wikipedia turns 25 today! the last unenshittified major website! backbone of online info! triumph of humanity! powered by urge of unpaid randos to correct each other! somehow mostly reliable! "good thing wikipedia works in practice, because it sure doesn't work in theory" - old wiki adage

Dropping in just to say that everyone is overusing em dashes!

Scientists. I want you to think of science communication projects you'd like to make happen in your neighborhood/town/city. Really think about it for a moment. Imagine that you're funding it yourself. How much is the minimum you'd need to make it happen?

It's hard to express what it meant to watch Maurice, Natalia, Celeste, and Rhea tell their stories—in their own voices—this morning. The segment revealed a brutal reality: homelessness at this scale isn't about personal failure. It's the result of policy choices and systems built to exploit people.

A new banger in the "Why doesn't this random animal get cancer!?" genre of biological inquiry

Yet again, we can't afford to let LLMs become a source of epistemic grounding for society.

There seems to be a concerted, coordinated effort from the White House and various governmental agencies to join Bluesky en masse prior to the "No Kings" protest and flood the zone. A reminder that the Trump admin is monitoring social media platforms to find excuses to revoke visas:

EXCLUSIVE: A new analysis by The Xylom's @alexip718.com shows for the first time just how much America’s top research institutions have grown to depend on H-1B skilled workers — and how this delicate balance might be disrupted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on legal immigration.

If you read one story about the autism announcement, make it @amymaxmen.bsky.social's. One detail that others miss: "Fevers can harm the mother and the developing fetus, she said, adding that fevers are more strongly associated with autism than Tylenol." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

So many academics are on HB-1 visas. This is another attack by #RussellVought on universities and scientific research. Stop telling me anything this administration does is in good faith or with any sort of policy goal except destruction.

It's true, but also my favorite thing is talking to folks about what we know, what we don't, and why when it comes to cancer research so...hit a girl up! (P.S. one of the earliest targeted therapies ever is for the BCR-ABL1 fusion and we still study gene fusions as a way to target various cancers!)

The VC model is the antithesis of good basic science. Basic science is best when many labs are funded over the long-term, when many different scientists pursue their own ideas. Let a thousand flowers bloom —and support them. VC investment is about relentless, exponential growth.

This is not the time to step back from diversity, equity, and inclusion | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

“a court order can’t reinstate months of lost treatment for a cancer patient… It’s hard to put a price on the value of research that might be years away from a new drug or treatment...It’s even harder for those who have been kicked out of clinical trials…where the stakes are clearly life or death”

Expired: patient-centeredness is efficient Tired: patient-centeredness improves quality Wired: patient-centeredness fights fascism

This was posted this morning by Humans of New York and I think this captures exactly what we are all experiencing right now

“It takes a lot to pull one over on New Yorkers, and when we looked around, the city described in Cuomo attack ads simply did not exist. We recognize that the city’s problems come mostly from the people above, and not the ones sitting next to us on the subway.”

just wanna put these two images next to each other for posterity's sake

I just like to post these data from time to time to puncture the mythological aura of mid 20th c protests. They were less popular than pretty much any 21st c mass action & people criticizing them used the same lines. Protest is about people coming together, shaping narratives, & building power.

Today is the last day to comment on schedule F, Russ Vought's plan to politicize the civil service, by making many positions political appointments. Please take the time to comment today. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/last-day-t...

academics logging on to bluesky together on a friday afternoon

💫 Please share these resources widely - they are designed to track what we know and make sense of things in a well-sourced and fact-checked way. The page on medical research in particular covers a lot of ground and will be updated regularly. 🧪

Bill & Ted's Excellent Breadventure

Great piece and highlights what we need to be making clearer.

the "Veep plot point or real life?" @mcsweeneys.net quiz that lives in my mind getting more difficult by the day

"...this Executive Order is positioning policymaking to ignore scientific evidence by holding it to unachievable standards, and to use ideology and non-scientific information by holding it to no standards at all."

Federal weather & climate science is under threat. Starting TODAY at 3:00 PM ET, join a coalition of scientists--including AMS leaders--for a 100-hour livestream. Learn what federal science does for you, ask questions, and help build awareness to "Save Our Forecasts": wclivestream.com

A huge step from HHS that is at odds with science showing significant risks for young children and pregnant women — and that directly contradicts *the FDA's own publication* from last week listing pregnancy as a high-risk condition that would qualify people for this fall's Covid vaccine

I forgot about this great story by @cragcrest.bsky.social from 2017. The story, and my comment, are as relevant today as they were then.

You have FOUR (4) more days to order a Biology is Bigger than Binaries shirt, designed by the lovely and talented @franzanth.bsky.social. In this nightmare of a year, merch is keeping @skypeascientist.bsky.social afloat. Even if you don't order, RT's help so much! Get 'em: squidfacts.bigcartel.com

Biomedical science is based on identifying root causes. It’s called etiology. Bacterial infections, genetic mutations: actual scientists study what causes disease to make therapeutics & diagnostics. That’s our job. It’s WHY all major health advances exist. The wellness world loves to lie. 2/

I subscribe to the @newyorker.com, I was part of ACT UP, I knew Larry Kramer well and know Tony Fauci too. Daniel Immerwahr's piece on RFKJr, features this and other passages that need a reponse. 1/

Tomorrow! Check out the Caveat Sketch Sampler, with a whole bunch of amazing sketch groups! In addition, we'll be trying out a new Powerpoint Karaoke idea, with help from @arksandsciences.bsky.social and @shyaporn.bsky.social caveat.nyc/events/cavea...

Scientists have a plan to restore the nearly extinct American chestnut to its abundant glory, and they need New York City residents’ help.

"And this isn’t just about their future. It’s about ours...behind every one of [the scientific breakthroughs] is a young scientist who, like the student in my office, trusted that this country believed in the value of science." www.statnews.com/2025/05/07/u...

Probably every single woman in science in the United States under the age of 50 has been positively impacted by the NSF ADVANCE program in some way. As I hear stories of ADVANCE cancellations, it's hard to really fully grasp the tremendous damage the end of that one program is doing. 🧪

Funding science is an investment for ALL Americans! 📉 Researchers at American University's Institute for Macroeconomic and Policy Analysis found that a 50% reduction of federal science funding would make Americans $10k poorer. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/b...

“Many people portray this as a war on the elite in higher education…[but] so much of what is being taken away are the programs that make science look more like America.”

Happy Earth Day! ATTN: fellow scientists!! In defense of science and to increase opportunities for public awareness of the amazing, impactful research being done across the United States, please consider participating in the McClintock Letters initiative :) blogs.cornell.edu/asap/events-...

Neil deGrasse Tyson went on Rogan which is a huge bummer but the good news is that there are lots of cool Black 🔭 #scicomm out there and @blackinastro.bsky.social even made a starter pack! 🧪https://go.bsky.app/6nFQdRC

Actually, flip the headline. It's really "How the Federal Government Became so Dependent on Universities." These competitively awarded, peer reviewed research grants produce tremendous returns on investment. New tech, health, science that benefit all people & businesses in the USA & world.

🙏 We need your help 🙏 The government continues to cancel grants at both NIH and NSF to censor science it doesn't like. We're tracking terminations to organize and advocate. Please report your terminated grants: NIH: forms.gle/J2znQ7y7YpeP... NSF: airtable.com/appGKlSVeXni... w/ @noamross.net

There are so many ways one could provide context for this data. For example, in the last five years universities have received 52-55% of their research funding from the federal government. That's the lowest percentage since the 1950s. 1/x ncses.nsf.gov/surveys/high...

Over the last several weeks, we've shared exciting new work from our grantees in #Ethics, Science, & the Public. @thecosmicrey.bsky.social helps illustrate what we mean when we say that #SciComm #SciArt #BasicScience #SciEngage www.kavlifoundation.org/news/more-ab...

Students often talk with friends & fam about climate, @lizbarnes.bsky.social + colleagues find. But they tend to go heavy on the stats & facts, and don't know how to bring up solutions. They rarely learn how to have effective conversations, and would love training & practice. Well, guess what! 🧵

This is very good

First, Steves finds a way to talk about institutions and oligarchy that is dirt simple: 1. Institutions are PUBLIC WEALTH. They are our shared wealth, dammit. 2. Billionaires can't stand wealth they don't control. 3. So they are going to dismantle our public wealth to better bleed us dry

Influence doesn’t simply flow from an article in the NYT or a segment on the local news. Instead it is mediated thru groups & opinion leaders, from respected elders to faith leaders to teachers to students returning home from school. May there be 1000s of churches praying for Abrego-Garcia tomorrow.

Just thinking about what the US looked like before the EPA existed

"Eventually no one will have any rights that the state need respect, because the public will have sacrificed them in the name of punishing people it was told did not deserve them."