iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I highly recommend following BEACON’s updates: they are exceptionally researched and precise about the nuances often missed in the fog of outbreaks

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I’ve avoided remarking on the Russia Irkutsk death given the murky information. Under IHR verification, Russia has told WHO it is not plague but has not confirmed the pathogen. The released just now by WHO DG Tedros reinforces my view that this is an increasingly concerning situation.

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · 06/10/2026

@who.int advises against any restriction of travel to, or trade with, the affected countries based on the currently available information. We continue to closely monitor and, where necessary, verify travel and trade measures in relation to this epidemic.

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · 06/10/2026

#Kenya has reported a case of #Ebola caused by Bundibugyo virus, in a Kenyan citizen who had been living in #DRC. The patient became ill in DRC & received treatment in several hospitals, then travelled from DRC to Nairobi via Kampala. He died in Nairobi yesterday. My condolences to his loved ones.

afro.who.int

Kenya confirms first imported Bundibugyo virus disease case; WHO supports control efforts

The Government of Kenya notified WHO of the case in line with the International Health Regulations (2005) on 6 October 2026. Kenya is the fourth country to confirm BVD.

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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

“Who’s going to pick up the phone if there’s a Marburg outbreak and the Zimbabwe office has closed?” www.politico.com/news/2026/10...

politico.com

America’s disease detectives overseas are starting to close up shop

The State Department’s new approach to foreign aid is changing the way the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works abroad.

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Gamze Gürsoy @gamzeandgursoy.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I’m hiring a postdoc at Cambridge again! Work on privacy-preserving human pangenomes at the intersection of statistics, graph algorithms, optimization, differential privacy & computational genomics. Please spread the word! www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/57231/

jobs.cam.ac.uk

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Genome Privacy (Fixed Term) - Job Opportunities - University of Cambridge

Postdoctoral Research Associate in Mathematical and Statistical Methods for Genome Privacy (Fixed Term) in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I can’t wait to see what the You Can See Everything souvenir popcorn collectible is 👀

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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Sliwa getting a flu shot: This could be very embarrassing. I’m supposed to be a tough guy, right? Mamdani: I can hold your hand. Sliwa: What happens if I faint? Mamdani: I got you. Doctor: You’re in great hands, literally. New Yorkers can find free flu shots and locations at nyc.gov/healthmap

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Daniel Kay Hertz @danielkayhertz.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Come work with me! Impact for Equity is hiring Polikoff-Gautreaux fellows, a two-year fellowship program for people who have (or will have) graduated law or policy school in the last five years: impactforequity.org/get-involved...

impactforequity.org

Fellowships | Impact for Equity

Impact for Equity works with other organizations to offer fellowships and opportunities to post graduate students and individuals interested in change.

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Charlie Warzel @cwarzel.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

There is a moment at the very very end of Abdul El-Sayed's podcast with Ezra Klein (book recommendation section) where he talks about the idea of "speaking truth to pain" and this will be staying with me for an extremely long time. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/25/o...

But there’s also something about truth to pain. We talk a lot about truth to power, but I think it’s actually a lot harder to speak truth to pain. I say that as someone who went to medical school, realizing that in a lot of our politics right now, we’ve got to get a lot better at speaking truth to pain if we’re going to get through some of these challenges that we have.

What does “truth to pain” mean?

It’s one thing to look power in the eye and say: You’re wrong about this. But there’s a way in which pain is very difficult to reason with. Because when somebody is in their pain, they’re in their trauma. They see that pain, and they may not see what’s causing it.

I remember just very explicitly being in a trauma ward with a gunshot wound patient and watching this big guy with his hand on his gunshot wound. All the folks are trying to pull his hand off his pain, that point of his gunshot wound, this clear vulnerability.

And this emergency room doctor had the presence of mind to be like: Everyone, stop. And she looks him in the eyes, and she’s like: I get that really hurts, and I’m so sorry that you’re here. You don’t want to be here. We don’t want you to be here. But if you don’t let us fix this, you could die. So I’m going to take your hand, and I’m going to move it off, OK? Because I need to get there so that you can live.

She was speaking truth to pain. He understands he’s at the hospital, he needs care, but he also doesn’t want anybody to touch the wound. Which is a natural thing. And I think it is a really great metaphor for how we think about a lot of these challenges we talked about today.

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

i think we need to ask ourselves more "is he a renaissance man or an ultracrepidarian?"

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Huge congratulations to all of this year’s fellows! Shoutout to @hollyjeanbuck.bsky.social who has written two of my favorite books on climate politics and equity: so richly deserved.

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Amy Maxmen, PhD @amymaxmen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

While the news & white papers breathlessly cover the idea of a threat of a future AI bioweapon, an Ebola outbreak is escalating, having killed nearly 4,000 people so far. The Trump admin has diminished US support to control it w/travel bans, an eroded CDC & a hobbled WHO www.who.int/emergencies/...

who.int

Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus - Democratic Republic of the Congo

Since the last Disease Outbreak News was published on 11 September 2026, the Bundibugyo virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has expanded further, with two additional health zones af...

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Utterly horrible. This crisis has so many facets of suffering and challenge.

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The UN High Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response on the sidelines of UNGA81 has begun, opened by the President of the GA, Dr. Khalilur Rahman (BGD).

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I keep thinking about what Mary Robinson—former President of Ireland, UN OHCHR High Commissioner & @theelders.bsky.social—said yesterday in her speech on the rule of law at the World Leaders Forum #UNGA81 She said “I have had quite a long life, and this is the worst time in my life”. Oof.

Photograph of Mary Robinson at a podium speaking at the Columbia University World Leaders Forum

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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

"Most importantly, the back-to-normal approach to governance rests on an unspoken belief that authoritarianism is a unique, albeit terrible, aberration in a long arc of progress. We would not bet on this premise." 🔥 democracyjournal.org/magazine/82/...

democracyjournal.org

Governance in an Anti-System Age

What if returning to “normal” is not the safest path for our democracy, but the most dangerous one?

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Anjali Dayal @anjalikdayal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

I want to also flag this point from Guterres's speech: if we could regulate nuclear weapons, then we can regulate AI, and the key question becomes under what conditions regulation becomes possible, good, and likely, and how we bring those conditions about.

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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

“When waterborne microbes such as E. coli or Vibrio are exposed to high salinity, they don't always die. Instead, they adapt. This environmental pressure can trigger stress responses that share genetic pathways with antibiotic resistance.” www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/anti...

thinkglobalhealth.org

Antimicrobial Resistance Threatens Bangladesh's Coasts | Think Global Health

Rising salinity in Bangladesh's waters—which could worsen under a record-breaking El Niño—has created the perfect conditions for aquatic pathogens to multiply

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Rob Ralston @policyrelevant.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

some staggering quotes in this piece, including the claim by one IPCC scientist that sinply declaring funding from Saudi Aramco resolves any conflict of interest

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Tyler King @tyleraking.com · 17/09/2026

“A senior executive at Microsoft said A.I. systems built on the work of others will be seen as ‘an astonishing theft of unprecedented proportions’ and possibly the greatest robbery of labor in human history, according to court documents unredacted Thursday in an ongoing Manhattan lawsuit.”

orlandosentinel.com

Docs in A.I. copyright suit reveal startling admission by Microsoft exec over ‘astonishing theft’

The admission appeared in a newly unredacted filing in the landmark copyright infringement legal battle playing out between newspapers like the Orlando Sentinel and tech companies Microsoft and OpenAI...

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Science Magazine @science.org · 17/09/2026

"Actions that directly harm or destroy animals remain prohibited, but altering the places where they feed, shelter, or reproduce may no longer qualify as harm in the same way. This distinction makes little ecological sense," writes Charles C. Davis in a new #ScienceEditorial. scim.ag/4rpNmvG

"[Science’s] next advance will depend on … modeling how human actions shape biodiversity." Charles C. Davis, Harvard University

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Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health @pandemiccenter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Join us tomorrow at 12PM ET for a conversation diving into America’s #ebola response. Moderated by @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social with our expert panelists Allan Maleche & @alexandraphelan.bsky.social. Registration is still open ⤵️ brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Brown Pandemic Center webinar graphic, “America’s Ebola Response,” featuring a moderator and three panelists discussing travel restrictions, quarantines, and rights.

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I just started reading China Miéville’s recently released book, The Rouse, and can’t wait to dive in further

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

The proposed International Panel on Inequity (IPI): “The proposed IPI is the best chance so far for inequality research to inform policy action that can change lives for the better. It must ensure open opportunities for those who wish to be considered as members.” www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Global inequality panel is a chance for research to change lives

The scientific panel is welcomed. It must now invite all interested researchers to participate.

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

As someone who works on preparedness for and governance of pandemics (including pathogen genetic sequences, synthesis, and distinguishing bio-logical/safety/security risks) this thread aligns with where I consider the greatest current tangible AI risk to life: undermining decision integrity.

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Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

"Pfas companies are launching a “tidal wave” of forever chemicals production to meet demand from the AI industry, a campaign organisation has warned...a survey of the 10 biggest manufacturers found most had plans to increase production." www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.com

‘Tidal wave’ of Pfas being launched to satisfy AI industry, campaigners warn

Big manufacturers planning to produce more of the forever chemicals to meet demand from datacentres

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

“I don't know how this is going to slow down," says Dr. Rupa Narra, a U.S. pediatrician who arrived in August to work for Doctors Without Borders. "It's the most devastating thing I've ever seen in my life." www.npr.org/2026/09/10/g...

npr.org

'I've never seen anything like this' -- A U.S. doctor treats Ebola's youngest victims

Dr. Rupa Narra is a U.S. pediatrician who arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help care for stricken children. Nothing could have prepared her for what she'd face.

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Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health @pandemiccenter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

In a public health crisis, what is the balance between personal rights & public health authority? Join us as we dive into America’s #Ebola Response. Moderated by @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social with expert panelists Allan Maleche & @alexandraphelan.bsky.social. Register ⤵️ brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Americans are unafraid of putting too much in a sandwich and it makes for some truly excellent sandwiches.

Photograph of a stacked sandwich with three pieces of toasted brioche bread, herbed chicken salad, cos lettuce, apples, sharp cheddar cheese, cranberry ginger chutney, candied bacon, and a Dijon mayo spread

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scwiba @scwiba.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

This man won his primary by 30 points.

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

It's hard to tell if global and public health colleagues invoking the "international rules-based order" (sic) are aware of what the term precisely means and what the consequences are of choosing the term over "international law". My sense is it's an error of knowledge rather than deliberate choice.

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Crawford Kilian @crof.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

DRC Ebola update, Sept. 9: 6,757 cases, 3,267 deaths, 48.3% CFR insp.cd/sitrep-n116-...

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Professa Murray @kalimurray.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

As I keep explaining to my students: federal judges have law clerks who pull the motion and immediately begin pulling the cites to read them. So, you will find an AI cite pretty quickly. The same thing is happening in law review land as well.

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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

“WHO officials says 5,000 more workersare needed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to control the ongoing Ebola outbreak as it spreads geographically and threatens to move into bigger cities outside of the affected provinces’ www.cidrap.umn.edu/ebola/ebola-...

cidrap.umn.edu

Ebola outbreak in DR Congo tops 6,600 cases

Frustrated workers are violating funeral protocols.

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gostin.bsky.social @gostin.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Join us tomorrow for @oneillinstitute.bsky.social Colloquium @georgetownlaw.bsky.social The Future of Global Health Assistance in the Trump Era? Self-Reliance & Good Health Governance in Africa As U.S. aid recedes & PEPFAR & the Global Fund cut, we ask what comes next?

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Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health @pandemiccenter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

How do travel bans or overseas facilities like the one in Kenya redefine policies for global health? Join us as we dive into America’s Ebola Response. Moderated by @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social with our panelists Allan Maleche & @alexandraphelan.bsky.social. Register ⤵️ brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

I would be very interested to see if this cycle has a dramatic increase, not only due to wider adoption and perceived capabilities, but potential impacts of the suddenly earlier than expected Law Journal submission deadlines…

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Recently ive been thinking about David Harvey’s “Feeding the downtown monster”, which he explains in this 2020 short doc. If capital has to expand to survive, when COVID changed the value of CBD property, surplus liquidity had to go somewhere. Now, we feed the AI monster. youtu.be/iPGvXhicF2M?...

youtu.be

David Harvey and the City – An Antipode Foundation film

YouTube video by antipodeonline

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

“Once a company knows its customers can't leave, it can switch from treating them well to abusing them in order to extract money from them. The same goes for companies whose workers can't leave” Nice explainer of recent dynamism study by @doctorow.pluralistic.net pluralistic.net/2026/09/06/h...

pluralistic.net

Pluralistic: How corporate America built a better Roach Motel (07 Sep 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow

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Alexandra Phelan 余雪莲 @alexandraphelan.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

UN General Assembly will vote today on adopting a new world map that accurately reflects the size of Africa. Togo’s resolution would phase out the Mercator projection, which reduces the size of countries close to the equator, distorting cartography and power. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...

theguardian.com

UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale

Togo-sponsored resolution calls to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland

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Pandemic Center at Brown University’s School of Public Health @pandemiccenter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

In a public health crisis, what is the balance between personal rights & public health authority? Join us as we dive into America’s Ebola Response. Moderated by @jennifernuzzo.bsky.social with expert panelists Allan Maleche & @alexandraphelan.bsky.social. Register ⤵️ brown.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 02/09/2026

I am a scientist – and the answer is climate change. Yes, there is nuance. Yes, it could take a long time to identify the precise mechanisms. But there is no question why ice and snow-related disasters are on the rise. Our planet is warming at an unprecedented rate, and humans are responsible.

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Amesh Adalja @ameshaa.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"Prolonged GLP-1RA treatment further improved infection resistance by correcting hyperglycemia, increasing neutrophil counts, and restoring innate immune competence" www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdi...

medpagetoday.com

GLP-1 Studies Suggest Benefits Extend to Infectious Diseases

Another positive side effect of blockbuster diabetes, weight-loss drugs?

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Jen Taub @jentaub.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

“A single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it would replace, according to a new preprint study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health.” ysph.yale.edu/news-article...

ysph.yale.edu

Universal Health Coverage Could Save $1 Trillion and 114,000 Lives Every Year, Yale Study Projects

A single-payer universal health care system could cover every American, save more than 100,000 lives a year, and still cost $1 trillion less than the system it

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