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Brendan Maher

@bmaher.bsky.social

4.8K followers 355 following 226 posts

News featured editor at Nature. bmaher.01 on signal.

Posts Replies Media

Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

No cheating. Share the last photo of the sky from your camera roll.

A fire pit in front of an ADK chair, some tall purple flowers and a partially obscured purple sky

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

People in the industry are already feeling the effects. Nearly 50% of senior life-scientists who responded to a survey said that they were seeing impacts of policy changes related to mRNA grants. (4/n)

The Alliance for mRNA Medicines, a trade group that represents organizations advancing messenger RNA research, polled more than 100 senior life-science professionals in the industry between March and April. It found that companies were already experiencing impacts owing to changing US policies related to mRNA grants and funding.

Impacts include reduced scope of projects
Budget cuts
Delayed capital investment
Terminated collaborations
Job losses/hiring freezes
Relocation of projects or divisions

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

New reporting tip, I guess: When someone dismisses something as ‘rumor’ be sure to ask whether it’s a true rumor. www.science.org/content/arti...

Concerns about subaward changes grew earlier this week, with Nature reporting on an apparent draft of the policy on Wednesday, before it was finalized. NIH’s new director, Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, dismissed the report as “rumors” in an interview with Science on Thursday morning, hours before he announced the new policy.

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

World leaders have been taking their foot off the gas in this fight. Complacency is an issue as many have forgotten how bad AIDS can be. Eric Goosby, former US AIDS global coordinator, says we're about to get a reminder

The world will soon get a reminder. The virus starts replicating 6–8 hours after a person with HIV stops taking antiretrovirals. Within a week, their viral load becomes measurable. With waves of HIV leaking into the bloodstream, after four to six weeks, white blood cells start to get chewed up, leaving the body vulnerable to opportunistic infections. “The average number of infections you’d get through is three or four, before it kills you,” Goosby says. Give it three to six months, and hospitals will be overrun with HIV patients who will die in hallways, car parks and overflow tents, he predicts.

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

International funding cuts were already slowing the pace of progress toward a 90% reduction in deaths and new infections by 2030 (from 2010 levels). But cuts, especially to USAID and PEPFAR, are risking a huge resurgence in caseload and mortality.

Graph predicting the effects of discontinuing PEPFAR funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention.

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

It's been five years and 17 million genome sequences. What have scientists learned about the virus that causes SARS-CoV-2? www.nature.com/articles/d41...

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

There were also non-scientists at #StandUpForScience. Elena Badger says “I have a lot of friends that are scientists, but honestly, that doesn't even matter. I think anyone should be here supporting science because science helps everyone.”

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Strong sign game in Trenton #StandUpForScience

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

People brought their families arguing that science is for everyone. #StandUpForScience

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Rush Holt takes the megaphone quoting Bob Marley “you’ve got to get up stand up”. “We have not yet confronted them with evidence in full force” #StandUpForScience

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Several hundred are assembled outside the NJ state house to #StandUpForScience

Crowd gathering outside the NJ statehouse.

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

It's not often that the Kardashians end up in a science news story (maybe twice a decade?). But here we are again. In the season finale of Keeping up with.. Kim gets the results of a 'biological age' test. Here comes the science. 🧵https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00566-6

Screenshot from a YouTube clip in which Kim Kardashian prepares to scream at a blue folder. Her family looks on with approval and possibly jealousy.

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Brendan Maher @bmaher.bsky.social · 14/12/2024

Anyone in the Toms River area? Pop by for some good coffee and tasty tunes

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