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William Bialek
@wbialek
New York & Princeton
Joined January 2011
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  • user avatar
    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Jul 5, 2020
    Sad news. Horace Barlow, one of the great thinkers about the brain, has passed away. Born 8 Dec 1921, he saw almost a full century, and taught us about vision, perceptual inference, neural coding, learning, and more. #neuroscience #vision #NeuralNetworks
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Apr 10, 2022
    Biological physics brings the physicist's style of inquiry to bear on the complex and beautiful phenomena of life. The breadth and depth of this activity are extraordinary, and we signs of unifying principles. The field today emerges from a long and fascinating history ... 1/6
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Mar 30, 2020
    I just heard the sad news that my colleague Phil Anderson passed away this morning. A giant of 20th century #physics, he changed how we think about so many things. At 96, he was coming to work most days, and still inspiring us all.
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Nov 20, 2023
    After 40+ years, I still am not sure what is claimed in the "biology isn't like physics" discussions. The physics of spin glasses (in which every one of the n^2 interactions among n components can be different) is different than the physics of ordinary magnets. 1/5
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    Alfonso Martinez Arias
    @AMartinezArias
    Nov 19, 2023
    This from a classic piece of thought nature.com/articles/35011… There is a logic to biological systems but it is not the same as the one we have built for physical systems #MustRead
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Aug 13, 2021
    It is hard to speak of friends in the past tense. This week we lost Naftali Tishby. Tali was a remarkable person in so many ways, and he leaves a legacy of work at the borders of physics, computer science, and neuroscience.
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Dec 31, 2021
    Saddened to learn that Howard C. Berg has died at 87. Howard discovered so much about how bacteria swim, and how they navigate; he set an agenda for generations of physicists and biologists who followed, both in style and in substance. He also had a wicked sense of humor.
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Sep 30, 2024
    Finishing your PhD and interested in the Physics of Life? This is a reminder that we have several different postdoctoral opportunities. We coordinate, but best to apply to all that seem relevant. Please consider joining our lively and interactive community. Deadlines soon!
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Feb 15, 2020
    How do you get a sense for where #physics is today, and where it is going? Once every ten years, @theNASciences tries to do this. In 2020, for the first time, the Physics of Biological Systems will stand as a recognized subfield of physics. 1/8 sites.nationalacademies.org/bpa/bpa_194259…
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Apr 10, 2022
    Replying to @wbialek
    Once every ten years, @theNASEM surveys the state of physics, and for the first time we have volume devoted to biological physics. Something to celebrate! An overview of the #PhysicsofLife report can be found here: nap.nationalacademies.org/resource/26403… 2/6
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Apr 4, 2023
    This was a pleasure to write (and hopefully fun to read). Special thanks @Taryn_MacKinney for great editorial work, and to friends and colleagues @PRX_Life @FakhriLab @vinsub @SquishyPhysics and others for their kind words. aps.org/publications/a…
    18K
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Dec 31, 2021
    Genetic networks squeeze lots of information out of small numbers of molecules. Could part of the trick be that the enhancers which "read" transcription factor concentrations have an architecture that solves an optimization problem? pnas.org/content/118/46… 1/3
    pnas.org
    Trading bits in the readout from a genetic network | PNAS
    In the regulation of gene expression, information of relevance to the organism is represented by the concentrations of transcription factor molecul...
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Jul 24, 2021
    Saddened to hear about the death of Miguel Angel Virasoro. Great physics, profound wisdom and integrity, passion for his fellow humans, and wry humor. I feel privileged to have enjoyed his company, and to have learned from him.
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    May 10, 2022
    A long time coming, and very good news. We've built a large and interactive community, and hope we'll get applications from the wide range of exciting students whom we know are out there!
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    Joshua Shaevitz
    @shaevitz
    May 9, 2022
    I am delighted to announce that Princeton University approved a new PhD program in Biophysics today! From molecules to group of animals, we are looking for experimentalists and theorists who want to be at the interface of physics and the life sciences. Applications this fall!
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    William Bialek
    @wbialek
    Oct 18, 2020
    Humility in science is important. But I worry about this sentence. Neither gauge theories nor general relativity were "rooted in experimental reality" when proposed. Quarks explained data, but most doubted their "reality." The list goes on.