i expected this to be quirky and kind of funny but instead it’s utterly depressing www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/s...

Staff at NIAID have been instructed to remove the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the US institute’s web pages, according to e-mails Nature has obtained. Read more about the shift in direction for NIAID. go.nature.com/4twztMV

US hospitals are dispensing routinely prescribed meds to patients in labor, only to report them to child welfare authorities when they or their newborns test positive for those very same substances on subsequent drug tests @themarshallproject.org www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/11/p...

Kudelka from when Gillard's portrait was unveiled (sorry, no alt text.)

NSW to remove ‘good character’ from being considered at sentencing hearings in nationwide first

“every place where writing has become a social interface is now ripe for an injection of A.I., adding an automated editor into every conversation, draining some of the personal from interpersonal interaction.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/o...

“It’s a seismic shift that runs counter to the E.P.A.’s mission statement, which says the agency’s core responsibility is to protect human health and the environment, environmental law experts said.” www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

If ever there was a breath of fresh air and optimism in Australian academia it was Emma. Utterly devastating news. www.afr.com/work-and-car...

The danger after Bondi isn’t only that we ask the wrong questions but that we answer them too quickly. Symbolic policymaking may reassure anxious electorates, but it rarely improves security outcomes. www.smh.com.au/national/aft...

if we are to inch towards unity, the more we pause to listen, the more sure-footed our path forward will be www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

omg. “This is not because I’m directing independent films. It’s because I like my photos and text exchanges where I like my martinis: in my hand. I’m a writer. Two of my favorite things in this world are transcripts and being right, on the spot.” www.wired.com/story/phone-...

New: A piece about journalism today, its trials and consolations

Good morning! Read my story.

great piece, imo not so great headline that doesn’t capture its breadth and depth

The Actuaries Institute of Australia recently published our review of mortality in 2024, which you can find here. content.actuaries.asn.au/resources/re.... A quick summary of our major conclusions #thread.

Victims must always be believed. The uncomfortable truth, however, is that statistically, it is almost impossible to predict lethal family violence because it is so rare. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

“pushups won’t save you from ebola.” www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

The Trump administration is casting more doubt on the safety of vaccines, with the FDA’s top vaccine official suggesting in an internal memo, without offering evidence, that the deaths of at least 10 children were related to the Covid vaccine. Public health experts questioned the findings.

The findings are significant not just because of how much the trial reduced domestic violence, but because only a few years ago it drew fierce criticism from women's advocates and politicians.

joining the chorus of readers singing praise for this beautiful piece. my gosh. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

““Poetry makes nothing happen” — Auden. I think that’s true of all writing, with few exceptions. We shouldn’t expect to change the world. Witnessing, recording, protesting, affirming should be enough.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/b...

this is such a lovely reflection, from jane goodall, on hope. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/c...

Children and teenagers are twice as likely to develop long Covid after a second coronavirus infection as after an initial infection, a large new study has found.

[Jonas] Vingegaard crashed at Paris-Nice. He did not compete for the next two months after suffering a #concussion, criticising the race doctors for not providing a head injury assessment after he fell, and allowing him to complete the remaining 84km of the stage. www.nytimes.com/athletic/666...

Research shows exactly how entire families adjust when a partner is sick. 👉 Read the full story: theconversation.com/when-a-...

“the path china has traveled can offer lessons for americans about how freedom is lost and the resulting cost.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/22/b...

“twentieth-century water treatment programs transformed public health by virtually eliminating waterborne diseases. ventilation, filtration and disinfection provide us with the opportunity to dramatically reduce the burden of airborne illnesses.” worksinprogress.co/issue/the-de...

this gorgeous piece on @newyorker.com fact checking is full of gold. “when a talk piece by tad friend described the singer art garfunkel waving his arms around, the checker asked garfunkel to confirm that he had two arms.” www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

“of course it struggled to be viable – it’s a literary magazine. almost no literary magazines around the world are financially viable; that’s not their purpose. the point is their cultural value, the role they serve as a platform for ideas and creativity…” www.theguardian.com/books/commen...

fascinating, exciting research exploring how maraviroc, an hiv drug, could boost neuroplasticity after brain injury and improve recovery www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/s...

Special Report Inside the CDC director’s ouster: Kennedy demanded acceptance of new vaccine policies; Susan Monarez refused www.statnews.com/2025/08/28/c...

“the war in gaza that began nearly two years ago has been one of the deadliest conflicts anywhere for journalists, with at least 192 killed since it began” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/w...

“sitting at my brother’s kitchen table, i wonder why we have let a handful of mining companies worth billions of dollars take all our money.” www.smh.com.au/environment/...

“embracing masks would mean admitting how dangerous wildfire smoke really is. that could lead to a cascade of expensive changes.” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/17/u...

For too many victims of family violence, police harm more than help: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-07/police-family-violence-harm-in-the-name-of-safety-victims/105454054

i'm very grateful to rawson for generously sharing his experience of domestic violence growing up - the harm it did to him and his family and why he's chosen to speak openly about his recovery. stories of abuse and violent crime generally aren't uplifting - this one is www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

A love letter to the ocean, calling for climate action for our health and wellbeing www.croakey.org/a-love-lette... #publichealth

Science just got sidelined. This isn’t about vaccine safety or restoring confidence —it’s about political agendas endangering public health. We should all be alarmed.

Glad this has been called out, lame response from SBS claiming 'balance and impartial coverage'. Giving airtime to scientifically flawed, non evidence based narratives is not balance or impartial. It is harmful, unethical and disrespectful. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/j...

Writer Sarah Barness was 35 and had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. The warnings came immediately, fast and often: ‘Beware the cancer ghosts.’ After cancer, she would find out who her real friends were because some would step up and others would step back. They would be her “cancer ghosts.”

“we have been trying to stop violent offenders without understanding what goes on in the mind of the violent offender” www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

a new report by victoria's integrity and oversight committee examines the oversight responses to police perpetrated family violence, finding improvements must be made to how such matters are dealt with, especially by victoria police and IBAC www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved...

new ABS data on PFAS levels - three types of PFAS were detected in the blood of over 85 per cent of the population - six types were detected in less than 10 per cent of people - the remaining 2 types of PFAS had detection rates between 15 per cent and 45 per cent www.abs.gov.au/articles/per...

doctors are proposing a new system for categorising TBIs that uses blood biomarkers and scans, not just the “cartoonish” glasgow coma scale. “we all grew up with the categories, ‘mild, moderate, severe’,” dr mccrea said. “we can do better than that.” www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/h...

what an incredible conversation - richard fidler and jamila rizvi, who is admirably, generously open about her experience of 'invisible' illness, how her life has changed since she was diagnosed with a recurring brain tumour www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Three years after Victoria Police stood up a new unit to investigate family violence by serving officers, women say they've faced shocking treatment and even criminal charges themselves after gathering the courage to report abuse.

“australian politicians need to stop making excuses for our substandard police complaints and disciplinary systems that constantly fail many thousands of people every year.” www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04...

Well the NIH has cancelled the Women's Health Initiative, the largest study of women in history It has been running continuously since 1991 and has provided massive key knowledge about diseases in women Unreal www.science.org/content/arti...

the ACIPC says australia's IPC guidelines underestimate the risk of airborne transmission in healthcare settings, argues surgical masks = insufficient protection against COVID and recommends N95 respirators should be standard wherever airborne transmission is a risk www.acipc.org.au/position-sta...

Five years after the pandemic’s start, long-Covid patients young and old continue to struggle with cognitive difficulties