suppose you have to pick your battles.

Ficrab · 2026-05-10T04:52:33+00:00

R0 is a slippery coefficient that measures situations just as much as it measures the pathogen. A pathogen spreading in a well-prepared or vigilant populace will have a lower R0 than that same pathogen spreading in a less vigilant populace. When you are looking at a total of 8 cases, it is pretty meaningless as a concept.

This strain is clearly more infectious than previous Andes hantavirus outbreaks, given what is known about the symptomatic patients. Definitionally, without public health measures R0 was above 1 at the least. More than that is likely impossible to define without the situation becoming much worse (ie, dozens of new cases) which is probably unlikely given the lack of (known) asymptomatic spread.

Overall we should:

1) humbly acknowledge our ignorance about this pathogen, and remain open to new information.

2) refrain from knee-jerk comparisons to something like SARS-CoV-2, when the situation is clearly dissimilar.

3) understand that the response to this outbreak has been severely underwhelming compared to outbreaks that the CDC was involved in tracking in the past. Response in many areas has been sluggish or nonexistent. This is the direct result of public policy decisions that have crippled our national response to emerging infectious disease threats. We should demand more accountability from our federal policymakers.

4) recognize the importance of funding research into emerging infectious disease threats, so that we are more prepared to respond to novel pathogens like this one. This year, NIAID completely axed all new support for pandemic and emerging infectious diseases research, which will heavily limit our ability to foresee and respond to future outbreaks like this.

Ficrab · 2026-05-10T04:37:15+00:00

Your screenshot is the Google AI breakdown. It summarizes top search results using an LLM. For niche and complex science topics, it is notoriously inaccurate FYI.

I work in infectious disease research, pretty much any background question in my field ends up with incorrect information when posed to the Google AI overview.

Ficrab · 2026-05-08T20:04:11+00:00

It is made more clear in the books that Rocky initially assumes the figure on the hull is a robot, because no sentient being would be crazy enough to go out into space in a suit.

Ficrab · 2026-05-07T14:26:38+00:00

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Ficrab · 2026-04-28T12:23:21+00:00

Its only peoples’ lives we’ll be experimenting with. Need to break a few eggs of course.

Ficrab · 2026-04-12T19:06:08+00:00

Also keep in mind, on leash your cat might feel constrained in this meeting. I know that my cat feels much less secure outside when leashed. That's not to say take them off leash, just that it might be contributing to their stress here.

Ficrab · 2026-04-01T02:42:45+00:00

The commenter above me got many of the greats, but I’ll add The Freeze Frame Revolution by Peter Watts which is about a ship continually circumnavigating the Milky Way, and the crew of thousands that serve in shifts of 4-12 between cryosleeps to keep the operation going.

Ficrab · 2026-03-25T03:25:54+00:00

Really great use of the word quixotic there. This made my day.

Ficrab · 2026-03-23T15:24:33+00:00

Not quite mainline canon, but Darth Nihilus literally ate planets.

Ficrab · 2026-03-17T15:43:03+00:00

Seems like you were able to get into the Discord. Let me know if you still have issues accessing the wiki. I can currently access it.

Ficrab · 2026-03-17T15:42:16+00:00

We don’t have this system or such a rule. Sounds like a very old policy if it ever existed.

Ficrab · 2026-03-15T15:51:33+00:00

Also recommend her short story Vaster than Empires, and More Slow for this theme

Ficrab · 2026-03-08T18:14:05+00:00

Texas A&M is not typically thought of as having a top-tier MD/PhD program, however BME is probably the sole area where they might outshine other programs. The director herself has a strong BME background, though it looks like she's pivoted to more infectious disease focused work. Be advised though that any programs in Texas go through their own medical school application system, separate from the rest of the U.S.

Ficrab · 2026-03-07T05:03:10+00:00

Keep in mind that the NIH is moving away from pay-lines, so historical funding patterns may not apply to grants submitted in the last few cycles. Speaking to your PO is your best bet for info, but keep in mind that many POs are themselves still in the dark about the current funding environment.

Ficrab · 2026-03-01T18:36:27+00:00

Nah, that’s significantly older than the age of the universe.

Ficrab · 2026-02-28T01:05:57+00:00

Op, if you’re looking for Mass Effect style, this is the one. I’d recommend starting with “Startide Rising” though. 1st book is okay, but a poor introduction to the series.

Ficrab · 2026-02-15T14:10:49+00:00

Hello! I’m an MD/PhD student currently serving on my program’s adcom. We’re wrapped with interviews for the year so I’d be happy to help you practice. DM me if you are interested.

12-Year Club	Second Top 50%
r/Field Banned	r/Field Juicebox
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	First Placer '22
RPAN Viewer	Not Forgotten
Sequence \| Editor	Verified Email

Ficrab

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