The oldest-ever evidence of a plague outbreak, from 5,500 years ago, complicates our notions of hunter-gatherer lifestyles. wapo.st/43KFD07

What does it *mean* when AI solves a long-unsolved math proof? Terry Tao thinks of climbing vs. jumping. AI systems “are still largely ‘jumpers,’ who can reach heights that a human might not be able to reach in one go but do not ‘fail gracefully,’ and one often cannot salvage much." wapo.st/43DN2OL

Diabetes researchers, including the editor of a flagship journal, ejected from conference after criticizing Trump's "dismantling" of biomedical research wapo.st/49EYInR

This scientist learned he has a devastating brain disease. He set out to cure it. wapo.st/4u6nlkv

Really neat writeup by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social of the new work showing that a Neanderthal from Chagyrskaya Cave, Russia, sat for a dental drilling almost 60,000 years ago. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...

Some 59,000 years ago, a Neanderthal developed a toothache. What happened next was, in many ways, astonishing. wapo.st/48WvYXj

This is in many ways a pretty depressing advance. Scientists identified a handful of potent antibodies that block measles - a basic science question that (until recently) was a bit moot because we eliminated it with a highly effective vaccine. wapo.st/4f8Aeqt

13 former NSF directors and National Science Board chairs sent a letter to the Senate expressing concern about the trajectory of the nation's $9 billion basic science funding agency, which they say is a hedge against "scientific surprise" - the breakthroughs that will occur in other countries.

NEWS: Trump ousts board that governs NSF, the nation's $9 billion science agency “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I’m writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately.” wapo.st/3P3DSY2

Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope - lots of excitement for a growing "buffet" of pancreatic cancer treatments that are *finally* offering some hope against this grim diagnosis wapo.st/3OlCdNn

Those of us doing research related to women’s health have been hit particularly hard by the govt’s sabotage of the NIH. I spoke to WaPo for this piece, as painful as it was to discuss the reality my lab is facing. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...

Bhattacharya, Letai & other politicals at NIH keep trying to to say all at NIH is fine, because they spent the full budget last year. This well researched article from @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social explains exactly why many scientists are still struggling. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...

Stowed away on Artemis II are tiny chips that could change medicine - tissue-chip 'avatars' of the astronauts aimed at elucidating the hazards of deep space radiation exposure wapo.st/3NVLbAJ

What exceptionally long-lived animal can teach us about how to age better - but this story could also just be called Nature is bonkers! (especially rockfish?) wapo.st/4lvPy1x

A recent @washingtonpost.com article features a new study led by ASHG Past President @sarahtishkoff.bsky.social, PhD. Read about her team’s findings on Neanderthal and modern human interbreeding and how social dynamics may have influenced these pairings. @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social

Deep in Antarctic ice, these particles can answer basic questions about the universe wapo.st/40v0xhX

New: A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a joke. Then 100 calls flooded in: neighbors ratting on neighbors, a teacher reporting a kindergartener. Fans say the viral TikToks revealed deportation's "banality of evil." Conservatives say he should be in prison wapo.st/4kM4qbF

In medicine, prevention is pretty much always better than trying to undo damage. Scientists are trying to develop an Alzheimer's "clock" to flag people who have no symptoms now, but will soon -- and could benefit from early treatment wapo.st/4rmRETx

@carolynyjohnson.bsky.social did an excellent job today of summarizing the research and key issues surrounding the idea of "sleeping on it" (Not A Myth) — Thank You Carolyn! wapo.st/4rqb1LF

To sleep, perchance to dream -- of a solution to a problem that has really been bugging you www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...

FDA refuses to review Moderna’s application for first mRNA flu vaccine www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/... @rachelroubein.bsky.social

Our second most read story right now comes from @markjohnpost.bsky.social, a Pulitzer-winning science reporter on our team, who announced he was laid off. Just the latest example of how he found the most fascinating areas of science to unpack beautifully www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

No struggling newspaper ever saved itself by becoming a worse and less essential product. But what's happening today at the @washingtonpost.com is not just the latest devastating contraction of the news industry; it's the gutting of an American institution vital for a healthy society

im usually pretty decent at pushing through distractions to focus on the work but this is a pretty tough one to tune out ngl

A retiree wrote this email to a DHS attorney. Within five hours, DHS demanded Google turn over records for his account. A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech. New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social

My @washingtonpost.com colleagues worked round the clock this weekend to expose the truth of what's happening in Minneapolis and bring urgent weather news to millions facing dangerous cold and snow. If you value this work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Scientists grew tiny models of our nasal airways, complete with mucus-secreting cells and cilia that beat rhythmically to understand how our bodies fight the common cold wapo.st/4qzFZQY

Rarity Public Benefit Corporation is trying to turn a UCLA cure for a rare disease into a medicine. The bottleneck now is not showing that it works, but another key part of the drug approval process — developing the commercial manufacturing. Great story by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social 🧪

Investigators told the reporter that she is not the focus of the probe. The warrant said law enforcement was investigating a system administrator in Maryland who has been accused of taking home classified intelligence reports. https://wapo.st/4qULbi9

Scientists are inventing treatments for devastating diseases. There’s just one problem. Genetic therapies could be used to treat hundreds of diseases. The path to patients is tricky, by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/... via @washingtonpost.com #RareDisorders

Feuding physicists and the bitter battle over the swirls in ‘The Starry Night’ wapo.st/49sbpCF

“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:

BREAKING: US. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors, per sources familiar. HHS consulted w chief science officer and top FDA official. Me and @rachel_roubein 1/4 www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center - “Maybe if Colorado had a governor who actually wanted to work with President Trump, his constituents would be better served,” said a senior White House official. wapo.st/4p3YwDx

🔥Scientists discover oldest evidence of human-made fire — a 400,000-year-old English hearth wapo.st/4aaP3GM

EXCLUSIVE: Mom of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew rejects White House narrative of her ICE arrest www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Overview of the latest study by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social in the @washingtonpost.com: wapo.st/48mtKkg [gift link] #HistSTM #MedievalSky

Fascination of the day - the ongoing research into the Black Death and how it started, via a chain of interconnected environmental, societal, geopolitical events... How volcanoes upend the story of what sparked the medieval plague pandemic wapo.st/48mtKkg

Today is World AIDS day - Small study shows a promising path toward HIV cure wapo.st/3XrYzOc

"A priority among local transportation agencies remains avoiding traffic jams rather than responding to concerns of pedestrians in the most danger, who are more likely to live in poor neighborhoods and wield less political influence." www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...

In a first, scientists sequence the oldest RNA from a 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth wapo.st/4qXwTxU

A provocative preprint showed AI designing novel viruses. Some of them could kill E. coli! Even scientists don't totally agree on "what it means" -- but they've been talking about it. A window into the debate 🎁link: wapo.st/4hR6A8t

It is a tender time for the nascent field of CRISPR gene editing... A small trial shows the potential to use the tech to lower LDL cholesterol and trigylcerides, but a patient died this week in a different trial now on hold 🎁link: wapo.st/4oGpJfS

A ferocious paleontology debate -- over teenage T. rex vs. Nanotyrannus -- may finally be settled. @arctomet.bsky.social @stevebrusatte.bsky.social @jgn-paleo.bsky.social As an editor of mine used to say... ain't no fight like a science fight. 🎁link: wapo.st/47D18l5

In the middle of a shutdown, NIH appointed a new head for its institute on environmental health sciences. The new NIEHS director, Kyle Walsh, is a Duke neurosurgeon who studies glial cells. He also calls VP JD Vance, who officiated his wedding, one of his closest friends.

Drugs treating cancer, epilepsy, & HIV were developed thanks to millions in federal funding for universities. What lifesaving drugs are future patients missing out on due to Trump’s attacks? https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/interactive/2025/trump-university-research-medicine

Just got the best, ever, response when trying to track down a Nobel winner: "Dr. Ramsdell is currently living his best life and is off the grid on a pre-planned hiking trip." t.co/j5nCkpejnf

Another excellent piece by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social et al. that raises the question: what is the administration doing other than dismantling for dismantling's sake? 🎁 wapo.st/4q1M3ly

AI can design toxic proteins. They’re escaping through biosecurity cracks. wapo.st/4nxxeFv

@carolynyjohnson.bsky.social completes my "mitomeiosis" trifecta for the day: www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025... “Even when they succeeded, it didn’t really succeed,” said Hank Greely... “It’s interesting, but not useful yet.” Cool story & I'm happy to see good labs working on this stuff!