Don’t listen to anyone trying to suggest the FY2026 budget bill saved science. The bill has some wins (and I am grateful to those you worked with and from within Congress for those wins). We have a lot of work to do before we rest. open.substack.com/pub/sciencea...

Every American needs to watch this:

Powerful Shakespearian monologue from Ian McKellen on Colbert. Just a bit applicable to today... www.instagram.com/reels/DUXMaL...

If you need to find a figure skater to cheer on during the Olympics, here’s a great one from my small town in CT #TeamUSA

In brief, this maneuver: - effectively converts employee status to "at-will" (meaning they can be fired for any--or no--reason), - redirects whistleblower complaints to internal agency counsel, & takes away these civil servants' rights to appeal adverse personnel actions.

Without the Washington Post health and science team the public would have known far less about what’s been happening at NIH and CDC this year. Post reporters have done absolutely key reporting, for example a profile on NIH cancer researcher Steve Rosenberg speaking up about damage to his work.

Good news. I reached out to the Internet Archive folks to let them know about the discontinuation of the NIH Record. As I have found on numerous occasions over the past year, they are "on in". A great organization and an increasingly important resource.

Right now, Democrats have the power to defund and abolish ICE. We should do it. This is about right and wrong—and the murder we are seeing on the streets is just plain wrong. Anyone who supports funding DHS and ICE is supporting the murder of Americans. We can stop this.

“We will not be intimidated into silence.” —Dr. Leonard Bright, AAUP Texas A&M This fight is bigger than Texas A&M—it is about whether public universities will serve democracy or fear it. @tamu-aaup.bsky.social @texasaft.org @texasaaup.bsky.social @movetexas.bsky.social

Ok people!!! I believe we may be taking March 7th NATIONAL! This will require financial support. Last year, nationwide, the protests cost $75,000. We need all the help we can get! Help us fuel the fight here: www.standupforscience.net/donate @standupforscience.bsky.social #standupforscience

Incredible self own for the US. The damage being done to the US scientific enterprise is generational. We will look back on this as a tipping point where the US chose all on its own to stop leading the world in science. www.science.org/content/arti...

US science after a year of Trump A series of graphics reveals how the Trump administration has sought historic cuts to science and the research workforce. www.nature.com/immer... 1/4

A prophage-encoded abortive infection protein preserves host and prophage spread www.nature.com/articles/s41...

William Herbert Foege .... you should know him: one of the foremost persons responsible for eradicating smallpox. He died yesterday, January 24, 2026 ..... the day the USA pulled out of the WHO. It is all so terrible sad and stupid. www.nytimes.com/2026... 1/3

Today’s retreat is absolutely an attempt to take pressure off of Congress to rein in ICE so that a funding package can get through. That pressure has been effective. We can celebrate Minneapolis’ win but we need to keep the pressure on. They’re not going to stop forever.

Join us in Amsterdam for a FEBS advanced course on "Functional Imaging of cellular dynamics" from 31st of May - 6th of June 2026 Info: microscopy2026.febsevents.org

“Instead, build your reputation on substance. Do good work that matters to you and can be explained to others. The format and funding will change. The value of your genuine contribution won't…the quality of your thinking and your approach will always matter.”

Nearly 15% (over 10,000 people) of the total number of Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering, and math or health fields employed at the end of 2024 left their jobs in 2025. This is a science extinction event in the US. Rebuilding the lost expertise will take decades

TONIGHT: Join the mass call on documenting and recording law enforcement encounters. We’ll discuss how you can keep taking action as federal agents terrorize our communities. Using our constitutional right to document and record ICE & CBP is more important than ever: www.mobilize.us/nokings/even...

This is one of the things that I find is most shocking to people outside Minnesota who don’t realize it yet—the scale at which everyone who isn’t white has been forced into a spectrum of hiding. Very good article drawing out the Tahrir Square comparison.

Bill Foege, a health giant who led the eradication of smallpox and then led the CDC, has died. Bill's commitment to humanity and to selfless leadership contrasts with the fecklessness of today's health leaders who try to undermine vaccines. RIP, Bill. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...

January 24, 2026

AOC IS 💯 CORRECT.......

Since you may be stuck inside due to the blizzard, today would be a good day to call your senators & tell them how pissed off you are

This statement from an eyewitness to the Minnesota murder of Mr. Pretti is gut wrenching, from beginning to end. Please disseminate it as you see fit. www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽

Congrats @sunnyshinlab.bsky.social and colleagues on this super cool and intriguing story on the role of dietary amino acids in regulating NLRP3 inflammasome activation by controlling translation of the ASC adapter! 🤯🙌🏼

Congrats @mikelhaggadone.bsky.social on this beautiful work. So excited to see the preprint out!

Multi-year funding is a dirty trick by #RussellVought. This way the #Trump administration can say they're spending what Congress appropriated for research, BUT they'll only fund 1/5 the number of grants. Call your Senators/Reps now. Science hangs in the balance. H/T @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social

Lots of problems with multi year funding mechanism. Far fewer grants can be funded and they can only be funded for 4, not 5 years even though most grants funded by the normal mechanism are 5 years. It’s a back door way for Russell Vought to choke off science funding

At least prior to 2025, you could expect all years on your grant (barring major issues). The main problem with MYF is the rapid transition absent an NIH budget increase. We can pay 4 grants for 1 year, or only 1 grant for 4 years. Under MYF, we can pay far fewer grants (1 instead of 4).

The NIH's new multi-year funding plan will harm many institutions, scientists, and health outcomes. Help us stop it! Call your representatives in the U.S. Congress! #NIH

Once again: a far-right president asking Jews to register as Jewish, in the name of protecting the Jews, after he has repeatedly accused Jews of being “disloyal.” What could go wrong? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Chinese Universities Surge in Global Rankings as U.S. Schools Slip www.nytimes.com/2026/01/15/u... current govt policies are probably not directly responsible for this but the they will certainly not help and will accelerate the downward spiral

Okay, and in latest whiplash news - we may be seeing a turnaround on this. Good grief rollcall.com/2026/01/14/h... Healthy systems do not operate like this.

NIH continues losing top scientists: Chou resigns as Cancer Institute program director, Grothaus retires as Aging program officer, Romberg resigns as deputy chief of Prevention Research Branch on Drug Abuse, and Pariyadath resigns as chief of Behavioral & Cognitive Neuroscience Branch on Drug Abuse.

We are hiring new faculty!! Come join our amazing community in the Department of Molecular Microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine! The deadline for applications is 2/21, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. facultyopportunities.wustl.edu/Posting/Deta...

The IL17REL gene encodes a decoy receptor of IL-17 family cytokines to control gut inflammation IL17REL encodes a decoy receptor capable of binding interleukin-17 (IL-17) family cytokines and suppressing intestinal inflammation. www.nature.com/artic... 2/5

For anyone keeping tracking, Federal workers from 10 agencies have now authored letters of dissent against policies that are harming Americans. You can read and sign them all here: linktr.ee/declarations...

Reminder to register for the Midwinter Conference of Immunologists at the Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove, CA! Join us for some great science and the opportunity to talk to junior and senior colleagues in a beautiful setting!! www.midwconfimmunol.org

A bad thing is unfolding at NIH this week: It looks like the Trump administration is trying to replace key civil servant scientific leaders, the Institute Directors, with political hires. These directors control the NIH budget, tens of billions. A bit of a video explainer here: 1/ 🧪

We just launched the biggest primary program in Indivisible’s history. Help us (literally) send Schumer and the surrender caucus a message. open.substack.com/pub/ezralevi...

😱

We're disappointed to see Ben Barres's powerful book "The Autobiography of a Transgender Scientist" among the ~400 titles removed from the Naval Academy Library. Needless to say, we're proud to have published his book and will keep it — and his memory — alive.

My quote of the day As I reflect on my life, I recognize that our greatest achievements often arise from our most profound struggles. Embrace challenges and view failures as opportunities for growth. It is through these trials that we learn, adapt, and ultimately succeed. Marie Curie

We have a new timeline up today on our Medical Research Funding page, documenting the onslaught of political, legal, and bureaucratic attacks on medical research since January: unbreaking.org/issues/medic...

The US funds the bulk of biomedical research globally by far. It's not like other countries can simply take up the slack. The more likely: people leave research, new people don't become researchers. There is no happy ending. www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

The Depression began after Wall Street stocks crashed 96 years ago today, @hcrichardson.bsky.social reminds us. She cites a wildly off-base claim heard then & now: "Republican leaders blamed poor Americans for the Great Depression, saying they drained the economy because they refused to work hard."