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Alex Diaz-Papkovich

@alexandr.bsky.social

Statistician and mathematician. Postdoc working on population genetics at the Data Science Institute at Brown University. UWaterloo, Carleton, and McGill alum. Skeets are my own. He/him. https://github.com/diazale

651 Followers  |  839 Following  |  142 Posts  |  Joined: 19.08.2023  |  2.0791

Latest posts by alexandr.bsky.social on Bluesky


I'm partial to The Sweater Song. You hear it and you're like "yeah, these guys are nerds and rockers"

18.02.2026 14:00 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Jeremy Swayman allows a goal from the neutral zone, Denmark leads 2-1 on Nicholas Jensen's shot

14.02.2026 20:36 β€” πŸ‘ 53    πŸ” 13    πŸ’¬ 7    πŸ“Œ 27

I wonder where wrecking the years of work into 2011 long-form census fits here 🀨

13.02.2026 16:37 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Holy shit πŸ‘€

12.02.2026 20:28 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

every super bowl should have a sacrificial drake

09.02.2026 03:02 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

We just texted Doug Ford to invite him to our live show in Toronto tonight. We'll follow up if he responds.

boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pag...

05.02.2026 15:02 β€” πŸ‘ 212    πŸ” 20    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 7
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Live in Toronto! Patreon Presale. | The War on Cars Get more from The War on Cars on Patreon

Toronto! We're coming to the modern birthplace of The War on Cars to rally the troops in their fight against Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Presale tix are available right now for our Patreon members as well as supporters of @cycletoronto.bsky.social. Sign up to get the promo code. This one will be big!

16.01.2026 23:37 β€” πŸ‘ 99    πŸ” 25    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 4
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wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage

15.01.2026 13:47 β€” πŸ‘ 12540    πŸ” 4032    πŸ’¬ 95    πŸ“Œ 305

This whole situation is awful for Brenna but I also want to highlight that these cuts are impacting Canadian research. Canadian scientists (funded by Canadian tax dollars) have worked on this data and planned projects around it. Now it's stalled.

05.01.2026 15:46 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Brenna Henn Wanted to Improve Genetic Medicine. Then Her N.I.H. Grant Was Cut. Brenna Henn had a long-term grant to study the genetic diversity of Africans and people of African descent. Then her N.I.H. funding was cut.

Brenna Henn Wanted to Improve Genetic Medicine. Then Her N.I.H. Grant Was Cut.

02.01.2026 21:16 β€” πŸ‘ 39    πŸ” 19    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 2
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The War on Cars | Patreon Creating a podcast about the fight against car dominance

TORONTO! Save the date. We'll be coming to what is arguably the birthplace of the war on cars for a live show on February 5th, 2026. Patreoners will get first dibs on tickets. Stay tuned for more details! Doug Ford will not be our special guest.

www.patreon.com/c/thewaronca...

17.12.2025 18:05 β€” πŸ‘ 84    πŸ” 20    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 4
Canadian House of Commons debate from Dec 4, 2006

 Jack Layton Torontoβ€”Danforth, ON: Mr. Speaker, Canadians have learned to expect only one thing from ministers of the environment, whether they be current or former, and that is betrayal, because no matter which of them were in power, pollution continued to go up.

What has been the result of this? More droughts, more floods, more fires, more storms and more ice melting. The problem is getting more and more serious.

[The following sentence is highlighted] After all these years of inaction, will the Prime Minister finally get something done and do something the former government would not do and that is to cancel the subsidies to big oil and big ass--I mean big gas and start putting--



Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

 The Speaker Peter Milliken: I am afraid the hon. member for Torontoβ€”Danforth's time has expired. We will have a little order please.

The right hon. Prime Minister.

 Stephen Harper Prime Minister: [The following sentence is highlighted] Mr. Speaker, I promise to get to the bottom of it. I am really not sure whether I should take what the leader of the NDP said personally.

It was at the request of the leader of the NDP that the government agreed to put Bill C-30, the clean air act, before a parliamentary committee at second reading. Because we want to make concrete progress, we invite the constructive participation of all opposition parties. I would encourage the leader of the NDP to return to that constructive tone.

https://openparliament.ca/debates/2006/12/4/jack-layton-5/

Canadian House of Commons debate from Dec 4, 2006 Jack Layton Torontoβ€”Danforth, ON: Mr. Speaker, Canadians have learned to expect only one thing from ministers of the environment, whether they be current or former, and that is betrayal, because no matter which of them were in power, pollution continued to go up. What has been the result of this? More droughts, more floods, more fires, more storms and more ice melting. The problem is getting more and more serious. [The following sentence is highlighted] After all these years of inaction, will the Prime Minister finally get something done and do something the former government would not do and that is to cancel the subsidies to big oil and big ass--I mean big gas and start putting-- Some hon. members: Oh, oh! The Speaker Peter Milliken: I am afraid the hon. member for Torontoβ€”Danforth's time has expired. We will have a little order please. The right hon. Prime Minister. Stephen Harper Prime Minister: [The following sentence is highlighted] Mr. Speaker, I promise to get to the bottom of it. I am really not sure whether I should take what the leader of the NDP said personally. It was at the request of the leader of the NDP that the government agreed to put Bill C-30, the clean air act, before a parliamentary committee at second reading. Because we want to make concrete progress, we invite the constructive participation of all opposition parties. I would encourage the leader of the NDP to return to that constructive tone. https://openparliament.ca/debates/2006/12/4/jack-layton-5/

This one always cracks me up www.youtube.com/watch?v=pebk...

18.12.2025 20:27 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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Gene-specific selective sweeps are pervasive across human gut microbiomes - Nature Development and application of the integrated linkage disequilibrium score (iLDS) reveals both selective pressures impacting the human gut microbiome and the mechanisms by which gut bacteria adapt to ...

Grateful to share our paper on gene-specific selective sweeps in human gut microbiomes, now out in Nature! It has been a joy to work with @rwolff.bsky.social, whose insights and hard work made this possible.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

17.12.2025 18:53 β€” πŸ‘ 147    πŸ” 69    πŸ’¬ 10    πŸ“Œ 3

we’re gonna have figure panels that double as codons at this rate

17.12.2025 16:27 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

hell I’ve done this on the metro

14.12.2025 20:42 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

my partner was updating our neighbours as I was driving us on the I-90, receiving automated phone calls with updates from Brown 😐

14.12.2025 02:45 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My heart breaks for every student and community across our nation. A fresh pain, an old wound.

Yes, here. Yes, our community. Yes, Brown. Yes, this tragic, preventable horror happened again.

We can prevent gun violence. We chose not to.

14.12.2025 02:01 β€” πŸ‘ 29    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I sometimes teach in Providence. In the classroom where I most frequently teach, there's a section labeled for where students are supposed to go for active shooters. It is a cliche of a phrase, but I want to echo the Professor here and say: it does not have to be this way.

14.12.2025 00:06 β€” πŸ‘ 124    πŸ” 30    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

There’s an urgent need for blood in the aftermath of the Brown University shooting

If you can give, please do

If you can’t, please spread the word

Its terrifying to think how bad this shooting might be if they need an urgent call for blood, but the more people donating the more lives we can save

14.12.2025 00:21 β€” πŸ‘ 488    πŸ” 418    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 16
screenshot of my post

screenshot of my post

Big new blogpost!

My guide to data visualization, which includes a very long table of contents, tons of charts, and more.

--> Why data visualization matters and how to make charts more effective, clear, transparent, and sometimes, beautiful.
www.scientificdiscovery.dev/p/salonis-gu...

09.12.2025 20:28 β€” πŸ‘ 800    πŸ” 317    πŸ’¬ 22    πŸ“Œ 50
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Boston Data Show Streets With New Bike Lanes Successfully Shift Traffic From Cars to Bikes - Streetsblog Massachusetts Mayor Wu has hard evidence that her bike lane projects are helping reduce traffic – but her administration is reluctant to share it.

Boston Data Show Streets With New Bike Lanes Successfully Shift Traffic, With Fewer Cars and Way More Bikes - mass.streetsblog.org/2025/12/05/b...

05.12.2025 12:33 β€” πŸ‘ 112    πŸ” 35    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 4
Donate to PVD Streets Advocacy Fund

HUGE thanks to @pvdstreets.bsky.social for organizing and hosting, please consider donating if you can secure.everyaction.com/-lHSovg9tEm1...

03.12.2025 15:07 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
The title page of the book Life After Cars, written by Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek. The page is signed by Doug and Sarah at the bottom, and at the top there is a written message: β€œDOUG FORD SUCKS.” The word β€œsucks” is underlined.

(Doug Ford is the premier of Ontario and he has raised speed limits, passed laws to make it hard or impossible to build safe cycling infrastructure, tried repeatedly to rip out bike lanes along his commute, put alcohol up for sale at rest stops along major highways, poured money into destructive highway expansions, removed tolls from highways, and is constantly meddling in municipal politics because he desperately wants to be mayor of Toronto. He also wants to make the 401 a tunnel under Toronto LOL)

The title page of the book Life After Cars, written by Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek. The page is signed by Doug and Sarah at the bottom, and at the top there is a written message: β€œDOUG FORD SUCKS.” The word β€œsucks” is underlined. (Doug Ford is the premier of Ontario and he has raised speed limits, passed laws to make it hard or impossible to build safe cycling infrastructure, tried repeatedly to rip out bike lanes along his commute, put alcohol up for sale at rest stops along major highways, poured money into destructive highway expansions, removed tolls from highways, and is constantly meddling in municipal politics because he desperately wants to be mayor of Toronto. He also wants to make the 401 a tunnel under Toronto LOL)

Last night I got to meet Doug and Sarah, hosts of @thewaroncars.bsky.social

As an Ontario Boy, I asked for a special message in my copy of Life After Cars and they happily obliged πŸ₯²

03.12.2025 15:04 β€” πŸ‘ 57    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

(disclaimer: not a business owner) I've never been able to take claims about lack of parking seriously. When people complain that there isn't enough they usually mean "there isn't a parking spot with direct line of sight to your door"

02.12.2025 17:58 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Providence! See you on Tuesday. We hear some folks are making the trip down from Boston... should be a very fun evening and we can't wait to see everyone.

Tickets:

events.uptownpvd.com/events/life-...

28.11.2025 22:26 β€” πŸ‘ 21    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

These aren't pedestrians, it shouldn't be legal for them to be on a sidewalk. Governments have got to start cracking down on this stuff. Heavy fines on any company that tries to pull this kind of thing.

28.11.2025 15:04 β€” πŸ‘ 30    πŸ” 11    πŸ’¬ 3    πŸ“Œ 0

I want to finally do a video on sidewalk plows and the problem of leaving snowy sidewalks to homeowners.

If anyone has examples of poorly cleared sidewalks that I can use, attach them here!

Important: mention the city. Also, preferred attribution (if any). Otherwise, default is screen name.

27.11.2025 03:01 β€” πŸ‘ 111    πŸ” 18    πŸ’¬ 27    πŸ“Œ 3
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Owen Sound Vehicle Collision Results In Gas Leak Owen Sound Police say a two-vehicle collision that severed a natural gas line resulted in a three-hour road cl...

Yep, I've got quite a few pinball collisions like that, e.g.: www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/2023/03/05/o...

26.11.2025 02:53 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Yep, it's one of my favourite books (and one I read while collecting this data!) Definitely made me think about things like snow removal and how/where infrastructure is prioritized (e.g. commuter routes vs errand routes)

25.11.2025 22:16 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
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GitHub - diazale/death_by_car: Tracking collisions between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists in Canada. Tracking collisions between vehicles and pedestrians/cyclists in Canada. - diazale/death_by_car

The dataset itself is available here: github.com/diazale/deat...

25.11.2025 19:29 β€” πŸ‘ 6    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@alexandr is following 20 prominent accounts