R Weekly 2026-W03 R & Python Pluralism, RAG Setup, tinyshinyserver

12 Jan 2026

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This week’s release was curated by Eric Nantz, with help from the R Weekly team members and contributors.

Highlight

• R + Python: From polyglot to pluralism: A very targeted recap on posit::conf(2025) and a broader reflection on how the best design and devtools ideas from R and python have influenced each others’ stacks for the better

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation: Setting up a Knowledge Store in R

• {tinyshinyserver} 0.1.0: Tiny ‘shiny’ Server - Lightweight Multi-App ‘shiny’ Proxy

Insights

• R + Python: From polyglot to pluralism: A very targeted recap on posit::conf(2025) and a broader reflection on how the best design and devtools ideas from R and python have influenced each others’ stacks for the better

• Paired Ends Wrapped: Top 10 Posts From 2025

R in the Real World

• Applied Epidemiology in R: Cape Town R User Group’s Contribution to Global Immunization

R in Organizations

• rOpenSci Code of Conduct Annual Review

• rOpenSci 2025 Code of Conduct Transparency Report

• Serving the Public: See How Government Agencies Use R, Python, Shiny, and Quarto to Drive Research and Data Science Modernization

R in Academia

• Estimation of the epidemiological characteristics of scabies and accompnaying R package mitey.

• penguins: Cloze Quiz for Exploratory Analysis of Penguins Data

Tutorials

• Retrieval-Augmented Generation: Setting up a Knowledge Store in R

• Dataset-JSON Part 1 (Introduction to the Series)

Resources

• November 2025 Top 40 New CRAN Packages

• Weekly Recap (January 9, 2026)

New Packages

📦 Keep up to date wtih CRANberries 📦

CRAN

• {TxEffectsSurvival} 1.0.2: Treatment Effect Inference for Terminal and Non-Terminal Events under Competing Risks
• {ggguides} 1.1.4: Simplified Legend and Guide Alignment for ‘ggplot2’

• {tidyna} 0.1.2: NA-Aware Defaults for Common R Functions
• {odyssey} 1.0.0: Interface to the HAL Open Archive API
• {pboost} 0.2.1: Profile Boosting Framework for Parametric Models
• {outlierspinner} 0.1.0: Geometric Multivariate Outlier Detection via Random Directional Probing
• {vbracket} 1.0.2: Custom Legends with Statistical Comparison Brackets
• {DedooseR} 2.0.0.2: Monitoring and Analyzing Dedoose Qualitative Data Exports
• {blockr.io} 0.1.0: Interactive File Import and Export Blocks
• {tinyshinyserver} 0.1.0: Tiny ‘shiny’ Server - Lightweight Multi-App ‘shiny’ Proxy
• {FluxPoint} 0.1.1: Change Point Detection for Non-Stationary and Cross-Correlated Time Series

Updated Packages

🔍 Search on R-universe 🔍

• RcppCCTZ 0.2.14 on CRAN: New Upstream, Small Edits

• RcppSpdlog 0.0.24 on CRAN: New Upstream

• Survivor 49 is now in 📦{survivoR}

• {VIM} 7.0.0: Visualization and Imputation of Missing Values - diffify

• {skimr} 2.2.2: Compact and Flexible Summaries of Data - diffify
• {jagsUI} 1.6.3: A Wrapper Around ‘rjags’ to Streamline ‘JAGS’ Analyses - diffify
• {geonapi} 0.8-1: ‘GeoNetwork’ API R Interface - diffify
• {sociome} 3.0.0: Operationalizing Social Determinants of Health Data for Researchers - diffify
• {plotdap} 1.1.1: Easily Visualize Data from ‘ERDDAP’ Servers via the ‘rerddap’ Package - diffify
• {pharmaversesdtm} 1.4.0: SDTM Test Data for the ‘Pharmaverse’ Family of Packages - diffify
• {openalexR} 3.0.0: Getting Bibliographic Records from ‘OpenAlex’ Database Using ‘DSL’ API - diffify
• {mapsf} 1.1.0: Thematic Cartography - diffify

• {maplegend} 0.5.0: Legends for Maps - diffify
• {ggVennDiagram} 1.5.7: A ‘ggplot2’ Implement of Venn Diagram - diffify
• {enderecobr} 0.5.0: Padronizador de Endereços Brasileiros (Brazilian Addresses Standardizer) - diffify
• {blme} 1.0-7: Bayesian Linear Mixed-Effects Models - diffify
• {BFpack} 1.5.3: Flexible Bayes Factor Testing of Scientific Expectations - diffify
• {shinySbm} 0.2.0: ‘shiny’ Application to Use the Stochastic Block Model - diffify
• {shinytest2} 0.5.0: Testing for Shiny Applications - diffify
• {gqlr} 0.1.0: ‘GraphQL’ Server in R - diffify
• {echarty} 1.7.1: Minimal R/Shiny Interface to JavaScript Library ‘ECharts’ - diffify
• {gamstransfer} 3.0.8: A Data Interface Between ‘GAMS’ and R - diffify
• {EDIutils} 2.0.0: An API Client for the Environmental Data Initiative Repository - diffify
• {ClustMC} 0.1.2: Cluster-Based Multiple Comparisons - diffify
• {plotthis} 0.9.3: High-Level Plotting Built Upon ‘ggplot2’ and Other Plotting Packages - diffify
• {ggplate} 0.2.0: Create Layout Plots of Biological Culture Plates and Microplates - diffify
• {tablet} 0.7.1: Tabulate Descriptive Statistics in Multiple Formats - diffify
• {SCpubr} 3.0.1: Generate Publication Ready Visualizations of Single Cell Transcriptomics Data - diffify
• {eudract} 1.1.0: Creates Safety Results Summary in XML to Upload to EudraCT, or ClinicalTrials.gov - diffify
• {RRmorph} 0.0.2: 3D Morphological Analyses with ‘RRphylo’ - diffify
• {rlang} 1.1.7: Functions for Base Types and Core R and ‘Tidyverse’ Features - diffify
• {audubon} 0.6.2: Japanese Text Processing Tools - diffify
• {IncDTW} 1.1.4.6: Incremental Calculation of Dynamic Time Warping - diffify
• {AssociationExplorer2} 0.1.4: A User-Friendly ‘shiny’ Application for Exploring Associations and Visual Patterns - diffify
• {tabr} 0.5.5: Music Notation Syntax, Manipulation, Analysis and Transcription in R - diffify
• {r2rtf} 1.3.0: Easily Create Production-Ready Rich Text Format (RTF) Tables and Figures - diffify
• {mispitools} 1.4.0: Missing Person Identification Tools - diffify
• {Hmisc} 5.2-5: Harrell Miscellaneous - diffify
• {googleAuthR} 2.0.2.1: Authenticate and Create Google APIs - diffify
• {fastText} 1.0.5: Efficient Learning of Word Representations and Sentence Classification - diffify
• {RobinCar2} 0.2.2: ROBust INference for Covariate Adjustment in Randomized Clinical Trials - diffify
• {clockify} 0.1.7: A Wrapper for the ‘Clockify’ API - diffify
• {apache.sedona} 1.8.1: R Interface for Apache Sedona - diffify
• {rworkflows} 1.0.8: Test, Document, Containerise, and Deploy R Packages - diffify
• {CurricularComplexity} 1.0.1: Toolkit for Analyzing Curricular Complexity - diffify
• {reptiledb.data} 0.0.0.2: Reptile Database Data - diffify
• {ProAE} 1.0.4: PRO-CTCAE Scoring, Analysis, and Graphical Tools - diffify
• {WayFindR} 0.7.0: Computing Graph Structures on WikiPathways - diffify
• {dbparser} 2.2.1: Drugs Databases Parser - diffify
• {projectLSA} 0.0.5: R Shiny Application for Latent Structure Analysis with a Graphical User Interface - diffify
• {XYomics} 0.1.3: Analysis of Sex Differences in Omics Data for Complex Diseases - diffify
• {verifyr2} 1.1.0: Compare and Verify File Contents - diffify
• {guideR} 0.9.0: Miscellaneous Statistical Functions Used in ‘guide-R’ - diffify
• {docorator} 0.5.1: Docorate (Decorate + Output) Displays - diffify
• {crmPack} 2.0.2: Object-Oriented Implementation of Dose Escalation Designs - diffify
• {omophub} 1.3.0: R Client for the ‘OMOPHub’ Medical Vocabulary API - diffify
• {meteospain} 0.3.1: Access to Spanish Meteorological Stations Services - diffify
• {logolink} 1.0.0: An Interface for Running ‘NetLogo’ Simulations - diffify
• {clinpubr} 1.2.0: Clinical Publication - diffify
• {transforEmotion} 0.1.7: Sentiment Analysis for Text, Image and Video using Transformer Models - diffify
• {JuliaConnectoR} 1.1.5: A Functionally Oriented Interface for Integrating ‘Julia’ with R - diffify
• {deps} 0.4.1: Dependency Management with ‘roxygen’-Style Comments - diffify
• {TSEtools} 1.0.0: Manage Data from the Finance Markets - diffify
• {thisutils} 0.3.6: Collection of Utility Functions for Data Analysis and Computing - diffify
• {tidycensuskr} 0.2.7: Easy Access for South Korea Census Data and Boundaries - diffify
• {text} 1.8.0: Analyses of Text using Transformers Models from HuggingFace, Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning - diffify
• {secretbase} 1.1.0: Cryptographic Hash, Extendable-Output and Binary Encoding Functions - diffify
• {cheapr} 1.5.0: Simple Functions to Save Time and Memory - diffify
• {shinyGovstyle} 0.1.1: Custom Gov Style Inputs for Shiny - diffify
• {sdmTMB} 0.8.1: Spatial and Spatiotemporal SPDE-Based GLMMs with ‘TMB’ - diffify
• {personalized} 0.2.8: Estimation and Validation Methods for Subgroup Identification and Personalized Medicine - diffify
• {lifecycle} 1.0.5: Manage the Life Cycle of your Package Functions - diffify
• {gert} 2.3.0: Simple Git Client for R - diffify
• {report} 0.6.3: Automated Reporting of Results and Statistical Models - diffify
• {reformulas} 0.4.3.1: Machinery for Processing Random Effect Formulas - diffify

Videos and Podcasts

• Listen to the R-Weekly Highlights Podcast

• Creating dashboards in blockr

• [Exploring Positron settings

  Isabel Zimmerman & Davis Vaughan

  Data Science Lab](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIYyeuZ_ISY)

• Build Model Context Protocol Servers and Client in R (John Coene - RPharma 2025)

R Project Updates

Updates from R Core:

• Debugging Sensitivity to C math library and mingw-w64 v12

Call for Participation

Upcoming Events in 3 Months

Events in 3 Months:

• A list of R conferences and meetings

• This week’s local R-User and applied stats events

• Weekly R Workshops for Ukraine

Grants & Funding

Post by @[email protected]

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Connect

Join the Data Science Learning Community

rtistry

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Quotes of the Week

This is the most elite change in #Positron, it's so calming. #rstats #python #databs

[image or embed]

— Libby Heeren (@libbyheeren.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 1:08 AM

Post by @[email protected]

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