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Carolyn Johnson

@carolynyjohnson.bsky.social
921 followers 221 following 75 posts

science reporter - New York Times Email: carolyn.johnson@nytimes.com Signal: carojo.55

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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
John Tuthill @tuthill.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
this story about @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social captures science at its best: a scrappy team, a homemade microscope in a motel room, working under funding duress, pursuing a fundamental question about the evolution of photosynthetic organelles. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/s...
nytimes.com
In an $80 Motel Room, a Discovery to Shed Light on the Origins of Life
A scrappy science project led to a significant discovery: two new species of a rare organism that could elucidate a fundamental transition in the history of life on our planet.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Julia Van Etten @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Protists deserve the spotlight and so do scientists! This was such an honor but mostly, this project reminded me why I have the best job and friends/colleagues in the world! 🔬
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Andrew Willoughby @andrewilloughb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Fun fact that didn't make it in: When I saw John's first iteration of his colored pencil tool, he used the orange and the brown ones. I was shaken to my core that he only went the earth tones (Green? Photosynthesis? This isnt hard.) I am happy to see in this article John's pallete has expanded
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Many scientists feel grim right now. Here's a different story - about discovery, friendship, grimness, yes, but how science finds a way! @couchmicroscopy.bsky.social @andrewilloughb.bsky.social In an $80 Motel Room, a Discovery to Shed Light on the Origins of Life www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/s...
nytimes.com
In an $80 Motel Room, a Discovery to Shed Light on the Origins of Life
A scrappy science project led to a significant discovery: two new species of a rare organism that could elucidate a fundamental transition in the history of life on our planet.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Trump admin rule under final review would no longer require reporting covid/respiratory cases in nursing homes filled with frail, elderly, vulnerable people. “That’s crazy." @christopherrowland.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/b...
nytimes.com
Trump Officials May Undo Nursing Home Mandates for Reporting Covid (Gift Article)
The agency led by Dr. Mehmet Oz is proposing an end to weekly tracking of respiratory infections at the facilities where thousands of elderly residents died in the pandemic.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Carl Zimmer @carlzimmer.com · 16/09/2026
Scientists replaced half a mouse’s brain with a few million human neurons. It could become new way to study dementia and other brain disorders. Gift link: nyti.ms/4xqUcCk
nyti.ms
Scientists Fuse Human Neurons Into the Brains of Mice (Gift Article)
The studies may help reveal the causes of brain disease in people and point the way to treatments. But researchers already are calling for new ethical guidelines.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
This is my first week at my new job @nytimes.com ! Excitement! Trepidation! Reach out with science and biotech-related pitches, please! Contact info in bio. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/19/s...
nytimes.com
Moderna, Merck Say mRNA Vaccine Prevents Melanoma From Returning
Moderna and Merck say the experimental vaccine prevented the return and spread of the cancer in high-risk melanoma patients.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Some personal news! In a few weeks, I'm starting a new job @nytimes.com, joining a science team that I've long admired, followed and envied. It's mylast day @washingtonpost.com - I'm so grateful for the 11 years I got to work with a cast of amazing colleagues. www.nytco.com/press/a-new-...
nytco.com
A New Reporter For Science | The New York Times Company
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
The oldest-ever evidence of a plague outbreak, from 5,500 years ago, complicates our notions of hunter-gatherer lifestyles. wapo.st/43KFD07
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
What does it *mean* when AI solves a long-unsolved math proof? Terry Tao thinks of climbing vs. jumping. AI systems “are still largely ‘jumpers,’ who can reach heights that a human might not be able to reach in one go but do not ‘fail gracefully,’ and one often cannot salvage much." wapo.st/43DN2OL
wapo.st
For centuries, math has been a human endeavor. Does AI mean it’s over?
Math illuminates how traffic flows, how our cells build proteins and even how to speed up medical imaging scans. Some worry the academic discipline now faces an existential threat.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Diabetes researchers, including the editor of a flagship journal, ejected from conference after criticizing Trump's "dismantling" of biomedical research wapo.st/49EYInR
wapo.st
Diabetes researchers ejected from conference after criticizing White House
The scientists, including the editor of a leading journal, were handing out copies of an editorial criticizing the Trump administration’s handling of biomedical research.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
This scientist learned he has a devastating brain disease. He set out to cure it. wapo.st/4u6nlkv
wapo.st
This scientist learned he has a devastating brain disease. He set out to cure it.
Jeff Carroll is part of a new effort to accelerate the development of targeted cures for a handful of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
John Hawks @johnhawks.net · 14/05/2026
Really neat writeup by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social of the new work showing that a Neanderthal from Chagyrskaya Cave, Russia, sat for a dental drilling almost 60,000 years ago. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
washingtonpost.com
A 59,000-year-old tooth reshapes what we know about Neanderthal dentistry
Neanderthals used rock drills to treat an infected tooth, according to a study that pushes back the earliest known evidence of dentistry by more than 40,000 years.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Some 59,000 years ago, a Neanderthal developed a toothache. What happened next was, in many ways, astonishing. wapo.st/48WvYXj
wapo.st
A Neanderthal with a cavity opened wide for a stone drill
Neanderthals used rock drills to treat an infected tooth, according to a study that pushes back the earliest known evidence of dentistry by more than 40,000 years.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
This is in many ways a pretty depressing advance. Scientists identified a handful of potent antibodies that block measles - a basic science question that (until recently) was a bit moot because we eliminated it with a highly effective vaccine. wapo.st/4f8Aeqt
wapo.st
As measles roars back, scientists find antibodies that could offer protection
Scientists just took a step toward developing a therapy that could prevent someone from getting measles after they have been exposed.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
13 former NSF directors and National Science Board chairs sent a letter to the Senate expressing concern about the trajectory of the nation's $9 billion basic science funding agency, which they say is a hedge against "scientific surprise" - the breakthroughs that will occur in other countries.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 25/04/2026
NEWS: Trump ousts board that governs NSF, the nation's $9 billion science agency “On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I’m writing to inform you that your position as a member of the National Science Board is terminated, effective immediately.” wapo.st/3P3DSY2
wapo.st
Trump ousts National Science Board members
Members of the independent board that guides the National Science Foundation said they received a notice from the White House that their position was being terminated.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope - lots of excitement for a growing "buffet" of pancreatic cancer treatments that are *finally* offering some hope against this grim diagnosis wapo.st/3OlCdNn
wapo.st
Why these treatments for one of the deadliest cancers are stirring such hope
Pancreatic cancer has stymied treatment advances for decades. Data from new clinical trials shows promise.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Dr. Becca @docbecca.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Those of us doing research related to women’s health have been hit particularly hard by the govt’s sabotage of the NIH. I spoke to WaPo for this piece, as painful as it was to discuss the reality my lab is facing. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
washingtonpost.com
Where U.S. science has been hit hardest after Trump’s first year
The Trump administration has slashed the number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, with far fewer focused on women, cancer and mental health.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Jenna Norton @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
Bhattacharya, Letai & other politicals at NIH keep trying to to say all at NIH is fine, because they spent the full budget last year. This well researched article from @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social explains exactly why many scientists are still struggling. www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
washingtonpost.com
For U.S. medical researchers, shrinking labs and bare budgets are the new reality
The Trump administration has slashed the number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, with far fewer focused on women, cancer and mental health.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Stowed away on Artemis II are tiny chips that could change medicine - tissue-chip 'avatars' of the astronauts aimed at elucidating the hazards of deep space radiation exposure wapo.st/3NVLbAJ
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
What exceptionally long-lived animal can teach us about how to age better - but this story could also just be called Nature is bonkers! (especially rockfish?) wapo.st/4lvPy1x
wapo.st
What Earth’s longest-lived animals can teach us about aging better
Inside the growing scientific quest to understand what creatures with the extraordinary ability to defy the ravages of time can teach us about making human aging better.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) @geneticssociety.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
A recent @washingtonpost.com article features a new study led by ASHG Past President @sarahtishkoff.bsky.social, PhD. Read about her team’s findings on Neanderthal and modern human interbreeding and how social dynamics may have influenced these pairings. @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
Neanderthal males and human females had babies together, ancient DNA reveals
When ancient humans mated, dad was a Neanderthal, mom was Homo sapiens.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Deep in Antarctic ice, these particles can answer basic questions about the universe wapo.st/40v0xhX
wapo.st
Deep in Antarctic ice, these particles can answer basic questions about the universe
A dense network of sensors is looking for the fleeting footprints of neutrinos, the most mysterious in the pantheon of known particles.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 20/02/2026
New: A comedian set up a fake ICE tip line as a joke. Then 100 calls flooded in: neighbors ratting on neighbors, a teacher reporting a kindergartener. Fans say the viral TikToks revealed deportation's "banality of evil." Conservatives say he should be in prison wapo.st/4kM4qbF
wapo.st
A fake ICE tip line reveals neighbors reporting neighbors
A Nashville comedian’s deportation hotline, set up as a joke, has gone viral among viewers who say it shows the “banality of evil personified” in the U.S. immigration crackdown.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
In medicine, prevention is pretty much always better than trying to undo damage. Scientists are trying to develop an Alzheimer's "clock" to flag people who have no symptoms now, but will soon -- and could benefit from early treatment wapo.st/4rmRETx
wapo.st
New approach roughly predicts when Alzheimer’s symptoms begin
The technique is not yet precise enough to predict a patient’s exact trajectory but could help find long-sought preventive treatment.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Ken Paller @paller.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
@carolynyjohnson.bsky.social did an excellent job today of summarizing the research and key issues surrounding the idea of "sleeping on it" (Not A Myth) — Thank You Carolyn! wapo.st/4rqb1LF
wapo.st
Why your most creative ideas may come after a night of sleep
Got a problem? Science says you should sleep on it.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
To sleep, perchance to dream -- of a solution to a problem that has really been bugging you www.washingtonpost.com/science/2026...
washingtonpost.com
Why your most creative ideas may come after a night of sleep
Got a problem? Science says you should sleep on it.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
FDA refuses to review Moderna’s application for first mRNA flu vaccine www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/... @rachelroubein.bsky.social
washingtonpost.com
FDA won’t review Moderna application for first mRNA-based flu vaccine
The decision, which shocked company officials, comes as the FDA says it will take a stricter approach to federal vaccine approvals.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Fenit Nirappil @fenitn.bsky.social · 05/02/2026
Our second most read story right now comes from @markjohnpost.bsky.social, a Pulitzer-winning science reporter on our team, who announced he was laid off. Just the latest example of how he found the most fascinating areas of science to unpack beautifully www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...
washingtonpost.com
These patients saw what comes after death. Should we believe them?
Researchers have developed a model to explain the science of near-death experiences. Others have challenged it.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
No struggling newspaper ever saved itself by becoming a worse and less essential product. But what's happening today at the @washingtonpost.com is not just the latest devastating contraction of the news industry; it's the gutting of an American institution vital for a healthy society
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Will Oremus @willoremus.com · 03/02/2026
im usually pretty decent at pushing through distractions to focus on the work but this is a pretty tough one to tune out ngl
Dylan Byers tweet says: "Scoop: The Washington Post will announce its highly anticipated layoffs *tomorrow.*

As we've reported, WaPo is expected to cut *hundreds* of jobs and eliminate sections, instead focusing on core areas like politics & nat'l security."
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 03/02/2026
A retiree wrote this email to a DHS attorney. Within five hours, DHS demanded Google turn over records for his account. A Kafkaesque form of domestic surveillance, intimidating Americans for lawful speech. New from us at the Post: www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio... @johnwoodrowcox.bsky.social
“Unconscionable,” Jon thought as he found an email address online for the lead prosecutor, Joseph Dernbach, who was named in the story. Peering through metal-rimmed glasses, Jon opened Gmail on his computer monitor.

“Mr. Dernbach, don’t play Russian roulette with H’s life,” he wrote. “Err on the side of caution. There’s a reason the US government along with many other governments don’t recognise the Taliban. Apply principles of common sense and decency.”

That was it. In five minutes, Jon said, he finished the note, signed his first and last name, pressed send and hoped his plea would make a difference.

Five hours and one minute later, Jon was watching TV with his wife when an email popped up in his inbox. He noticed it on his phone.

“Google,” the message read, “has received legal process from a Law Enforcement authority compelling the release of information related to your Google Account.”
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Sarah Kaplan @sarahkaplan48.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
My @washingtonpost.com colleagues worked round the clock this weekend to expose the truth of what's happening in Minneapolis and bring urgent weather news to millions facing dangerous cold and snow. If you value this work, tell Jeff Bezos to #SaveThePost www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
washingtonpost.com
Federal agent secured gun from Minn. man before fatal shooting, videos show
A Washington Post analysis of videos sheds light on the encounter that left 37-year-old Alex Pretti dead.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
Scientists grew tiny models of our nasal airways, complete with mucus-secreting cells and cilia that beat rhythmically to understand how our bodies fight the common cold wapo.st/4qzFZQY
wapo.st
Why the same cold virus makes some people more miserable than others
A new study shows the intricacies of the cold virus and how it interacts with nasal airway cells, revealing why some people are hit harder than others.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Holly Ober @sciwri.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Rarity Public Benefit Corporation is trying to turn a UCLA cure for a rare disease into a medicine. The bottleneck now is not showing that it works, but another key part of the drug approval process — developing the commercial manufacturing. Great story by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social 🧪
washingtonpost.com
Scientists are inventing treatments for devastating diseases. There’s just one problem.
Gene therapy treatments for rare diseases are being developed, but getting them out of the lab has proved challenging.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 14/01/2026
Investigators told the reporter that she is not the focus of the probe. The warrant said law enforcement was investigating a system administrator in Maryland who has been accused of taking home classified intelligence reports. wapo.st/4qULbi9
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André Picard @picardonhealth @picardonhealth.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Scientists are inventing treatments for devastating diseases. There’s just one problem. Genetic therapies could be used to treat hundreds of diseases. The path to patients is tricky, by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/... via @washingtonpost.com #RareDisorders
washingtonpost.com
Scientists are inventing treatments for devastating diseases. There’s just one problem.
Gene therapy treatments for rare diseases are being developed, but getting them out of the lab has proved challenging.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 29/12/2025
Feuding physicists and the bitter battle over the swirls in ‘The Starry Night’ wapo.st/49sbpCF
wapo.st
Feuding physicists and the bitter battle over the swirls in ‘The Starry Night’
A team of scientists sparked a heated debate over whether Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” depicts turbulence, a complex physical phenomenon.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Mike Madden @mikemadden.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:
washingtonpost.com
I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.
One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Lena Sun @lenasun.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
BREAKING: US. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors, per sources familiar. HHS consulted w chief science officer and top FDA official. Me and @rachel_roubein 1/4 www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
washingtonpost.com
U.S. plans to stop recommending most childhood vaccines, defer to doctors
The plan, which is not finalized, suggests children get fewer shots and shifts to a model telling parents to consult doctors to make their own vaccine choices.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center - “Maybe if Colorado had a governor who actually wanted to work with President Trump, his constituents would be better served,” said a senior White House official. wapo.st/4p3YwDx
wapo.st
Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center
Russell Vought, who directs the White House Office of Management and Budget, announced plans to split up the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, citing concerns about “clima...
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
🔥Scientists discover oldest evidence of human-made fire — a 400,000-year-old English hearth wapo.st/4aaP3GM
wapo.st
Scientists discover oldest evidence of human-made fire in a 400,000-year-old hearth
A new archaeological find pushes back the timeline on when humans mastered the ability to make fires, a transformative technology.
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Reposted by Carolyn Johnson
Maria Sacchetti - reporter - The Washington Post @mariasacchetti.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
EXCLUSIVE: Mom of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew rejects White House narrative of her ICE arrest www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
washingtonpost.com
Mom of Karoline Leavitt’s nephew rejects White House narrative of her ICE arrest
In an interview, Bruna Ferreira, who chose the White House press secretary as her son’s godmother, contested the portrayal of her as a criminal, absentee mom.
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Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Overview of the latest study by @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social in the @washingtonpost.com: wapo.st/48mtKkg [gift link] #HistSTM #MedievalSky
wapo.st
How volcanoes upend the story of what sparked the Black Death
Volcanic eruptions could have fueled the spread of the Black Death plague across medieval Europe, according to a new study that pieces together evidence from ice cores, rare blue tree rings from ancie...
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Fascination of the day - the ongoing research into the Black Death and how it started, via a chain of interconnected environmental, societal, geopolitical events... How volcanoes upend the story of what sparked the medieval plague pandemic wapo.st/48mtKkg
wapo.st
How volcanoes upend the story of what sparked the Black Death
Volcanic eruptions could have fueled the spread of the Black Death plague across medieval Europe, according to a new study that pieces together evidence from ice cores, rare blue tree rings from ancie...
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Today is World AIDS day - Small study shows a promising path toward HIV cure wapo.st/3XrYzOc
wapo.st
Small study shows a promising path toward HIV cure
Antiretroviral drugs that prevent HIV and keep it in check have been transformative, but a cure has been a long sought goal.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
"A priority among local transportation agencies remains avoiding traffic jams rather than responding to concerns of pedestrians in the most danger, who are more likely to live in poor neighborhoods and wield less political influence." www.washingtonpost.com/business/int...
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
In a first, scientists sequence the oldest RNA from a 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth wapo.st/4qXwTxU
wapo.st
How a frozen mammoth named Yuka is redefining the study of ancient RNA
Scientists sequence the oldest RNA from a 39,000-year-old woolly mammoth.
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Carolyn Johnson @carolynyjohnson.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
A provocative preprint showed AI designing novel viruses. Some of them could kill E. coli! Even scientists don't totally agree on "what it means" -- but they've been talking about it. A window into the debate 🎁link: wapo.st/4hR6A8t
wapo.st
Inside the debate over a tech breakthrough raising questions about life itself
A research team at Stanford University has harnessed the power of AI to design phages, raising questions about the future of biotechnology and its applications.
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