In a long-form piece, I address recent claims by the Editor-in-Chief of @science.org that "quiet" insiders rather than "heated" activists should be credited for passage of top-line budget numbers for science and medical research. joshuasweitz.substack.com/p/science-ad...

I think we have to be very careful here. The appropriations bills are one thing, but as you all know, this administration has a bag of dirty tricks they have and will continue to use to undermine research and frankly, methodically chip away at it until it is a shell of its former self. 1/

It's baffling this isn't discussed more.

This is great to see - about time this made it to the US! The movie isn't really about the origin of the pandemic, but it *is* about those wrongfully being blamed for it - it's important to hear their story, and this movie does it well. Peter mentions April, but I believe it's February!

Had the authors pressure-tested their own "BDL" system they would realize: 1️⃣ All key pathogen data, including genomic, would fall under BDL-4 2️⃣ Hence, we should no longer share data on key pathogens Good example of theoretical risks impeding research on real ones. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

"in July 2023, 80% of Danes said they saw the US as a friend or ally. Now, fewer than 26% do". www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

Science EIC Thorp would like to have it both ways: 1) Credited for being reasonable in acknowledging the importance of (i) quiet insiders & (ii) activists in confronting cuts to science. 2) Clear on who he thinks really deserves the credit for the wins: insiders. 🧵 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

KFF: Poll: Trust and Confidence in the CDC Remain at Low Point After Changes to Recommended Childhood Vaccines bit.ly/4qmcZLB @kff.org

Not really a surprise, but it's still surprising to me that some chose to believe his lie

Very much agree with everything said here - LLMs are fantastic tools, but scaling isn't going to get us to AGI. Cut the hype. "The best news here is that with LLM mania subsiding, there might actually be a chance for newcomers to try new things." garymarcus.substack.com/p/sam-altman...

So the question here is mis-specified. There is no "alternative" research funding in any way that would make American biomedical research whole for researchers to seek out. 1/ www.statnews.com/2026/02/03/p... via @statnews.com

There are only two correct answers in the universe: “42” and “animal style with peppers”. 🤖🍔

“Scientific integrity is essential to a functioning democracy.” Our friends at @ucs.org explain how authoritarianism chips away at truth piece by piece—attacking science, silencing experts, and weaponizing propaganda—and lay out what scientists can do to defend democracy, starting now. ⬇️

This is finally out. Very short take home. All the variation in spike that produced the immune escape characteristics of Omicron can occur in one single persistently infected individual over the period of a year. This is why persistent infections matter www.cell.com/cell-reports...

It's really quite ironic this administration is using lockdown and social isolation to control the spread of a dangerous virus. It's almost like they're learning the real lessons of 2020.

I totally forgot - it's Happy Feb 1 Secret Teleconference Day!!! Luckily - and even now, six years later - the A Team over on The Other Site is already celebrating 🙇🙏🥳.

In case you want to hear me rant about this to a different person!

This is Nathan Wolfe. Nathan is a virus hunter. Nathan has a bit of a reputation. Through the years, I've told multiple journalists stories I've heard, like "Nathan thanks Jeffrey Epstein in his book." Somehow no one ever wrote anything up. Want to see what Nathan was up to in today's Epstein files?

New NIH funding strategy has been formalized. I really do hope scientists understand what this means for the future of science (funding) - it's not subtle. www.niaid.nih.gov/about/unifie...

The critical bit missing in this @nytimes.com article is the actual numbers - *last* year, only 6% (!!!) of Greenlanders chose the US over Denmark. 6%. Now it's, what, 2%? Can it be any clearer? www.nytimes.com/2026/01/29/w...

Today's @nytimes.com dialogue with Ross Douthat & Jay Bhattacharya is tough sledding. I wrote a book on how silent transmission made COVID harder to stop and drove misleading narratives. The interview continues to mislead as a means to seize more power. a 🧵 www.amazon.com/Asymptomatic...

This is simply insane - demanding the removal of a perfectly safe preservative will require changing the entire production and distribution pipeline. For no reason whatsoever. While the money is held up, tens of thousands of children are at risk of dying from preventable diseases.

This is really quite the thread.

Science: U.S. government has lost more than 10,000 STEM Ph.D.s since Trump took office By Jeffrey Mervis, Monica Hersher @science.org @policyhound.bsky.social @mghersher.bsky.social bit.ly/3M8yf9B

“We are witnessing the total breakdown of any meaningful system of accountability for federal officials. …The national government is becoming functionally lawless, and the legal system is struggling to contain his corruption.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/o...

You want to read this: www.thebulwark.com/p/this-is-th...

Given recent events, here are seven essential reads, all 🎁 linked. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/o... 1/7

A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

I had the opportunity to interview with @theworld.org and answer questions regarding the ethical issues with the now paused trial in Guinea Bissau. You can listen at the ink below. theworld.org/segments/202...

In reviewing grants and papers lately, as an exp., I have been using LLMs *after* my reviews to see how they stack up. And let me tell you - they're (all) *completely* off the mark. That makes sense if you understand the fundamentals of LLMs, but I'm worried many don't. But, please, don't do this.

I totally agree ICYMI, @boghuma.bsky.social has written 3 of the most important pieces on the disturbing ethical transgressions in this proposed trial; these pieces are critical readings bktitanji.substack.com/p/how-unethi... bktitanji.substack.com/p/lipstick-o... substack.com/@bktitanji/n...

"Africans want to solve Africa’s problems, not satisfy the curiosity of the funders." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

"Quinhin Nantote, Guinea-Bissau’s minister of public health, said the study had not received proper ethical approval, and his office has suspended it" www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/h...

Covers of the 2 leading science journals this week @science.org and @nature.com www.science.org/content/arti... www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Kicking off in a little over an hour. With the US officially having cut ties with the WHO today, this topic is more relevant than ever. What role will the US play moving forward? What role, with the PABS framework still being work out, WHO play? www.belfercenter.org/event/genomi...

For all their centering on freedom as the highest virtue, they persistently disregard what is probably the most potent threat to freedom: illness. Infectious diseases are particularly troublesome because others' choices can become a threat to your own freedoms.

And so it is done - the United States has left the World Health Organization. Leaving behind hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid dues. If the plan - truly - was to make America healthy again, this will guarantee the opposite will happen.

The US withdrawal from #WHO became official today, leaving the world less prepared for dangerous disease outbreaks. “When that will bite us in the ass, it’s impossible to predict. But there is a 100% certainty that it will bite us in the ass,” one expert told me. www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/u...

Come for this horribly depressing graph about the state of America’s health and science agencies and stay for the heatmap from grant termination hell. Essential reading from @maxkozlov.bsky.social and colleagues www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Increased use of multi-year funding reduces chances of research ideas being funded, postponing cures and therapies via ActforNIH.org NIH

There was a recent Heritage Foundation event on the origin of COVID, which was rife with disinformation. Because our work is that specifically targeted, here's is just one example from the former CDC Director. Listen to clip one - Mar 8, 2023 House hearing (under oath). "I was excluded".

"The middle powers must act together because if we‘re not at the table, we‘re on the menu". www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTvF...

STAT: As U.S. prepares to exit WHO, it is stiffing the agency on a large bill by @helenbranswell.bsky.social @statnews.com @who.int bit.ly/3LBAt13

Confusion about the "multiyear" awards being reported differently across articles. Below, is the actual language ~ the NIH is allowed to fund multiyear awards in FY26 up to a max of the FY25 level. That's a problem - multiyear awards were the reason why 25% fewer grants were awarded in FY25.

This is the most astonishing graph of what the Trump regime has done to US science. They have destroyed the federal science workforce across the board. The negative impacts on Americans will be felt for generations, and the US might never be the same again. www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

This is overall good news - including (especially) the highlighted part! Discussing the issue around "multiyear awards" with colleagues, I honestly don't think most scientists realize what a big bullet the scientific community just dodged - so good to see this out. www.science.org/content/arti...

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. Maybe many of us won't be here to greet her, but on a quiet day, if I listen very carefully, I can hear her breathing.” Arundhati Roy

Great to see European universities stepping up as infectious disease research and global health continue to be targeted and degraded in the United States. Two exciting opportunities from the University of Geneva just posted - might be of interest to my broader network.

“akin to the idea that if we keep breeding horses to run faster and faster, one of them will give birth to a locomotive” 🧪

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