If you're reading this, my cat and I have boarded a one-way flight out of the United States. The Trump administration wrongfully denied my work permit renewal; after months of demanding that they follow the law, we have run out of legal recourse, and I have no choice but to leave the country. (🧵)

Got to do a cool thing last week! I appeared on the first science and tech news roundtable on @wgbh.org's "Under the Radar with Callie Crossley." I talked about the approval of a gene therapy for deafness & the promise of two pancreatic cancer drugs. Listen here: www.wgbh.org/news/nationa...

We need good, responsible science journalism more than ever & @theopennotebook.bsky.social has a wealth of free resources to help writers up their game. Over the next 2 weeks, we hope 25 new monthly donors will join me in TON's Page Turners Collective. Sign up here: www.theopennotebook.com/donate/

The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social. 50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members,​ 45% of Black members, and​ 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members. www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...

Is Jeff Bezos going to destroy the Washington Post? It sure looks like it | Margaret Sullivan

Two BIG updates on @theopennotebook.bsky.social: 1. We had a $7,500 match fund and YOU MET THE MATCH!!! 2. Inspired by you, the board is stepping up, and pledging an additional $800 match for any donations TON gets today on 12/31. Give today: www.theopennotebook.com/15thannivers...

This is one of those stories where every interview had me like 🤯🤯🤯. For @nature.com Outlook, I dove into the surprising field of cancer neuroscience. Edited by the amazing @scchak.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41... #neuroskyence

Thrilled to share this collection of stories I edited for Nature Outlook, all about pancreatic cancer. The disease is the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths, but the (still low) survival rate has doubled in the past decade. And there may be more reason for hope www.nature.com/immersive/pa...

I know this isn't the point of this post but few things infuriate (and eventually humble) me more than having to get my toddlers' thumbs into the thumbholes of their mittens.

Less than $500 to help @theopennotebook.bsky.social meet its birthday fundraiser goal! Don't you want to be the person to help put us over the top? Do it here: www.theopennotebook.com/15thannivers...

@theopennotebook.bsky.social is 15 🎉 What better birthday present than to give generously to a resource many of us in science journalism use all the time? All gifts made today will be matched, so it's also a chance to double your impact! Donate here: www.theopennotebook.com/15thannivers... #TON15

In 2022, we took our then-new-to-market VW ID4 from Boston to Indianapolis to Chicago and back to Boston. We definitely had to plan our route (thanks, A Better Route Planner) but almost always had fast chargers. Can't wait for our next trip to see the changes: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

If you ever doubted that @theopennotebook.bsky.social is a one stop shop for learning the tools of the science journalism trade, today's launch of The Science Reporting Navigator -created with @rjionline.bsky.social - should put it to rest 🧪 www.theopennotebook.com/science-repo...

Every Story is a Science Story. That’s why, with @rjionline.bsky.social, TON has been hard at work developing a free tool to make it easier for journalists on any beat to strengthen their stories by incorporating science. And today, that tool - the Science Reporting Navigator - is live! 🧪

EXCLUSIVE: A new analysis by The Xylom's @alexip718.com shows for the first time just how much America’s top research institutions have grown to depend on H-1B skilled workers — and how this delicate balance might be disrupted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on legal immigration.

. @hanaatameez.bsky.social puts data behind journalism's DEI vibe shift. From # of jobs posted, to products launched then shut down, to exhibiting at conferences — the racial reckoning is in retreat. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...

We dug deep to answer this important question: How Many Federal Health Workers Have RFK Jr. and the Trump Administration Cut? @bxroberts.org @anniewaldman.bsky.social @pratheekrebala.bsky.social

If you like the work @theopennotebook.bsky.social does (are you human? if so, you do), then join us at our first-ever town hall on August 26, at 2 pm ET. Learn more about the work The Open Notebook does to support science #journalism worldwide:

I refer folks to @theopennotebook.bsky.social all.the.time. Just yesterday, I told one of @science.org's fantastic interns about TON's (free! email!) Master Classes. And that's just one of many (did I mention free?) resources. Help them keep it that way? Donate here: www.theopennotebook.com/donate/

One of our biggest supporters, @siricarpenter.bsky.social's fundraising appeal has directly led to nearly $2,000 in donations to our newsroom We're returning the favor: can you help @theopennotebook.bsky.social reach their $3,000 summer fundraiser? www.theopennotebook.com/donate/

@annikainampudi.bsky.social's first byline for @science.org, on how Black inmates at the Stateville Penitentiary were experimented on by scientists wanting to better understand side effects to a crucial malaria drug: www.science.org/content/arti...

"Federal workers aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet...We’re real people with families who are hurting and, in the worst cases, dying. Why don’t people out there see that? Why doesn’t anyone care?” Such a powerful read. (CW: suicide, mental health trauma) www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Experts share scathing reviews of last week's HHS report on gender-affirming care for youth: "...a rejection of decades of science, evidence, and direct experiences by young people, their doctors, and their families.” @phiejacobs.bsky.social's story for @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

While this report presents itself as an apolitical “review of evidence and best practices,” it deserves the same scrutiny and careful fact-checking as any government-produced document. Journalists should quote it only with appropriate context and after thorough vetting.

"In our time, in our newsrooms and our coverage, in our companies and other institutions, we need to have the courage not to abandon [DEI] commitments..." A timely, perhaps evergreen, reminder from @dicktofel.bsky.social: dicktofel.substack.com/p/amid-the-w...

We are so excited to have a place to gather in-person this year. Hope to see many of you in November! Bonus: With today's news, we are reopening proposal submissions for a short time. Send in your ideas for sessions you'd like to organize at the meeting (virtual or in-person)!

SOURCE REQUEST 🚨 I'm working on a @niemanlab.org story about what’s come of media companies' 2020 DEI promises. How have newsrooms' DEI priorities changed over the last 5 years? What impact have DEI initiatives had on journalism/journalists? DM me here, on Signal, or email ([email protected]).

"Panch" is resigning today as NSF director; Appointed during Trump's first term, he couldn't stomach Trump 2.0 www.science.org/content/arti...

Slipping back into interviewing/reporting for my chapter in this book was a TRIP - and the fact that I had to interview the ever-thoughtful @ashleythesmart.bsky.social for it had me shaking. So if nothing else, get excited to see how that turned out 😀

The dismissals throw into jeopardy the future of the key reference that health care providers rely on to guide patients to the safest and most effective contraceptives. scim.ag/4lxVpDh

The #TraumaticBrainInjury unit at the Centers for Disease Control was wiped out in last week's firings. @science.org looks at what was lost. www.science.org/content/arti...

Exclusive: Weeks after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered NIH to pull $250 million in biomedical research grants to Columbia University, the agency is freezing all remaining grant money owed to the university until further notice. scim.ag/4if5Rg1

@science.org confirms that yesterday the Trump admin wiped out the technical staff of the U.S. National Climate Assessment and the Global Change Research Program. When USGCRP's acting director, who is on a time-limited contract, leaves, it will leave the congressionally mandated office empty.

Tariffs xkcd.com/3073

I was honored to speak at @ajspi.bsky.social's @sciencesmedias.bsky.social event, and it really drove home for me that science journalism transcends borders. We are all in this together. That has been part of @theopennotebook.bsky.social's calculus about making its resources free from day 1 (contd)

They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.

This initiative is a powerful reminder that all journalists need tools to cover science. It's also a great example of the wide reach that @theopennotebook.bsky.social has and why I'm proud to be a monthly donor in its Page Turners' Collective. Join me: www.theopennotebook.com/the-page-tur...

A few weeks ago in Boston, I met the organizers behind the Stand Up for Science (@standupforscience.bsky.social) rally and spoke with them about their motivations in the buildup to the event. Read more in @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

💯 "Whatever happened to shame? Bring back the natural, useful emotion of feeling even just a little bit obligated to other people that causes us to act in ways that do not fuck other people over." Being desi means extra shame+obligations. Happy to share, though! defector.com/there-are-ot...

Any conservative/Trump-voting federal scientists who have been fired and are willing to discuss their views on that whatever they may be?--or can others suggest people in that situation we should reach out to? Contact the News from Science team www.science.org/content/page...

I miss DEI

1/7. Public discourse about racial equity has changed a lot over the years. At @commhsp.bsky.social we’ve been monitoring those changes and their consequences. In a new 538 article, @efranklinfowler.bsky.social and I share what we’ve been seeing and why it matters. abcnews.go.com/538/national...

I'm so proud to be a part of this community and to serve on its board alongside committed and conscientious professionals dedicated to upholding values that are essential for quality science journalism and a well-functioning society. Please read our full statement:

Words of wisdom from a friend at the #AAASmtg: We can't despair. Despair never liberated anybody. (I would amend to: We can't despair for long, and we can take turns despairing.)

After leading Harvard’s Nieman Foundation through 14 years of dramatic disruption in the news industry, curator Ann Marie Lipinski will step in July: “It has been a profound privilege to lead Nieman, not in spite of the industry complexities but because of them.” nieman.harvard.edu/nieman-found...

My piece in @statnews.com on creating a better environment for autistic researchers in science. Great comments from researcher Greg Siegle on his journey. #ActuallyAutistic @thekibosch.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/02/12/a...

Right-wing media is melting down today over the erroneous idea that Politico is secretly funded by USAID. Here's the backstory:

chúc mừng năm mới!! This is also my yearly reminder to journalists that multiple other Asian countries celebrate Lunar New Year, so please be culturally inclusive and call it as such as opposed to Chinese New Year, which continues the poor practice of lumping diverse, rich countries together.

@science.org is looking for its next 6-month science writing intern! Details here: recruiting.ultipro.com/AME1123ASEM/...

Earth, climate, and planetary scientists: If you have an expected upcoming NASA/NSF/NOAA/DOE grant payment in the next couple weeks that, if not received, will have a real impact on your lab and staff, please let us know about it @science.org. You can reach me at [email protected].