James Smoliga, DVM, PhD
@jsmoliga
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Sports science researcher and writer, sometimes w/ a zany twist of humor. I also debunk bad science. Used to run fast. Honey connoisseur. @TuftsDPT Professor
North Carolina, USA
Joined December 2013
I write Beyond the Abstract, a newsletter about science, health, and the stories behind the evidence. I dig into research integrity, sports science, medical myths, and what happens when data meets real life — with clarity, curiosity, and a little irreverence. If you’ve ever
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Lowe’s “deal” of the day:.🔥 Was $29.98.🔥 Now $29.98. Savings so good, you can’t even see them. 🫠
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If you are interested in scientific nuance, check out my newsletter, Beyond the Abstract. It's free to subscribe. I regularly dissect studies and news reports, with the goal of promoting better quality, more trustworthy science.
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🧠 Hot Brain Summer? Not quite. A viral BBC article warns that climate change is melting our minds. But is that science—or storytelling? . I unpack the facts, the fear, and the fuzzy line between them. #climate #science #sciencenews #climatechange.
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Could you imagine the headlines this would get if this was a startup football or basketball league which attracted the very best talent in the sport, and the athletes still didn't have their paychecks months after their victories?.
Spoke to Grant Fisher, who says he has yet to be paid his $100k winnings for Grand Slam Kingston. He is hoping he will be paid by tomorrow, as GST has promised. “It’s just going to be an all-around bad thing for the sport if things don’t come through.”.
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Academia is losing its mind chasing grants. But what if we had a role dedicated to integrity, synthesis, and responsiveness — without being tied to funding?. #AcademicTwitter .@AcademicChatter .@chronicle . I made that case in @Nature last week. 🧵👇.
nature.com
Nature - Scientists who are not tied down by fixed research agendas can pivot nimbly to work where they are most needed. It’s time to build career paths with these researchers in mind.
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Some scientists chase grants. Others follow the questions. In @Nature this week, I wrote about a different kind of academic — the ones who pivot quickly. #AcademicTwitter .#AcademicChatter .#academia .#Science .#sciencenews .
nature.com
Nature - Scientists who are not tied down by fixed research agendas can pivot nimbly to work where they are most needed. It’s time to build career paths with these researchers in mind.
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As a kid growing up in the 1980's, Hulk Hogan was a huge part of my childhood. Watching him in the WWF inspired me to work out as a kid - he helped shape my interest in fitness. RIP to a legend.
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What if we built academia around synthesis and responsiveness — not just grant hoarding?. That’s the case I made in @Nature this week.
nature.com
Nature - Scientists who are not tied down by fixed research agendas can pivot nimbly to work where they are most needed. It’s time to build career paths with these researchers in mind.
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Grand Slam Track said they’d fill stadiums. Turns out they emptied bank accounts instead. @CitiusMag .@usatf .@WorldAthletics
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If you're wondering what “agenda-free” scholarship looks like in the wild — from concussions to hot dogs to statistical absurdities — I wrote a bit more here:.
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Honored to share this in @Nature. Science needs room for curiosity, speed, synthesis — and the people willing to chase hard problems across boundaries. 🧵👇.
Scientists who are not tied down by fixed research agendas can pivot nimbly to work where they are most needed. It’s time to build career paths with these researchers in mind, says James Smoliga.
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When will the Grand Slam Track athletes finally get paid?.
theguardian.com
Sebastian Coe, the World Athletics president, said ‘it’s not good’ as athletes wait on payments from the series, which was cut last month from four meetings to three
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Faith Kipyegon is the greatest female mid-distance runner of all time. Nike gave her pacers, supershoes, a personal speedsuit. She still couldn't break 4:00. Here’s why that matters — and why it’s a wake-up call for fairness in women’s sports. 🧵.
A world-class athlete’s recent attempt to run a 4-minute mile is a stark reminder that sex differences really matter in elite sports, by @jsmoliga
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3. Research Illusions: The Magic Behind Poor Quality Science. Here, I explore how bad science shares all too many things in common with a good magic trick.
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2. The pattern we refuse to see. My thoughts on Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles tendon rupture during Game 7 on the NBA Finals. Was it a freak accident, or a consequence of previous injury?.
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Some example posts linked below. 1. The most popular study that I've ever published. A behind-the-scenes look at my 2020 paper on the science of hot dog eating contests. That study went viral and continues to receive media coverage 5+ years later.
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👀Just published my take on Olympic basketball, Haliburton’s injury, and @mcuban’s call to keep NBA stars out of the Games. I don’t think Cuban is wrong. I think the real question is: Is Olympic basketball still Olympic at all?. Would love your take, Mark.
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When will we see a @Netflix documentary on Grand Slam Track?. Starting to feel like the Fyre Festival of athletics.
brobible.com
Gabby Thomas is one of the athletes in search of unpaid money from Grand Slam Track. She is begging for her portion of the $12 million that was promised
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