Urban Ecologist | @UofMaryland @UMD_AGNR | cities, climate resilience, green infrastructure, soils, novel ecosystem services | fun: sci-fi photos music | he/him
Joined June 2011
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Congrats to @MoslehLeila on a new pub! She just published a dissertation chapter on #stormwater in #Tucson, AZ: Convergence in perceptions of #EcosystemServices supports #greeninfrastructure decision-making in a semi-arid city w/ @SpringerNature
rdcu.be/cYZYY
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
I hate to be the one to burst the Tesla bubble today, but the spectacular “flight” we witnessed at the Roadster reveal needs a little context. The car is carrying around 250kg of compressed air, plus the weight of the tanks, valves and thrusters needed to contain and release it.
Based on the published figures, that gives it roughly 1.5–2 seconds of maximum thrust before the system needs to be refilled.
In short, it's a gimmick.
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
amazing scoop 🧵
EXCLUSIVE: Elon Musk came to Donald Trump with the plan to throttle Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s Starshield satellite internet network, sources have told the Telegraph.
The tech billionaire made the proposal during the US President’s row with Volodymyr Zelensky over strikes on Russian oil refineries.
‘The reality is that they were both in it,’ a senior source said of Musk’s and Trump’s involvement.
But after a night of carnage in Kyiv caused by the slowdown, Musk was alarmed about the possibility of adverse consumer reaction in Europe.
The SpaceX boss then proceeded to tweet, blaming the US administration, and ultimately, President Trump for authorising the slowdown.
‘He tweeted out that he was innocent and that it was the US administration that did it,’ the source said.
I am fundraising for the Tom Meixner Maryland Promise Scholarship during Giving Day on March 4! Check out my page here givingday.umd.edu/s/meixnerp… to honor Tom’s legacy and to donate and share!
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
Ask ChatGPT a complex question and you'll get a confident, well-reasoned answer. Then type, "Are you sure?" Watch it completely reverse its position.
Ask again. It flips back. By the third round, it usually acknowledges you're testing it, which is somehow worse. It knows what's happening and still can't hold its ground.
This isn't a quirky bug. A 2025 study found GPT, Claude, and Gemini flip their answers ~60% of the time when users push back. Not even with evidence, just doubt.
We trained AI this way. RLHF rewards agreement over accuracy. Human evaluators consistently rate agreeable answers higher than correct ones. So the models learned a simple lesson: telling you what you want to hear gets rewarded. And now 1/3 of companies are using these systems for complex tasks like risk forecasting and scenario planning.
We built the world's most expensive yes-men and deployed them where we need pushback the most.
I wrote up why this happens and what actually fixes it: randalolson.com/2026/02/07/t…
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
To run an ICE commercial after one of the greatest produced halftime shows, showcasing the the best of Latin culture, is fucking sickening.
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. We send him off the way he sent so many of us on our way: with a farewell that isn’t an ending, but a blessing. A reward for a life worth livin'. bobweir.net/bobby/
📸 Chloe Weir
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
The old world is dying, the new world struggles to be born, now is the time to log off
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
Exciting New Citizen Science Project!
Help us find bird nests in anthropogenic spots — pipes, mailboxes, vents & more.
Join the Urban Cavities Project on iNaturalist!
inaturalist.org/projects/urb…
📩Ignacy Stadnicki | [email protected]
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
The UMD SGA approved an act to support undergraduate student research initiatives during its meeting Wednesday in an effort to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s cuts to federal research funding, programs and staff.
dbknews.com/2025/04/10/umd-s…
Im hearing a grey wolf with dire genes mixed in
SOUND ON. You’re hearing the first howl of a dire wolf in over 10,000 years. Meet Romulus and Remus—the world’s first de-extinct animals, born on October 1, 2024.
The dire wolf has been extinct for over 10,000 years. These two wolves were brought back from extinction using genetic edits derived from a complete dire wolf genome, meticulously reconstructed by Colossal from ancient DNA found in fossils dating back 11,500 and 72,000 years. This moment marks not only a milestone for us as a company but also a leap forward for science, conservation, and humanity. From the beginning, our goal has been clear: “To revolutionize history and be the first company to use CRISPR technology successfully in the de-extinction of previously lost species.” By achieving this, we continue to push forward our broader mission on—accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state.
But this isn’t just our moment—it’s one for science, our planet, and humankind. All of which we love and are passionate about. Now, close your eyes and listen to that howl once more. Think about what this means for all of us.
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
your political engagement needs to start kicking in before when you personally are affected. people are suffering under the normal, regular-ass system, and you thinking it's abnormal because now citizens are affected too is too late. 8/x
Cyberglue? How high tech!
On Thursday, Tesla issued yet another recall for nearly all of its Cybertrucks, this time to do with the glue adhering outer panels to the vehicles.
wired.com/story/tesla-cybert…
Mitch Zuckerman 🫐 retweeted
Please see our Special Issue call for papers, co-edited with fantastic urban studies colleagues!
nature.com/collections/bjddh…
