Octopuses "taste" microbes in the environment using special receptors on their suckers, allowing them to protect themselves and their eggs from disease. My 🐙 story for @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

"Have we no shame?” District judge William Young ruled that NIH must restore some cancelled grants, then berated the administration for the racial and gender discrimination behind the terminations. Now we wait for his full ruling -- and a likely appeal. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Could Monday's court hearing result in hundreds of cancelled NIH grants being restored? Here's what we know so far -- and what's at stake. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

An AI model tried its best to predict the next #pope, but there's just not enough data about the secretive #conclave process. My story in @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

More therapy dogs at conferences, please!

I love how my transcription software, MacWhisper, faithfully transcribes my space heater and dog commands when I forget to turn the recorder off. (It's a great program tho and @jordi.bsky.social seems like a cool guy)

The NIH is now halting ALL funds to Harvard and other universities, but grant managers can't tell them about it. So we at @sciencemag.org did instead. www.science.org/content/arti...

The NINDS scientists fired in the RIF are back at work - for now - after a "coding error" led to their accidental termination. HHS blames "broken systems left to us by the Biden administration." My story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

"It’s kind of a textbook case of arbitrary and capricious.” A lawsuit alleges that NIH didn't follow proper procedure and was unconstitutionally vague when abruptly terminating >600 grants. My story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

One high level HHS official shown the door told @science.org, “I couldn’t have worked with these asshats anyway.” www.science.org/content/arti...

From a source at NIH who survived today's 1300 or so firings: "Today has sucked big ass donkey balls."

"We spent all this money on this research and we’re not even going to be able to give taxpayers the outcomes." DOGE's cuts to NIH grants may save money on paper, but terminating studies without notice ultimately wastes money, our analysis shows. @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...

Exclusive from me and Jon Cohen @science.org: NIH is terminating nearly 1000 grants in a series of batches. One, which conducts HIV and TB clinical trials in South Africa, was labelled as a "DEI" study that "harms the health of Americans." www.science.org/content/arti...

The NIH is cancelling dozens of grants involving vaccines, including a project that studied whether the COVID vax is safe for breastfeeding mothers. mRNA vaccine research is next on the chopping block. Story @science.org www.science.org/content/arti...