They Had Me At “Dog”! "Dog-assisted intervention trials." That phrase was definitely going to make me click! For a brief moment in that odd mind space you're in while scrolling, I wondered how on earth dogs could assist intervention trials (!!). But of course the article was about trials of…

My book BEYOND BELIEF is out today! It says: in a world flooded with questionable claims and misinformation, evidence from science can help show what’s nonsense – and what’s not. In other words: "Essential reading for the rational-minded". Please repost! 1/🧵 @princetonupress.bsky.social

A slow month for next generation Covid vax results, but a big month for clinical trial news. New clinical trial for intranasal vax starting in the US, & another expanding to another 2 cities. A "variant-proof" vax going into phase 2a trial in Germany: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/04/30/a...

A recent paper got me frustrated about this again: There's still too much uncertainty about conflict of interest bias in research. My new post @plos.org absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/04/29/t...

“No single raindrop…” "No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood." This is a line from a poster I used to have in my office. It popped into my head this week when I was in a queue to fuel my car. We've had shortages around here—not because the country didn't have enough, but because…

A little hope.

New feature: Which nextgen Covid vaxes are advancing the most? I highlight 3 in mid- to late-stage trials with manufacturers—including a "universal" Covid vax & a mucosal one—and another 6 vaccines. Plus more trial results & 10 preclinical reports: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/04/02/a...

My darling son Adam would have been 43 today. Cherishing memories of hanging out with him—here in 2012. ❤️

In February 2021, a town in Brazil showed up for a groundbreaking randomized Covid vax trial, providing evidence of population effects of mass vaccination in a pandemic. My latest @plos.org post digs into this exciting precedent & why it matters: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/03/28/a...

In February 2021, a town in Brazil showed up for a groundbreaking randomized Covid vax trial, providing evidence of population effects of mass vaccination in a pandemic. My latest @plos.org post digs into this exciting precedent & why it matters: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/03/28/a...

Adjusting to the Changing Internet When ads flooded some parts of the internet, I adjusted by avoiding those places when I recognized the signs—or hitting the back button quickly when I hadn't. When "AI" scrapers led to an explosion of sites making me wait while checking if I'm a robot, I got used…

The rose is hands down the prettiest flower in the rain today 😍 #BloomScrolling

News-packed update on nextgen Covid vaccines this month at my @plos.org blog: - Preclinical results for an intranasal "universal" vaccine that provided some protection from coronaviruses, H1N1 flu, some bacterial infections, and an asthma allergen... 1/2 absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/03/01/p...

News-packed update on nextgen Covid vaccines this month at my @plos.org blog: - Preclinical results for an intranasal "universal" vaccine that provided some protection from coronaviruses, H1N1 flu, some bacterial infections, and an asthma allergen... 1/2 absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/03/01/p...

@macalestercollege.bsky.social I've written a Wikipedia page for Catharine Deaver Lealtad, as well as a blog post: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathari... absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/02/20/d...

For #BlackHistoryMonth, I've written about a remarkable woman who blew me away. Meet Dr Catharine Deaver Lealtad (1895-1989) in my new post @plos.org: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/02/20/d... She was a lifelong activist and international humanitarian...1/2 #BHM

My best photo yet of a native Blue-Banded Bee! 😍 😍 😍 Doesn't do the brilliance of the blue justice, though. They are buzz pollinators, so as usual, I heard it before I saw it. (Buzz pollinators shake the pollen off by vibrating.) More about them: www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/creatu...

Cartoonists Keep Meeting the Moment So many people in a position to do something are failing us, when it matters the most. The disappointments in cultural and political leadership just keep rolling in. Some parts of the culture keep meeting the moment, though—including many prominent political…

Vale, Jon Kudelka (1972-2026).

Really good blog posting from @hildabast.bsky.social on some of the most recent trends in #PeerReview, headlines topics in her 🦋 Skeet 👇

Lots to think about in my annual roundup of peer review research: - AI, mostly bad; some suggestions of ways it may help - Evidence on financial rewards for peer review - Influence of editors' biases More on equity & diversity; librarians & systematic reviews absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/02/02/5...

During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, I taught three, online courses for journalists on basics of epidemiology Course recordings and slides are still available as a free resource on my teaching website www.teachepi.org/courses/epid...

Lots of news in my latest next generation Covid vax update: - Self-amplifying mRNA vax Kostaive approved in the UK - New trial for mucosal vax starting in Finland - Results from AstraZeneca phase 1 trial for mRNA vax ... absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2026/01/31/a... 1/2 #Vaccines #Covid #Covid19

This weekend, I just wanted to give a shout out and thank these wonderful colleagues who are doing everything they can, to stand up for science, public health and human rights @gregggonsalves.bsky.social @cdelawalla.bsky.social @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social @boghuma.bsky.social ...

Now * this * is some high quality blog spam! 🤣 🤣 🤣

Tuberose — such a cool, sweet-smelling customer in the summer heat! 😍 #BloomScrolling

This photo is from camping a few years back—one of the major out-of-control fires in our area is burning there. 😢 We're into day 2 of >40 C (100 F), in catastrophic fire risk for another day at least. Ready to evacuate if the wind turns in our direction. 😬

“Blogging in the Ruins”—Some Counterpoints As of this month, I've been blogging—with words and cartoons—for 14 years. My enthusiasm for it has waned at times, but it always comes back. So when Joan Westerberg posted The Case for Blogging in the Ruins, I clicked quickly. And I anticipated being…

A major milestone for next generation Covid vax: The first clinical trial for a pancoronavirus formulation of an existing vaccine was registered. With more news incl trial results & 12 preclinical reports—in my monthly update @plos.org absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/12/31/m... #Vaccines

In the article she wrote for me about tuberculosis and streptomycin in the UK in 1948, @hildabast.bsky.social describes how #GeorgeOrwell was admitted to Hairmyres Hospital in Scotland on #ChristmasEve 1947, with infectious chronic tuberculosis in his lungs 👇 www.jameslindlibrary.org/articles/dow...

Summer table, with hydrangea and gladioli 😍 #BloomScrolling

Good piece.

This was a light-bulb moment for me! My new post @plos.org comes from learning about the concept of science populists: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/12/19/s... ....

New study from IQWiG: You can do without searching Embase for drug studies – though that could change if something drastic happened to PubMed. (Currently only in German.) #MedLibs

This Was a Strong Way to Respond to Science Criticism A vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer is frankly awesome. Cervical cancer is dreadful, and the lengths we go to in treating lesions that could develop into the disease cause misery to millions. Yet, HPV vaccines have always been a magnet…

Nothing says first day of summer like eating the first perfect cherries from your baby tree! Yum! 😍

More progress internationally on next generation Covid vaccines – with a setback in the US: - More good news on the vaccine for people with immunosuppression - Progress in intranasal vaccine trials in France & the US ....1/2 absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/30/m...

Another chance to help out the OLSPub team, who are aiming to develop an open source PubMed safety net. A 10-minute survey for scientists etc - in German and English: survey.uni-koeln.de/index.php/56...

Surrogate outcomes Screening versus prevention schools of thought And much more in this extremely readable @hildabast.bsky.social post absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/24/t... (Remember Nordic Cochrane aka Gøtzsche went off the rails a few years ago? This is the outcome)

'The weight of the evidence has tipped heavily in favor of HPV vaccination" @hildabast.bsky.social but we now need to deal with growing vaccine hesistancy! absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/24/t...

We've had to wait a long time to get to this point! With this new pair of Cochrane systematic reviews, the weight of the evidence has tipped very heavily in favor of HPV vaccination. My new post @plos.org absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/24/t... #Vaccines

OLSPub, the plan for a PubMed safety net, is going to need governance & funding support beyond Germany. DFG, a national German research funder, * might * support some of it, but not enough. @zbmed.bsky.social will now be fast-tracking their plans for a distributed European network. ...1/2

Iris loving the spring sunshine 😍 #BloomScrolling

A Bumper Month for Covid Vaccines and More It's been an eventful few weeks for Covid vaccines – mostly good, some very bad. Let's start with the good news. Novavax has transferred marketing of its protein subunit Covid vaccine in the EU and US to a major pharmaceutical company, Sanofi. Here's…

Arcturus not applying for FDA approval of self-amplifying mRNA Covid vax because of "sudden changes in regulatory requirements by the FDA for COVID-19 vaccines." ir.arcturusrx.com/news-release... It's already approved in Japan & Europe. My explainer on samRNA absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2024/12/31/s...

My latest update on nextgen Covid vaccines is a whopper, in part thanks to catching up with a new vax tracker: - Trial results for 2 vaxes - 3 new clinical trials - 26 preclinical reports Highlights follow....1/2 Now @plos.org: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/06/a... #Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

My latest update on nextgen Covid vaccines is a whopper, in part thanks to catching up with a new vax tracker: - Trial results for 2 vaxes - 3 new clinical trials - 26 preclinical reports Highlights follow....1/2 Now @plos.org: absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/11/06/a... #Covid #Covid19 #Vaccines

Oh my! I didn't realize the Australian CDC already has a website: cdc.gov.au 🎉 It's technically the interim CDC, as it's only due in January 2026 (if all goes to plan). www.cdc.gov.au/about/about-...

PubMed had some disruption in adding records this week, apparently recovering on Wednesday with over 9,800 records in one day. But if you have a Plan B for critical searches, maybe start using it... 1/2 Chart data: New daily records 2024/25. Some dip on weekends is normal. bit.ly/42MfAFM #MedLibs

Always worth reading @hildabast.bsky.social This time on a possible @bsky.app to Mastodon migration Network effects Fediverse The Academic addiction to @altmetric.bsky.social Much more thoughtful discussion absolutelymaybe.plos.org/2025/10/30/a... #AcademicSky