I've gotten a couple of responses like this along the lines of: "Of course we know why the administration is doing this." That's fine, you're entitled to your speculation. But even a pretextual rationale matters, and it is the work of journalists to get it on the record.

Stunning reporting from the front lines of the Ebola outbreak. (gift link)

Trump Administration Strips Disability Accommodations at National Science Foundation, Threatening Exodus of Scientific and Administrative Talent www.afge.org/contentasset... AFGE Local 3403 Warns of Crisis at National Science Foundation

Unreliable and underperforming antibodies are a longstanding problem, so while the reveal of apparently manipulated antibody data in Thermo Fisher's catalog was a shock, the frustration it sparked among many researchers is perhaps no surprise. My reporting:

As a source put it to me: "sometimes journalism gets results 🤷‍♀️" www.nytimes.com/2026/05/29/u...

Thermo Fisher has responded to research integrity activists who spotted apparent manipulation in its antibody catalog: "In ... preparing antibody images for publication on our website, some images may have been adjusted to clarify for presentation purposes." More: cen.acs.org/research-int...

Worth more than a bit of skepticism given how many wrong turns and inconclusive results there have been in magnetoreception research, but a really interesting test nonetheless.

For context, see reporting on the White House executive order proposing this last August:

Small update: Since yesterday afternoon, when our article was published, 4 new awards have gone out to Harvard PIs—the first since December.

My new post at For Better Science: "Graphyne Chronicles, Episode 1: A Whole Field of Carbon Nonsense." A story of lies, deceit, and carbon-carbon triple bonds. And mainly about how the worst science doesn't look like fraud. forbetterscience.com/2026/05/26/g... #ChemSky #chemchat

Scoop: NSF has been quietly blocking new funds and grants to four top universities: Duke, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Dozens of proposals from PIs at these universities—and their collaborators—have been stuck at the Office of Award Management awaiting finalization for months.

No strong aesthetic opinions about the google drive icon redesign, but as a power user (read: tab addict) while I am relearning their new shapes I am like a newly-molted crab: soft, vulnerable, reduced to clicking manually on each tab for identification.

New: The 9th Circuit issued its opinion in the UC grant termination case, holding that the district court lacked jurisdiction for an injunction on APA grounds (due to NIH v. APHA), but upheld the injunction for a 'DEI class' on 1A basis and found the district court did not "abuse its discretion."

IBM is getting half, or $1 billion. (For comparison, this is about 3x the amount of DOE's much-publicized Genesis Mission for AI.) Probably not an exaggeration to call this is the single largest investment in science* by the second Trump administration. *Unclear how exactly the funds will be spent

And for a different generation with more than a bit of twisted humor:

O'Neill's nomination hasn't moved at all in the Senate, since it was sent on March 2nd. And the letter from Senate Dems to NSF about the firing of NSB members does not refer to O'Neill though it does note the absence of a permanent director.

Good reporting from @weiss-a-woni.bsky.social on the reopening on the Indiana University labs.

People have asked me what I think, so... Scenarios, schmenarios… www.realclimate.org/index.php/ar...

NSF grantmaking update Last week (5/11) New grants: 903/3637 — 24.8% of avg. Obligations: 1.5/2.06 billion — 72.8% of avg. This week (5/17) New grants: 1027/3772 — 27.2% of avg. Obligations: 1.8/2.12 billion — 84.9% of avg. Data from grant-witness.us/funding_curv...

The contrast between the number of media requests I got when rich people on a cruise were facing a deadly, but contained outbreak versus now that some of the poorest people in the world are facing a deadly and devastating epidemic is just so so stark and it just really annoys the hell out of me.

ICYMI: Where things stand with the IU lab lockdown, as of Friday: -Innes has had to label every biological sample in his lab -Two other labs with shared seed storage have had to do the same -Innes' lab was partitioned off to allow others to reopen, but shared freezers are behind the partition

New: Yesterday Indiana University unlocked several rooms in the bio building, but Innes' lab and some critical shared equipment are still locked down. Meanwhile, researchers have had to label thousands of biological samples in advance of a USDA inspection. My reporting on the latest in this saga:

Area Man Actually Pretty Pleased With New Torment Nexus Overlords

Scoop: There has been a massive shakeup at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Eight of the top ten officials have now been pushed out since President Donald Trump took office. In @nature.com www.nature.com/articles/d41...

A bit late to this, but on Weds the House Appropriations Committee passed the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill (funding NSF/NASA/NIST/NOAA).

NSF will be spending 150 million/yr through the TIP directorate to "advance breakthrough science outside of traditional institutions." What are traditional institutions in this context? Unclear. But traditionally, NSF has put funding towards institutions of higher education.

wow — the preprint host, arxiv, is banning authors for a year if they submit papers with hallucinated citations 🤖

A staffing shortage is making it difficult for the US National Institutes of Health to spend its US$47-billion budget by awarding research grants. go.nature.com/4dal2b5

Are we headed for a Super #ElNiño? There's a lot of chatter about a ginormous, Godzilla, SuperMotherTruckin El Niño that could be on the way. That may be true, but we don't know quite yet. It'll become obvious soon if it's going to happen. Words by me: www.nature.com/articles/d41... 🧪

SCOOP: RFK Jr.'s top spokesman, Rich Danker, quit in protest over Trump admin's vaping policy -- one day after FDA chief Makary resigned for the same reason. NOW VACANT at HHS: Surgeon General. CDC director. FDA commissioner. Asst. Sec for Public Affairs www.nytimes.com/2026/05/13/u...

There's no problem with researchers using AI to code better data-viz. But is a 'tornado plot' really more effective than a 'tree-ring plot'? Volume is much, much harder to parse than area, which is why 2D plots are often much more effective at conveying information.

NSF grantmaking update Last week (5/4) New grants: 836/3480 — 24.0% of avg. Obligations: 810 mil/1.96 bil — 41.5% of avg. This week (5/11) New grants: 903/3637 — 24.8% of avg. Obligations: 1.5 bil/2.06 bil — 72.8% of avg. Data: grant-witness.us/funding_curv...

Breaking: Congress is pushing back on the Trump administration's termination of National Science Board members, with the House calling for their reinstatement and the Senate asking pointed questions about OMB's political interference. My reporting for @science.org:

Real enough to keep all of us from being yeeted into intergalactic space.

SCOOP: RFK Jr. is driving a vast inquiry into vaccine safety, despite his recent silence on the topic. Public health experts fear the findings will be misused. Kennedy has long wanted "sufficient science" to lay the groundwork for lawsuits. w/@by-cjewett.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/h...

Sign of the times: a university press release that's just a Q&A with a faculty member talking about the termination of the National Science Board.

Thorough reporting from @danvergano.bsky.social on the latest organized pushback from scientists against the Trump administration's termination of the National Science Board:

Important reporting on the planned cuts to the Forest Service.

Here's our story out of yesterday's NCAR hearing in Denver. We just used it as an opportunity to update on where things are with NCAR, as we haven't written about this topic since the December restructuring announcement. 🧪 www.nature.com/articles/d41...

OK, so I was at the first court hearing over the NCAR lawsuit this morning in Denver. I, uh, am not a legal reporter so bear with me as I try to recap a few things. You can view all the court documents here: www.courtlistener.com/docket/72496...

Surprisingly, not dated to April 1. "These results demonstrate that sugar can be operated as a cryogenic calorimeter, and may serve as a promising target material for direct dark matter detection."

Poking around the Truman library photograph collections, I have discovered that first NSF director Alan Waterman knew how to party www.trumanlibrary.gov/photograph-r...

When the NIH abruptly terminated thousands of research grants last year, the fallout wasn’t distributed equitably. A new analysis suggests the cuts disproportionately hit women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ investigators. My latest for @nature.com

Pew should have had a 'vibes' option here. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

NSF grantmaking update: Last week (4/27) New grants: 737/3303 — 22.2% of avg. Obligations: 700 mil/1.86 bil — 37.7% of avg. This week (5/4) New grants: 836/3480 — 24.0% of avg. Obligations: 810 mil/1.96 bil — 41.5% of avg. So a slight uptick in both, though still far below average levels.

"The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2026" report which was prepared by NCSES under the guidance of the recently-terminated National Science Board is now out. The report covers the state of STEM education, US R&D vs. China, and translational tech.

“You can rebuild a building. But if attacks on universities become a normal thing, then they can happen in any future stupid war. And this idea is much more destructive than attacking a single building." — Ali Gorji

Some useful context here about the business math...

New: Former NSF leaders and NSB chairs have sent a letter to OSTP and Senate leadership, with two requests: -address the NSF directorship vacancy -"quickly seat a highly qualified new National Science Board"