It's me. The first raise is higher than my yearly salary. (And the 2nd comes VERY close.)

I’ll be there!

🚨RELEASE: After 500 days at the table with no fair contract, Science News Media Guild members (@sn-media-guild.bsky.social) have authorized a strike. Bosses are stalling. Workers are ready to fight. ✊ wbng.org/2025/09/05/s...

BREAKING: Workers of @sn-media-guild.bsky.social voted with 92% support to authorize a strike, with 89% of members participating. We're ready to do whatever it takes to get the fair contract we deserve. See our comments below to learn more about how to help our efforts! @society4science.bsky.social

We look forward to getting our print copy in the mail every month!

Winding down mRNA vaccine research for infectious diseases may not seem like a big deal. But it could have a chilling effect on the development of mRNA-based medicines in general. That includes meds for treating cancer. Here’s what we stand to lose: www.sciencenews.org/article/mrna...

The United States has recorded its highest annual measles cases in 33 years. The milestone marks a public health reversal in defeating a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable disease as the anti-vaccine movement gains strength.

For a good recap on the latest U.S. vaccine policy tumult, check out @thsaey.bsky.social's story: At the June ACIP meeting, “debunked science, an apparent nonchalance about preventable deaths and confusion over basic testing procedures often took center stage." www.sciencenews.org/article/vacc...

I love a good The Martian reference.

This type 1 diabetes study included only about a dozen people, but the results are impressive. A year after cell therapy, 10 of 12 people no longer needed supplemental insulin. That’s big, but we need data from more patients. (It's in the works; ETA is 2026.) www.sciencenews.org/article/type...

News: The American Academy of Pediatrics says it will no longer take part in the process of ACIP meetings. “We won’t lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicized at the expense of children’s health,” the group's president says. www.statnews.com/2025/06/25/c...

If you have a minute, please consider signing our petition. It’s been more than 400 days since our union formed, and we’re still fighting to get a fair contract. 🙏 #unionstrong #solidarity

We hear a lot about what foods to cut from our diets, but what stood out to me at the recent #Nutrition2025 meeting was the opposite. What foods should we be *adding* to our plates? (The answers probably won't surprise you!) www.sciencenews.org/article/heal...

I love working with my colleagues at @sciencenews.bsky.social and so hope we can all get a fair contract soon. 411 days is a long time… @society4science.bsky.social

I truly love reading about the physics of fun stuff like this. “The secret to record-setting splashes hinges on a butt-first, V-shaped entry and a well-timed, underwater follow through.” www.sciencenews.org/article/bigg...

I had an interesting conversation with former #FDA commissioner Robert Califf. He said recent cuts could erode our food safety system - and it’s hard to predict where it may start to crumble. “There are a gazillion places where things could go wrong.” www.sciencenews.org/article/milk...

If remote work is working for people, why change it?

I’ve been making endless dense bean salad recipes lately, so writing this story about chickpeas felt like perfect timing. One cup a day is doable! #nutrition #science www.sciencenews.org/article/chic...

We don't know how exactly micro- and nanoplastics affect human health... but the picture from animal studies is not looking good. www.sciencenews.org/article/nano... #science

Baby KJ went home today! He has a rare genetic disease that was treated with personalized gene editing. My story on what it will take for more people like KJ to get treatment for their genetic disorders. www.sciencenews.org/article/pers... Photo credit: CHOP #science 🧪

Mankai! I’m new to the nutrition beat and just learned about this food at #Nutrition2025 Have you heard of it? It’s a tiny aquatic plant from Southeast Asia. Also known as watermeal and duckweed. Also a folate superstar. Also a complete protein. Also very cute. www.loc.gov/everyday-mys...

I didn’t expect to see puppies at the #Nutrition2025 meeting, but they made my day.

A common theme at the #Nutrition2025 meeting: Just eat more fiber. Please. 😅 In the US, the recommended amount is 25g/day for women, 38g/day for men. Americans are getting around half that. 🤯

Excellent talk this morning on the importance of teaching people how and what to cook. It’s not so much about what *not* to eat, says @culinarymedmd.bsky.social, it’s more about what we need to add to our plates. (Think beans & greens!) #Nutrition2025

"Some references include 'oaicite' attached to URLs — a definitive sign that the research was collected using artificial intelligence. The presence of 'oaicite' is a marker indicating use of OpenAI, a U.S. artificial intelligence company."

As someone who writes a lot about cancer, I’m just so sad to see the NCI comms team get laid off. Here’s what we lost, according to @cancerletter.com "There is no one left to run the cancer.gov website, the Physician Data Query database, the NCI social media channels, and the patient hotline…

And now, to soothe your timeline, a patch of Illinois tallgrass prairie.

So my family is relocating to Minnesota this summer. Luckily, I can keep my amazing job at @sciencenews.bsky.social - I've been a remote worker here for 8 years. My colleagues who happen to live in DC should have the same freedom to move cities if they need or want to. It bugs me that they don't.

This is another sad story in a sea of bad news, but @sujatagupta.bsky.social’s piece on ending student mental health grants needs to be shared. “We are talking about critical services to kids,” says a deputy superintendent…”Things like this shouldn’t be cut.” www.sciencenews.org/article/stud...

What a great way to bring science to communities!

Gold ⭐️ to whoever wrote this headline! Story by @econover.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/gold...

One thing I learned reporting this story was that about 10 percent of newly-diagnosed prostate cancers are late-stage disease. So Biden’s diagnosis is unfortunate, but not that surprising. www.sciencenews.org/article/joe-...

🤯

Honestly astonishing.

“It is a complete mystery to me why they think that this is an appropriate way to make the American public healthier” … The decision “is based on some of the flimsiest evidence that I’ve seen.” - a dentist and epidemiologist Great story by @thsaey.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/fda-...

This headline sums up the vaccine/placebo issue perfectly. Story by @meprillaman.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/hhs-...

if anyone at NSF Unidata wants to chat: [email protected]; jessimckenzi.01 on signal www.unidata.ucar.edu/blogs/news/e...

The federal gov has terminated some 700 NIH grants, which add up to ~3% of the NIH’s budget. Guess who was hit the hardest? The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. It lost *30%* of its NIH funds. Story by Sujata Gupta www.sciencenews.org/article/nih-...

Yes, this story is wild. (A man injected himself with venom & then let snakes bite him. Scientists used his blood to create a new antivenom.) But I hope everyone who covers it emphasizes how dangerous this is. Please do not inject yourself with snake venom! www.sciencenews.org/article/anti...

Finally out, the NEJM paper about the liver disease MASH & semaglutide. Bottom line: the drug (sold as Ozempic & Wegovy) seems to turn the disease around. After 72 weeks, patients saw liver scarring improve and fat in the liver go down. Why does that matter? www.sciencenews.org/article/sema...

“Dental decay is very preventable. It breaks your heart to see these young kids that aren’t able to eat.” - a dentist who saw lots of kids with severe tooth decay after Calgary stopped fluoridating its water in 2011. Great story by @alexviveros.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/fluo...

A distributed workforce of reporters is a GOOD thing. It means we have people in different locations and time zones who can hop on whatever comes up. Clustering us all in DC makes no sense.

Looking for former FDA employees for a story I’m working on about food safety. If that’s you, I’d love to talk. You can send me a DM here, find me on signal, or email me at [email protected]. 🙏

“I think it is going to take at least 10 years for American scientific and biomedical research to recover from this.” 😖

Help, I took a break from my computer and now I have a cat in my lap.

You cannot tell if a policy is making things better or making things worse if you simply stop measuring things.

No, “toxins" aren’t to blame for autism. Yes, improved detection is likely why autism rates are rising. Nice to see this nuanced, empathetic and accurate take by @laura-sanders.bsky.social and @thsaey.bsky.social

In Washington and Maine, scientists have ID’d two cases of a rare red meat allergy triggered by tick bites. What’s notable about this? These cases appear to have been caused by tick species never before linked to the allergy, called alpha gal syndrome. www.sciencenews.org/article/tick...

Journalists at @sn-media-guild.bsky.social held a picket to tell @sciencenews.bsky.social that a fair contract isn't rocket science! After 18 months of negotiations, it's time to listen to the workers and give them a fair contract!

I’m excited to share this story on GLP-1 drugs that I’ve been working on for months. It’s about the unconventional (and potentially dangerous) places people have been sourcing their meds. Why would people take that risk? A longish 🧵 www.sciencenews.org/article/weig...