Still don't see it anywhere else. Please subscribe. www.gravityisgone.com

This is a really good read about how experimental psychology research can inform us about human decision making in the context of rare and common outcomes/events/facts.

Against my better instincts, I have written some notes on how human probability judgements work and what you should expect from surveys that ask people to guess what proportion of the population is transgender. I hope never to speak of this matter again

"Corruption is sometimes described as a victimless crime, just skimming from a bottomless pool of government cash. The story of the [NYPD] under Mr. Adams should put that idea to rest" Great column on how SCOTUS's gutting of public corruption laws helped get us here www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/o...

Out this week: two publications on the long-term impact of canceling HIV services provided by PEPFAR in Africa. Long story short, suddenly discontinuing HIV services could be catastrophic if allowed to continue indefinitely. 1/6 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

As usual, Danielle is correct. The end of a good thread. Read the whole thing.

I say that because, as a general rule, the scientific evidence *does* support a trans-inclusive political stance. We have no need to lie. We have no need to distort or misrepresent scientific data. Unfortunately, the post I’m annoyed at does exactly that. It isn’t true. Truth is our defence.

When you aggregate across survey data with hundreds or thousands of people who are subject to (a) memory distortions, (b) strategic test taking motives and also (c) think in language not numbers, you get systematic patterns. This is one of them.

It’s taken me a few hours to work out why I am so angry at the fact that this particular claim goes viral over and over again. It is not true. This is not what people believe. But why am I, a trans woman with specific relevant expertise, so anger at the quoted post? A thread.

…Republicans are the party in power. They must be accountable to the American people over party. The 60 votes required to pass the CR gives Democratic members a rare moment of leverage. They must stand strong in this moment. Our democracy and the American people should come first.”

My full quote to Axios: “We are calling on all Congress people—regardless of party—to pass a CR that ends executive overreach and protects the American people… www.axios.com/2025/09/18/t...

“Under the State Human Rights Law, transgender and gender expansive students are entitled to use the restroom or locker room that aligns with their gender identity,” the State Education Department spokesperson responds. F*ck this guy, he should have been thrown out long ago.

The fear is real, but so is the need to speak up! www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/f...

CALL TO ACTION! During one of our meetings this week with a House Dem, who shall remain nameless, the idea that "DEI research doesn't save anyone's life" was espoused. My team was *flabbergasted* by this assertion. PLEASE DROP YOUR PEER REVIEWED WORKS OF "DEI" SAVING LIVES HERE SO WE CAN SHARE!

Thrilled to have teamed up with @cderv.bsky.social & Zhian N. Kamvar for this post on @ropensci.org: ✨ All the Ways to Programmatically Edit or Parse R Markdown / Quarto Documents ✨ ropensci.org/blog/2025/09... It's even available in French and Spanish (🙏 @yabellini.bsky.social) #RStats

It's nice to see an implementation that's just as good as the concept you were promised.

"The nation’s top health agency is not well, according to a portrait that emerged in testimony Wednesday by two of its former leaders." @elizabethcooney.bsky.social on the state of affairs at the CDC. www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/m...

Quant Ecology positions opening: Both a PhD student + postdoc available with @lifenonlinear.bsky.social in Biology at UMD, embedded in a growing network of labs interested broadly in quantitative ecology and evolutionary dynamics, with backgrounds spanning bio, computing, math, physics + more. 👇

MC Stan is here! Follow for the latest Stan news, and tag if you want us to repost your posts about new papers, packages, courses, etc. about Stan

“CDC leaders were reduced to rubber stamps supporting policies that were not based in science," says Dr. Houry, the former Chief Medical Officer of the CDC, who resigned recently. “Due to the secretary’s actions we are on track to see drastic increase in preventable diseases.”

“The stakes are not theoretical,” Monarez cites the largest measles outbreaks that we have seen in the past 30 years. She says she was “fired for holding the line on scientific integrity,” and that responsibility now falls on doctors, parents, and others.

Monarez insists that she was committing to the standard of evidence and proof that the administration demanded around vaccines — including fully evaluating ACIP recommendations. The firing she faced for being "untrustworthy" was not about trust or expertise, but about loyalty.

On 8/25, RFK Jr demanded two things: commit in advance to approving all his ACIP recommendations, and to fire scientific experts. Monarez refused, saying she needed to review evidence first. RFK had already spoken to the White House about her removal.

rixpress is now an @ropensci.org package! Link: docs.ropensci.org/rixpress/

BREAKING: A historic coalition of national & California labor unions led by the AAUP filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the illegal & coercive use of civil rights laws to attack the University of California system & the rights of their members.

"The dismantling of the US research and innovation pipeline is causing economic and job losses nationwide. But it is not too late to act. Congress should listen to the majority of the US population...to do what the law requires: keep its scientific-funding promises." rdcu.be/eGCOe

Headed to posit::conf in Atlanta today! Looking forward to catching up with #rstats friends and colleagues. Come say hello!

🌱 From surviving to thriving: 5 leading open science orgs – The Carpentries, OLS, @ropensci.org @pyopensci.org & @prereview.bsky.social – are convening to build sustainable, connected futures for our communities. Read more: www.carpentries.org/blog/2025/09... #OpenScience #Sustainability #Community

Learn more about their decision and how to support The Carpentries (a 501c3) here. carpentries.org/blog/2025/06...

🧵@carpentries.carpentries.org was set to get an US National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to make an open source (computer coding) ecosystem from a proposal submitted last fall. The Trump administration told them they had to cease all DEI activity to receive the funds. They withdrew the grant.

Open science orgs are stronger together 💪 @thecarpentries , Open Life Science, @pyOpenSci & @prereview and rOpenSci are convening to move from surviving → thriving. Read how we’re charting a sustainable, collective path forward: https://ropensci.org/blog/2025/09/15/collaboration-communities/ […]

“The letters I have received and the support I’ve been given have kept me going...Still, it is extremely stressful and distressing. I have seen fights, racism, and even death. It has given me many nightmares.” www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...

I can confirm that this is a very accurate description of what people who are trying to help improve the lives of patients with cancer, including myself, are facing.

Powerful new article in NYT Magazine on cancer research [Gift Link] www.nytimes.com/2025/09/14/m...

Our paper on US contact patterns is now published in The Lancet Digital Health! doi.org/10.1016/j.la... Thanks to my brilliant coauthors @zsusswein.bsky.social, @vcolizza.bsky.social, & @bansallab.bsky.social for their help with this project. Read on for an overview of our findings... 🧵

📈 Can you guess today’s chartle? Which country in the world do you think produces the most bananas? Have a try at chartle.cc

Are YOU a patient, patient advocate, or activist in an area that has been impacted by policy decisions and cuts to federal research spending???? WE WANT YOU TO SPEAK ON 9/17! We are passing the mic TO THE PEOPLE! DM or comment @ me or @standupforscience.bsky.social if you're interested.

JOIN THE FIGHT! As HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya are trying to legitimize a vision for American science and health research that bulldozes lives and livelihoods, we are putting people impacted by their quackery FRONT AND CENTER. HEALTH AND SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPLE ‼️

FIGHT FOR SCIENCE RALLY ‼️🧬💪 ⏰WHEN: Weds, Sept. 17th at 8am ET 📍WHERE: 1200 New York Ave NW, Washington DC 🔗📲JOIN US at the LINK in BIO, or in the REPLIES BELOW ⬇️

Are there any #rstats folks out there using #Azure batch? What do you use since {rAzureBatch} is long-deprecated? I'd love to know if there's a path to using it with future/mirai/crew/targets.

Proposed FY2026 budget would lead to shrinking state and local economies and 42,000 jobs lost nationwide, according to a new analysis. @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social @timothyholtz.bsky.social @defendpublichealth.bsky.social @gregggonsalves.bsky.social mediarelations.gwu.edu/new-research...

New: A legal challenge to NSF's 1600+ grant terminations just hit a roadblock. Judge Cobb (appointed by Biden) ruled against the plaintiffs, largely on the basis that district courts no longer have jurisdiction for contract-based APA violations. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Y'all. The NIH NOAs are starting to flow at Harvard. 💪✊🥳

Just became aware of this from @carpentries.carpentries.org — they had to say no to a huge grant from the US government because of their commitment to diversifying the software industry. I donated and hope you’ll think about it too. carpentries.org/blog/2025/06...

If you run a life science lab where research has either significantly slowed or shut down completely due to Trump administration policies, I’d like to hear your story. I'm a biotech and life sciences reporter for @statnews.com, and you can reach me at [email protected] #journorequest

R Consortium ISC Grant Applications are OPEN w/a deadline of Oct. 1st! Get funded to contribute to the 🐇 R ecosystem. At Esri, we're a proud member of the R Consortium and the ISC's Grant program has been pivotal in growing the Rspatial ecosystem. www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/... #GISchat #geogchat

“The fact that scientists, and not school administrators, are leading the push is meaningful, Green Nylen says. ‘It feels really important for us that there was something we could do as researchers to fight back and to make a difference for ourselves.’” 🧪

Honored to be working to defend science against authoritarianism alongside so many inspiring colleagues such as @audreydrotos.bsky.social, @bnwolford.bsky.social, @scott-delaney.bsky.social.

If you want to support the work we do, you can donate to my nonprofit @your.neighborhoodscientist.org here: neighborhoodscientist.org