I'm headed to Notre Dame next week to give a public lecture on Thursday 9/25 about science writing in an age of <waves hands> all this. Details here: science.nd.edu/events/2025/...

How Did Hands Evolve? The Answer Is Behind You. (My story of some surprising evo-devo!) nyti.ms/42Cg8xH

Set aside any personnel disputes The big stakes behind today’s CDC hearing: the fate of the childhood vaccine schedule — Monarez says RFK Jr told her the schedule would change asap and she had to be “onboard” — She says RFK Jr told her he talks “every day” with Trump about changing the schedule

Ousted CDC director says Kennedy plans to change pediatric vaccine schedule www.statnews.com/2025/09/17/m...

Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 detected in dairy cows in Nebraska: first time in this state. Total now comes to 1,080 dairy farms infected in 18 states of the USA since March 2024. See map (not yet updated with Nebraska case) for overview. www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-...

On the Trump administration's cruel disbanding of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium: my op-ed @statnews.com My 12-year-old son died from brain cancer. This research would have helped children like him www.statnews.com/2025/09/15/p...

A deep dive into the destruction of US cancer research by @jonathanmahler.bsky.social “It’s an absolutely unmitigated disaster,” a former top official at NIH told him. “It will take decades to recover from this, if we ever do.” Gift link: nyti.ms/48iH3Cr

“The U.S. government is now in the business of vaccine misinformation.” Trump officials to link covid shots to child deaths, alarming career scientists. Story by @lenasun.bsky.social @rachelroubein.bsky.social @ddiamond.bsky.social wapo.st/47LFKvL

Air-borne by Carl Zimmer merges multiple fields of #science and #history in an utterly captivating way. #NonFiction #Audiobooks #BookSky 💙📚 @carlzimmer.com www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

New research estimates that U.S. cuts to TB programs could cost as many as 2.2 million additional lives by the end of the decade. Even short-term disruptions could cost tens of thousands. www.npr.org/sections/goa...

This year's Lasker Awards went to scientists who studied the wiring diagram of life, a new state of biological matter, and a potent treatment for cystic fibrosis. Here's my story with Gina Kolata. Gift link: nyti.ms/4mZlH1F

Useful thread.

In Florida alone, a 15% decline in vaccinations against measles over 25 years would lead to 1 million measles cases. www.cnn.com/2025/09/09/h...

“There was no discussion, there was no warning, simply an email that said, ‘You’re done. This project is no longer within the administration’s scope. Cease and desist activities as of today.’” @jkutzie.bsky.social's latest for @19thnews.org.

Meet the new vaccine panel advisors RFK Jr. is considering Two urged removal of mRNA coronavirus vaccines. One said physicians “blindly believed” in them. Another said covid isn’t “scary” noting Jesus touched lepers W @lenasun.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...

It's been six months since I started tracking the dire science news in my newsletter. For a long time, it felt like an ominous ocean swell. Now it feels like a breaking wave. buttondown.com/carlzimmer/a...

Polling shows that FL residents are no different than National as a whole: at least 8 in 10 want school mandates. www.kff.org/quick-take/m...

Kennedy has insisted covid shots are still easy to obtain, claiming that @hassan.senate.gov was “making things up to scare people.” But The Post talked to people who are struggling to get the vaccine. Elaine Cox, a 68-year-old with lung disease, said she wept after being denied a prescription.

It's been six months since I started tracking the dire science news in my newsletter. For a long time, it felt like an ominous ocean swell. Now it feels like a breaking wave. buttondown.com/carlzimmer/a...

In under 24h following the newly identified outbreak of #Ebola in the DRC, the virus has been isolated, sequenced and the virus sequence data made publicly available. virological.org/t/the-16th-e...

Our statement on behalf of our client former CDC Director Susan Monarez in light of HHS Secretary Kennedy's unsworn testimony before Senate Finance Committee today:

Two prominent scientists said in whistle-blower complaints that they had been removed from leadership positions at NIH after objecting to Trump administration efforts to undermine vaccines, flout court orders, withhold research money and politicize the grant-making process. nyti.ms/4mayL32

Florida Moves to End Vaccine Mandates for Schoolchildren. Gift link: nyti.ms/465eaab

Harvard University won a crucial legal victory in its clash with the Trump administration on Wednesday, when a federal judge said that the government had broken the law by freezing billions of dollars in research funds. Gift link: nyti.ms/41CEOWy

An estimated 450,000 people have died because of the abrupt cuts to the United States Agency for International Development. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Host: There are new calls this morning for RFK Jr.'s resignation, and those calls coming from inside HHS itself. More than 1,000 current and former HHS workers are making this demand in a letter released this morning. They say his leadership has "put the health of all Americans at risk"

Breaking News: Saying the CDC has become “a political tool,” California, Oregon and Washington announced plans to form an alliance that would coordinate vaccine recommendations for the three states.

Yesterday the president demanded that evidence about Covid vaccines be shown to the public. Today @apoorvanyt.bsky.social & I run through some of the studies made public over the past 4+ years that show that the vaccines work. Gift link: nyti.ms/46k17Tq

First day of class!

More than 85 American and international scientists have denounced a Trump administration report that calls the threat of climate change overblown, saying the analysis is riddled with errors, misrepresentations and cherry-picked data to fit the president’s political agenda. Gift link: nyti.ms/3HNAwoB

The cow udder may be a mixing vessel where different strains of influenza can recombine--"underscoring its potential role in generating novel influenza viruses with pandemic risk." [Preprint] www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

This 🧵 is long so please bear with me. It is compiles evidence in a historical timeline on how effective #COVIDVaccines are. When a pandemic ends we quickly and easily forget the tools that got us out of it. So here is my labour day gift to you prompted by this headline.

Just finished @carlzimmer.com ‘s book ‘Air-Borne’ and would recommend it enthusiastically. A terrific book that documents an incredible history of the scientific thought regarding what’s in the air we breathe. Thank goodness for those working so hard to help us better understand the world around us.

Pediatric Brain Cancer Group to Lose Federal Funding. Gift link: nyti.ms/47PHvI8

2020 vibes. fox4kc.com/news/covid-1...

Trump admin planning to change student visas from lasting for duration of academic program to fixed 4-yr term, and then much harder to renew Could destroy US ability to attract global talent, particularly those seeking advanced degrees in STEM. The median time to complete a PhD is 5.7 yrs per NSF.

On the new acting CDC director. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

NEWS: CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in the country, is currently not offering Covid vaccines in 16 states and DC — even to people who meet the new FDA criteria — because the CDC hasn't signed off and isn't expected to do so (if it does so) for at least three weeks.

Important clarification, multiple CDC sources tell me: Federal employees are not allowed to strike/walk out, so this is *not* a walkout but a "clap out" to show support for departing leadership. Current employees were either given permission to attend by a supervisor or used leave time to attend.

Three senior CDC leaders who resigned told The Post they were asked to participate in an unscientific vaccine recommendation process that they believe could harm the health of Americans.

Lawyers for the CDC’s chief, Susan Monarez, insist that the impasse with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can only be resolved by President Trump. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/h...

1/Our client was notified tonight by White House staff in the personnel office that she was fired. As a presidential appointee, senate confirmed officer, only the president himself can fire her.

“I am not able to serve in this role any longer because of the ongoing weaponization of public health.” Firings and resignations of top CDC leadership today. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/h...

IDSA calls on insurers to cover COVID vaccines consistent with medical recommendations and evidence, and urges Congress to conduct strong oversight of the Administration’s decision restricting Americans’ freedom to choose vaccination. Our statement: https://bit.ly/3JBFPb6

Breaking news: Susan Monarez, the newly installed director of the CDC, is being ousted weeks after she was confirmed to lead the public health agency, according to multiple administration officials.

After 22 years, Typepad is shutting down with one month's notice. Go back up your old blogs, old-school blogger friends. everything.typepad.com/blog/2025/08...

“Prasad overruled dozens of career scientists to limit Covid vaccine approvals three times in the past few months”

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved updated Covid vaccines for the fall season that limit who can get the shots, the federal government’s most restrictive policy since the vaccines became available. Story by @by-cjewett.bsky.social and Jacey Fortin. Gift link: nyti.ms/3Hz1WhX

A genetic flip helped turn us into upright walkers. Here’s my evo-devo story about the ilium. Gift link: nyti.ms/45BOenz

Sigh, *taps the sign again*