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Articles by F. Thomas
A tumour-derived organoid biobank maps cancer gene dependencies
Abstract Cancer cell lines remain foundational for research and drug discovery, yet they incompletely capture tumour diversity, lack linked patient context, and have undergone adaptation to culture. Tumour organoids are three-dimensional cultures derived from patient tissue that offer a powerful complement to cell lines1.
Administrative lobbying and the bureaucratic revolving door
Ban, Pamela, Maxwell Palmer, and Benjamin Schneer. 2019. From the halls of Congress to K Street: Government experience and its value for lobbying. Legislative Studies Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12250. Article Google Scholar Baumgartner, Frank R., Jeffrey M. Berry, Marie Hojnacki, Beth L. Leech, and David C. Kimball. 2009. Lobbying and policy change: Who wins, who loses, and why. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Google Scholar Baumgartner, Frank R., and Bryan D. Jones. 1993.
Every Project You Finish Kills a Bit of Your Self-Doubt
Most people never finish. They start projects, journals, businesses, novels, workout plans, YouTube channels, side hustles. Then they stop. Not because the idea was bad, but because of self-doubt. Here's the thing: the antidote to self-doubt isn't pep talks, motivational quotes, or another podcast telling you to grind harder. The antidote is finishing. Every project you complete puts a dent in that inner critic's armor. I've seen this play out in my own life over and over.
5 Unexpected Lessons Running Taught Me After Quitting Drinking
I didn't quit drinking to save my life. I quit to save my runs. When I started running, alcohol was still in the picture. Beer on weekends, wine with friends, 1-2 beers on the weekdays. Just to ease off the day. But running exposed how much it slowed me down. Training hard and then "rewarding" myself with a beer made as much sense as patching a leaky tire with bubblegum. So I dropped it. Not gradually. Just done.
The No-BS Guide to Changing Your Life
I didn't quit drinking because I hit rock bottom. No jail time, no ruined marriage, no tragic "I lost everything" story. I quit because I was tired of feeling like life was slowly sanding me down to dust. I started running first. That was my gateway drug. I wanted to move, to not decay at the speed I felt myself aging. I wanted to be someone my kids could look at and copy without me having to tell them anything. The thing about kids is they don't do what you say, they do what you do.
Nobody Thinks You’re Lazy If You Built Something
Proof beats promises. Build something and let it speak for you. People love to judge effort they can’t see. If you say you’re “working on yourself” but there’s no visible result, people will quietly assume you’re doing nothing. If you say you’re “planning a project” but there’s no finished product, they’ll decide you’re all talk. It’s not fair, but it’s how most people think. The only way around it is to give them something undeniable. Something you actually built.
I Used to Say “I Don’t Have Time.” Now I Just Say No.
Your calendar isn’t the problem. Your inability to say no is. Press enter or click to view image in full size For years, I blamed time. I’d tell people I was too busy. I’d say I wished I could, but there just weren’t enough hours in the day. I convinced myself I was drowning in work, responsibilities, and commitments. It sounded responsible. It sounded like I was protecting my priorities. In reality, I was lying to them and to myself. The truth was, I had the time.
How I Quit Drinking and Started Running: The No-BS Guide to Changing Your Life
How I Quit Drinking and Started Running: The No-BS Guide to Changing Your Life I wasn’t one of those “from zero to hero” stories where quitting booze suddenly transformed me overnight. In fact, I was already running regularly before I quit drinking. About a year and a half in, something clicked. I realized alcohol wasn’t just unnecessary, but it was actively messing with my body’s ability to recover and get stronger. The brutal truth?
Why Bro-Science Won’t Die (And What That Says About Us)
Why Bro-Science Won’t Die (And What That Says About Us) You’ve probably seen them… those viral videos explaining “scientific” facts in 60 seconds or less, delivered with the confidence of a TED Talk and the accuracy of a fortune cookie. Some guy with a podcast mic, jacked arms, and a backwards hat stares into the camera and says something like: “Did you know Marines have more daughters than sons because of stress killing off the Y-sperm?” Then comes the dramatic pause. The head nod.
What I Do When I Feel Like a Shitty Parent
Sometimes it’s snapping at them. Sometimes it’s zoning out. But the one that really hits hard? When I say, “Just after I finish this, I’ll play with you…” And I don’t. Days later, it hits me — I didn’t deliver. And it hurts like hell. With adults, it’s different. We all flake. Everyone’s busy. Nobody takes it personally for long. But kids? Kids remember. And it’s not just about breaking a promise. It’s about teaching them what promises even mean.
unningHow I Get Out Running Even When I’d Rather Nap
Let’s get real: Some days, my bed is the most convincing thing on the planet. Soft. Warm. A siren call to nap instead of lace up. But here’s the trick — because I still want to run, even on my laziest days: Step 1: Say it loud and proud: “Let’s do this shit!” No fluff. No hesitation. Step 2: Plan your run ahead of time. I lay out my clothes the night before. I set a clear, clean distance goal on my watch… like 10k. No guessing.
This Trick Made My Kids Actually Listen (For Once)
Forget yelling or whispering secrets. Here’s what really works: I talk to my kids like they’re people. Not tiny beasts that need taming. Real humans. With brains and feelings. I make eye contact, get down to their level, and explain. Not just “No knife!” but: “This isn’t about where we are or what time it is. It’s about your safety. Knives can hurt you, and that’s why we don’t use them without permission.” They don’t just hear me — they get it.
If You’re Waiting to Feel Motivated, Read This Instead
However many success stories I hear about action creating progress, I still sometimes catch myself doing the exact opposite: Sitting. Overthinking. Giving up. Staring at the darkness at the end of the tunnel like it’s going to blink first. But here’s the thing: That never leads anywhere. Not once. The only thing that amounts to anything is doing. Movement. Even if it’s messy. I’ve learned this the hard way… through projects I’ve procrastinated on, and the guilt that always follows.
Why My Kid Won’t Get a Smartphone Before 14
What 100,000 young people told us about early phone use, and why we’re leaning into boredom instead. Let’s be honest. Smartphones are the adult pacifier. They’re fun, they’re useful, and yeah, they shut the world out when we need a break. But what happens when we hand that pacifier to a kid whose brain isn’t even done baking?
6 Ways I Actually Got Smarter Without Reading a Book
I’m dyslexic, not dumb. I just learn differently. I didn’t grow up hating books. I just couldn’t sit through one. In my family, everyone read like their life depended on it. My brothers? Three books at once, rotating like some kind of intellectual dishwasher. Meanwhile, I was just there wondering what the hell was wrong with me. I’m dyslexic. Reading frustrates me. I’m a slow reader. The 8-minute Medium read time? Multiply that by 3 and we’re getting close. I skim. I scan.
The Problem with Fake Nice
Why sugarcoated kindness isn’t kindness at all - and how real honesty builds better relationships. Let’s get this out of the way: being nice isn’t the same as being good. You know the type. Always smiling. Always agreeable. Always saying something positive, even when it’s clearly forced. It looks like kindness, but something feels off. Like you’re talking to a customer support bot with good hair and great teeth. I’ve been around people like this. Hell, I’ve been this person a few times.
What Happens When You Pretend to Be a Better You
Turns out, acting like a better version of yourself can actually work. I read Atomic Habits. I tried meditation. But not because I was desperate to change or on some redemption arc. I was just curious. Curious about why I do what I do. Curious about what makes people better. And curious about whether I could shift parts of myself without turning into someone I wouldn’t recognize. I wasn’t broken. But I knew I wasn’t fully built either. That idea alone was interesting enough to keep going.
The One Hour Trick That Keeps a Parent Sane
How I carve out “Me Time” amidst parenting chaos, work, and three wild kids. One kid’s pestering another for no good reason. The other screams like it’s the apocalypse. Meanwhile, the third bangs on something loudly, asking if they can help with breakfast — because of course they can’t just chill for two seconds. In the middle of this beautiful chaos, my wife and I are juggling full-time jobs, parenting, and trying not to lose what’s left of our sanity.
You’re Not Addicted to Smoking. You’re Addicted to the Lies It Tells You.
Quitting didn’t take superhuman willpower. Just one brutal realization I’d avoided for years. You’re addicted to something that’s killing you. And you keep lying to yourself about why you can’t quit. I did this for 15 years. Failed every single time until I accidentally discovered the one approach that actually works. Here’s what changed everything. Cold turkey? Pure torture. I’d last 3–4 days white-knuckling through cravings before I’d cave and smoke an entire pack out of spite. Gradual reduction?
If I Could Talk to the Man I Was 12 Years Ago…
A letter to the guy who thought he had time to figure it all out Hey. Yeah, you. The one reading this with a cigarette in one hand and probably checking your phone with the other. Put both down for a minute. We need to talk. It’s me. You. Twelve years from now. And I’ve got some things to tell you that you’re not going to want to hear. But you need to hear them anyway.
Becoming the Man My Future Kids Deserved
Twelve years ago, I was in love, broke, and a weekend party-animal with a cigarette in one hand and a cold, foamy beer in the other. I was working in the printed advertisement industry — earning well enough, by the industry’s miserable standards — but I knew it wasn’t going to cut it. Not for the life I was starting to see. My girlfriend (now wife) and I had just decided to move in together. We made a deal: if we could live together for a year and not kill each other, we’d start a family.
My First 50K Trail Ultra: A Natural Next Step
I’ve been running consistently for about two years before completing my first 50 km trail race with 1,600 meters of elevation gain. This wasn’t a bucket list thing. It was a checkpoint. I have a long-term goal to one day finish a 360 km ultra. So this race wasn’t about proving anything to anyone - it was about seeing if I’m still on the path.
Parenting on Empty: How to Keep Going When You Have Nothing Left in the Tank
Parenting will drain you, stretch you, and test you — but it’s worth it. F. Thomas · Follow 4 min read · -- Some mornings, you open the fridge to grab the milk and find a deodorant on the door shelf instead. Other times, the salt — always kept in the same drawer — is somehow chilling in the freezer. And no, the kids aren’t to blame. This is what happens when you run on parenting exhaustion. My wife and I chose this life.
You Don’t Teach Life Lessons - You Live Them
One deed is worth a thousand words. F. Thomas · Follow 4 min read · -- I knew long before having kids that they absorb everything around them like sponges. I saw it firsthand in a close family. A three-year-old once told her dad, “Sit down here, so we talk this through.” with the authority of a patient father. I had also heard enough children talk like truck drivers to understand one simple truth: Kids don’t learn by listening to what we tell them — they learn by watching what we do.
The Minimalist Runner: What You Actually Need vs. What’s Just Hype
F. Thomas · Follow 7 min read · -- Running Light: What You Truly Need and What’s Just Marketing Gimmicks Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash Running might seem like an expensive hobby at first. When you see one of those fancy color-matched sets of pants, shoes and shirts, mirror sunglasses-, water bottle guys… It can seem expensive. Don’t you worry! That’s not what it’s about. At least not for us, slick people (wink-wink).
What to Expect From Your First Running Competition
F. Thomas · Follow 5 min read · -- Are you thinking of signing up for your first race and you don’t know what to expect? This unknown can cause a bit of anxiety or just give you some unnecessary stress. I want to help you clear up some of that unknown. First of all, it’s going to be fine. Everybody, who runs has been there and decided to continue running, so it can’t be that bad. My first race was actually a marathon relay, where I had a 10.5k part of it. There were no expectations.
Why Running is the Most Parent-Friendly Sport
I used to think staying fit as a parent was impossible. Between work, parenting, and trying to have a life, I didn’t have time to do any sport consistently? Then I discovered running. F. Thomas · Follow 3 min read · -- Running is the ultimate parent-friendly sport. It’s simple, flexible, and requires almost no planning. Whether you’re chasing personal goals or just looking to stay active, running fits perfectly into a parent’s chaotic schedule. Photo by Dominik Schröder on Unsplash 1.
Aikido Principles Applied to Parenting and Life
F. Thomas · Follow 4 min read · -- Aikido has a special place in my heart because it helped me tremendously on my path to becoming a better version of myself. It was the first activity I truly enjoyed and looked forward to many times a week. The teachers were seasoned martial artists. They lived by the philosophies found in Japanese martial arts, so there I had a shortcut to these philosophies. Aikido is filled with rules — but in a liberating way.
IL-6 signaling drives self-renewal and alternative activation of adipose tissue macrophages
Skip navigation Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://dx.doi.org/10.25673/115548 Title: IL-6 signaling drives self-renewal and alternative activation of adipose tissue macrophages Type: Article Language: English URI: https://opendata.uni-halle.de//handle/1981185920/117502 Open Access: Open access publication License: (CC BY 4.0) Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Journal Title: Frontiers in immunology Publisher: Frontiers Media Publisher Place: Lausanne Volume: 15...
Orexin receptors 1 and 2 in serotonergic neurons differentially regulate peripheral glucose metabolism in obesity - Nature Communications
Abstract The wake-active orexin system plays a central role in the dynamic regulation of glucose homeostasis. Here we show orexin receptor type 1 and 2 are predominantly expressed in dorsal raphe nucleus-dorsal and -ventral, respectively. Serotonergic neurons in ventral median raphe nucleus and raphe pallidus selectively express orexin receptor type 1.
Active Akt signaling triggers CLL toward Richter transformation via overactivation of Notch1
Skip Nav Destination Lymphoid Neoplasia| February 4, 2021 You do not currently have access to this content. Sign in via your Institution
LETTER: Julius Malema has Pravin Gordhan in cross-hairs over R20m Sars tax bill
OPINION - As information on EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu’s relationship with Johann Rupert emerges, it is worth also recalling that the party’s leader, Julius Malema, was prosecuted by the SA Revenue Service for racking up a tax bill of some R20 million, from declared income of about R50 000 a month as the ANC Youth League leader. Also in the taxman’s sights are some tobacco companies, which are thought to be declaring only a portion of the billions they make.
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