Epstein Island drawing inspiration from Easton is too on the nose.

A big part of the authoritarian playbook is war. War takes over the news. War blots out criticism. War divides a nation’s people, subjecting those against it to being called unpatriotic. War grants leaders all sorts of emergency powers. War consumes everything else. We mustn’t let this war do so.

I really feel it’s irresponsible to not include the fact that it’s *totally ineffective* against cancer in the post text and headline here

Do better @npr.org There is no evidence that horse dewormer is effective against cancer. Headlines needs to make that clear.

The impact is already hitting science agencies hard. The NIH—the world's largest public biomedical research funder—has had to rely on leftover stopgap funds. New grant awards have slowed to a trickle — exacerbating the effects of a record-long shutdown in October. (h/t @jeremymberg.bsky.social)

People are just assets to use and discard

here's today's post: "a war in the Middle East, but with morons. what could possibly go wrong?" — spoiler alert: every fucking thing. thanks for reading, and please sign up for my daily newsletter to keep getting the good stuff —

But everything will totally go back to normal if your university just cuts a deal. Right? Right??

You can 100% do high-quality, controlled research about patients’ perceived mistreatment in healthcare. In fact, we should. It’s a major barrier to keeping all Americans healthy. Watch Dr. Green’s video!

Now more than ever, you don't have to be cutting and pasting batshit posts that you have seen over on That Other Site and also, for fuck's sake, get off That Other Site, again, now more than ever

So, so instructive to compare media response to Afghanistan withdrawal -- months of hysterical garment-rending & catastrophizing, relentless criticism of the admin -- with the response to an unprovoked, unmotivated, illegal war of aggression, ie, "some critics say maybe Trump should have reasons."

Honored to have this chance to stand up for science! Hope to see you there… or be together in spirit at National Day of Action rallies across the country.

Academia? Not surprised! forbetterscience.com/2026/02/25/r...

When John Bolton says “you might not have thought your strikes on Iran through”

They went to war with Iran (which nobody in America was asking for) so they could conjure an excuse to allow ICE to keep murdering Americans and teargassing schools here at home with impunity (which nobody in America was asking for).

NSF Update (Awards through 2/27/26) Directorates to follow 1/10

This is presented as an aside, but we can’t overstate how big a deal it is that the USG and Silicon Valley have both rejected the moral superiority and lower risk of engagement they used to enjoy against China. It was our last remaining competitive advantage, and now there are no upsides to US tech.

Spoke with @theguardian.com's Edward Helmore on Russian counterintelligence and honeytraps. #FSB #sexspionage www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Or dog food, even cheaper! #MAHA #EatRealFood

the current position of the US government is that NVIDIA should be allowed to sell chips directly to China but banned from using Claude, because the latter is a larger national security risk. that is the level of absolute insanity coming out of the White House & Pentagon nowadays

Lauren Boebert is asked to define “inflation.” It does not go well.

In my time at Princeton, we've had several Army officers in our doctoral program. They've all done excellent work. When this former Princeton undergrad says we're actually teaching them "the enemy's wicked ideology" I have no idea what the hell he's talking about but, of course, neither does he.

Supplements have the advantage that they are untethered from evidence. They make vague claims of wondrous effects and then add, in rapidly spoken small type: "This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease".

With this science piece, there's considerable unrest today about what NSF will fund. My understanding is that NSF on-the-ground is that what falls under the umbrellas of AI and quantum is broad. If you are submitting, consider helping them. www.science.org/content/arti...

Yeah yeah, it's Friday somewhere. 😺 forbetterscience.com/2026/02/27/s...

Three weeks ago I spent a few days in one of our global dark sky sanctuaries in Rakiura Stewart Island New Zealand. Never has deep time felt so real or so close. But every now and then one of Elon's dumbfuck satellites would interrupt the eternal rhythms of the stars. Let's not let it get worse.

The @whyshoulditrustyou.bsky.social team asked some tough questions of NIH Director Bhattacharya. It's worth a listen: substack.com/home/post/p-... I wanted to add some additional context on Bhattacharya's responses. Sorry, long thread. 🧵1/19

crying in the club* (*at my desk) bc stanley tucci took the USA women's hockey team out for a meal at his favorite restaurant and they gave him his own jersey

My weekly update on NIH All projects 1/4

Paleontologist "Horner visited Epstein at one of his properties in 2012, (...) Horner thanked Epstein and “the girls” for his visit."

New publication! Fascinating new book by @ascharpf.bsky.social and Christian Glaessel shows how notorious phenomena of authoritarianism are triggered by banal career problems. Essential reading for anyone interested in how authoritarian organizations and regimes work global.oup.com/academic/pro...

So many things wrong with this post. 1. In the 90s RU, Communists were the *conservatives*. There were ~14 parties in the '93 Congress, with a slight conservative majority 2. The crisis was not "oligarchs vs people". It was infighting in the power structure, with Yeltsin arguably the "better" guy.

I have an article that hasn't been published that talks about why BlueSky is a good thing, and using X is bad, and the centrist scolds are confidently wrong. This article shows that social media usage, knowledge of conspiracies, and belief in conspiracies is highly correlated, except on BlueSky.

Scientists face fallout for past associations with Epstein www.nature.com/articles/d41... They've been infected by a suspicion which may bar them from being trusted in future... An Epstein-Bar Virus, if you will.

So much wrong here: 1. There was some new hiring, so this number is off by about 100K 2. Unlike most businesses, personnel spending is a tiny fraction (5-6%) of federal outlays 3. Spending has actually increased 4. Many have noticed worse services! donmoynihan.substack.com/p/a-year-on-...

wtaf

“I'm at least not immediately worried that they're going to promote perpetual motion starting tomorrow, so in that sense we’re much luckier than [researchers supported by] the CDC,” one particle physicist who requested anonymity to protect relations with DOE [said].

In Ukraine, Feb. 26 is observed as the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea. Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in February 2014 amid the final, deadliest days of the EuroMaidan Revolution. However, Russia’s efforts to assert control over Crimea did not begin in 2014.

I have a male friend who spent some time in Axel's lab. About the 3rd conversation he had with Axel, Axel broke the ice with "So, have you fucked [a female postdoc in the lab] yet?" My friend was horrified...

@sjmelchor.bsky.social writes for @nature.com about how to spot dubious papers, interviewing @elisabethbik.bsky.social, @abalkina.bsky.social, @jabyrnesci.bsky.social, myself and and my fellow @cosig.net maintainers @solalpirelli.bsky.social and Yagmur Ozturk! www.nature.com/articles/d41...

MURRAY: You called birth control pills 'a disrespect of life.' You also claimed it has 'horrifying health risks.' But there decades of evidence showing it's safe and effective. Should women trust the FDA or you? CASEY MEANS: Are you aware of what the side effects of what hormonal contraception are?

My thoughts from last spring on Surgeon General nominee Casey Means' push for continuous glucose monitoring as a way of improving metabolic health: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

I mean, what are you supposed to do with people like this? It’s like saying that you wish your kids could get in some good old-fashioned car crashes without all those seatbelts and air bags.

In a move one research ethics expert called “odd,” a university asked one of its professors to attend a remedial integrity course — despite their “significant concerns” the training would have any impact following findings of misconduct.

" Last fall, Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine nonprofit Kennedy founded, featured Bigtree as a speaker for its annual meeting."

The idea of Casey Means as Surgeon General is - like so many other things in this administration - a cruel and sickening joke.

KAINE: Sec. Kennedy stated 'there is no evidence the flu vaccine prevents serious disease in children.' Do you agree with him? MEANS: I believe vaccines save lives K: I want to be scrupulous. Do you agree w/ him? M: I have not seen that quote K: There's a mountain of evidence. It's an easy one

CASSIDY: Would you encourage Americans to take the flu vaccine? CASEY MEANS: I do think it's important as a physician and to rebuild trust in public health to make sure patients are encouraged to have informed consent with their doctors before getting any medication