
Science Research Weekly
By Mark R Williamson

Science Research WeeklyJan 24, 2023

Episode 46: Good Friends and Bad Graphs
Get ready for the British oral microbiome across history, the catalogue of gamma-ray pulsars, deep mine microbes, the theme() option in ggplot2, friends not letting friends make bad graphs, and a grant on emerging technologies for cancer research. Science On.
References:
- Ancient dental calculus reveals oral microbiome shifts associated with lifestyle and disease in Great Britain
- The Third Fermi Large Area Telescope Catalog of Gamma-Ray Pulsars
- A metagenomic view of novel microbial and metabolic diversity found within the deep terrestrial biosphere at DeMMO: A microbial observatory in South Dakota, USA
- Spatial autocorrelation
- Getting started with theme()
- GitHub: FriendsDontLetFriends
- NIH: Advanced Development and Validation of Emerging Molecular and Cellular Analysis Technologies for Basic and Clinical Cancer Research
R Packages:
- ivo.table: Pretty Contingency Tables and Frequency Tables
- aloom: All Leave-One-Out Models
- revert: Reversion Mutation Identifier for Sequencing Data

Episode 45: Thanks for All the Keystone Species
Get ready for nanoscale protein traps, enigmatic amoeba, keystone microbes, logarithmic regression in R, and project funding for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Science On.
References:
Rhabdamoeba marina is a heterotrophic relative of chlorarachnid algae
Identifying keystone species in microbial communities using deep learning
concepts in linear regression to know before learning multilevel models
Logarithmic Regression in R: A Step-by-Step Guide with Prediction Intervals
R lubridate: How To Efficiently Work With Dates and Times in R
NHLBI: Program Project Applications
R Packages:
semidist: Measure Dependence Between Categorical and Continuous Variables
ggScatRidges: Scatter Plot Combined with Ridgelines in 'ggplot2'
air: AI Assistant to Write and Understand R Code

Episode 44: Composite Hands and Mitochondrial Medicine
Get ready for composite 3D robot parts, spotting sugar-protein interactions, MIC for mitochondrial health, the R Journal Volume 15/2, avoiding alphabetical order in SAS, font changes in ggplot2, and an NSF grant for organoid systems. Science On.
References:
- Vision-controlled jetting for composite systems and robots
- Minutes-duration optical flares with supernova luminosities
- Fluorogenic Photo-Crosslinking of Glycan-Binding Protein Recognition Using a Fluorinated Azido-Coumarin Fucoside
- A drug-like molecule engages nuclear hormone receptor DAF-12/FXR to regulate mitophagy and extend lifespan
- The R Journal Volume 15/2
- Tip: Avoid alphabetical order for a categorical axis in a graph
- the difference between standard deviation and standard error
- How to Change Fonts in ggplot2 with Google Fonts
- A classifier that's very accurate (and deep)
- Data Analysis in R for Becoming a Bioscientist
- GitHub: TIL
- NSF: Biocomputing through EnGINeering Organoid Intelligence
R Packages:
- cookiemonster: Your Friendly Solution to Managing Browser Cookies
- PAICE: Phylogeographic Analysis of Island Colonization Events
- BayesGmed: Bayesian Causal Mediation Analysis using 'Stan'

Episode 43: Invasion of the Paleobionics!
Get ready for the new field of Paleobionics, molecular beasts, virus-attaching viruses, Jurassic planets, the 2023 Python Developers Survey, free DataCamp and 365 Data Science courses, and an NSF grant for designing synthetic cells beyond the bounds of evolution. Science On.
References:
- Soft robotics informs how an early echinoderm moved
- Distinctive microfossil supports early Paleoproterozoic rise in complex cellular organisation
- CHARGED “MOLECULAR BEASTS” THE BASIS FOR NEW COMPOUNDS
- Simultaneous entry as an adaptation to virulence in a novel satellite-helper system infecting Streptomyces species
- Oxygen bounty for Earth-like exoplanets: spectra of Earth through the Phanerozoic
- A big step for little particle accelerators
- Join the Python Developers Survey 2023: Share and learn about the community!
- 4 ways to display an inset that contains statistics on a SAS graph
- R Shiny Modules: How to Create Your First R Shiny Module
- How to Make a Data Science Portfolio Website (in Under 15 Minutes with R)
- 365 Data Science courses 100% free until November 20
- Data Camp Free Week
- NIH: Exploratory Clinical Trial Grants in Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- NSF: Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models
- NSF: Designing Synthetic Cells Beyond the Bounds of Evolution
R Packages:
- qeML: Quick and Easy Machine Learning Tools
- Spectran: Visual and Non-Visual Spectral Analysis of Light
- SillyPutty: Silly Putty Clustering

Episode 42: Life, the Near Infrared, and Everything
Get ready for the sunken remains of a planet, long-lived fish, near infrared detection on Uranus, R and Bioconductor updates, and NASA grants for life in space. Science On.
References:
- Moon-forming impactor as a source of Earth’s basal mantle anomalies
- Centenarian lifespans of three freshwater fish species in Arizona reveal the exceptional longevity of the buffalofishes (Ictiobus)
- Detection of the infrared aurora at Uranus with Keck-NIRSPEC
- [Rd] R 4.3.2 is released
- Bioconductor 3.18 Released
- Scanning QR codes in R
- Approaches to Calculating Number Needed to Treat (NNT) with Meta-Analysis
- How to Load SAS Files in R: Transitioning from SAS to R with Seamless Data Integration
- NOSI: Using Targeted Degradation of Protein and non-Protein Targets for the Development of Novel Anti-Infectives
- NOSI: Chronic Inflammation of the Oral Cavity - An Agent for Oral Mucosal Disease
- NASA: Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
- NASA: Transport Phenomena Research at the International Space Station to Benefit Life on Earth
- NASA: NSF/CASIS Collaboration on Tissue Engineering and Mechanobiology on the International Space Station (ISS) to Benefit Life on Earth
R Packages:
- portion: Extracting a Data Portion
- Rnanoflann: Extremely Fast Nearest Neighbor Search
- SurvSparse: Survival Analysis with Sparse Longitudinal Covariates
- tRigon: Toolbox for Integrative Pathomics Analysis
- defineOptions: Define and Parse Command Line Options

Episode 41: Things are Heating Up
Get ready for technosignatures from space, hypertension-reducing gut microbes, DNA nanomachines, molten Martian layers, a RegEx treasure hunt in R, and a radiation medical countermeasures grant. Science On.
References:
- A Simultaneous Dual-site Technosignature Search Using International LOFAR Stations
- Genetically engineered Lactobacillus paracasei rescues colonic angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and attenuates hypertension in female Ace2 knock out rats
- A rhythmically pulsing leaf-spring DNA-origami nanoengine that drives a passive follower
- Geophysical evidence for an enriched molten silicate layer above Mars’s core
- Weighted Trajectory Analysis and Application to Clinical Outcome Assessment
- mixed models with crossed random factors
- How to Create a Bubble Chart in R using ggplot2
- Unearthing Golden Nuggets of Data: A RegEx Treasure Hunt in R
- 3 (actually 4) neat R functions
- GitHub: MuJoCo
- NIH: Development of Candidate Radiation/Nuclear Medical Countermeasures
R Packages:
- envvar: Make Working with Environment Variables Easier and More Consistent
- multitool: Run Multiverse Style Analyses
- oeli: Utilities for Developing Data Science Software
- mvhtests: Multivariate Hypothesis Tests
- eglhmm: Extended Generalised Linear Hidden Markov Models

Episode 40: Brain Cell Atlas Shrugged
Get ready for polygenic risk score stumbling blocks, million-color-palette miniaturized DNA-based painting, the human brain cell atlas, rogue nanowaves, tiny particle accelerators, a Peanuts Halloween themed R release, the Power of Functional Programming in R, and a grant for developing models of oncoaging in cancer research. Science On.
References:
- Performance of polygenic risk scores in screening, prediction, and risk stratification: secondary analysis of data in the Polygenic Score Catalog
- A Canvas of Spatially Arranged DNA Strands that Can Produce 24-bit Color Depth
- VirB, a key transcriptional regulator of Shigella virulence, requires a CTP ligand for its regulatory activities
- Single-cell DNA methylation and 3D genome architecture in the human brain
- Rogue nanowaves: A route to film rupture
- Coherent nanophotonic electron accelerator
- Journal of Statistical Software, Volume 107
- R 4.3.2 scheduled for October 31
- Mastering Interaction Plots in R: Unveiling Hidden Relationships
- Mastering the Art of Drawing Circles in Plots with R
- Releasing collapse 2.0: Blazing Fast Joins, Reshaping, and Enhanced R
- Unlocking the Power of Functional Programming in R (Part 1)
- A brand new GAMLj
- NOSI: Research Projects to Develop Oncoaging Models for Cancer Research
R Packages:
- eglhmm: Extended Generalized Linear Hidden Markov Models
- maplegend: Legends for Maps
- ZIBR: A Zero-Inflated Beta Random Effect Model
- qrlabelr: Generate Machine- And Human-Readable Plot Labels for Experiments
- MicrobiomeSurv: Biomarker Validation for Microbiome-Based Survival Classification and Prediction
- tinycodet: A Few Functions to Help in your Coding Etiquette

Episode 39: Bulking Up on Microbial Dark Matter Proteins
Get ready for X-ray blasted 3D prints, a prehistoric “Pontus” tectonic plate, microbial dark matter protein families, function approximation in SAS, Bionic Reading in R, and a small business grant opportunity for genomic medicine. Science On.
References:
- Dendritic deformation modes in additive manufacturing revealed by operando x-ray diffraction
- Plate tectonic cross-roads: Reconstructing the Panthalassa-Neotethys Junction Region from Philippine Sea Plate and Australasian oceans and orogens
- Unraveling the functional dark matter through global metagenomics
- GMM Estimators for Binary Spatial Models in R
- Approximate functions by using Taylor series and rational functions
- Horizontal Legends in Base R
- Little useless-useful R functions – Function for faster reading with Bionic Reading
- GitHub: Paperless-ngx
- NHGRI: Advancing Genomic Medicine Research through Small Businesses
- NSF: Cognitive Neuroscience
- MSA: Kenneth Downing Postdoctoral Scholarship
R Packages:
- MicrobiomeSurv: Biomarker Validation for Microbiome-Based Survival Classification and Prediction
- samplesizeestimator: Calculate Sample Size for Various Scenarios
- galamm: Generalized Additive Latent and Mixed Models
- wikkitidy: Tidy Analysis of Wikipedia
- mineSweepR: Mine Sweeper Game

Episode 38: Dancing DNA in the Detection Field
Get ready for highly sensitive dancing DNA detection, rare-earth munching bacteria, Python 3.12.0, the Top 9 R packages that every Data Scientist must know, and the Cancer Research Education Grants Program. Science On.
References:
- A New Tissue-Agnostic Microfluidic Device to model physiology and disease: The Lattice Platform
- Nanomechanoelectrical approach to highly sensitive and specific label-free DNA detection
- Genomic characterization of rare earth binding by Shewanella oneidensis
- piRNA processing by a trimeric Schlafen-domain nuclease
- A Candida auris–specific adhesin, Scf1, governs surface association, colonization, and virulence
- Use design matrices to analysis subgroups in SAS IML
- Python 3.12.0 (final) now available
- Top 9 R packages (that every Data Scientist must know)
- Creating typewriter-styled maps in {ggplot2}
- Plotting Decision Trees in R with rpart and rpart.plot
- NIH: Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Courses for Skills Development
- NIH: Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Research Experiences
- NIH: Cancer Research Education Grants Program - Curriculum or Methods Development
- NSF: Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award
- ACSM: Research & Program Grants
R Packages:
- conformalpvalue: Computes Conformal p-Values
- speccurvieR: Easy, Fast, and Pretty Specification Curve Analysis
- syntenyPlotteR: Genome Synteny Visualization
- h3r: Hexagonal Hierarchical Geospatial Indexing System

Episode 37: Code with me, I’m from the Future
Get ready for falling antimatter, water flea waste treatment, super solar distillation, R Journal volume 15/1, future programming languages, how NOT to format time series data, and an Ideas Lab grant for Personalized Engineering Learning. Science On.
References:
- Observation of the effect of gravity on the motion of antimatter
- Harnessing water fleas for water reclamation: A nature-based tertiary wastewater treatment technology
- Delivery of Nematicides Using TMGMV-Derived Spherical Nanoparticles
- A split and inducible adenine base editor for precise in vivo base editing
- Extreme salt-resisting multistage solar distillation with thermohaline convection
- Journal of Statistical Software: Volume 107
- R Journal: Volume 15/1
- 13+ Future Programming Languages 2025-2030 Coders Must Know
- 100+ CGR Micro Project Topics: Unleashing Your Creativity
- How NOT to format time series data
- Mastering Data Visualization with ggplot2: A Guide to Using facet_grid()
- GitHub: Omnivore
- NIAID: Fc-Dependent Mechanisms of Antibody-Mediated Killing
- NSF: Ideas Lab: Personalized Engineering Learning
R Packages:
- Colossus: Risk Model Regression and Analysis with Complex Non-Linear Models
- cloneRate: Estimate Growth Rates from Phylogenetic Trees
- statConfR: Models of Decision Confidence and Metacognition
- chem.databases: Collection of 3 Chemical Databases from Public Sources

Episode 36: Bone Lost in Space
Get ready for bone loss mitigation in space mice, a northern paleo-ocean on Mars, a new deep-sea virus, graphs within graphs in SAS, types of statistical contrasts, and a pediatrics grant from the March of Dimes. Science On.
References:
- Bisphosphonate conjugation enhances the bone-specificity of NELL-1-based systemic therapy for spaceflight-induced bone loss in mice
- Longitudinal genomic surveillance of carriage and transmission of Clostridioides difficile in an intensive care unit
- Gravity aspects for Mars
- Identification and genomic analysis of temperate Halomonas bacteriophage vB_HmeY_H4907 from the surface sediment of the Mariana Trench at a depth of 8,900 m
- Use PROC SGPLOT to embed a graph inside another graph
- six common types of statistical contrasts
- An Educational Stroll With Stan – Part 1
- Histograms with Two or More Variables in R
- MD: Pediatric Scientist Development Program
R Packages:
- LearnSL: Learn Supervised Classification Methods Through Examples and Code
- clustlearn: Learn Clustering Techniques Through Examples and Code

Episode 35: Wi-Fi Reading and Microflying
Get ready for atmospheric water harvesting, entering the lipidome, Wi-Fi reading through walls, electric-producing bacteria, shape-shifting microflyer origami robots, the return of the Journal of Statistical Software, top picks for posit::conf 2023, the TidyTuesday GitHub repository, and a grant to establish a Center for Exposome Research Coordination. Science On.
References:
- Molecularly confined hydration in thermoresponsive hydrogels for efficient atmospheric water harvesting
- Dynamic lipidome alterations associated with human health, disease and ageing
- Analysis of Keller Cones for RF Imaging
- Video of RF Imaging
- An interfacial solar evaporation enabled autonomous double-layered vertical floating solar sea farm
- Extracellular electron transfer pathways to enhance the electroactivity of modified Escherichia coli
- Biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in spaceflight is minimized on lubricant impregnated surfaces
- Senolytic therapy in mild Alzheimer’s disease: a phase 1 feasibility trial
- Genetic manipulation of Patescibacteria provides mechanistic insights into microbial dark matter and the epibiotic lifestyle
- Solar-powered shape-changing origami microfliers
- Video of Origami microfliers
- Journal of Statistical Software: Volume 107
- Multi-threading on JuliaHub
- The SG annotation macros in SAS
- Appsilon’s Top 10 Sessions to Check Out at posit::conf 2023
- Creating Population Pyramid Plots in R with ggplot2
- Plotting SVM Decision Boundaries with e1071 in R
- GitHub: TidyTuesday
- NIH: Center for Exposome Research Coordination to Accelerate Precision Environmental Health
- AAN: Clinical Research Training Scholarship in Parkinson's Disease
R Packages:
- DebiasInfer: Efficient Inference on High-Dimensional Linear Model with Missing Outcomes
- biosampleR: Biodiversity Index Calculation and Bootstrap Confidence Interval Estimation
- CohortAlgebra: Use of Interval Algebra to Create New Cohort(s) from Existing Cohorts
- moodlequizR: Easily Create Fully Randomized 'Moodle' Test Questions
- epiCleanr: A Tidy Solution for Epidemiological Data

Episode 34: Ribozyme Samurai
Get ready for distractingly dense planets, SAMURI ribozymes, serious clinical sepsis incidence, jittering in R, the Bioconductor 3.18 release schedule, and the NIH HEAL Initiative. Science On.
References:
- A super-massive Neptune-sized planet
- A SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme for site-specific RNA alkylation in living cells
- The Rhabdodontidae (Dinosauria, Ornithischia), an enigmatic dinosaur group endemic to the Late Cretaceous European Archipelago
- Estimating Sepsis Incidence Using Administrative Data and Clinical Medical Record Review
- Model data from published summary statistics
- Grants For R Language Infrastructure Projects Available Now!
- When to use Jitter
- Insights on R Package Quality and Validation for Clinical Trials
- Bioconductor 3.18 Release Schedule
- NOSI: Quantum Sensing in Biomedical Applications
- NOSI: Research Supplements to Promote Re-Entry, Re-integration into, and Re-training in Health-Related Research Careers
- NIH: HEAL Initiative
- NSF: Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology
R Packages:
- karyotapR: DNA Copy Number Analysis for Genome-Wide Tapestri Panels
- phantSEM: Create Phantom Variables in Structural Equation Models for Sensitivity Analyses
- juicedown: 'juice' + 'markdown': Convert 'R Markdown' into 'HTML' with Inline Styles
- procs: Recreates Some 'SAS®' Procedures in 'R'
- webmap: Create Interactive Web Maps Using 'The National Map' Services

Episode 33: Microbe-Skewering Micro-Spikes
Get ready for allergic disease and the infant gut microbiome, three-eyed arthropods, titanium micro-spikes for killing pathogenic fungus, array thinking in R, and a grant to culture difficult eukaryotic pathogens. Science On.
References:
- Delayed gut microbiota maturation in the first year of life is a hallmark of pediatric allergic disease
- The early Cambrian Kylinxia zhangi and evolution of the arthropod head
- Apoptosis of Multi-Drug Resistant Candida Species on Microstructured Titanium Surfaces
- Exploring Relationships with Correlation Heatmaps in R
- Plotting Multiple Lines on a Graph in R: A Step-by-Step Guide
- 6 New books added to Big Book of R
- NIH: Research Tools for Difficult to Culture Eukaryotic Pathogens
- NIH: Early-stage Biomedical Data Repositories and Knowledgebases
- Gateway for Cancer Research: Integrative Program
R Packages:
- condensr: Academic Group Website Generator
- ruminate: A Pharmacometrics Data Transformation and Analysis Tool
- phylosem: Phylogenetic Structural Equation Model

Episode 32: The Kirigami Engineers
Get ready for naked-mole rat longevity transfer into mice, kirigami for engineering, a new antibiotic from microbial dark matter, eDNA for vertebrate biomonitoring, Julia cracking the top 20 programming languages, template files with R, and a Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award. Science On.
References:
- Increased hyaluronan by naked mole-rat Has2 improves healthspan in mice
- MIT engineers use kirigami to make ultrastrong, lightweight structures
- An antibiotic from an uncultured bacterium binds to an immutable target
- Vertebrate environmental DNA from leaf swabs
- JuliaHub Newsletter August 2023
- Bootstrap predicted means by using PROC GLMSELECT
- Creating template files with R
- Best Practices for Data Cleaning and Preprocessing
- NIH: Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Fellow Transition Award
- NIH: Research Projects to Enhance Applicability of Mammalian Models for Translational Research
- NSF: Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases
R Packages:
- artpack: Creates Generative Art Data
- syllogi: Collection of Data Sets for Teaching Purposes
- rmass2: Repeated Measures with Attrition: Sample Sizes and Power Levels for 2 Groups
- scriptloc: Get the Location of the R Script that is Being Sourced/Executed

Episode 31: Are You Not Entertained?
Get ready the Dinosaur Coliseum, cancer-detecting bioengineer bacteria, embedding Unicode into SAS, a web-crawling Katana, and a Million Dollar Bike ride for rare disease research. Science On.
References:
- Clinical efficacy of ONC201 in H3K27M-mutant diffuse midline gliomas is driven by disruption of integrated metabolic and epigenetic pathways
- Vertebrate ichnology and palaeoenvironmental associations of Alaska’s largest known dinosaur tracksite in the Cretaceous Cantwell Formation (Maastrichtian) of Denali National Park and Preserve
- Engineered bacteria detect tumor DNA
- Sustained wet–dry cycling on early Mars
- Add Unicode symbols and format text labels in SAS
- Plot confidence intervals for a regression model in SAS
- Bootstrap confidence intervals for the predicted mean in a regression model
- Mastering Data Visualization: A Guide to Harnessing the Power of R’s par() Function
- GitHub: katana
- NIH/NIA: R43/R44 REDI Award
- NIH/NIA: R41/R42 REDI Award
- NSF: Physics Investigator-Initiated Research Projects
- NSF: Smart Health and Biomedical Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Data Science
- Air Force: Science and Technology Fellowship
- Marfan Foundation: Innovators Grants
- Million Dollar Bike Ride Pilot Grant Program
- AAI Intersect Fellowship Program
- AHA: AIREA
- McKnight: Scholar Award
R-packages:
- graposas: Graphical Approach Optimal Sample Size
- osmclass: Classify Open Street Map Features
- bulkreadr: The Ultimate Tool for Reading Data in Bulk
- handcodeR: Text Annotation App
- unicol: The Colors of your University

Episode 30: A Bit of a (DNA) Stretch
Get ready for bacterial circadian clocks, a new form of bacterial transduction, the effect of DNA stretches and twists on mutation rates, web development training materials, and a music-based intervention grant. Science On.
References:
- The circadian clock of the bacterium B. subtilis evokes properties of complex, multicellular circadian systems
- Dual pathogenicity island transfer by piggybacking lateral transduction
- Structural underpinnings of mutation rate variations in the human genome
- Enhance Your Plots with the text() Function in R
- GitHub: Web-Dev-For-Beginners
- NIH: Music-based Interventions Toolkit for Brain Disorders of Aging
- NSF: Artic Research Opportunities
- AHA: Institutional Research Enhancement Award
R Packages:
- none

Episode 29: Greengenes 2, This Time, It’s Personal
Get ready for ancient, icy nematodes, renewable plastics, Greengenes volume 2, linear model transformations in R, and Gut-Brain Communication in Parkinson’s grants. Science On.
References:
- A novel nematode species from the Siberian permafrost shares adaptive mechanisms for cryptobiotic survival with C. elegans dauer larva
- Exploring the relationship between social jetlag with gut microbial composition, diet and cardiometabolic health, in the ZOE PREDICT 1 cohort
- Biorenewable and circular polydiketoenamine plastics
- Greengenes2 unifies microbial data in a single reference tree
- SatRdays London 2023 – Recordings
- One Weird Trick to Make Ggplot2 Columns the Same Width
- Linear model and Transformations
- GitHub: ClickHouse
- NIH: Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R01)
- NIH: Secondary Analysis and Integration of Existing Data to Elucidate Cancer Risk and Related Outcomes (R21)
- NIH: A Consortium for Gut-Brain Communication in Parkinson’s Disease (U01)
- NIH: A Consortium for Gut-Brain Communication in Parkinson’s Disease (U24)
- McKnight Foundation: Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Award
- ASCO: Young Investigator Award
R Packages:
- none

Episode 28: Fungal Enlightenment
Get ready for fungal genome mining, new R books, and a cancer nanotechnology grant. Science On.
References:
- Size Dependence of the Bouncing Barrier in Protoplanetary Dust Growth
- Near-Infrared Fluorescent Biosensors Based on Covalent DNA Anchors
- Mining for a new class of fungal natural products: the evolution, diversity, and distribution of isocyanide synthase biosynthetic gene clusters
- what is a randomized complete block design?
- Simplify Your Code with R’s Powerful Functions: with() and within()
- 7 New books added to Big Book of R
- GitHub: Cal.com
- NOSI: Lymphatic System in Health and Disease
- NCI: Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology
R Packages:
- MultiClassROC: ROC Curves for Multi-Class Analysis
- UpDown: Detecting Group Disturbances from Longitudinal Observations

Episode 27: Dog Bites Dinosaur
Get ready for DNA origami, an Elvis-impersonator pterodactyl, self-healing metal, a dinosaur-chomping mammal, the case of the missing dark matter, a lazier way to use Docker, and a grant for theoretical physics hubs. Science On.
References:
- DNA-origami-directed virus capsid polymorphism
- Petrodactyle wellnhoferi gen. et sp. nov.: A new and large ctenochasmatid pterosaur from the Late Jurassic of Germany
- Autonomous healing of fatigue cracks via cold welding
- An extraordinary fossil captures the struggle for existence during the Mesozoic
- The massive relic galaxy NGC 1277 is dark matter deficient
- Dates and location for useR! 2024
- JuliaHub Newsletter July 2023
- Standardize regression coefficients for models that include categorical variables
- GitHub: lazydocker
- GitHub: how-web-works
- NSF: Focused Research Hubs in Theoretical Physics
R Packages:
- badgen: Fast and Simple Badge Generator
- forestly: Interactive Forest Plot
- quickcode: A Compilation of Some Frequently Used R Functions

Episode 26: Living Cameras and Old Universes
Get ready for weird whales, bacterial sample collection via lollipop, hints at life on Mars, living digital cameras, a much older universe, free training on 67 programming languages, and a Housing and Urban Development grant for radon detection and mitigation. Science On.
References:
- Convergent evolution of skim feeding in baleen whales
- At-Home Saliva Sampling in Healthy Adults Using CandyCollect, a Lollipop-Inspired Device
- Microeukaryotic predators shape the wastewater microbiome
- The effects of board games on math skills in children attending prekindergarten and kindergarten: A systematic review
- Oncogene-like addiction to aneuploidy in human cancers
- A mid-Cambrian tunicate and the deep origin of the ascidiacean body plan
- Diverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars
- A biological camera that captures and stores images directly into DNA
- JWST early Universe observations and ΛCDM cosmology
- datasetR – R package for creating datasets
- Unveiling a New Era in Molecular Visualization: Introducing shiny.molstar for Large Molecular Structures Visualization in R
- Array Languages: R vs APL
- exercism
- HUD: Radon Testing and Mitigation Demonstration for Public Housing
- DOD: Toxic Exposures
R Packages:
- grpnet: Group Elastic Net Regularized GLM
- bbmix: Bayesian Model for Genotyping using RNA-Seq
- TOmicsVis: Transcriptome Visualization Process Scheme

Episode 25: Top Transposon, Maverick
Get ready for metallic 3D prints, Cambrian predators that skipped appendage-day at the gym, the mechanisms of chemical gardens, the mysteries of virus-like transposon ‘Mavericks’, coding cheat sheets, and a rare disease grant. Science On.
References:
- Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton–Belkovich
- Metallic gels for conductive 3D and 4D printing
- Raptorial appendages of the Cambrian apex predator Anomalocaris canadensis are built for soft prey and speed
- Pattern selection by material aging: Modeling chemical gardens in two and three dimensions
- Virus-like transposons cross the species barrier and drive the evolution of genetic incompatibilities
- An Easy Way to Customize Your Shiny App Theme
- CheatSheet for coding in R, Python and Julia
- GitHub: Tkinter-Designer
- NIH: Preclinical Proof of Concept Studies for Rare Diseases
- NIH: Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders (R01)
- NIH: Cellular and Molecular Biology of Complex Brain Disorders (R21)
- Jonathan F. Reichert Foundation: ALPhA Immersions Support
- AABB Foundation: Early-Career Scientific Research Grants Program
R Packages:
- esem: Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling ESEM
- protHMM: Protein Feature Extraction from Profile Hidden Markov Models
- ZooID: Load, Segment and Classify Zooplankton Images

Episode 24: My Chemical Sequence
Get ready for extinct avian genomes, stellar smashing, chemical needles in the haystack, the last Top 40 New CRAN Packages, and career awards at the scientific interface. Science On.
References:
- Genomes of the extinct Bachman’s warbler show high divergence and no evidence of admixture with other extant Vermivora warblers
- A long-duration gamma-ray burst of dynamical origin from the nucleus of an ancient galaxy
- BioAutoMATED: An end-to-end automated machine learning tool for explanation and design of biological sequences
- Therapeutic efficacy of 211At-radiolabeled 2,6-diisopropylphenyl azide in mouse models of human lung cancer
- A Dual-Gated Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations-Ion Mobility Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry Platform for Combined Ultra-High-Resolution Molecular Analysis
- Newsletter June 2023 - Julia 2023 User & Developer Survey - Closing Soon!
- two types of effect size statistic: standardized and unstandardized
- May 2023: “Top 40” New CRAN Packages
- ggplotting power curves from simr package
- GitHub: Svelte
- NOSI: Advancing Biomedical Research in Pulmonary Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infections
- NOSI: Using Targeted Degradation of Protein and non-Protein Targets for the Development of Novel Anti-Infectives
- North Carolina Biotechnology Center Translational Research Grant
- American Roentgen Ray Society Scholarship
- BWF Career Awards at the Scientific Interface
R Packages:
- New CRAN packages that deserve to bask in the light of a new day:
- flashlighttext: Flashlight Text R Interface
- GRCRegression: Modified Poisson Regression of Grouped and Right-Censored Counts
- otargen: Access Open Target Genetics
- tree3d: 3D Tree Models

Episode 23: Sir Ankylosaurus, I Presume?
Get ready for English ankylosaurs, video game mechanics for brain cell monitoring, microbial dark oxygen, pangolin robots, sampling in R, code editing for Macs, and a pangenome informatics grant. Science On.
References:
- Legacy Effects of Phytoremediation on Plant-Associated Prokaryotic Communities in Remediated Subarctic Soil Historically Contaminated with Petroleum Hydrocarbons
- Vectipelta barretti, a new ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, UK
- Super-resolved trajectory-derived nanoclustering analysis using spatiotemporal indexing
- Hydrogen and dark oxygen drive microbial productivity in diverse groundwater ecosystems
- Pangolin-inspired untethered magnetic robot for on-demand biomedical heating applications
- R 4.3.1 is released
- Python 3.12.0 beta 3 released
- Summary of Julia Plotting Packages
- Use built-in ODS templates to display SAS tables
- Unleashing the Power of Sampling in R: Exploring the Versatile sample() Function
- GitHub: CodeEdit
- NHGRI: Informatics Tools for the Pangenome
- NHGRI: High Quality Reference Genomes
- NSF: Cellular and Biochemical Engineering
- NSF: Engineering of Biomedical Systems
R Packages:
- ppRep: Analysis of Replication Studies using Power Priors
- CIfinder: Estimate the Confidence Intervals for Predictive Values
- pivotea: Create Pivot Table Easily

Episode 22: Of Vikings and Tokamaks
Get ready for phosphates in an icy moon’s ocean, Neanderthals and Vikings disease, compact fusion reactors, the difficulties of effect size, Bayesian SEM, and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms grant funding. Science On.
References:
- Detection of phosphates originating from Enceladus’s ocean
- Major Genetic Risk Factors for Dupuytren's Disease Are Inherited From Neandertals
- Achievement of ion temperatures in excess of 100 million degrees Kelvin in the compact high-field spherical tokamak ST40
- the effect size: the most difficult step in calculating sample size estimates
- Mojo Programming Language: A Beginner’s Guide
- Top 37+ Exciting Website Project Ideas to Ignite Creativity
- Bayesian structural equation model tutorial
- GitHub: astro
- NIH: Novel Mechanism Research on Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) in Alzheimer's Dementia
- NOSI: Applications of Data Science in Translational Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research
R Packages:
- DDPM: Data Sets for Discrete Probability Models
- boxly: Interactive Box Plot
- ggaligner: Visualizing Sequence Alignment by Generating Publication-Ready Plots
- pcutils: Some Useful Functions for Statistics and Visualization
- STAREG: An Empirical Bayes Approach for Replicability Analysis Across Two Studies
- tdata: Prepare Your Time-Series Data for Further Analysis
- epiworldR: Fast Agent-Based Epi Models
- GGoutlieR: Identify Individuals with Unusual Geo-Genetic Patterns

Episode 21: Eukaryote Fell Down and Broke Its Crown
Get ready for air-quality environmental DNA, multiple British spinosaurids, a lost branch of the eukaryotic family tree, bioinks for space, GLM proselytizing, and Small Business Innovation Research grants. Science On.
References:
- Air-quality networks collect environmental DNA with the potential to measure biodiversity at continental scales
- Buckling Metamaterials for Extreme Vibration Damping
- Candidatus Alkanophaga archaea from Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent sediment oxidize petroleum alkanes
- Isolated tooth reveals hidden spinosaurid dinosaur diversity in the British Wealden Supergroup (Lower Cretaceous)
- Lost world of complex life and the late rise of the eukaryotic crown
- Bioinks for Space Missions: The Influence of Long-Term Storage of Alginate-Methylcellulose-Based Bioinks on Printability as well as Cell Viability and Function
- Python 3.11.4, 3.10.12, 3.9.17, 3.8.17, 3.7.17, and 3.12.0 beta 2 are now available
- Visualize the Spearman rank correlation
- Update to Data Science Software Popularity
- Why GLMs should be a priority when teaching statistics
- How to improve your storytelling with R
- Simulating confounders, colliders and mediators by @ellis2013nz
- NIAID: New Innovators Awards
- USDA: 2023 SPSD Collaborative Soil Science Research
- NSF: Small Business Innovation Research/ Small Business Technology Transfer Program Phase I
R Packages:
- ami: Checks for Various Computing Environments
- rtms: R Toolkit for Mass Spectrometry
- gptzeror: Identify Text Written by Large Language Models using 'GPTZero'

Episode 20: Tintin and the Rare-Earth Elements
Get ready for rare-earth element binding proteins, single atom X-ray signals, Beagle Scouts on the march, the 2023 Python Language Summit, embedding code into SAS programs, ggplots with Tintin, and Gateway for Cancer Research funding opportunities. Science On.
References:
- Enhanced rare-earth separation with a metal-sensitive lanmodulin dimer
- Characterization of just one atom using synchrotron X-rays
- Independent rediploidization masks shared whole genome duplication in the sturgeon-paddlefish ancestor
- R 4.3.1 scheduled for June 16
- The Python Language Summit 2023
- Julia Newsletter May 2023
- Embedding any code anywhere into SAS programs
- Demystifying Regular Expressions: A Programmer’s Guide for Beginners
- Introducing standby
- April 2023: “Top 40” New CRAN Packages
- ‘ggplot2’ Palettes From Tintin Comic Books
- GitHub: grype
- CIDR: High Throughput Sequencing and Genotyping Resource Access
- AAS-EPD Mini-Grant Program
- Gateway for Cancer Research
R packages:
- intrinsicKappa: Sample Size Planning Based on Intrinsic Kappa Value
- WeibullR.plotly: Interactive Weibull Probability Plots with 'WeibullR'
- dmetatools: Computational Tools for Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Accuracy Test
- HDMFA: High-Dimensional Matrix Factor Analysis
- siftr: Fuzzily Search a Dataframe to Find Relevant Columns

Episode 19: Small Things Considered
Get ready for non-natural amino acids, screwdriver-toothed mosasaurs, bubble-powered microbots, SAS Hackathon breakthroughs, Amazing Biochemistry Project Topics, and funding support from a little giraffe. Science On.
References:
- A platform for distributed production of synthetic nitrated proteins in live bacteria
- Stelladens mysteriosus: A Strange New Mosasaurid (Squamata) from the Maastrichtian (Late Cretaceous) of Morocco
- High-throughput printing of combinatorial materials from aerosols
- Bubble-Based Microrobots with Rapid Circular Motions for Epithelial Pinning and Drug Delivery
- Generic Air-Gen Effect in Nanoporous Materials for Sustainable Energy Harvesting from Air Humidity
- Macromolecular Engineering: From Precise Macromolecular Inks to 3D Printed Microstructures
- Python 3.12.0 beta 1 released
- How does PROC SGPLOT position labels for polygons?
- Unleashing brilliance: 3 innovative solutions to real-world problems at the SAS Hackathon
- the difference between clustered, longitudinal, and repeated measures data
- 35+ Amazing Biochemistry Project Topics To Boost Your Skills
- Why learning Python is hard (but important) for Data Scientists that use R
- R Consortium-Funded R Package “matter” Helps Solve Larger-Than-Memory Issues
- GitHub: rembg
- NSF: Geoinformatics
- DOD: Neurofibromatosis New Investigator Award
- 2023 Neonatal Research Initiative - Request for Proposals
- Hirshberg Foundation Seed Grant Program
- 2023 Kaggle AI Report
- HuBMAP - Hacking the Human Vasculature
R packages:
- BIDistances: Bioinformatic Distances
- cstidy: Helpful Functions for Cleaning Surveillance Data
- ggautomap: Create Maps from a Column of Place Names
- JUMP: Replicability Analysis of High-Throughput Experiments

Episode 18: DNA, DNA Everywhere
Get ready for human environmental DNA, over-the-top cosmological energy, rafting microbes, bimodal biomass, Julia 1.9’s releases, SAS patents, the freeCodeCamp repository, and Department of Defense melanoma grants. Science On.
References:
- Inadvertent human genomic bycatch and intentional capture raise beneficial applications and ethical concerns with environmental DNA
- A global phylogeny of butterflies reveals their evolutionary history, ancestral hosts and biogeographic origins
- Multiwavelength observations of the extraordinary accretion event AT2021lwx
- Chitin utilization by marine picocyanobacteria and the evolution of a planktonic lifestyle
- Ancient gene linkages support ctenophores as sister to other animals
- The sizes of life
- Julia 1.9 Highlights
- SAS inventors celebrate 54 new patents
- Poisson HMM: The model of count time series
- freeCodeCamp
- Awesome Remote Job
- DOD: Melanoma Idea Award
- NIA: Analyses of CALERIE Datasets and Biospecimens
- Burrough Wellcome Fund: PATH
- ACMG Foundation: Training Awards and Fellowships
R packages:
- BIDistances: Bioinformatic Distances
- rchemo: Dimension Reduction, Regression and Discrimination for Chemometrics
- ggflowchart: Flowcharts with 'ggplot2'

Episode 17: Regressing towards the Mean
Get ready for bacterial metabolism prediction, surprise asteroid belts, SAS-poor AI advice, Kruskal Wallis post-hoc tests, lots of new R packages on regression, and a Carnegie astrophysics fellowship. Science On.
References:
- BacterAI maps microbial metabolism without prior knowledge
- Thermal and chemical properties of the eROSITA bubbles from Suzaku observations
- Spatially resolved imaging of the inner Fomalhaut disk using JWST/MIRI
- bootUR: An R Package for Bootstrap Unit Root Tests
- How good is an AI chatbot at SAS programming?
- a post-hoc test for kruskal-wallis
- Build an R package: the workshop
- RADAR AI Edition: DataCamp’s Free Summit on How Generative AI is Transforming Data Science
- GitHub: siyuan
- NCATS: Awards Supporting Cutting-Edge Technologies for Translational Science
- NIH: Sex Differences in Radiation Research
- NSF: BioFoundries
- NASA: Early Career Investigator Program in Earth Science
- CRI: Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship
- Carnegie: Postdoctoral Fellowship
R packages:
- ggflowchart: Flowcharts with 'ggplot2'
- DataSetsUni: A Collection of Univariate Data Sets
- BayesMortalityPlus: Bayesian Mortality Modelling
- tidygam: Tidy Prediction and Plotting of Generalised Additive Models
- ZIPG: Zero-Inflated Poisson-Gamma Regression
- speedglm: Fitting Linear and Generalized Linear Models to Large Data Sets
- survstan: Fitting Survival Regression Models via 'Stan'

Episode 16: Guardians of the Genome
Get ready for planet swelling stars, genome guarding proteins, the largest mammalian genomic dataset in history, Bayesian Spatial Disaggregation Modeling, Computer Science courses, clickable word clouds, and Pre-Clinical Research on Gene Therapies for Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Science On.
References:
- An infrared transient from a star engulfing a planet
- Exciton-Condensate-Like Amplification of Energy Transport in Light Harvesting
- Visualizing the disordered nuclear transport machinery in situ
- Building a genome-based understanding of bacterial pH preferences
- Zoonomia
- A genomic timescale for placental mammal evolution
- disaggregation: An R Package for Bayesian Spatial Disaggregation Modeling
- Bring your expertise to SAS Explore 2023
- Computer Science courses with video lectures
- How to create a clickable world cloud with wordcloud2 and Shiny
- March 2023: “Top 40” New CRAN Packages
- NOSI: Pre-Clinical Research on Gene Therapies for Rare Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders
R packages:
- HybridMicrobiomes: Analysis of Host-Associated Microbiomes from Hybrid Organisms
- BayesRepDesign: Bayesian Design of Replication Studies
- cartographer: Turn Place Names into Map Data
- mixedBayes: Bayesian Longitudinal Regularized Quantile Mixed Model

Episode 15: Buzzing Across the Pond
Get ready for jetting black holes, cancer diagnosis with a strip of paper, the mysterious world of freshwater acoustics, frontiers in fungal biotechnology, transcribing/translating audio with Buzz, and NSF infrastructure grants. Science On.
References:
- A ring-like accretion structure in M87 connecting its black hole and jet
- Galaxy interactions are the dominant trigger for local type 2 quasars
- CRISPR-Cas-amplified urinary biomarkers for multiplexed and portable cancer diagnostics
- Simple optical nanomotion method for single-bacterium viability and antibiotic response testing
- Diel variation in insect-dominated temperate pond soundscapes and guidelines for survey design
- A versatile jellyfish-like robotic platform for effective underwater propulsion and manipulation
- Fungal biotechnology: From yesterday to tomorrow
- R 4.3.0 is released
- how to pick an r package
- GitHub: Buzz
- GitHub: tabby
- NIA: Small Research Grant for Next Gen. AD/ADRD Research
- NSF: Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research
- NSF: Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research
- HFSP: Long-Term Fellowships
- CAP: Global Pathology Development Grant
R-packages:
- jmBIG: Joint Longitudinal and Survival Model for Big Data
- mlmpower: Power Analysis and Data Simulation for Multilevel Models
- gtranslate: Translate Between Different Languages
- mldr.resampling: Resampling Algorithms for Multi-Label Datasets
- geessbin: Modified Generalized Estimating Equations for Binary Outcome
- survivalSL: Super Learner for Survival Prediction from Censored Data

Episode 14: Of Space Rats and Shiny Apps
Get ready for space rodents microbiomes; 100-year biobatteries; huge, hot exoplanets; reasons why your Shiny App failed; and ways to use statistics to get funding.
References:
- Specific host metabolite and gut microbiome alterations are associated with bone loss during spaceflight
- Moisture-Enabled Germination of Heat-Activated Bacillus Endospores for Rapid and Practical Bioelectricity Generation: Toward Portable, Storable Bacteria-Powered Biobatteries
- Direct imaging and astrometric detection of a gas giant planet orbiting an accelerating star
- Application of Equal Local Levels to Improve Q-Q Plot Testing Bands with R Package qqconf
- The joy of sets
- what is the mann-whitney u test?
- Shiny User Adoption Fails: 9 Reasons Why Nobody Uses Your App
- DHHS: Data Integration and Statistical Analysis Methods
- NOSI: RNA Modifications in Cancer Biology
- NOSI: Synthetic Biology for Biomedical Applications
- MS: Biostatistics/Informatics Junior Faculty Award
R-packages:
- GLMMselect: Bayesian Model Selection for Generalized Linear Mixed Models
- kdry: K's "Don't Repeat Yourself"-Collection
- asmbPLS: Predicting and Classifying Patient Phenotypes with Multi-Omics Data

Episode 13: Crazy Ants, Crazier Viruses
Get ready for chimeric crazy ants, viruses abounding in protists and infants alike, solar system generation in R, an awesome Python list, and a couple of nifty niche funding opportunities. Science On.
References:
- Obligate chimerism in male yellow crazy ants
- Large-scale invasion of unicellular eukaryotic genomes by integrating DNA viruses
- Expanding known viral diversity in the healthy infant gut
- Make “Solar System” Plots With {ggsolar}
- Awesome Python
- Microsoft PowerToys
- NOSI: Assembling the Addiction Organelle Interactome
- NIAID: Mechanisms of Neurotropic Virus-mediated Disease
R-packages:
- fakir: Generate Fake Datasets for Prototyping and Teaching
- betaNB: Bootstrap for Regression Effect Sizes
- npclust: Nonparametric Tests for Incomplete Clustered Data
- SQI: Soil Quality Index

Episode 12: Snowstorms and Dolphins
Get ready for toxic birds, correlation for days, a flipper-tastic multi-tool, blazing fast Shiny development, and Department of Defense cancer grants as far as the eye can see. Science On.
References:
- Evidence for wastewaters as environments where mobile antibiotic resistance genes emerge
- A Morphological and Spatial Analysis of Volcanoes on Venus
- Multiple mutations in the Nav1.4 sodium channel of New Guinean toxic birds provide autoresistance to deadly batrachotoxin
- A social niche breadth score reveals niche range strategies of generalists and specialists
- intRinsic: An R Package for Model-Based Estimation of the Intrinsic Dimension of a Dataset
- Python 3.11.3, 3.10.11 and 3.12 alpha 7 are now available
- Why Use Rank Correlation?
- Weak or strong? How to interpret a Spearman or Kendall correlation
- awesome-flipperzero
- ChatGPT: Made this Shiny App in 10 Minutes
- 6 new books added to Big Book of R
- DoD: Peer Reviewed Cancer, Idea Award
R-packages:
- lessSEM: Non-Smooth Regularization for Structural Equation Models
- AICcPermanova: Model Selection of PERMANOVA Models Using AICc
- rtlr: Print Right-to-Left Languages Correctly
- softbib: Software Bibliographies for R Projects
- Mmcsd: Modeling Complex Longitudinal Data in a Quick and Easy Way
- rrandvec: Generate Random Vectors Whose Components Sum Up to One

Episode 11: Cue the Sci-Fi Dystopia Film Score
Get ready for atomic nuclei views, artificial organelles, AI article generation, PyCon, Simpson's paradox, building your favorite technologies from scratch, and funding to maintain ENCODE. Science On.
References:
- Genome-wide subcellular protein map for the flagellate parasite Trypanosoma brucei
- Artificial organelles for sustainable chemical energy conversion and production in artificial cells: Artificial mitochondrion and chloroplasts
- Tomography of ultrarelativistic nuclei with polarized photon-gluon collisions
- Core cellular and tissue-specific mechanisms enable desiccation tolerance in Craterostigma
- Chatting and cheating: Ensuring academic integrity in the era of ChatGPT
- Journal of Statistical Software Volume 106
- Quick PyCon US Update
- JuliaHub & Julia Ranked #12 in the Debut of Redpoint’s Open-source Top 25
- Simpson's paradox and confounding variables
- 15+ Awesome Javascript Projects For Beginners In 2023
- February 2023: “Top 40” New CRAN Packages
- REDCapDM: a package to access and manage REDCap data
- Top five(ish) sources of ecological data
- Build your own X
- DOD: Young Investigator Program
- NHGRI: Maintenance and Integration of the ENCODE Data Resource
- NIDCR: Research Grants for Analyses of Existing Genomics Data
- NIDCR: Small Research Grants for Analyses of Existing Genomics Data
R Packages:
- lenght: Allow Misspellings of Length Function
- c2z: A Reference Manager
- ecan: Ecological Analysis and Visualization
- Vicus: Exploiting Local Structures to Improve Network-Based Analysis of Biological Data

Episode 10: Sticks and Cones May Break My Bones
Get ready for super microscopes, tardigrade blood stabilization, broken stick modeling, an R version codenamed ‘Already Tomorrow’, a ‘pinecone’ made of Python, and a pitch-style competition for infectious disease funding. Science On.
References:
- Parallelized computational 3D video microscopy of freely moving organisms at multiple gigapixels per second
- Natural and engineered mediators of desiccation tolerance stabilize Human Blood Clotting Factor VIII in a dry state
- Hyperactive nanobacteria with host-dependent traits pervade Omnitrophota
- Electrochemical degradation of PFOA and its common alternatives: Assessment of key parameters, roles of active species, and transformation pathway
- Mother-to-infant microbiota transmission and infant microbiota development across multiple body sites
- Journal of Statistical Software Volume 106
- R 4.3.0 scheduled for April 21
- dummy coding in spss glm–more on fixed factors, covariates, and reference groups
- Partial correlation: controlling for confounding variables
- Pynecone
- A suite of tools to scrape and parse search engine results
- NIH: Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Bioinformatics Center
- NIH: Instrumentation Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions
- NSF: Synthesis Center for Understanding Organismal Resilience
- ACS: Postdoctoral Fellowships
- HFSP: Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships
- IDSA: IDea Incubator
R Packages:
- crayons: Color Palettes from Crayon Boxes
- baseq: Basic Sequence Processing Tool for Biological Data
- reappraised: Statistical Tools for Assessing Publication Integrity of Groups of Trials
- ridgregextra: Ridge Regression Parameter Estimation

Episode 9: Robot Parade!
Get ready for self-healing soft robots, modular NASA robots, Shiny recaps, Statistical Rethinking training, statistical kindergarten, and the NIH Pioneer Award Program. Science On.
References:
- Optical tweezers throw and catch single atoms
- The connectome of an insect brain
- A hydrogenotrophic Sulfurimonas is globally abundant in deep-sea oxygen-saturated hydrothermal plumes
- A self-healing electrically conductive organogel composite
- Engineering breakthrough in softbotics
- Mix-and-match kit could enable astronauts to build a menagerie of lunar exploration bots
- The Young Supernova Experiment Data Release 1 (YSE DR1)
- Observation of a critical charge mode in a strange metal
- 6 predictions for AI and data in health care and life sciences
- Use the metalog distribution in SAS
- R 4.2.3 is released
- ShinyConf 2022 – Short Recap
- Statistical Rethinking (2023 Edition)
- Introduction to data analysis with {Statgarten}.
- WebR IS HERE!
- NIH: Director’s Pioneer Award Program
- NIH: Entry-Level Modules for Training the Genomics Research Workforce
- NIH: Enhancement of external environmental exposure assessment for cancer epidemiology research
- Falk Medical Research Trust: Catalyst Awards Program
- CRI: Immuno-Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship
- ACS: Early Career Postdoctoral-Faculty Bridge Grant
Other Articles:
- LEXpander: Applying colexification networks to automated lexicon expansion
- Surface changes observed on a Venusian volcano during the Magellan mission
- Why is Pumas-QSP So Fast? Some Insights Into Differentiable Simulation Performance
R-packages:
- pharmaverse: Navigate 'Pharmaverse'
- toweranNA: A Method for Handling Missing Values in Prediction Applications
- waspasR: Tool Kit to Implement a W.A.S.P.A.S. Based Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis Solution

Episode 8: Flash Grants in the Pan
Get ready for technological tribology, tingible translational cell biology, flipping fossils, Volume 14/4 of the R Journal, ebook tips and tricks, and flash grants to fixate on. Science On.
References:
- Novel friction stabilization technology for surface damage conditions using machine learning
- Crevasse refreezing and signatures of retreat observed at Kamb Ice Stream grounding zone
- Apoptotic cell fragments locally activate tingible body macrophages in the germinal center
- Dynamic interplay between RPL3- and RPL3L-containing ribosomes modulates mitochondrial activity in the mammalian heart
- An abundant sea anemone from the Carboniferous Mazon Creek Lagerstӓtte, USA
- Paleontologists flip the script on anemone fossils
- Python 3.12.0 alpha 6 released
- The R Journal Volume 14/4
- 7 New books added to Big Book of R
- What I’ve learned making an .epub Ebook with Quarto
- DOD: DEPSoR - Research Collaboration
- DOD: Ovarian Cancer CTR Award
- DOD: Ovarian Cancer Clinical Trial Award
- NHBLI: Research Project Grants in Valvular Heart Disease
- NHBLI: Integrative Omics Analysis of NHLBI TOPMed Data
- HHS: Small R01s for Clinical Trials Targeting Diseases for NIDDK
- Biogen: Sponsorships
- AHR: Strategically Focused Research Networks
- CRI: Technology Impact Award
- IAFNS: Live Dietary Microbe Intake and Health Outcomes
- NC Life Sciences: Flash Grants
R-packages:
- BayesFluxR: Implementation of Bayesian Neural Networks
- lorem: Generate Lorem Ipsum Text
- HDRFA: High-Dimensional Robust Factor Analysis
- guildai: Track Machine Learning Experiments
- aihuman: Experimental Evaluation of Algorithm-Assisted Human Decision-Making

Episode 7: Life, the R-Universe, and Everything
Get ready for an exploration of the R-Universe, simulated octopus tentacles, effects of Vitamin D and exercise on health, fossil wings and fins, statistical conferences to set your calendar by, and a very special 23rd birthday. Science On.
References:
- Energy-shaping control of a muscular octopus arm moving in three dimensions
- Injury primes mutation-bearing astrocytes for dedifferentiation in later life
- Origin of the propatagium in non-avian dinosaurs
- Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews
- MoBIE: a Fiji plugin for sharing and exploration of multi-modal cloud-hosted big image data
- 3D printing of living structural biocomposites
- Network expansion of genetic associations defines a pleiotropy map of human cell biology
- A shape-shifting nuclease unravels structured RNA
- Systematics and Phylogenetic Interrelationships of the Enigmatic Late Jurassic Shark Protospinax annectans Woodward
- Vitamin D supplementation and incident dementia: Effects of sex, APOE, and baseline cognitive status
- JuliaHub Newsletter February 2023
- Bioconductor Conference 2023
- PhyloPic
- R 4.2.3
- R-universe
- January 2023: “Top 40” New CRAN Packages
- Happy 23rd Birthday R!
- NIH: Translational Research in Maternal and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (R01)
- NIH: Translational Research in Maternal and Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics (R21)
- NIH: Genomic Community Resources (U24)
- CDC: Clinical and Applied Research Strategies for the Prevention and Control of Fungal Diseases
- USDA: USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Fellowship in Spatial Statistics for Continental-Scale Soil Health Modeling
- TSC Alliance: 2023 Grant Cycle
- CHEST: COPD Research Grant
- CHEST: Young Investigator Research Grant
R-packages:
- aihuman: Experimental Evaluation of Algorithm-Assisted Human Decision-Making
- reactCheckbox: Checkbox Group Input for 'Shiny'
- treediff: Testing Differences Between Families of Trees
- rutledge: Real-Time PCR Data Sets by Rutledge et al. (2004)

Episode 6: Boss-Level Antibiotics
Get ready for better arsenic detection, broad-spectrum antibiotics, model-breaking massive galaxies, Julia and Python working in harmony, a hard-to-pronounce R-package on Gaussian mixture models, and Department of Defense lung cancer grants aplenty. Science On.
References:
- Scalable selective absorber with quasiperiodic nanostructure for low-grade solar energy harvesting
- Toward surface-enhanced Raman scattering using electroless substrate for trace arsenic detection and speciation
- Site-specific encoding of photoactivity and photoreactivity into antibody fragments
- Complete Genome Sequence of the Lysogenic Pseudomonas Bacteriophage Fyn8
- A broad-spectrum synthetic antibiotic that does not evoke bacterial resistance
- Discovery of massive early galaxies defies prior understanding of the universe
- Julia and Python better together
- DOD: Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)
- DOD: Lung Cancer, Concept Award
- DOD: Lung Cancer, Translational Research Award
- DOD: Lung Cancer, Idea Development Award
- DOD: Lung Cancer, Career Development Award
- NASA: Early Career Faculty
- FDA: Natural History and Biomarker Studies of Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases
- LCRF: Leading Edge Research Grant Program
- UMDF: Research Grant Program
R-packages:
- dataMojo: Reshape Data Table
- ggmapinset: Add Inset Panels to Maps
- bubbleHeatmap: Produces 'bubbleHeatmap' Plots for Visualising Metabolomics Data
- gmmsslm: Semi-Supervised Gaussian Mixture Model with a Missing-Data Mechanism
- rWCVP: Generating Summaries, Reports and Plots from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants

Episode 5: A Bouquet of Space ROSEs
Get ready for exoplanetary systems, missing Neptunes, a Dungeons & Dragons R package, GIFs for top R packages, Tidvyverse functions to save your day, and a whole host of NASA grant announcements. Science On.
References
- Framework for the architecture of exoplanetary systems
- RNA's 'joints' play key role in our gene expression
- Help! Our Neptune-sized exoplanets are missing
- The ins and outs of an undergrad-run journal
- the difference between the bernoulli and binomial distributions
- Top 9+ Interesting R Project Ideas To Try In 2023
- 10 Tidyverse functions that might save your day
- Putting the top 100 R packages into a GIF
- NSF: Plant Genome Research Program
- NSF: Computer and Information Science and Enginering Core Programs
- NIH: HEAL Initative
- NIH: Aging Research
- NIH: IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE)
- DOD: Ovarian Cancer Early-Career Investigator Award
- DOD: Ovarian Cancer Investigator-Initiated Research Award
- DOD: Ovarian Cancer Pilot Award
- NASA: Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES) 2023
R-packages
- HanStat: Package for Easy Interpretation of Statistical Methods
- hidecan: Create HIDECAN Plots for Visualising Genome-Wide Association Studies and Differential Expression Results
- dndR: Dungeons Dragons Functions for Players and Dungeon Masters

Episode 4: To Err in R is Human
Get ready for the top 10 errors in R, self-assembling peptides, microbiome mishaps, a theory-defying dwarf planet ring system, and a chance to save tiny hearts. Science On.
References
- The virtual microbiome: A computational framework to evaluate microbiome analyses
- A dense ring of the trans-Neptunian object Quaoar outside its Roche limit
- 3D Printing of Self-Assembling Nanofibrous Multidomain Peptide Hydrogels
- This one-atom chemical reaction could transform drug discovery
- logitr: Fast Estimation of Multinomial and Mixed Logit Models with Preference Space and Willingness-to-Pay Space Utility Parameterizations
- Python 3.11.2, Python 3.10.10 and 3.12.0 alpha 5 are available
- How to use Git to share SAS programs
- Top 10 errors in R and how to fix them
- NIH: Using Multimodal Biomarkers to Differentially Diagnose ADRDs for Clinical Trials
- NSF: Accelerating Research Translation
- Saving Tiny Hearts Society: Research Grants
R packages
- deFit: Fitting Differential Equations to Time Series Data
- synMicrodata: Synthetic Microdata Generator
- animate: A Web-Based Graphics Device for Animated Visualisations
- formatBibtex: Format BibTeX Entries and Files

Episode 3: The Ocean that Snuck up on Me
Get ready for heart-attack healing hydrogels, super rare supernovas, volumes of viroid sequences, stealth oceans, finding hex logos and packages by topic in CRAN, and NASA funding for exobiology. Science On.
References
- This groundbreaking biomaterial heals tissues from the inside out
- A high-mass X-ray binary descended from an ultra-stripped supernova
- Mining metatranscriptomes reveals a vast world of viroid-like circular RNAs
- Tracking the Evolution of an Ocean Within Mimas Using the Herschel Impact Basin
- Journal of Statistical Software Volume 105
- Annual Julia Growth Statistics - January 2023
- Tips for organizing your R code
- December 2022: “Top 40” New CRAN Packages
- NASA: Exobiology- Living Systems Science
- NIH: Data Harmonization, Curation and Secondary Analysis of Existing Clinical Datasets
- DOD: Peer Reviewed Medical, Discovery Award
- DE-FOA: 2023 Exploratory Research for Extreme Scale Science
- NIH NOSI: Development of Functional Assay Sites to Evaluate Candidate -Omics Variants Associated with Heart, Lung, Blood, or Sleep Disease
- NIH NOSI: Revision Applications to add a Curation and Informatics Component to existing Animal and Biological Material Resource Centers
R-packages
- hexFinder: Find Hex Logos for CRAN Packages
- vvsculptor: Apply Manipulations to Data Frames
- findPackage: Find 'CRAN' Package by Topic

Episode 2: What Double Teeth You Have
Get ready for new deep sea bacterial phyla, extra ancient caecilian fossils, R Journal Volume 14/3 JuliaHub 6.0, visualizing star maps in R, and an IceCube neutrino competition! Science Research Weekly covers 3 topic areas: Research Articles, Research Tools, and Research Funding. Science On.
References
- Global patterns of diversity and metabolism of microbial communities in deep-sea hydrothermal vent deposits
- Chem-map profiles drug binding to chromatin in cells
- Study offers first glimpse of how many suffer from previously unknown illness
- Molecular mechanism of topoisomerase poisoning by the peptide antibiotic albicidin
- Triassic stem caecilian supports dissorophoid origin of living amphibians
- The R Journal Volume 14/3
- Star Map with R
- Show all data in the background of your faceted ggplot
- Fitting robust non-Gaussian models in Stan and R-INLA
- JuliaHub 6.0 Features Released
- Kaggle Competition: IceCube - Neutrinos in Deep Ice
- NSF: Molecular Foundations for Biotechnology
- NSF: Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering
- DE: Scientific Machine Learning for Complex Systems
- AFOSR: Fiscal Year 2023 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Program
R-packages
- neatR: Neat Data for Presentation
- polyglotr: Translate Text
- clarify: Simulation-Based Inference for Regression Models
- poolHelper: Simulates Pooled Sequencing Genetic Data
- vDiveR: Visualization of Viral Protein Sequence Diversity Dynamics

Episode 1: An Explosive Beginning
Welcome to Science Research Weekly, the successor to my first podcast, Statistics Weekly. This abbreviated trial run of an episode includes: a research article on microbes from a volcanic island, the largest stellar catalogue to date, Arduino project ideas for 2023, and NSF Research and Development grants.
References:
- The Early Microbial Colonizers of a Short-Lived Volcanic Island in the Kingdom of Tonga
- A high-quality Ixodes scapularis genome advances tick science
- Haplotype-aware pantranscriptome analyses using spliced pangenome graphs
- The molecular evolution of genes previously associated with large sizes reveals possible pathways to cetacean gigantism
- The Dark Energy Camera Plane Survey 2 (DECaPS2): More Sky, Less Bias, and Better Uncertainties
- Volume 105 of the Journal of Statistical Software
- 12 blog posts from 2022 that deserve a second look
- Top 15 Stunning Arduino Project Ideas For 2023
- Some R Conferences for 2023
- Web scraping in R
- Imputation in R: Top 3 Ways for Imputing Missing Data
- FDA: Fellowship in Understanding Pathogenesis and Improving Detection of Flaviviruses
- NSF: Future Manufacturing
- NSF: Division of Environmental Biology
- NSF: Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Core Programs
- NSF: Division of Integrative Organismal Systems Core Programs
- NIH NOSI: Research on the Etiology, Early Detection, Screening and Prevention of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer
- NIH NOSI: Computational and Statistical Methods to Enhance Discovery from Health Data
R packages:
- ggplate: Create Layout Plots of Biological Culture Plates and Microplates
- glmmrOptim: Approximate Optimal Experimental Designs Using Generalised Linear Mixed Models
- shiny.benchmark: Benchmark the Performance of 'shiny' Applications
- blindreview: Blind Review Using Forward Search Procedures
- metabias: Meta-Analysis for Within-Study and/or Across-Study Biases
- evoTS: Analyses of Evolutionary Time-Series
- OssaNMA: Optimal Sample Size and Allocation with a Network Meta-Analysis

Science Research Weekly Trailer
Welcome to Science Research Weekly. This is the successor to my first podcast, Statistics Weekly. Every week, I will cover 3 topic areas: Research Articles, Research Tools, and Research Funding. Check out the accompanying blog at: https://scienceresearchweekly.wordpress.com/

Episode 40: The Close of 2022
Take the poll to weigh in on the future of Statistics Weekly.

Episode 39: Last Stat Before Christmas
In this episode, I pondered the problem of false positives in publications, rotated around the JuliaHub, machinated over machine learning projects, and put R package ‘drawCell’ to the test.
References:
- Are most published research findings false in a continuous universe?
- Principal component analysis
- A no-free-lunch theorem for multitask learning
- JuliaHub
- Signal-to-noise ratio and statistical tests
- Large Enough Sample Condition
- Top 11 Interesting Machine Learning Project Ideas For 2023
- Code longevity of the R programming language
- {drawCell} – R package and Shiny app for drawing cell structures
R-packages:
- colorRamp2: Generate Color Mapping Functions
- rworkflows: Test, Document, Containerise, and Deploy R Packages
- MetChem: Chemical Structural Similarity Analysis
- panelsummary: Create Publication-Ready Regression Tables with Panels
- arf: Adversarial Random Forests

Episode 38: Ho, Ho, Holiday Statistics Projects
In this episode, I marched through machine learning abstractions, brought home the BQN, discovered statistics projects to work on over Christmas, and found the Gosling that lays the golden egg,
References:
- Quantifying uncertainty of machine learning methods for loss given default
- Evaluating the performance of memory type logarithmic estimators using simple random sampling
- A fast kernel independence test for cluster-correlated data
- Autoencoders for sample size estimation for fully connected neural network classifiers
- [R-pkgs] onetime 0.1.0: Run Code Only Once
- 🚧 WIP 🚧 From Julia to BQN
- Using SAS to score a test
- Using the cspade action to find frequent gene sequences
- The easygoing relationship between computer scientists and null hypothesis significance testing
- Top 11+ Coding Projects for Beginners (2023 Edition)
- Gosling: Interactive Genomics Charts in R Shiny
- Gosling Main Page
R-packages:
- POMS: Phylogenetic Organization of Metagenomic Signals
- macroBiome: A Tool for Mapping the Distribution of the Biomes and Bioclimate
- reservr: Fit Distributions and Neural Networks to Censored and Truncated Data
- NPCox: Nonparametric and Semiparametric Proportional Hazards Model