Counting the costs of our broken #FoodSystem, in #PublicHealth and environmental conditions

My latest! Even $3 trillion is likely an underestimate, due to the difficulties in calculating these costs, sources told me.

Deadline extension alert! You now have until Dec. 31 to apply for a National Science-Health-Environment Reporting Fellowship. If you're an early-career, U.S.-based journalist, this program is for you. casw.org/news/applica... @sejorg.bsky.social @healthjournalism.org @sciencewriters.org

A growing body of research, including work from Rockefeller's own @sohailtavazoie.bsky.social, suggests tumors rely on proteins and genes that are unique to the nervous system to persist in the body: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03943-3

Check out the outlook article in Nature Magazin with a focus on the role of neural innervation in pancreatic cancer featuring our Nature publication www.nature.com/articles/d41...

More daily scenes from #Pacifichem2025: Attendees throw genki balls into the Ala Wai Canal in an effort to help restore a healthy balance to the canal ecosystem. Read more: cen.acs.org/acs-news/mee... #chemsky

Glad to see more reporting on this. I mentioned the unusual director postings in the context of politicization of agency leadership in my 2025 policy review for @cenmag.bsky.social. cen.acs.org/policy/nih-n...

I love this rallying cry by @davey.bsky.social on the value of humans in journalism. www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/in-2...

New from me: A NiemanLab prediction! Have always admired this end-of-year package from the smartest people in media, so it was an honor to be asked to write this. Imo, in 2026, AI-written content online will outpace what humans produce. www.niemanlab.org/2025/12/in-2...

Cancer is another instance (like autonomic medical conditions) at the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and clinical medicine that needs more crosstalk.

This is one of those stories where every interview had me like 🤯🤯🤯. For @nature.com Outlook, I dove into the surprising field of cancer neuroscience. Edited by the amazing @scchak.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/d41... #neuroskyence

Something novel that has emerged from studying pancreatic cancer biology is how these tumors use survival techniques from nerve cells to stay rooted in the body. As @ldattaro.bsky.social writes, this cancer might be less fatal if it weren't for the nervous system: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Thrilled to share this collection of stories I edited for Nature Outlook, all about pancreatic cancer. The disease is the 3rd leading cause of cancer-related deaths, but the (still low) survival rate has doubled in the past decade. And there may be more reason for hope www.nature.com/immersive/pa...

After this @theopennotebook.bsky.social article inspires you, check out out the resources and advice on covering federal science funding available in Connector! connector.casw.org/tip-sheet-ho...

Very useful explainer on what the defense bill (just passed in the House and now up in the Senate) means for science from AIP: www.aip.org/fyi/what-the... Some highlights:

It's been a hell for U.S. science and 26 is gonna be even wilder. While all is "burning down," take a moment to look around and see where you can build something new/better. Look to the helpers, the coins under the couch cushions, the local glues holding shit together. Go from there. #ScienceSky 🧪

For @cenmag.bsky.social, I tried to summarize what happened in science policy in 2025. Spoiler: A lot! Thanks to Ian Banks, @jeremymberg.bsky.social, Arthur Daemmrich, @cdelawalla.bsky.social and @ucs.org Jen Jones for their insights. Out soon: what to expect in 2026 cen.acs.org/policy/nih-n...

Excited to be featured in this @cenmag.bsky.social piece with @standupforscience.bsky.social friend @jeremymberg.bsky.social ❤️✊ cen.acs.org/policy/nih-n...

👋 Call for sources: My name is Julia Métraux, and I am @motherjones.com disability reporter. I am working on a series (to be published before May 1) profiling three American aging adults (50+) about how you're aging independently while taking care of your health. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

“I’ve been working in the lab and am paying close attention to every single thing. . . . I’m savoring every moment, in case these are my last ones.” @juliekovacs.bsky.social 🧪⚗️ cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

In my first piece for @cenmag.bsky.social, I talked to chemists about the stress of the federal shutdown. As @levinchem.bsky.social told me: "You keep layering on all of these delays and disruptions to the whole grant funding process, and it compounds over time." cen.acs.org/policy/resea...

Earlier this month, @rjionline.bsky.social and TON launched the Science Reporting Navigator, and we are SO EXCITED to have it out in the world for journalists, no matter their beat, to take advantage of free resources for incorporating evidence into their reporting. From lessons to interview Qs. 🧪

Hi #chemsky! I'm working on a story about how the shutdown is affecting chemists. Get in touch: www.lauradattaro.com/contact LDattaro.73 on Signal

15 years ago today, TON began as a simple idea: to improve the craft of science journalism by connecting people and providing freely accessible resources to anyone who wanted them. And for our birthday, we’re asking for your help achieving a big goal: to raise $10,000 by midnight. 🧪 #TON15

There's just one week left to register for #SciWri25! Join hundreds of your colleagues in Chicago for New Horizons science briefings, @sciencewriters.org professional development sessions, field trips, networking lunches, and more. sciencewriters2025.org/register/

Tomorrow! Don't miss our Connector Chat about covering cuts, changes, and chaos in federal science funding. Featuring @stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social. Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event. bit.ly/casw-funding

It took more than a decade to trace the 130,000 connections in a fruit fly's brain. With the map in hand, researchers are turning to the next step in connectomics: building simulations. By @ldattaro.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...

Today, #SCOTUS will rule on a conversion therapy ban in CO. If you're a journalist covering the case, make sure to check out this free resource we created in partnership with @transjournalists.org to help you engage in responsible, evidence-based reporting.

🚨 The deadline for applying to the ComSciCon workshop has been extended! Get your apps in by tomorrow, October 7 at 11:59pm ET

Connector Chats are back! Join us 10/9 for a discussion about covering chaos in federal science funding, with @stephaniemlee.bsky.social, @katherinejwu.com, and @scott-delaney.bsky.social. Can't make it? Register to get the recording and tipsheet after the event. bit.ly/casw-funding

Covering null results can help reporters contribute to a more accurate view of science and the world, writes @bwfund.bsky.social early-career fellow Lucila Pinto in TON’s latest, with insights from @vcallier.bsky.social, @ldattaro.bsky.social, @claricecudi.bsky.social and others. 🧪

Thanks to @ldattaro.bsky.social for this lovely write-up of Getting Better. If this sparks your interest, you can get the book open access here: policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/getting-better @profkatsmith.bsky.social @profbambra.bsky.social @pennldi.bsky.social @pennaging.bsky.social

The president's recommendations could put children in harm's way. Even if clinical guidance does not change, pregnant people risk hurting themselves and their children when they run fevers and do not treat them. This is a completely avoidable & self-inflicted public health crisis in the making.

I really appreciate this guide to talking to journalists, particularly the part explaining why journalists want to hear from you even if you need to be anonymous or off the record. It's true, we really do! www.your-rif-story.com/resources/sa...

A synthetic molecule may be a new approach for drugs targeting epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmia, and other health problems related to the flow of power through the body. My latest for The Scientist, on work from @manubenjohny.bsky.social www.the-scientist.com/synthetic-pe...

Sadly this will be the last issue of Null and Noteworthy. It was a great ride!

Oh! Seems like a big deal, this. Makes sense too. Like, how would the rest of the brain know which neurons to sample, and if it did already know what the stimulus is, then it wouldn't need those neurons' signals to classify it.

Thanks to @thetransmitter.bsky.social and @ldattaro.bsky.social for this coverage of our recent paper!

If you have any tips on how this is impacting disabled students, contact me via signal at juliametraux.49 www.npr.org/2025/07/01/n...

The neurons that encode sequential information into working memory do not fire in that same order during recall, a finding that is at odds with a long-standing theory. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy. By @ldattaro.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...

Applications for two CASW awards are due June 30! The Clark/Payne Award honors a science journalist under age 31 and the Cohn Prize recognizes excellence in medical science reporting. Both awards include travel funds to #SciWri25. Apply or submit a nomination: casw.submittable.com/submit

The first published paper to emerge from @eegmanylabs.bsky.social settles a debate 20 years in the making. Read more in this month’s Null and Noteworthy. ‬‬‬‬ By @ldattaro.bsky.social www.thetransmitter.org/null-and-not...

STUDENTS: Join us for this summer's Perlman Virtual Mentoring Program. Participants will be paired with a professional science writer and will have the opportunity to get their work published in NASW's Student Newsroom + beyond. Apply by May 23: www.nasw.org/article...

A well-done, concise write-up, recommend.

Very good article about the next step after connectomes. But no mention of paracrine modulators as info transmission challenge, only gap junctions?

Nice article in the transmitter about connectome-enabled brain models, covering @lappalainenjk.bsky.social’s work with @srinituraga.bsky.social and colleagues!!

It took more than a decade to trace the 130,000 connections in a fruit fly's brain. With the map in hand, researchers are turning to the next step in connectomics: building simulations. By @ldattaro.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/connectome/c...

We're not just seeing a change of priorities from the federal government, we're seeing entire fields declared "Forbidden". These forbidden topics (climate change, racism, sexism, pollution, etc.) reveal facts that the current administration despises. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Many thanks to @ldattaro.bsky.social for speaking to some of us junior faculty about how we're navigating our path to tenure in this time of turmoil. She wrote a really nice piece; give it a read!