iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Celia Ford

Shakeel @shakeelhashim.com · 09/09/2025

When I launched Transformer a year ago, it was with a simple mission: provide decision-makers with the information and analysis needed to anticipate and steer the impacts of transformative AI. Today, we're announcing an exciting new effort to achieve that: Transformer 2.0.

transformernews.ai

Welcome to Transformer 2.0

We're now a team of reporters and editors dedicated to covering the power and politics of AI

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

California SB 53, the watered-down successor of last year's fumbled AI safety bill, might actually stand a chance. It all comes down to whether Gov. Newsom values voters over tech billionaires. I covered SB 53's home stretch @transformernews.bsky.social: www.transformernews.ai/p/california...

transformernews.ai

California's latest AI safety bill might stand a chance

SB 53 is entering the home stretch despite industry lobbying. Will it make it over the line?

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Jasper Jackson @jasperjackson.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Like the big tech of previous years, the AI industry has been lobbying hard against regulation. California's last attempt at passing legislation on AI failed, but its latest might just have a shot at becoming law. Read @celiaford.bsky.social dive: www.transformernews.ai/p/california...

transformernews.ai

California's latest AI safety bill might stand a chance

SB 53 is entering the home stretch despite industry lobbying. Will it make it over the line?

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Emily R. Trunnell, Ph.D. @ertrunnell.bsky.social · 30/07/2025

How a securities fraud case broke animal welfare enforcement: a quick Q&A with @delcianna.bsky.social director of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at @vtlaw.bsky.social By @celiaford.bsky.social thereplacement.substack.com/p/research-f...

thereplacement.substack.com

“Research facilities have carte blanche to violate the Animal Welfare Act"

How a securities fraud case broke animal welfare enforcement

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Jasper Jackson @jasperjackson.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Hello, reporters, writers and commentators covering AI. I'm commissioning pieces for Transformer and I would love to hear from you! Feel free to send (brief) pitches to jasper@transformernews.ai. And if you're covering the beat and want to chat through what we're interested in, drop me a line!

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

Pleasantly surprised by how not-horrible the YouTube comments have been so far, but this callout was brutal and accurate.

A YouTube comment reading, "Great discussion! But Celia really needs to water her plants."

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/07/2025

It was an absolute honor to chat about ChatGPT and critical thinking with Manuel Rapalo on @aljazeera.com's The Take! TLDR; use your brain first. 🧠 Watch the video: youtu.be/qz_ZYa3oRSE Or listen wherever you get your podcasts, if that's more the vibe! podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i...

youtube.com

Is ChatGPT hurting our critical thinking skills? | The Take

YouTube video by Al Jazeera English

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

thank you for sharing (and for saying that!) 🥰

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

This newsletter was literally born yesterday. Help this resource grow by subscribing, supporting, and sharing tips, resources, and job opportunities! My dream is to build a community of scientists, students, policymakers, animal advocates, biotechies, and curious normies. I'm on signal: @celia.08

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Meet The Replacement: a bi-weekly newsletter on the global transition away from animal testing. ✨ Coverage of animal testing & research policy often flies under the radar, but it's more urgent than ever. I'm here to round up the news for you. 🫡 Please share widely! thereplacement.substack.com

thereplacement.substack.com

Welcome to The Replacement

a bi-weekly newsletter covering the global transition away from animal testing

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Jessica McKenzie @jessimckenzi.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

hahaha unfortunately i was behind the times with this and the rough drafts of history are already being written www.vox.com/future-perfe... by @celiaford.bsky.social

vox.com

The case for using your brain — even if AI can think for you

Digital dependence is reshaping our brains. But we can fight it.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 06/03/2025

BREAKING: The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University has reneged on their commitment to host the @sciencewriters.org annual conference and withdrew their entire financial support. The National Association of Science Writers is now looking for a new venue, sponsors, and partners.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

Today, a broad coalition of scientific professional societies who represent over 92,000 scientists are speaking out against the politicization and demonization of Federally funded science and government scientist jobs. It was an honor to help the Union of Concerned Scientists with this! 🧪🌎

ucsusa.org

48 Scientific Societies Representing Almost 100,000 Scientists Ask Congress to Protect the Future of Science

48 scientific societies representing almost 100,000 scientists signed on to a letter asking Congress to protect the future of science

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

10/ As one former principal investigator told me: "You have to strive to have an ethical identity. Otherwise, what are you doing? You might as well be working in a bowling alley."

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

9/ As science faces unprecedented attacks from this administration, we need to support the mental health of young researchers. The future depends on building a thoughtful, empathetic workforce, ensuring that discovery doesn't come at the expense of those who make it possible.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

8/ This was the most challenging story I've ever written. There are so many things to hold at once: that animal testing is both necessary and ought not to be. That a career in science is worth pursuing, yet might break you. That we harm and heal, often in the same day.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

7/ Viewing living creatures as tools for data collection can lead to serious psychological consequences, amplifying already-pervasive mental health challenges in academia. Scientists who question the status quo rarely inspire change. They're simply pushed out.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

6/ After spending thousands of hours in the lab, I graduated in 2023 with a PhD, questionable data, zero publications, and an intense combination of guilt, rage, and burnout that I'm only just beginning to process. I spent the majority of my twenties dissociating to survive.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

5/ No matter how you feel about animal research, experimenting on animals is hard, potentially traumatic work. Several former research assistants I spoke with, for example, were diagnosed with PTSD after spending months caring for, killing, and dissecting monkeys.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

4/ Institutions teach researchers that expressing discomfort is akin to weakness—or worse, tantamount to dismissing the value of science altogether. Many scientists are afraid to speak openly because it might fuel distrust in science or invite attacks from animal rights activists.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

3/ Young scientists enter labs hoping their work will justify these deaths. I spent years convincing myself that by recording brain activity in monkeys, I could uncover crucial information about mental health. I was uncomfortable, disconnected, and had frequent nightmares. I stayed anyway.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

2/ Animal research is widespread, and has yielded critical medical breakthroughs we take for granted. Without lab animals, we wouldn't have polio vaccines, PrEP, or organ transplants. But experiments often end with lab animals dying. And humans have to kill them.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

1/ Today, @Vox published a piece that's very close to my heart. Science depends on animal testing, but the work comes at a steep psychological cost—one that too many researchers have been told to endure in silence. www.vox.com/future-perfe...

vox.com

The harrowing lives of animal researchers

Science depends on animal testing. But the work comes at a steep, hidden cost.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Being a Vox Future Perfect Fellow is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. Now, it's time to pass the torch. If you're an early-career writer thinking about how to make the world a better place, this is for you! (one year, remote + well-paid!) job-boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/job...

job-boards.greenhouse.io

2025 Future Perfect Fellows

Remote (US Only)

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Reposted by Celia Ford

People Vs Big Tech @peoplevsbigtech.eurosky.social · 20/02/2025

Chilling read by @celiaford.bsky.social "As our mental security becomes less guaranteed, we’ll need to decide whether the convenience of controlling stuff with our minds is worth letting tech companies colonize our last truly private space." www.vox.com/future-perfe...

vox.com

Meta’s brain-to-text tech is here. We are not remotely ready.

Why we should start caring about the right to brain privacy now.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Grace Lindsay @neurograce.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

I do miss that beautiful time [two weeks ago] when we could post about science, instead of just sharing shit like "contact your district attorney asap if you want to retain your right to whisper 'the earth revolves around the sun' to yourself"

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Brittany Trang @brittanytrang.com · 02/02/2025

"A modern-day book burning," a "five-alarm fire": Groups decry the CDC taking data offline, and the CDC's advisory board demands answers, acknowledging it may be their last act. “We all discussed that,” said one board member. “We expect to be fired.” New from @statnews.com this evening:

statnews.com

CDC advisers push agency to explain data removal, say when info will be restored

Information on topics such as gender, teens' behavior, and infectious diseases was removed from the CDC's website.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Jeremy Faust, MD @jeremyfaust.bsky.social · 01/02/2025

BREAKING NEWS: CDC orders mass retraction and revision of submitted research across all science and medicine journals. Banned terms must be scrubbed. Goes beyond MMWR +other CDC pubs. Applies to research already submitted to top medical journals. Take a look. open.substack.com/pub/insideme...

open.substack.com

BREAKING NEWS: CDC orders mass retraction and revision of submitted research across all science and medicine journals. Banned terms must be scrubbed.

Any unpublished manuscript mentioning certain topics, including gender and "LGBT," must be pulled or revised.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Theresa Gaffney @theresagaff.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

BREAKING: Vital, nationally-representative data has been removed from the CDC website. "Everyone I know in public health and science more broadly is freaking out right now,” @albeccia.bsky.social told me. Read: www.statnews.com/2025/01/31/c...

statnews.com

CDC removes data on sexual orientation, gender identity from website

Data from an expansive federal survey on youth behavioral habits, including their sexual orientation and gender identity, have been removed from the website of the CDC.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Eric Boodman @ericboodman.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

“If the freeze is not stopped, I might lose my house." Some NSF-funded postdocs are having trouble paying rent and credit card bills because their salaries were paused this week, even though the federal funding freeze memo was rescinded. www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t...

statnews.com

National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills

An NSF online payment system remained down after the federal funding freeze was lifted, leaving early-career scientists scrambling to pay bills

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences with me! This is a rapidly-evolving shitstorm, and I would love to stay in touch. My DMs are open, and you can message me on Signal (username in bio).

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Reposted by Celia Ford

It's ME(Jaime) @exceedhergrasp1.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Huge thanks to @vox.com for writing on the crucial issue of funding and meeting cessation at NIH. Also, @celiaford.bsky.social wins for characterizing study sections as "jury duty for nerds". www.vox.com/future-perfe...

vox.com

Researchers are terrified of Trump’s freeze on science. The rest of us should be, too.

Government support is essential to science. The Trump administration kneecapped it.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

It's been a week, and the vibes are bleak. Or, in the words of one NIH senior scientist I heard from, "fucking scary." I walked through the whirlwind of NIH-related chaos for @vox.com: www.vox.com/future-perfe...

vox.com

Researchers are terrified of Trump’s freeze on science. The rest of us should be, too.

Government support is essential to science. The Trump administration kneecapped it.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

HAHA I'm glad the characterization was appropriate! My editor snorted.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Feel free to message me on Signal: @celia.08

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

Noted! I've transitioned many conversations to Signal after an initial DM, but this is smart.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 26/01/2025

As science chaos gets more chaotic, I am begging us to remember that highlighting areas where science can improve — even criticizing long-standing institutions — is NOT inherently anti-science. Two things are true: 1. Science is an invaluable public good. 2. It should be so much better.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

I'm so sorry to hear that. :/

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Hi Lana! If you're comfortable speaking more about this (can be anonymous), DM me - I would love to chat more

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Hi, Vox reporter here: If you've had a study section, NIH travel, or other NIH-related meeting cancelled (or not), raise your hand! Reply or DM me, and repost for visibility if you're able. #academicsky @drugmonkey.bsky.social

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

I forgot how much physical stress this news cycle creates. If you're here, relax your jaw. Drop your shoulders. Remember that you're just a soft animal with a mind that wasn't built to know this much.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

i just hope carrie underwood knows how many times i've sung 'before he cheats' at gay bars

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

I got a PR email this morning saying that, in a hypothetical reality where companies can program your dreams to feature ads, 31% of young adults would pay $167/year for an "ad-free sleep experience." I-- ????

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

For @vox.com's Future Perfect newsletter, I wrote about what Trump 2.0's mission to defund and deregulate science means for animal research. It's...complicated. www.vox.com/future-perfe...

vox.com

Animal rights advocates are ready for Trump’s war on science

Cuts to science spending may save lab animals — at a cost.

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Reposted by Celia Ford

Vox Media Union @voxmediaunion.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Devastated to be back again with a statement on today's layoffs at Vox.com. Please stay tuned for more details on how you can support our colleagues who lost their jobs today.

Today, barely a month after devastating layoffs at Thrillist, Eater, and PS, and a wave of unannounced staff layoffs from around Vox Media, we learned that 18% of our union colleagues at Vox.com had been laid off. These layoffs impact staff both inside and outside of the newsroom as well as members of the Vox Media Podcast Network — and once again disproportionately affect women and journalists of color.

We are again devastated to lose some of our most hard-working, experienced, and authoritative colleagues. These layoffs reflect a significant downsizing of our editorial team and a defanging of our editorial work, and come with little explanation about how they will impact our journalism moving forward. The Writers Guild of America East and Vox Media Union will do everything we can to help and support the colleagues who are leaving us, just as we have supported recent layoffs around the company.

As we approach negotiations for our third collective bargaining agreement, we are redoubling our demand for a clear, transparent layoff process that reduces the anxiety and frustration caused by unexpected layoff announcements that seem to have no clear strategic purpose. We’re also fighting for expanded protections for workers and expanded severance for departing employees. Vox Media Union has been a vanguard of digital media at the Guild, and we realize that we are advocating not just for our own employees, but for this industry as a whole. We will continue to demand equitable treatment and respect for all journalists.

Details on how you can support laid off workers at Vox Media will be forthcoming. Solidarity forever.

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Celia Ford @celiaford.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

Keren is a brilliant writer, and anyone would be lucky to have her! So discouraging to see people this talented go.

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Marianne Dhenin @mariannedhe.bsky.social · 08/01/2025

If you are disabled and affected by the California fires, I would love to speak to you for an article. I'm a disabled journalist committed to shouting about shortcomings in our nation's emergency response systems — help me do it! My email is in my bio. RTs appreciated.

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