Tim Requarth

🚨Launching a new newsletter! It's called The Third Hemisphere and the pitch is "a neuroscientist's field notes on how AI is (or isn't) rewiring our brains." First post digs into something I call the "exceptionalism trap"

Everyone from venture capitalists to doctors insists AI can't do their job because it requires some special human quality. I think this gets in the way of asking what we actually value. Read more here: timrequarth.substack.com/p/the-exceptio…

🚨Launching a new newsletter! It's called The Third Hemisphere and the pitch is "a neuroscientist's field notes on how AI is (or isn't) rewiring our brains." First post digs into something I call the "exceptionalism trap"

And here's the original story: slate.com/technology/202…

So what's up with the great alcohol health advice flip-flop? Very fun to chat with @bittman on his podcast about a @slate deep dive I wrote awhile back on whether that nightly glass of wine is actually good for you bittmanproject.com/food-with-mark…

@Inframethod I agree that if people used it the way you describe that wouldn’t be ideal. But that’s not really an accurate reading of the column. See last two paragraphs on why writers need to think through substance and structure first before using this method

@timrequarth My worry is that AI will let writers "sidestep" (to use your word) problems that they should be facing. The lesson I took from your demonstration was, not that AI can transform well-structured notes into perfect English, but inchoate thoughts into passable prose.

I'm going to have be the spoilsport here, I think. Do we really want to live in a world where working scientists need help "converting their notes into drafts"? Don't we presume that prosing their world is exactly what they're good at? @timrequarth thetransmitter.org/ai-powered-wri…

@Inframethod There are risks to relying too much on AI, but on balance a writing aid that can transform a thought-out and well-structured series of notes into a rough draft in perfect English seems likes a win for scientists and readers alike

@Inframethod Well the world we live in today is one where many scientists are poor communicators, either by lack of training, ability, or circumstance, and as a result many scientific papers are needlessly hard to read. And potentially good ideas get lost in poor communication

@shanpalus Niiiiice!! ✨

Balanced @Slate article on ultra-processed foods by @timrequarth featuring some of our work: slate.com/technology/202…

Wondering if you messed up by hanging outside with your kid in the smoke this week? Me too. So I asked expert @steph_holm how worried we should actually be about wildfire smoke and kids health. @slate slate.com/technology/202…

"For a few carefree years, it seemed as if we could tuck into as much foie gras as we wanted so long as we washed it down with a glass of Beaujolais." @timrequarth @Slate #Longreads #EditorsPicks slate.com/technology/202…

Shannon is a fantastic editor and wonderful to work with! 👇

Another good read from @timrequarth, who once again does a thorough job tackling a big popular science question. @Slate slate.com/technology/202…

@LizHighleyman @shanpalus it's an asset and a liability 😅

And a nice interview between @timrequarth & @shanpalus about how he goes about researching an article. Sounds like Tim -- like me -- spends far more time on exploration than on actual writing. link.slate.com/view/5388f314d…

This is great summary of how industry distorts science 1) Rig studies outright 2) Fund academic institutions to create subtle biases in industry's favor. 3) selectively amplify favorable results. Just what #BigTobacco did, too. slate.com/technology/202… via @slate

Turns out, NO amount of alcohol is good for you (so they say). In a new piece for @slate, I take a deep dive into the latest evidence behind the flip-flop, and explore the historical roots of why alcohol health advice is so divisive 🍷🤔 slate.com/technology/202…

Really finding it hard to process the "AI is about to destroy the world as we know it, meanwhile here are some great ChatGPT productivity hacks" discourse

@readerer It’s pretty incredible tbh

@Mical_Raz thank you! 🙏

👋 #histmed folks - I'm looking to speak with experts who can offer a scientific/cultural/political analysis of the recent history of alcohol use research and the shift in drinking limit guidance. Any recs?